Making informed advertising choice

[David Barber]

Hi,
I've just joined this forum having launched my business a couple of months back. My wife and I hand make studio pottery at Blue House Pottery in South Cheshire. Our products take a long time to produce compared to mass produced pottery and are therefore aimed at those looking for a quirky gift or unique item for their homes.
Sales have been trickling in slowly via our website which is getting traffic mainly from posts on social media or existing customers. However, we are aware that we need to reach a wider audience, as we are fairly invisible. We are cautious about throwing money at advertising, as it seems a bit of a lottery, although we do know it's a necessary evil. Before we do spend we'd like to have some more information to make informed decisions. I had considered a picture ad in something like Cheshire Life magazine, but having read a recent post on this forum was put off. We currently pay for clicks on Etsy, but it's a low budget and doesn't seem to be drawing traffic.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Best wishes,
Dave and Jen

 

[AllUpHere]

What's your budget?

 

[fisicx]

If the website is good then you will rank for custom pottery. If it’s not number 1 on Google fixing the site may negate the need for advertising.

<edit>Just looked at the site. So many things wrong. You could sell lots of stuff if you got help sorting out the problems</edit>

 

[Mark T Jones]

It's entirely possible that what you need is to reach a narrower audience, but to resonate more.

Have you put much thought and/or research into your ideal target customer?

As a broad answer, I'd say magazine advertising is fairly ineffective as a stand-alone, but can add value to a multi-pronged approach

 

[David Barber]

If the website is good then you will rank for custom pottery. If it’s not number 1 on Google fixing the site may negate the need for advertising.

<edit>Just looked at the site. So many things wrong. You could sell lots of stuff if you got help sorting out the problems</edit>

Thanks for the reply, You say there's so many things wrong - can you let me know what they are?
Cheers

 

[David Barber]

It's entirely possible that what you need is to reach a narrower audience, but to resonate more.

Have you put much thought and/or research into your ideal target customer?

As a broad answer, I'd say magazine advertising is fairly ineffective as a stand-alone, but can add value to a multi-pronged approach

We have an idea of our target customer based on the people who have and are currently buying from us. Mainly women, 30 - 65, into home decor or buying gifts for girlfriends.

 

[David Barber]

What's your budget?

We're currently spending a couple of quid per day for clicks, but haven't committed to any significant spend. We are happy to spend a lot more if it's effective. It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation!!

 

[AllUpHere]

We're currently spending a couple of quid per day for clicks, but haven't committed to any significant spend. We are happy to spend a lot more if it's effective. It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation!!

'a lot more' doesnt tell me much. I'm trying to work out if the answer to your problem is having someone do it for you, if you could have someone tell you what to do, or if you are going to need to work it out as you go along. The answer depends on your budget

 

[David Barber]

'a lot more' doesnt tell me much. I'm trying to work out if the answer to your problem is having someone do it for you, if you could have someone tell you what to do, or if you are going to need to work it out as you go along. The answer depends on your budget

Ok, let's say a hypothetical £100 / month.

 

[AlanJ1]

Ok, let's say a hypothetical £100 / month.

I will answer AllUpHere based on £100/M and say you will need to work it out as you go along, wouldn't be anywhere near enough of a spend for the other options.

 

[AlanJ1]

Further to my post above.

There's a lot more to advertising than just seeing the revenue from what you spend.
You should consider LTV (lifetime value) of the customer. Example, does a customer come from an ad spend and purchase once or do they come back and purchase multiple times?

By running a lower profitable advertising campaign you also have the chance (if the customer opts-in) to re-market to the customers. You can also run competitions to share photos of what they have bought to gain further leads into sales.

A lot of people just take advertising it on the face of it cost me X and we got X back but I feel there are hundreds of other factors to take into consideration.

 

[AllUpHere]

Ok, let's say a hypothetical £100 / month.

Forgive my bluntness, but that's pocket money, not a serious budget.

 

[IanSuth]

Advertising all comes down to AIDA
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

In the internet age the Attention part is getting ranked on the search engines or in front of your target customers faces some other way. So either you need to know what search terms your likely customers will use, or you need to know where they hang out digitally (or physically if you are going for the print medium)

 

[MBE2017]

OP, consider using YouTube, become a channel specialising in showing the production of your products, the work involved etc. Several people are doing this to their great advantage, become “the pottery expert” on YouTube, watch Robert Cleverly a chippie to see what I mean. He not only shares his wealth of knowledge, he price conditions throughout and few doubt he is worth his money.

It will not cost you too much to start producing simple videos, a poster on this forum even has tips on doing the same.

 

[David Barber]

Forgive my bluntness, but that's pocket money, not a serious budget.

I thought this forum was for small or 'micro' businesses? That's all I can spare at 2 months in.

 

[AllUpHere]

I thought this forum was for small or 'micro' businesses? That's all I can spare at 2 months in.

It is, but a budget of about 20 quid a week is just a very cheap hobby. If that's your budget, you don't have a business.

I'm not having a go at you, and wish you the best of luck with it, but it's not a business until you find some money from somewhere.

 

[Scalloway]

Thanks for the reply, You say there's so many things wrong - can you let me know what they are?
Cheers

Sign up as a full member and you will be eligible for a website review from forum users, including the very knowledgable fiscx.

