marketing

VIDEO: Did Cambridge Analytica Get Your Data from Facebook?

April 23, 2018 by Jane Hamill Leave a Comment

Did Cambridge Analytica Get Your Data from Facebook?

So this happened…

“Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?”

Mark Zuckerberg: “Um,” looooooonggggg awkward pause…. “No.”

>> eruption of laughter at Zuckerberg’s hesitancy to answer the question…

Senator Durbin: “If you’ve messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you’ve messaged?”

Zuckerberg: “Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here.”

Durbin: “I think that might be what this is all about — your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you’d give away in modern America.”

mic drop…

Facebook, data breaches, privacy, marketing, retargeting… Where is it all going? Should you care? If you have a business and you use Facebook, please watch the video I made below.

Mentioned in the video:

How to tell if your Data got stolen from Inc. Magazine

Sell More Products Online (SMPO) program: https://janehamill.com/smpo/

So, is anyone thinking of getting off Facebook? Or is this just a fact of life nowadays? Let me know your thought in the comments.

Jane

P.S. In the video I mention this course for getting more online sales.

What’s Working for E-Commerce? Six Product Sellers Share Their Secrets

May 25, 2017 by Jane Hamill 6 Comments

What’s Working for E-Commerce? Six Entrepreneurs Share Their Ninja Secrets for Getting Online Sales

Do you ever wish you could be a fly in the wall in the office of another entrepreneur and pick their brain about what’s actually WORKING in their business? Lucky for us, I asked 6 of my favorite e-commerce entrepreneurs for their best e-commerce selling advice.

Today you’re going to hear from 6 online product sellers as they share their BEST advice about what’s working NOW to get sales.

Q: What’s the ONE thing that’s working for you to get more online sales from your e-commerce site?

1. Networking, Facebook and a Discount: Eric Olsson from Olaf Olsson

“As a newbie the most luck I’ve currently had with online sales has been networking with family and friends. Since so many people I knew were asking about my ties I created a family and friends discount code for my Shopify site.

Between talking directly to people and letting people know about the site on Facebook I generated about $3K in online sales.

These initial sales also really helped me get a hand on fulfilling orders with a more forgiving audience. 🙂 I’m still really trying to figure out strategies around PPC, how to monetize social media, how to get influencers to review my products, etc.”

Olaf Olsson is a boutique maker of curated, small batch neckwear and men’s accessories based in Northampton, Massachusetts. They focus is on making the world’s most interesting, limited edition neckwear and accessories that add stories and texture to what you’re wearing.

2. Consistency and Copywriting: Erika Ehrat from Rare Dirndl

“OOOOoooo… It’s a tie between these two.

a) Consistency, consistency, consistency! I had a graphic design teacher in college that probably said this every dang day and I find that his words of wisdom are so relevant to just about everything from emails, social media, to design and customer service. My customers and followers know what to expect from me because I’m consistent. I commit to doing WHAT I CAN (and not over doing it) and doing it well and consistently.

b) Being lighthearted and funny with my web copy and my message. In the beginning the voice of my business (emails, product descriptions, social, etc.) was very proper English and “professional”. However, when I started to relax, get REAL with the customer, and take myself less seriously (I mean I sell dirndls for Pete’s sake!) I started selling more.

I don’t think it was just because more people knew about me (although it helped!) but being more relatable, less stuffy, and easier to like seemed to make people trust me more and thus trust that I wouldn’t send them an inferior product. Also, I always make sure that my photos, my execution, and customer service are always very professional and as high-quality as I can get.”

Rare Dirndl makes and sell dirndls and dirndl accessories that women want to wear whether they have a German event to go to or not. Note from Erika: “If I feel confident in the audience, then I say that my dirndls are “SO BADASS that women want to wear them for yada yada…”

3. Email Marketing: Tom from Mimobee

“Okay, here goes: What’s working for us right now is email marketing. We’ve slacked off in the past, but now are focusing on that with promising results. Why? Your existing customers are a goldmine where you can apply the 80/20 rule and really build lifetime value for each customer.

