Positive Yarn

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Recent reports indicate that if you came to this blog post from my enewsletter, you’re part of the 77% who like to receive marketing information by email. If you came to it from my Facebook post, you’re one of the 4%(!) who want to be marketed to that way. If you came to it by my tweet about it, well, you’re a one percenter. And my link from my LinkedIn account doesn’t even register, from the survey’s point of view.

What survey is claiming all this? ExactTarget’s 2012 Channel Preference Survey, which this spring “asked almost 1,500 US online consumers (age 15 and up) about how they prefer to get permission-based marketing messages.” Email was the preference by a landslide; the second preference, direct mail, was at 9%. Text messaging took third place at 5%. Marketland.com does a nice analysis of the survey here.

The survey also found that 66% of respondents made a purchase as a result of the marketing message in their email, followed closely by 65% from direct mail (which for the record, lumps letters, catalogs and postcards as one and the same). A distant third place was by phone, at 24%. Facebook took fourth place (20%), followed by text messaging by cell phone (16%), a mobile app (10%), Twitter (6%) and LinkedIn (4%). Interesting, another new study detailed on Marketland.com, this time by marketing agency Knotice, finds that 27% of emails are opened on a phone, and rising. So while emails are king, they should be optimized to be seen on the little bitty cell phone screen.

Now, before you start wondering why the heck you’re allotting time and money to a Facebook and Twitter presence, let me point out that consumers do like to follow brands on these platforms (see analysis of recent studies here and here). The ExactTarget study also found out that respondents aged 15 to 34 were more likely to prefer text and social media than email, so the current popularity of email may dwindle as that generation influences the generation of buyers behind it.

And whether it’s in an email or on a social media platform, how do you nudge the contact from mere reader to purchaser? Again I turn to Marketland.com, which details a 2011 study from Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey: “Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they subscribe to a company mailing list to get discounts and special offers, while 41% said that’s why they ‘like’ a company’s Facebook page. In both cases, it was the No. 1 reason consumers take those actions.” That study found that “too much contact” — too many emails or irrelevant content — drives them away. The old “quality over quantity” adage definitely applies.

Marketland.com is my hero this week, because the results it reports from yet another study (from marketing software provider Silverpop) talks about how email “open rates are falling, but click-through rates are on the rise.” In other words, the people who are reading your emails are responding, even if there aren’t as many of them. And it just serves to underscore what a mixed bag online marketing of all stripes can be.

Keeping in mind that the needlearts and crafts industries tend to skew older and more social (especially on platforms like Ravelry and Etsy, which the surveys obviously cannot consider with these general-population respondents), I suggest you take a look at your marketing program and see whether you’re meeting your readers’ needs:

1. Look at the open rate of newsletters and the activity of your social media pages. Are your numbers closely resembling the results of the study? Chances are good that they are.
2. Include a call to action as often as possible in your communications. It’s true that readers will get sales fatigue if every Facebook post is telling them what’s being discounted daily, but slipping those kinds of posts in as warranted does make sense. (Don’t forget to track the response — see No. 3.) In the newsletter or information blast, give them a reason to read. I offer as an example my client Barbara Grossman, who runs the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival. Because the Festival is a spring event, there isn’t as much incentive for her enewsletter readers to open up an email from her in, say, mid-summer (well, the fall Knittreat is a good reason, but I digress!). Barb does pull in the readership by including special sweepstakes offers, book reviews and free patterns from partnering vendors and designers each issue. Feedback indicates that readers look forward to these exclusive goodies (and get updated info on the Festival as it draws ever-closer), while vendor partners look forward to the extra exposure it gives them.
3. Think before you act. As the Constant Contact/Chadwick Martin Bailey study underscores, emailing or posting incessently or with worthless content is a turn-off on any platform.
4. Track all leads. Is there a true spike in orders a day or two after a postcard mailing, eblast or Facebook announcement goes out? Are you adding to your order form page a field that says “How did you hear about us?” — or better yet, “Would you like to be notified about upcoming sales and announcements? How would you like to be notified?” and offer several options? Are you asking it on the phone, or making it part of your email signature to “sign up for our enewsletter, follow us on Facebook,” etc.?
5. Don’t stay complacent. These studies that are true today might yield different answers a few months from now. We must also keep in mind that they are pulling a fairly generic audience, not a more niche one like that on your mailing list. But just as you do in person or over the phone, keep a rapport with your current (and potential) customers, and you’ll go far.