 

[Alan]

Ok, let's say a hypothetical £100 / month.

If @fisicx says your website needs work, it needs work. I would save your £100 a month for professional help ( and spend some of it on membership to get the review )

And spend all your spare time on social media, posting away, instagram, facebook etc ticktock is also massive at the moment.

 

[Alan]

I thought this forum was for small or 'micro' businesses?

UK Business Forum. Yes there are many small micro businesses and also many much larger. What you get here normally is frank and honest input.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Hi,
I've just joined this forum having launched my business a couple of months back. My wife and I hand make studio pottery at Blue House Pottery in South Cheshire. Our products take a long time to produce compared to mass produced pottery and are therefore aimed at those looking for a quirky gift or unique item for their homes.
Sales have been trickling in slowly via our website which is getting traffic mainly from posts on social media or existing customers. However, we are aware that we need to reach a wider audience, as we are fairly invisible. We are cautious about throwing money at advertising, as it seems a bit of a lottery, although we do know it's a necessary evil. Before we do spend we'd like to have some more information to make informed decisions. I had considered a picture ad in something like Cheshire Life magazine, but having read a recent post on this forum was put off. We currently pay for clicks on Etsy, but it's a low budget and doesn't seem to be drawing traffic.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Best wishes,
Dave and Jen

Hi Dave and Jen,
I understand where you are coming from.

My wife has developed a good folllowing on Facebook and our local customers text her with queries and orders to put aside etc. So this is one way of developing your customer base.

I have tried to develop customers on our website with advertising but not much gained. You need to closely monitor results and keep adjusting your ads and audience.

We sell local artists work on the basis of a commission so I would suggest you approach suitable retail outlets and see if they will do the same.

 

[japancool]

Ok, let's say a hypothetical £100 / month.

It's certainly possible to do it on a limited budget, but:
1) You will need to be MUCH more targeted in terms of your audience. It's too broad to get any decent results on this kind of budget.
2) You will also need to retain these customers as repeat customers. Is your kind of business the kind where customers keep coming back to buy more? Or are they buying one-off gifts?

 

[GraemeL]

Spend all spare cash on website improvements

 

[Deleted member 59730]

I know many very successful potters. Very few of them advertise. They put all their efforts into building a reputation and when they have exhibitions they often sell out.

 

[fisicx]

I know many very successful potters. Very few of them advertise. They put all their efforts into building a reputation and when they have exhibitions they often sell out.

I know someone local who displays their work in their workshop. People keep coming back to buy all the new unique products. Everything they make is different.

 

[David Barber]

It's certainly possible to do it on a limited budget, but:
1) You will need to be MUCH more targeted in terms of your audience. It's too broad to get any decent results on this kind of budget.
2) You will also need to retain these customers as repeat customers. Is your kind of business the kind where customers keep coming back to buy more? Or are they buying one-off gifts?

Thanks - yes lots of regular customers. Once they've found us they come back. I just need to make my site more visible. Had a few comments re. the quality of the site, but I get the feeling they're from people who want my money!

 

[David Barber]

I know many very successful potters. Very few of them advertise. They put all their efforts into building a reputation and when they have exhibitions they often sell out.

Yes, I think it's just going to take time to build momentum. Once we get customers, we tend to get lots of repeat business from them.

 

[fisicx]

Thanks - yes lots of regular customers. Once they've found us they come back. I just need to make my site more visible. Had a few comments re. the quality of the site, but I get the feeling they're from people who want my money!

Not at all. The only reason people aren’t posting details of the problems is website reviews are only permitted for full members. Most of then you can fix yourself.

 

[cjd]

Don't waste any money on advertising. Spend your money on things that don't cost anything

PR is free and effective. Your local press will be interested in what you are doing if it's new, quirky and makes a good photo. Even better if you have an interesting backstory or somebody with a name as a customer.

Social media is also free, Put pictures of this week's pot out every week (Pot of the Week), plus a blog about how you make them, how long it takes, where ideas come from - anything really that puts a regular story out and maintains an interest. You need to be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at least and keep posting

Go to craft fairs and ask local craft shops to sell your stuff. I've seen arts and crafts stuff being sold/exhibited in local pubs.

Your website does look a bit amateur. No address and a mobile telephone number is always a giveaway. (It's also illegal to sell stuff online and not display a returns address.)

The blog on your website is not a blog

Having the same name as another artist and another website as another pottery (the .com) could be a difficulty.

Get business cards printed and give them to anybody that even glances at you

 

[simon field]

David, you need to take the advice above in the spirit in which it is given, ie genuine and helpful. Don’t take it personally!

They don’t want or need your money. £100 a month. It cost more than that to have an ad in the local evening rag for a week in 1988, let’s be honest.

It’s lovely stuff you make, you probably just need to invest some money in marketing if you want to sell it all..

 

[Scottishgifts4u]

We used to advertise in the local ‘Life’ magazine (the publisher was a friend so it was a freebie) and quite honestly it got us practically nothing.

In fact we tried a few different printed ads over the years and had very disappointing results. Okay that may be the fault of the ad itself I admit but if you are thinking credit card sized ads I’d advise you to save your money.