Mimobee is a kids brand focused on premium contemporary basics made in sunny southern California.

4. Deliver Amazing Customer Service: Marisa Cerveris from SteelCore

“What’s working right now can be described as ‘Customer Experience and Accessibility’. I’ve been trying, across all platforms and sales channels, to be quickly accessible to my customers (or potential customers). No matter whether they have landed on any of my social media platforms, blog, website, or Amazon store, when they reach out… I’m there. And for every package I have a message embedded in my shipping list that is general, and then I handwrite and additional personal note to make the customer feel really special and highly valued.

Backstory… Recently I had a new customer on Amazon email me because her package had not arrived in her mailbox even though the carrier had sent a delivery message. I got the email from Amazon at 11 PM, and I answered it! The next day I initiated a claim with the carrier and again sent an email. I also told her not to worry, that I would be sure she got her order even if the first shipment was truly lost.

We began an email dialog, and by the time the customer found her order had been delivered to a neighbor’s apartment, she was a loyal fan. She has ordered three more times this month!

Conclusion… People want to feel special and taken care of. If it’s feasible to do so, connect with them. And who knows… you may make a friend along the way :)”

Steel Core makes yoga, Pilates, dance and streetwear. It’s organic, ethically produced, made in USA. Designer and founder, Marisa Cerveris, is a former professional ballerina with the New York City Ballet.

5. Having a Community: Marcy Budwick from Kaiya Designs

“Creating a community and a sense of urgency has really propelled my brand. I’m having great success with my Facebook Group. I find that people want to connect with the person creating their style. Be transparent and open and love your customer. Creating that connection has been priceless. In a world of mass production, creating really great items in very limited quantities – even if once a quarter – will truly drive sales. People like unique and or one-of-a-kinds…they’re even willing to pay more for them.

Kaiya Designs make stylish, effortless and most importantly comfortable clothes for busy moms.

6. Blogging, Newsletters, and Email Drips: Jackie Ayres from Dyetology

“Consistency of the Trifecta!! The Trifecta being: blogging, newsletters, and email drips. Doing all these things consistently is paying off. As a result, I am getting traction in my business and building my audience.

Dyetology offers statement-making, unique hand-dyed accessories.

Huge thanks to all the makers / entrepreneurs…

…who shared their advice in this post. Tell me this, which tip stands out to you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Jane

P.S. If you’re ready to get serious about selling more from your online store, check out this podcast and check out my class here.

I’m Launching a New Accessories Line. When Should I Start Telling People It’s Coming?

May 11, 2017 by Jane Hamill 7 Comments

I’m Launching a New Accessories Line. When Should I Start Telling People It’s Coming?

Do you ever wonder when you should start promoting a new product? Or, when is it too soon and when is too late to tell people?

It doesn’t matter if it’s your 1st or your 50th product launch, we all want customers to buy as soon as we have something new to sell. We all worry that we won’t have enough customers – kind of like when you throw a party and worry that no one will show up and you’ll be stuck with all this food and drink and embarrassment…

Anyway…I recently got this question in the #askjanesbrain bin…

Q: “I’m getting ready to start my accessories line and I also inspire women over forty to live their best life. I’m at the early stages of developing my product and I won’t be able to sell for many months. What should I be doing in the meantime?” – Anonymous

A: Well, Anon…May I call you Anon? I get this type of question a LOT. I’m happy to hear you know there are things you can and should be doing even without a product ready to sell yet. Before I give you my answer, here’s a short story…

A while back I read about an author asking a book promoter how and when she should start promoting her book. She asked,

“I’m writing a book and it should be ready in about three months. When do I start promoting it?”

The expert answered…

“3 years ago.”

Ummm…what?

The author followed up with,

“But how can I promote my book if people can’t actually buy it yet?”

If you’re feeling puzzled like the author was, you’re not alone.

There’s a simple mindset shift that will make this clear. Instead of thinking about promoting your actual product, consider gathering a group of like-minded people together.