Now, it’s your turn: Share your insights, agreement, arguments and opinions by sounding off below, or emailing me feedback. And oh yeah, I still answer the phone, too.

Journey with me, won’t you, into my email in-box? I subscribe to many small-business e-newsletters from all over the country, just to see what’s going on — and I’m intrigued by several of the initiatives I’m seeing this holiday season. What follows is just a sampling:

• One yarn shop has “Snowflake Surprise,” where once a week a snowflake ornament is hidden in the shop and the lucky winner receives 10% off his or her purchase. Even better, the shop sends its e-newsletter to customers with a photo of the smiling winner, along with a note about what he or she bought and an announcement of the next “hiding day” for the ornament. A needlepoint shop is having similar fun by hiding a little gnome for customers to find and win a prize.

• I thought it was a smart move for a needlepoint shop to offer a “Finishing 101″ course during this holiday season, so folks could turn completed projects into keepsake gifts. And even if the customer is like me and has barely anything finished, just learning (or “re-learning”) how to make an i-cord or tassel is useful for the gift-wrapping process we’re all rushing though these days.

• On Day Two of a wicked snowstorm that hit this week, a toy shop made sure its e-news readers were aware that “our lots are plowed and our sidewalks are shoveled!” In case you needed another reason to break free from house confinement, they offered a one-day-only deal: “Any 2 items of your choosing for a 25% discount, plus $10 to use on whatever you want!”

• A yarn and gift shop is putting a new twist on the Sock of the Month Club: It is hosting a contest every quarter, judging the participants’ socks to vie for a small prize from the shop. They plan to feature the sock in the shop, along with the pattern the winner used. And out-of-towners don’t have to be excluded — they can simply email a photo of their masterpiece for judging consideration.

• A bead shop has a “Giving Tree” covered with necklaces, bracelets and more — all priced for quick sale and easy stocking stuffers. They switch up the selection daily, so the regulars have something to check out often. For every item sold off the tree, the shop makes a donation to the American Cancer Society.

• A scrapbook shop recently celebrated its one-year anniversary with cake for its customers (and presumably soon-to-be customers, too). To keep with the holiday spirit, it also hosted a female soloist who sang Christmas carols while people shopped.

• An embroidery designer/retailer’s holiday program, “Stitch It Forward,” includes a $5 gift certificate with every purchase. The certificate is meant to be passed along to a newbie stitcher to introduce him or her to the stitching world, although the purchaser also benefits with a special coupon code for the next purchase.

Whether these cool ideas are turning into cold hard cash for these businesses remains to be seen (and if you recognize your business in one of the above, I’d love to hear about how it’s going!). Regardless, I applaud each of them for thinking outside the box for holiday sales.

I’m also always on the lookout for more: Please feel free to give me feedback on an unusual program that worked — or didn’t — by commenting below or emailing me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

Christmas shoppers are plentiful throughout December, but the trick is to convert the curious into regular customers, and the regular customers to keep spending throughout the year.

In their 2010 holiday “Green Paper,” so named in the hopes that you read it on your screen, not on a paper printout, the wonderful folks at iContact point to three objectives to have in your marketing in the New Year:

1. Alert customers to additional discounts that they can receive after the holidays.

2. Give customers who are looking to exchange an item, or purchase an item that they want but didn’t get during the holiday, a second chance at receiving a good deal.

