Did you know ....

... that it's Christmas Eve in exactly 4 months from today?! (Hohoho, so sorry to mention it in August!)

... that there are 21.7 million active buyers on Etsy and 1.7million active sellers on Etsy? And that more than 5,000 creatives sell on Not On The High Street, of which 21 have become millionaires! That's a staggering amount, isn't it?

... but also that it is estimated that 1/3 of the UK's designers and makers are NOT selling online at present?

When I did my research project last year around 'What makes creative businesses successful?' one of the most interesting findings was that many creatives were not selling online. And that most of these had total sales of less than £10,000 in a year. I don't think that that is a coincidence!

Of course there are loads of reasons why you might not be selling online:

• Maybe you are (very) new and don't know where to start. You might not have products ready, or struggle with your pricing, or you don't have good images, or maybe you simply don't have the time! (My response: Isn't it time you get your act together? To stop procrastinating and get into action? Especially in the run up to Christmas?)
• Maybe you aren't very tech-savvy and worry about your lack of technical skills? (My response: It might be much easier than you think these days! There are some really easy website solutions out there that are as easy as sending an email ...)
• Maybe you only create one-off products and wonder how you can present and sell these online? You don't have the time to really photograph your unique pieces as they sell already before you can take an image. (My response: Maybe an e-commerce site isn't the answer for you, but your work should still be online to show your skills and talents - to attract the interest from commissioners, collectors and trade buyers!)
• Maybe you specialise in high-end luxurious creative products, and aren't sure if people would spend loads of money online (My response: You will be surprised how much people are prepared to spend online these days! Having a beautiful website can really support your other marketing activities and events. It's what people expect these days. Especially at the luxury end of the market!)
• Or maybe you have a website or online shop, but actually you haven't really done 'anything with it'. You hoped that by having a website the sales would come in by themselves, but frankly it has been crickets and you know deep down that you haven't given it the attention it needs. You tell yourself 'someday' I will make that work. (My response: Christmas is the best time of the year to sell online, especially if you are also doing events! If there is ever a good time to get your skates on and get on with it ... it's NOW!)

 

So ... if you are ready to present and sell your creative products online + you need a little boost to get into action + you want to make the most of the upcoming Christmas season ... then check out our next one-day online workshop!

I offered this workshop for the first time in June, and it was so popular that I have decided to offer it again this September. Because I know that it will help you to get your website ready in a couple of days or weeks at the most. Jingle bells we are ready!

 

The Design Trust one-day online workshop:

Starting To Sell Online - Wednesday 20 September 9.30am - 4pm (UK time)

I will be hosting this practial online workshop, in which we will cover in 4 separate workshops the following topics:

1. An intro to selling online: We will start the day with an introduction to 9 different ways to present and sell your creative products online. Some are obvious but others will be offering surprising new opportunities for you too! And I will share with you some of the best e-commerce and website building software to create your own site or work with a developer or designer. I will also share with you how to present and sell unique creative work or luxury creative products successfully online. At the end of this session you will select the best online option(s) for you.
2. The 9 steps to launch your website or online shop: I will take you step-by-step through the entire process of decision making and the actions you need to go through to create and launch your website successfully very soon. From setting your goals and deadline, to branding and deciding which products to sell, to costing and pricing your work correctly, to getting the best images and writing text that will help you sell, to how to send your items to your clients and promoting your site. We will cover it all, and you will get handy to-do-lists and check list so you won't forget anything. I have broken down the entire process of launching your site into do-able steps for you.
3. An intro to getting your site found and writing to get more online sales: In this very practical session I will show you the basics of SEO (search engine optimisation) so that your potential clients will find your website and creative products. And I will show you how to write product titles and descriptions that will increase your online sales. Lots of practical tips and you will be writing your own texts too during the workshop!
4. Get ready to launch & get the word out! Launching your website is step number one, but then you do need to start getting interest too! In this final session of the day I will give you my marketing and social media tips to get more interest in your site, and how to start driving traffic to your website or online shop.

Sounds good? You can book your place here now and get ready to launch your fabulous website in time for Christmas.

This is NOT a technical workshop where I will show you how to do all the technical stuff, but this is a practical, hands-on workshop where you will select which online option is best for you. I will discuss all the different parts to think about (from images to texts and beyond) and share with you check lists so that you can manage the launch of your website without too much stress. And you will create a plan to get the word out so (with loads of practical marketing tips) so that people visit your website and come and buy from you online.

Patricia van den Akker

Director of The Design Trust in London

@TheDesignTrust

PS Do you know somebody who might be interested in this practical online workshop? Somebody who has been procrastinating but would like to launch their website soon? Then please forward this email to them. Thanks!

Do you want to make the most of Christmas? We have got another online workshop coming up about that on Friday 6 October. And you can now purchase both of these online workshops together for a very special price! For details about this special discount offer see our Eventbrite page.