An Untapped Opportunity Comes Through Pinterest

I opened up my email this morning and found this letter from Pinterest.

Just over a year ago, my wife and I welcomed our son into the world. Since his first day, I've been pinning fun things we can do together, right now while he’s still little and later when he gets older. I know many of you do the same. Pinterest is where you keep your wishlists, vacation plans, dream home ideas, and other things you want to do soon and in the future. 

That's why for us, it's so important that Pinterest is a service that will be here to stay. To help make sure it does, we're going to start experimenting with promoting certain pins from a select group of businesses. 

I know some of you may be thinking, "Oh great...here come the banner ads.” But we’re determined to not let that happen. While we haven't figured out all the details, I can say that promoted pins will be: 

* Tasteful—No flashy banners or pop-up ads. 

* Transparent—We’ll always let you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it. 

* Relevant—These pins should be about stuff you're actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that's your style. 

* Improved based on your feedback—Keep letting us know what you think, and we'll keep working to make things better. 

For our first test, we'll promote a few pins in search results and category feeds. For example, a pin for a Darth Vader outfit from a costume shop might be promoted in a search for “halloween.” Nobody's paying for anything yet—we want to see how things go and, more than anything, hear what you think. 

Thanks so much for all your support these first few years, and we hope you'll keep pinning with us for many years to come! 

All the best, 

Ben 

It occurred to me that this could be a wonderful opportunity to give businesses that create handmade items a fighting chance to compete with the big box stores, if implemented so that these promotions favor such businesses. Those who hold the cards in social media sites can make a difference if they believe in handmade and in giving artists and crafters a leg up, and keeping handmade alive and thriving in the larger pond of entrepreneurship. Since many handmade businesses utilize various forms of social media as guerilla marketing on a daily basis, they/we provide a constant stream of material to keep these systems pumping. I figured I'd put my advocacy background to good use and write in to ask that Pinterest consider my proposition. Below is my letter;

Hi Ben,

I like this idea but have one request. Could you prioritize small businesses like mine who are sole proprietorships making handcrafted items? As the economy has gotten tougher those of us in this category have really had to be up around the clock many nights to compete with the big box stores, yet we don’t have near the advertising budget that the big box stores have. I see a lot of commercial mass produced brands also being pinned and often it feels as if I am John Henry competing against the machine.

If you would do this it would go a long way towards leveling the playing field for us “little guys” who make things one by one with our own two hands.

Please write and let me know what you think and if you can make these small handmade businesses a priority in this effort.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Pippit Carlington

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

If you have a small business producing handmade items, if you have an Etsy or similar online shop, you spend long hours promoting your brand, or you feel that this would help your business and/or that of someone you care about I encourage you to write Ben at Pinterest too and let him know you'd like such businesses to be the focus in this new marketing experiment. At least for the time being it's free and could have great potential to put many artists and crafters struggling to get a solid foothold on the map!

Thinking Outside The Box; Reaching New Markets and Stimulating the US Economy

 

Starting today; November 1st, I am trying something new as a means to bring in business from countries outside the US. Each month over the next several months I will feature a different country in each of my Etsy shops to offer that country a special deal.

 

This month in my finished jewelry shop; Giftbearer, I am offering Chinese buyers 20% off on a purchase of $65.00 or more (total can be one item, or several less expensive items which add up to at least $65.00 in the same order). Please enter the coupon code; CHINA65 while checking out in the box allowed for special discounts.

 

Canadian buyers are offered the same deal but in my supply shop; GiftbearerSupply. Please enter the coupon code; CANDO65 in checkout.

 

I welcome my fellow Chinese and Canadians throughout November to see what wonderful things can be obtained here. Purchase something very special for yourself or for your friends or family. Feel free to use this offer as many times as you'd like during the month of November and send people you know who also live in your country.

 

Not only will you discover some great treasures, but you'll also help stimulate the US economy in the process! What better way to spread the love!

Easter-A Message Beyond The Religious

Some people associate Easter with the resurrection of Christ, but if we look at its broader implications to all people of all belief systems the take-home message is really one of hope and regeneration.