***NOTE: I have a COMPLETE online training on this topic – a LIVE online class to help you GET SALES from day one of a new product launch.

Here’s an example of how to do it…

If you want to sell activewear, ask yourself — what kind of activewear? Who’s the person who will buy it? Is it the soccer mom Lululemon type? Or is it women who rock climb, mountain bike, more hardcore? Maybe it’s activewear for a healthy mindful Yoga type.

Whatever target customer you choose, I encourage you to be very, very specific in which type of person you pick.

After you pick your PERSON, here’s what to do next…

Every other week, produce bits of content that will attract the person who will eventually buy your product. Just try to add value to their lives in some small way — entertain, educate, connect. My suggestion is to house this content on a blog. You can use social media as well, of course, but the main hub of your content is on your blog.

Your goal is to build a following, a community, of like-minded people based around the LIFESTYLE of this person, not the actual product.

But coming up with all this content doesn’t have to be as hard as you think.

Here are some simple types of blog posts / content you could produce that won’t be scary, annoying, or take too much time:

Listicles
A picture diary
Book/movie/product reviews
3 minute Facebook Live videos answering a question related to your niche (then post the same videos back on your blog)
Behind-the-scenes of your journey to launching a new product
Inspirational quote graphics from people you admire
Quick iPhone videos with simple tips on anything that you’re good at

The key is to work it backwards.

Determine who you want to sell your product to when it’s ready
Figure out what interests them that relates to your niche
Produce relative content CONSISTENTLY to attract them to you
Keep them engaged and happy
Let them know when your product is ready and ASK for the sale

Now imagine this…you’ve been consistently putting useful, awesome content for 3 months (6, 9, 12 – whatever you can do) before your product is ready. What you’ve actually done is created a TON of trust within your community. When you have people’s trust, it’s much easier to say…

“Hey guys I know you already like seeing my tutorials and reading my quick tips, how ’bout you buy this?”

See how this works? Then you GET SALES form the very first day you launch your product. Bam!

If you’re interested to learn more about getting a following of paying customers, we have a course for that.

How to Build a Following for Your Brand EVEN if Your Product Isn’t Ready to Sell.

As always, thanks for reading!

Jane

The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Selling Online (Podcast & Download)

March 3, 2017 by Jane Hamill 9 Comments

The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Getting Online Sales

Today’s episode is all about what you need to have in place to really ramp up your online sales. In fact, I want you to DOUBLE your sales in the next year. For realzzzzzzz. And I have a detailed checklist you can download (free stuff – yay).

And it’s not as hard as it sounds. And actually…

It’s not as easy as it sounds either.

It starts with a DECISION to act like a business person first and a creative person second. This means spending time on things that bring in money. Getting your product in front of the “right” people – those who like what you have, see the value, and can afford to pay for it – brings in money.

And THAT should always be your first priority.

It’s the consistent marketing that brings in the dough. SO go ahead and listen to the show + download the “2017 E-Commerce Marketing Checklist” that goes with it.

Download this episode on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. You can also click here to download it to any device as an mp3.

[Tweet “”No one wakes up in the morning wanting to get on another email list. You MUST give them a reason” – Jane Hamill”]

Here’s what’s covered in this episode…

What you need to put in place to DOUBLE your sales this year
How to get a FREE website user test today
What gets people to actually want to sign up for your emails
Why companies can’t only rely on social media to market their products
The motto that keeps me going every single day

Show notes:

Peek User Testing
“Sell More Products Online” course

Your turn. Was this checklist helpful?? Let me know your feedback in the comments – I LOVE hearing from you.

Jane

Year-End Marketing Review – What’s Working For Me

December 21, 2011 by Jane Hamill Leave a Comment

I’m in the middle of reviewing my marketing for 2011 and I thought I’d be completely honest with you. The way I figure it, I LOVE insider information – to be a fly on the wall – and I’m guessing you do too.

