by Lori Greenberg on October 29, 2008
in marketing
That is the topic in today’s Art Bead Scene post. Jennifer Heynen of Jangles gives you the low down on hang tags and what should be on them. She also tells how she makes hers and it’s an inexpensive do-it-yourself tip for making your own.
What is a hang tag? It’s the little tag that hangs off of your work, of course. It can tell your story, explain your process, detail the materials you use and even give care and cleaning instructions. It all depends on how detailed you want to get.
Think of hang tags as marketing materials. If you don’t want to be printing hang tags AND business cards, get creative and make them one in the same. Why not express your creativity through your hang tags? Try different shapes or added embellishment. I know that takes more time but it will make people hang onto them longer and therefore your contact information too.
I recently bought a stained glass sun catcher on Etsy. It came with a tiny square glass decoration on the wrapping as added embellishment and it was in the shape of a wrapped present. You can bet I’ll be hanging onto that and using it as a Christmas ornament and I will remember the artist that took the time and went one step beyond. Now, if only there was also a way they could include their contact info on it!
How do you use your hang tags in a creative way? Leave a comment or email me so I can show our readers!
To shake things up a little bit, this year I’m presenting a different approach to goal setting.
Setting your intention for the year.
As I get a little older and a little more out of shape I’ve had it in the back of my head that I need to get healthy. I remember the days when I paid more attention to my eating habits and the yoga was the exercise du jour. In those earlier days of yoga here in the U.S. the teachings focused the whole mind, body and spirit; not just the body.
At the beginning of each class was the most important exercise. Breath work. Sitting still and breathing deeply for an extended period. While we focused on different breathing exercises the teacher encouraged us to ‘set an intention for our practice.’ What did we want to achieve? Focus? Release? Relaxation? Exercise?
Whatever it was, the first step was to get still and the second was to set the intention. The idea being, once the intention was set, because the breath work put us into a centered and focused state, that our intention would happen automatically. It was set in our subconscious. And everything that followed would work towards that end.
Recently I read a blog post about choosing a word for the year. No resolutions. No goals. Just one word. The first word that popped into my head was FOCUS. I tried to think of other words that would be better to achieve my goals but as much as I tried, FOCUS kept winning.
While FOCUS is a great word, I felt like I needed something for me to focus ON. One goal. Something I could set my sights on but not be too wrapped up in lists of things to do, if I didn’t want to. Something open enough that I could make my lists as I went along, week by week, focusing and working towards my one achievement.
The phrase “$100,000 in 2009″ popped into my head. That sounded like a pretty big goal to work towards. Considering that I’ve taken the last year off from the focus of selling, if I made 80% of that goal I’d be satisfied. So I declared it. I set my intention.
$100,000 in 2009.
What is your word? What is your intention for 2009?
(If you are a traditional goal setter/achiever/do-er, you like lists and that works for you, be sure to read my more structured approach to Setting Goals – Parts 1-5).
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Be sure to tune in tomorrow as the story continues. Much has been happening since I made that declaration at the beginning of September and the wheels are being set in motion. In order to not miss a thing, why not subscribe to the Bead Nerd Blog? Either in an RSS reader or have it delivered by email.
I was able to catch up with Heather Powers of Humble Beads, and pick her artsy brain about the business of polymer clay beads and jewelry. Keeping reading for words of wisdom from someone who is out there making it happen in the world of beads!
How long have you been making and selling beads?
I’ve been creating beads for 15 years and selling for the last seven.
Do you make or sell anything else besides beads?
I started out selling handcrafted jewelry and still do the occasional art show and online listing. I use a lot more of my one-of-a-kind bead designs in my own jewelry collection.
How many hours a day/week do you work? How much time is spent on creating and how much on the business side?
40+ hours. 50% business/marketing and 50% of my time is making beads, filling orders and creating jewelry. Yes, 50% of my efforts go toward marketing my work.
Where/how have you sold beads in the past and where do you sell them currently?
I have my website (www.humblebeads.com) where I sell my regular line of beads. Etsy (www.humblebeads.etsy.com) is where I showcase some of my more popular beads, limited editions and the occasional experiment. I also sell beads at a few local shows. I wholesale my beads to stores across the country, Bello Modo carries the largest selection of my work and does some of the bead shows on the west coast. In the past I’ve sold my beads on eBay and JustBeads, but stopped once I discovered Etsy.
How long would you say it took before you had a following or a more steady stream of buyers?
It took a good year of selling online before I had a steady income from selling beads. I now have many repeat customers, I like to think of them as Patrons of the Arts!
Other than selling your beads, do you supplement bead making income in other ways?
I write articles and projects for the bead magazines, promote a Bead Cruise (www.beadcruise.com), and occasionally I teach.
How has the business of making and selling beads changed for you since the time you started?
There have been a lot of changes in 7 years. Polymer clay is used more by jewelry designers as beadmakers forged their way into this field. Art beads have become very popular in the last few years as beading as increased in popularity. Designers are looking for beads to set their work apart from their competitors and unique art beads is one way to stand out from the crowd.
Online marketing has changed over the years. There is an exciting and wonderful online community through blogging. I love reading blogs from jewelry designers and seeing how they use my beads. It’s one of the best forms of advertising. I’d also say that Etsy has changed the face of the selling online, offering artists a unique venue. My blogs are www.artbeadscene.com and www.humblebeads.blogspot.com.
If there was one thing that you could change if you knew then what you know now, what would it be?
Create a daily schedule and stick to it!
What piece of business advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Create relationships with your customers. Use the power of connecting online to form a community of creative people that will support, encourage and share your work.
What is one of the most important things you’d like fellow artists trying to make it as a business to know?
Take the time to find your niche and unique voice in your medium. There is nothing new under the sun, but there is also no one else in the world quite like you. Your interests, experiences and passions should go into creating a signature look. It will take time but if you can stand out from the crowd you’ll find success much quicker.
Thanks Heather!