Think about it; the common tradition of hunting for brightly colored Easter Eggs is inherently about pleasant surprises, beauty in otherwise simple things, comforting and happy images of adorable bunnies, and other baby animals that symbolize youth, freshness, and life full of possibility and wonder.

Trees are budding, crocuses sprout from their slumber and pop forth their cheerful colors in shades of purple, and birds begin to stir in the trees, chirping as the sun comes up each morning signalling the beginning of Spring.

This is a time to take stock, evaluate where you are, and where you need to go from here, clean out the old, and phase in the new.

For many art based businesses, this year, even more so than years past, this is a time to fine tune one's operations and to decide which baskets we place our "eggs".

For some this may mean doing more shows, and for others looking for more stores through which to sell our wares, and/or it may involve looking at new ways to reach out to customers in existing venues to affect the perceived usefulness of the product.

One way I do this is to try to think of every possible use one might have for the products I sell and promote these uses along with the product. This doesn't always work, but it is one more tool you can utilize.

Think of each potential customer as not just that person but as a social network. Ask yourself who they buy for beyond buying for him or herself.

That person themselves when first viewing your product may not immediately think of all possible uses for it, so something you suggest may jog their memory and turn a view into a sale.

Does this customer have a daughter who is getting married next month?

Does she have a sister whose birthday is coming up?

Is this person a young man with a girlfriend who just happens to love pearls and he might want to buy her something for an upcoming dinner date?

Maybe the person now viewing your unique greeting cards needs a special Mother's Day card that has a message he or she just can't find in a commercial store.

Customization is always popular. A name, a color, a specific stone, or other image that has special sentimental value to that person or their loved-one may make it worth spending the cash they are holding onto.

With so many demands on an often tight budget people want to get something they feel justifies their spending it on a non-necessary item. The potential buyer may feel guilty about spending any unnecessary money, but this can be offset by the value the item imparts upon their lives and the lives of others they might give it to.

Take for example a veterinarian whose livelihood depends on maintaining a steady stream of regular customers.  That vet may find it advantageous to buy hand-made dog treats from your small business because giving these away to his customers while they wait in the waitingroom helps to cement the relationship and builds loyalty.  Some vets already offer this, and others may not have thought of it yet. If you mention this in your advertising, on business cards, or in talking to people one-on-one you may gain some buyers that had not considered before that this will help them build and maintain loyalty in their customers!

Similarly, hair ties may go over well in hair salons. These can be great as add-on point-of-purchase items at checkout, or as giveaways with services that the salon wants to sell more of. Spending $30.00-$40.00 on a bunch of hair ties for the salon owner just might bring in several hundred or more dollars in business, so although there is some initial investment, the expenditure pays off and is not frivolous.

Gifts make people feel appreciated and loved and employers might want to give these as incentives or rewards for a job well done, especially if they cannot afford to give raises this year. With job descriptions expanding beyond salaries any little token of appreciation throughout the year can help to remind workers that their contributions in the workplace have not gone unnoticed.

By the same token, supplies enable potential buyers to do many things which expand beyond the face value of the product itself. They can be used to create items for re-sale, to create lower-cost gifts instead of spending more money on finished items from a commercial store, they can be used to decorate one's home, to entertain children, or to give as charity offerings to organizations that use crafting/art as part of their programs to help others less fortunate.

If you're a teacher you know that the budget for art has continued to shrink, especially in the public school system, so buying supplies for the classroom can enrich your curriculum. When your students learn the valuable lessons that art and fine craft can illustrate, the returns are immeasurable! Besides, this is a prime opportunity to teach children why it's important to support small business/micro-enterprise.

Whether you own a business that markets handmade art or fine craft items, know someone who does, or whether you live outside that construct and work in a more traditional field, Easter and the beginning of Spring carry a universal theme. Today brings with it yet another opportunity, and the greatest value is not of material things themselves; rather demand's driving force is the relationships they forge in our lives.

http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/