We’re heading into the biggest shopping season of the year. No matter how big or small your creative business might be you can take some steps now to make the most of it. Here are a few things I’m working on now to get ready.
1.Build your mailing list.
In November of last year I had about 4,500 people on my mailing list. My goal for 2015 was to double it and I’m almost there.
Growing a mailing list requires ongoing effort and lots of creativity and nurturing all year-long, but October and November are great months to give that extra push.
In mid-October I made a pattern for a bird and posted it here on my blog for free. Creating a pattern and tutorial for a project is incredibly time-consuming and it probably took me six hours to create that Circle Bird post. Giving it away might seem like a waste of time, but it’s part of a larger strategy. That free pattern worked really hard for me.
Let’s look at the stats from my MailChimp app on my phone:
I submitted the post to several aggregators and it got picked up by CraftGawker, CraftGossip and AllFreeSewing within the first few days. When all of those new readers come in for the first time it’s so important to give them something they can quickly and easily do to stay in touch with you. For me, that’s the HelloBar popup and it works really nicely. That’s the first bump you see.
Then, later in the month it got picked up by SewCanShe. Caroline’s mailing list is enormous and over 100 people signed up for my list on they day she featured my tutorial. Without the pop up most of these new visitors would look at the tutorial, maybe pin it for later, and then click away.
Another approach would be to offer the pattern as a lead magnet to attract new subscribers. Although I like that idea, too, you’re on the hook for advertising the post and you lose out on work that large aggregators can do for you.
Making a free pattern isn’t the only way to build your list. Now’s a great time to:
- Guest post on a blog that’s widely read by your target customers
- Cross promote your list to your social media followers
- Ask your current subscribers to forward your email newsletter to their friends
2. Stock up on everything.
Besides PDF patterns I sell specialty supplies for people who sew. Last year I ran out of hemostats on the first day of my 3-day Black Friday sale which was really frustrating. This year I’ve looked carefully at my inventory and reordered well in advance. I’ve contacted my publishers to get copies of each of my books, ordered shipping supplies from Uline and ink for the printer and stickers for the bags and thank you postcards. Lots of boxes have been arriving here lately!
3. Freshen up your look.
Just like you might buy a new top for a holiday party so that you look your best, now is a good time to freshen up your online presence. Be sure your branding is consistent across all platforms and maybe create a new avatar or banner image. I just freshened my Etsy shop banner and shop icon.
4. Plan something new, surprising, and sharable.
I remember last year when designer Ashley Goldberg did a daily Instagram post throughout December showing a creative way to wrap a gift. It was beautiful and brilliant and definitely took planning. I don’t have something like that planned (yet!) but I’m putting the finishing touches on a new product that I’m getting ready to release soon, plus I have a few new supplies waiting to be photographed and listed.
Shopping is often an emotionally driven decision so when you do release your new product or campaign, remember to think about the story you’re going to tell about it.
5. Send out a holiday card.
Last year I got a really lovely card from Cheryl Arkison. It wasn’t her family’s holiday card. It was Cheryl’s professional holiday card featuring a picture of her outside with one of her quilts and a holiday greeting inside. I loved it!
The holidays are an ideal time to send warm wishes to all of your professional contacts. I’ve really been striving to get snail mail addresses for everyone this year and I have a holiday card all designed and ready to go. I’m not expecting anything in return. It’s just a way to say, “Thank you for being part of my business family this year.” It’s really not very expensive to get them printed and mailed and I really think it’s nice.
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I’m interested to hear your ideas for getting your business ready for the holiday season. I’m sure there are lots of other creative and smart ways to go about this. Please share!
Sara says
I found your free pattern marketing ideas interesting. I just released a free pattern, but decided to make it available to new newsletter subscribers. It’s mostly an experiment, but I’ve had a surprisingly small number of people sign-up for the newsletter and claim the free pattern. I normally submit free tutorials and patterns to CraftGawker and the others, but they don’t accept tutorials that require the readers to sign-up for anything. Consequently, I’ve had almost no extra traffic. I wonder if I would have been better off making it free or if it will pay off in the long run…
Abby says
I think your free pattern is really lovely, Sara, and is a great free gift in exchange for sharing an email address. I think you could possibly sell your email list in a more confident way in your post about it. I can tell that you’re worried people will feel annoyed by getting your emails and that you might just be cluttering up their inboxes. They get that feeling, too! If you can reframe your idea about your emails by seeing them as a really special gift you’re giving to your favorite fans, as something they’ll look forward to and savor each time the emails arrive, it will help people to feel confident that they should indeed sign up.They’ll trust that you’re going to provide them with something special and wonderful and they won’t want to miss out!
Sara says
Thank you for the encouragement Abby! It helps to hear your opinion. I’ll reread what I wrote and see if I can make it sound more confident!
Nicole says
Hi Sara,
I was just on your website and I loved it. You make great things! I wanted to sign up for your newsletter, but couldn’t find it at first. It was not before I scrolled all the way down that I discovered the sign-up form. Maybe an idea to put it on the top? Just a suggestion from a fellow sewer 😉
Greetings from Norway!
Sarah Arnold says
Great ideas Abby as always! I want to do a free dance skirt tutorial for kids and adults for my holiday gift. My goal is to build my list for 2016 too. Thanks for the tips that these are good months to do so.
Warmly,
Sarah
Abby says
I think list building really has to take place all year long, but it does make sense to me to give a final push right before the holiday shopping season begins so that you go into it reaching as many potential customers as you can.
jk says
May I ask what aggregators you submit to?
Abby says
Sure. I mention them. Craftgawker, CraftGossip, AllFreeSewing, and SewCanShe
jk says
Thanks. I am new to this! Do the aggregators charge for submission? I assume there are aggregators for many type of blogs. How does one find an aggregator for their specific type of blog?
Abby says
No, they don’t charge. It’s a business model in which they excerpt other site’s content and then show advertising to their visitors. Basically they’re making money by showing a bit of your post. Often these sites send out daily emails to huge subscriber lists which means you get a good deal of traffic. It’s only worth doing, though, if you’re able to get the new visitors to stick around either by signing up for your newsletter or taking some other action that will help them keep up with you. As far as finding them, I think it’s a matter of exploring your niche. After a while you’ll hear about them.
jk says
Thank you for the info Abby.
Sharon | the teacup incident says
These are wonderful tips Abby. Its easy for me to get caught up in creating toys and forget to market myself in a myriad of ways. I like your idea of offering a freebie, especially something people might want to make for the holidays like something small for the holiday table or tree.
Carolyn says
Great post – I plan to put some of these into practice. Thank you!
Abby says
I’m so glad to hear that, Carolyn!
Nicole says
Great tips, Abby! Thanks. And I’ve learned something new, I didn’t know what aggregators were.
You have got me thinking about my sign-up form and gift in return for an email address.
And I love that hello pop up side bar! I rather new to it all, so great to read about and learn from a pro!
Greetings from Norway!
ann wood says
That’s great advice Abby. It never would have occurred to me to submit a free project. I did yesterday and it’s already incredibly effective in terms of traffic and email signups – new eyeballs in general. And the hello bar to capture emails also makes a huge difference. Thanks for sharing !
Abby says
I’m so glad, Ann!