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How to Ride a Trend

Lesson 39 from: Turn Your Etsy Shop into a Sales Machine

Lisa Jacobs

How to Ride a Trend

Lesson 39 from: Turn Your Etsy Shop into a Sales Machine

Lisa Jacobs

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Lesson Info

39. How to Ride a Trend

Next Lesson: How to Write An Ad

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Introduction to Workshop

04:30
2

The Anatomy of a First Impression

15:24
3

The Truth About Online Business

06:17
4

Etsy is a Tool For Your Business

10:30
5

What is Shop Cohesion?

11:56
6

Common Etsy Mistakes to Avoid

13:52
7

Product Photography Overview

46:09
8

Your Product Photography Checklist

02:58

Lesson Info

How to Ride a Trend

Ride a trend. I talked about it briefly before we went to break. Whenever you see your product trending, whether you catch it or something like it in a movie, or on TV, or some celebrity is wearing that style, or using something like that, or decorating their home with something that you made, or different magazines it's a great time to reach out to new customers. It's a great time to ride that trend and reach. Advertising is the best way to maximize that popularity of your product. That's something that your storefront cannot do for you. And it's something that your marketing campaign can't do it for you because you need to talk specifically to other people enjoying the trend, and they're not in your customer base yet. So you're gonna use the trend to gain more sales and grow your business. So far I've offered you a general idea of an advertising strategy but now we're gonna play with the possibilities. We're gonna play around with the different things you can do. In the beginning sta...

ges when I first opened the Energy Shop there was a, I talked a lot about the Real Housewives today. It's almost embarrassing but I am a huge Real Housewives of New York, or Real Housewives of anywhere of this country, really, 'cause I just love the Real Housewives on Bravo TV, and when the Energy Shop was first opened, I was watching Real Housewives of New Jersey, and one episode featured one of the most popular characters, in my opinion, the most popular character, and the whole episode was built around the bracelets she wore and where she got them, and how she was taking care of them. Up and down her arm were energy bracelets, and it was a huge opportunity to ride that trend and advertise to people that would like the same jewelry, and like the same character on TV, and like the same TV show. So there's a lot of meaning to the bracelets that I work with. I work with gemstones and they're believed to carry attributes, 'cause they're minerals of the earth, so they're believed to enhance your life. And that's why for all these years kings and things like that used to get buried with gemstones because they're believed to watch over you, protect you, add joy to your life, or add joy to your everything. So there's a lot of meaning and each gemstone has its own meaning. And there's a lot of work behind it. It's actually complicated to explain, and so it would be one of those things where I would feel like if I were gonna explain that from scratch I would need to voiceover. You couldn't just land on my storefront and understand how it all works. But that was the beauty of the episode that aired on Real Housewives of New Jersey. The whole things was spelled out. They told the story in one well-cut and well-edited little session, little segment. So as soon as it was airing, and I was getting so excited because it was also familiar to me, I saw it as my own commercial. I really owned it as this pre-existing campaign that existed and that I could advertise to. I'm not the maker of Dina's bracelets, obviously. She only bought from one company in particular. I never claimed to be. I was very careful with that aspect of it, because she was shopping in an independent website and things like that. I'll show you the different places. I was very careful with that, because I'm not trying to step on anybody's toes. I'm not trying to advertise falsely. I'll show you what and how I was being very careful. But I created an ad. I was very excited about it. And this trend is hot. You have to ride a trend when it's hot. So I built a marketing campaign around an advertisement, which is something I wouldn't necessarily recommend or I wouldn't recommend normally. However, if I have a hot trend going on, I can't wait 'til I build a marketing campaign, and then start running an ad. I needed to take advantage of it right away. The headline said, "Love Dina's bracelets?" That was the name of the character on TV, Dina. "Love Dina's bracelets? "You'll love the Energy Shop." Then I targeted that ad to fans who like not only Real Housewives of New Jersey on Facebook, but also people who like Dina herself, because she's a celebrity and she has a fan page. I started running those ads as soon as possible. As soon as I could get them online. I probably created them the night that the episode aired. Then I continued running them during that particular Real Housewives of New Jersey series. They were gonna be on for an entire season. Reruns are always going on on Bravo TV. You can find them all the time, so I knew it was gonna keep coming up. At the time, again, this was 2010, and these type of platforms are always evolving, but at the time the advertisements were costing about 20 cents per click. I was budgeting $20 a day while the ads ran, and I was earning an average of $500 per day when they were running. So it was really talking to a very specific audience giving them something very specific that they were looking for and it was a great return on investment. And it was a very successful ad campaign. That was what I did for paid advertising, but that wasn't the end all be all, because I never look at it like that. I wanted to create a marketing campaign around that trend. I wanted to, again, do it as fast as possible, and implement it immediately so I could take advantage of everything that was going on. I also wrote a blog about Dina Manzo's bracelets. Now, I spelled it out like that. That was in the blog title, and for the longest time I was the number one thing, I might still be. I was the number one thing that came up on Google when you searched Dina Manzo's bracelets. I was careful in that article. I gave credit to the jeweler that actually creates her bracelets. I linked to the storefront actually. You can go shopping there. Again, it's an independent website. They have a higher price point. It's the same product, higher price point. So there are brand shoppers. Let's realize this, okay. There are people that are not gonna be happy unless they're wearing the exact bracelet that Dina was wearing. So they're gonna go shop that brand. And that's what they want. And for those people, I link them to the storefront. There are other people that realize that they can get an armful of similar bracelets, same style, at my prices for what the price of one of those bracelets would cost at the other place. Those were my customers. So those were the people that started shopping with me, and started shopping with me immediately. I was very careful. Never took credit for the bracelets that Dina wore, never did anything that made me feel sketchy or gross, but was absolutely acknowledging where the real bracelets came from but capitalizing on the trend that was taking place. In that, Dina Manzo's bracelets, I definitely also linked to my own shop down below. Again, down below. I wanted to make sure I didn't say get Dina's bracelets. Then I'd be the first click on the page. That wouldn't feel good to me. So I was careful about it. Twitter, at the time, and maybe still to this day, I don't know, was good for live chats during the show. This was the next level, and the next place I went with that particular marketing campaign. So if you saw my ad on Facebook, and then you searched Dina Manzo's bracelets, and then you logged into Twitter and were talking to Real Housewives of New Jersey fans, I've popped up in three places for the same people that are going to be interested in riding that same particular trend. During Twitter live chats and as new episodes were airing, everybody used the same hashtag. It was #rhonj or #rhnj. We have variations, us Real Housewives fans, and we would talk about the show as the show was airing. For the record, that's not something I normally do. I don't just Twitter chat about the show, but (laughter) I did use the hashtag during that time to discuss the show because I was in the midst of a marketing campaign and I mixed in promos for the Energy Shop while I was there. I added if you love Dina's bracelets, you'll love my more affordable options. Check these out. Why not? It was another way to get in front of the same customers. That also, while I developed that on the fly, and there was a hot trend and I wanted to ride it, it is proof that there's always more to your strategy than just advertising for advertising sake. So you want to always be using a combo of low cost or no cost techniques, the ones we've talked about, especially in marketing your Etsy shop to sold out success and combine that with the paid advertising boost. You want to aim to introduce your business to new customers on multiple outlets. If you can touch them from different places you definitely absolutely want to.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials

