on giveaways (parte uno)

do you have a shop that might benefit from a giveaway? do you have questions about how to use giveaways to your best advantage? this discussion is mostly geared towards those who want to work with other blogs to promote their own products through giveaways. there's more to come! see part two tomorrow! 


moday night  i hopped on twitter to find a great chat going on amongst the crafty kids.
sidenote: if you are not on twitter, it may seem like a foreign language, but it is all kinds of awesome. promise.
the set up shop chat (#setupshop ) run by gina is a great place for those who run or are thinking of running a handmade business and would like to brainstorm with others in the same boat. monday was my first chance to get on the chat, and it was so fun!
i thought i would take a minute to share a few things with you inspired by the topic: giveaways!
don't we all love a good giveaway?

image here

if you are a shop owner wondering about how to do giveaways here are some FAQ's and a few things to consider:


when i started on this post it got a little on the long side, so i split it into two parts. check back tomorrow for more tips!
ON with the lessoonnn...


1) why should i do a giveaway?
i first launched my business with a little giveaway on my sister's blog. in that first year or so, whenever i felt like i wasn't sure where sales were going to come from, i did another giveaway. it is a great a way to get your product out there in front of a new audience or to remind customers to keep coming back for more.


2)where is the best place to do a giveaway? 
well, it depends on who you ask. I would recommend seeking out a variety of blogs in different niches to ensure you are reaching different types of customers. having said that, keep their audience in mind. make sure the audience is a good match for your product. seek out photographers if your product would make a good prop, fashion bloggers, mommy bloggers, crafty bloggers, etc. i don't do a lot of my own giveaways here since i know people who stop here are aware of my product, but would rather offer promotions or discounts to my readers. i really love ruthanne's genius idea to do giveaways for facebook fans and twitter followers. so much fun!


3)what should i giveaway?
here's my preference: i love to offer a particular product (like a mini-modern pearl, for example) and let the winner choose a color. the reason this has worked well for me is i know exactly the investment (of my time, money etc.) but the winner still feels like they have a choice in the matter. store credit is a popular option, but april made a good point on the chat the other day - some products are much more involved and have a smaller profit margin. so, if you giveaway store credit, you lose a little bit of control in that aspect.


tomorrow i will address the following:
how do i get more people to enter my giveaways?
how often should i do giveaways?
should i offer a discount with a giveaway?
and how can i track if sales come from giveaways?

anything else we should address? let me know!