Screenshot of images from TheBigForest blog on Pinterest
What an amazing summer it’s been in the UK! But September rolls around sooner than you’d think, and with it comes the annual back-to-school feeling. As well as stocking up on new pencils (or the modern equivalent – a shiny new i-pad perhaps?), it’s the perfect time to take stock of your craft business and make some plans for the future.
How about taking a look at your online marketing? There’s a huge amount of tools out there now, and it can be difficult to make sense of where to get started. Here are some top tips on two – Google Adwords, and Pinterest.
Google Adwords
Google Adwords is basically advertising on Google – you know, all those little text adverts you see above and to the side of your search results. It sounds simple, but the reality can be a bit more daunting, and you need to do a fair amount of research before you jump in and set up your account. Luckily there’s loads of free advice out there.
The good thing about Adwords is that it forces you to think about target marketing. Basically, you need to choose a group of keywords that will lead searchers to your ad. There’s no point going for something generic like ‘jewellery’, so you need to narrow down your offering and group keywords together – for example ‘handmade wooden rings UK’.
- Here’s a good overview of how Adwords works, from Zest Digital
- Google have their own comprehensive guide for beginners
- Adwords may not be for everyone – here’s a personal story from a jewellery business who found that Facebook beat Google advertising every time
Pinterest is the hot new thing right now, and so big companies have started to think about how they can use the site to stealthily advertise their goods. But as a small craft business you have a natural advantage, because you’re selling something unique and different. Pinterest is such a visual medium, so the most important thing you can do is get really great photos that people are going to want to share. After that, there’s a few tips that might help you on your way.
- Five ways to use Pinterest to promote your products, from Stitch Labs
- Here’s a video Q&A session on how niche businesses can use Pinterest
- There’s a very good post here from Oh My Handmade about the ethics of Pinterest, and those pesky copyright issues
Just to finish off this post, I have to recommend the always amazing Design Trust, who have a very helpful round-up here of social media tools and how to use them.
Do you use either Google Adwords or Pinterest? Do they work for you?