How To Beat The Overcrowded Market Guide

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Build a Storefront That Sells by Lisa Jacobs
Ideal Customer Workbook by Lisa Jacobs
Your Best Year Wall Planner
Market Your Etsy® Shop by Lisa Jacobs

Ratings and Reviews

kathleenc
 

The course was really practical and organized very well. Each day built on the previous day and had solid, actionable recommendations. I am just starting my Etsy shop and feel like I have a plan for moving forward with some confidence. Lisa is charming and very real and her enthusiasm for supporting businesses is engaging and very encouraging. She wants us to be part of the tribe and I appreciate that! Thanks Lisa and everyone at Creative Live for more great "Mini B-school" lessons that I can use for my online business.

TheRecycledLibrary
 

Thank you thank you thank you! I have been going about the "daily scramble" for years - with ups and downs along the way and this course has been a true eye opener for me. The message of consistency and brand cohesion as well as deep respect for my customers will surely stay with me and help my business continue to grow. No matter what stage you are at in your creative business, Lisa has something great to teach! Highly recommended!

user 1398951706740261
 

This class was amazing!! The first day covered changing your Etsy storefront. This was my favorite day, as it talked about product photography in a very basic, replicable way. The best part was that it was all DIY. I have been told for so long to sub out photography to a professional, but this class is all about investing in yourself. It is so empowering to know how to do these things YOURSELF. We then spent the afternoon talking about SEO tips and tweaks. I can't wait to implement these in my own shop. I fee like this information is not clear anywhere online. The marketing aspect was great, and is about exposing your vulnerability and connecting with an audience. Lastly, you learn a SYSTEM that you can replicate time and time again. It goes through the entire calendar year. The cherry on-top was the last day-- advertising. I can't wait to try out advertising once I have the first two areas complete. This course is not gimmicky in any way, and teaches you a very honest approach to connect with potential customers. Awesome instructor-- to the point and thoughtful.

Student Work

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