So I’m willing to share what really happened with my business this year and let you in on what worked and what didn’t. So here it goes…

Emails with the best open rates:

“Awwwww shoot…” This shocked me – especially since I just sent it because I screwed something up in an email I had send out earlier in the day. Was the open rate so good because it was the 2nd email of the day or because people were curious why I sent it? Who knows…
“How to Handle a Mad Customer” Interesting because I had no idea so many people had mad customers to deal with!
“A Strategy to Help You Work With a Sewing Contractor“ This makes sense to me because it gives ONE strategy – easy to digest so not a scary email to open – not one you’re “too busy to look at” right now. It’s a bite size piece. Also, it’s a STRATEGY which I’ve learned works better than using the word TIPS.

Emails with low open rates:

“Want More Time to Goof Off This Summer?” This had a depressingly low open rate. I clearly mis-judged my ideal customer. They either don’t goof off at all (you’re reading this now, right? how many days before Christmas?!) or certainly don’t want to goof off with me.
Do Fashion Designers Need a Blog? I see my mistake here. It would have been better to say something like Do Blogs Really Work to Boost Business? or How a Blog Can Help You Sell More. I should have gotten INSIDE the head of my ideal client and wondered what she was thinking rather than just putting out a vague question. She wants to sell more. Period. So if a blog fits into that, great.

What else worked:

Face to face, feet on street, get out from behind my computer. The trip to LA, for instance, was terrific and brought quite a few new IDEAL clients as well as business partnerships that are resulting in lots of new business coming my way. I love referrals!
Video. My videos posted on YouTube have been terrific for generating leads on new clients. My videos are starting to “dominate” certain Google searches, like “How To Sell To Boutiques”. My strategy here is to go after “smaller” keywords like this one, rather than “How to Start a Fashion Business” which is already crowded. It may be crowded with cruddy sites that add no value for designers, but it’s still hard to break into.
LinkedIn Groups. The groups have been terrific for me because the people in the groups are ACTIVELY seeking help for their business. It’s really fishing where the fish are.
An active referral program. I make it clear that I am looking for referrals and regularly ask for them rather than hoping someone will think of me. It was awkward at first but I feel good about it now because the clients people send me are HAPPY. And the more clients I get, the more people I can HELP and the more small businesses that will thrive.

What’s not working as well as I think it should be:

Facebook. I’m not a social media expert and it shows. I simply don’t seem to be doing Facebook right. What I like about it is the customer interaction – when people leave comments it helps me get into their heads, understand them, so I can market to them better.
“Bundling” products. This is something I work with my private clients on and their results are GREAT! Just terrific. But when it comes to my own products and programs, I’m missing the mark a bit. It’s easier for me to help bundle a line of lingerie for the buyer than it is to bundle consulting packages and online classes. I’ll keep working at it!

What does all this mean to you?

Take a look at my list above and decide what’s working for me that can be translated to your business. Video, face to face meetings, consistent email marketing and blogging, making your marketing message clear to your ideal client (and knowing precisely WHO that really is), fishing where the fish are…

These are all things that can be used for ANY type of business. Have you done a year-end review? What worked for you? Do you have any tips, ahem, strategies to share? Leave a comment below!

Happy Holidays!

Jane

Yesterday was GREAT day – my workshop at Creative Chicago Expo

March 13, 2011 by Jane Hamill Leave a Comment

Expo 2011 - Jane Hamill with Lisa Canning of the Institue of Arts Entrepreneurship www.theiae.com — Expo 2011 - Jane Hamill with Lisa Canning of IAE

All I can really say is WOW.
And thanks.
I mean, really, I did not expect such a huge, responsive, delightful audience for my workshop.

And what I got was an experience that ROCKED – a day I won’t soon forget. I definitely got lucky with a great topic to present – thanks to Julie Burros of the City of Chicago – “What to Charge? How to Price Your Work”. Who doesn’t need help in that area? But I didn’t expect so many people to show up (well over 100 – SRO) and for the crowd to be so supportive, appreciative, and fun. And I certainly didn’t expect everyone to be so NICE. A bunch of artists and creatives in a room and no snobbery? The world really is upside down.

The Expo was held at the Chicago Cultural Center on Washington and Michigan. It’s SUCH a gorgeous landmark building – and there were over 4,000 people in attandence. Crazy.

Not all 4,000 were at my workshop but there were more than I expected and I ran out of handouts. As promised, below are the notes from the workshop. I know it won’t make a lot of sense to people who weren’t at the presentation, but I’m posting it here because:

1) I said I would.

2) I don’t know where else to post stuff like this.

Oh yeah, here’s some written feedback on yesterday’s presention. 1) “Awesome presentation = valuable info presented in an engaging manner”, 2) “Fun”, 3) “I felt you could have focused more on fashion”, 4) “Informative, funny, and not the answers I was expecting”, 5) “The opening line in your handout is critical and not mentioned enough in general”, 6) “I would have liked to hear more about editing”, 7) “Great! Great sense of humor makes a world of difference. Engaging.”

So thanks again, I learned a lot and had a blast! If you have a group and need a speaker, give me a call. -Jane

What to Charge? How to Price Your Work – Creative Chicago Expo, March 12, 2011

What you’re worth does not equal what you charge for your work – it just feels like that sometimes.

Confusion is normal

A Simple 5 Step System

Homework – stay within the market
Always talk Retail
Size matters
Be consistent
Wiggle room

Negotiating Price

$ vs. %

Secrets of a Gallery Owner

My stuff
Round numbers?
Limited edition
Brand new at this?
Size – what’s too big?
Red

Pricing a “commodity”

Jane’s formula – not everyone agrees with it but I KNOW it works for most entrepreneurs

“Between the ears” issues

What’s holding you back?
Fear of failure
Fear of success
Who’s the most CERTAIN
Building confidence

Do you hear voices? Can you shut them up already, please?

Benefits vs. Features

The Wrap Up

Research Cheat Sheet

	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6
Artist Name						Me!
Price Range
Notes

Who is Jane Hamill?

A note from Jane:

I was 25 when I designed my first Jane Hamill line and opened my shop. There was a lot I didn’t know about running a business, I mean a lot, like buckets. I learned the hard way – through trial and error, long hours, dedication, and a little luck. I would like to save other creative entrepreneurs some trouble.

Making a living off of your creativity is awesome and tricky at the same time. I did it for over 14 years and I know what it’s like to be a businessperson and a creative person in one. I sold my business in 2007 – 2 kids and 14 years later – and have been consulting ever since.

Currently, I work with creatives and fashion entrepreneurs on the BUSINESS side of things. Things like how to market your work and get it in front of the right people, selling your work, costing and pricing, how to get it all done, and how to make sure it pays your bills!

I work with clients one-on-one, in groups, through online trainings and webinars, and at live Workshops and events.

For consulting packages, rates and scheduling:
jane@janehamill.com
773.551.2111

Thanks for coming today and thanks for having me, Expo! I love this town,

Jane

Selling Your Line to Boutiques – you have to follow up when you launch a line

December 17, 2010 by Jane Hamill Leave a Comment

Fashion Brain Friday

Question from a designer:

“Jane, I sent out 100 emails to stores and only got 4 responses! What am I doing wrong? I want to launch my line with a bang but so far it’s a bit of a bust.”

What did this designer do wrong?

I answer her questions and tell you what one marketing guru says loses 68% of sales. Yikes!

Have you got suggestion for this designer? What has worked for you in the past? Share it with us, please. Leave a comment and thanks!

What do buyers want to know about your line? TODAY’S FASHION BRAIN QUESTION – video #2

November 28, 2010 by Jane Hamill Leave a Comment

TODAY’S FASHION BRAIN QUESTION:

What do buyers want to know about your line?

Approaching a store is different that selling your line directly to consumers. I’ve been on both sides of the counter – as the shop owner as well as the designer trying to get into a boutique. Find out what STORES want to hear! Not just what you want to say.

What do you think??? Leave a comment about the video below, please. I want your feedback!