3. Continue the communication between you and your customer, building the relationship for future sales.

iContact is a provider of professional email marketing services, so naturally it’s looking at things from an enewsletter or email message standpoint when it notes that “Customers that receive post-holiday promotional emails are more likely to come back and make additional purchases, or take advantage of discounts after the holidays.” But the same holds true for a mailer you might “snail mail” to their homes, or an event — a Super Bowl Sunday celebration, for example — that you invite them to at the shop.

With each sale, either in person or in the mail, why not throw in a special coupon for them to use on their next order? Or a one-sheet about your Valentine’s Day promotion? It can also tell them how to sign up for your free newsletter, which of course will have deals and a coupon, too. According to a recent article in Direct magazine, after the holiday season, the tactic of telling customers to “Get What You Really Wanted” can be effective. Given that the majority of your customers probably have an endless wish list for your shop, this could work for you, too.

Consider the accessories you have on hand and use them as your starting point for your post-season display. After all, a well-meaning relative may have given your customer a brand-new pattern book, some yarn and needles, but won’t she need some new circular needles to knit some of the pieces? What about buttons and beads? What about a nice new project bag to keep it all in, to start the New Year organized? And hasn’t she always “meant” to get some stitch markers — what if they came free with a $50 purchase?

Speaking of New Year’s Resolutions, speak to your local business colleagues about some mutually beneficial advertising. Perhaps there’s just as many gym-goers who talk about how “I want to learn to quilt this year” as there are quilters in your shop lamenting how they need to hit the gym this year. A stack of one another’s marketing materials — sweetened further with the promise of a discount — by the register can help them realize their goals. Same with bridal shops (think of the engagements over the holidays, and the wedding-themed needlepoint samplers just waiting to be stitched by a thrilled friend) and children’s clothing boutiques (the extended family now knows who’s pregnant, thanks to gossipy get-togethers, and while shopping for layettes may realize they’d like to make a baby blanket, too).

Last but not least, project-of-the-month programs always pack some punch. Hopefully, your program is working like a well-oiled machine, and you’re not scrambling to put the mechanics of the program itself in place. But make sure everyone who wants in knows they can still sign up anytime — whether it’s a big display in the shop, a special invitation in the regular mail or their inbox, or even an ad in an upcoming local community theater program, for example.

So now it’s your turn: What post-holiday season strategies have worked for you? What haven’t? I want to know! Drop me a line below or at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

In my July “Links I Love” (didn’t get this e-newsletter? Email me!), I posted how Quilter’s Garden in Princeton, IL, has turned an above-shop apartment into a revenue-generating Retreat Center by installing great lighting, equipment and a friendly price tag to rent to customers looking for a weekend quilting getaway.

This week, I came across the blog for Global Retail Trends, which recently highlighted the 6,000-sq.-ft. M.A.C Pro space in New York. 

This particular store for the cosmetics giant is unlike any other, the blog reports. Instead, it “is a full-blown retail/studio and experimentation facility for make-up artists and beauty professionals. With its dramatic open layout, the space is a true feast for the eyes.”

Among its standout features, per the blog post:

• “At the mixing station, they can hone their skills, test samples and experiment with the product with all of the tools of the trade nearby.”

How this might translate to your shop: If you’ve attended The National NeedleArts Association’s winter or summer markets, you’ve no doubt seen the Great Wall of Yarn & Thread. Conference attendees are welcome to feel the fibers, ooh and ahh over designer-created swatches and even snip off a strand from the hanks on display. It’s a great introduction to the new products that are making their debut. Why not set up a mini-wall in your shop for customers to touch, see up close and even take home small samples of the new items you have in stock? If you’re concerned about the moochers among your clientele who only like to get something for nothing, the display could be portable (samples hung on a simple room divider unit, for example) so that it’s only up for an open house, during certain classes or under direct supervision!

• “The reference library is stocked with books, magazines and other reference materials for those who want to learn more or do research.”

How this might translate to your shop: Obviously, you’re trying to sell instructional materials, not be a lending library. On the other hand, try placing a shelf or two of old favorites in the classroom area or employee room. Encourage employees to sign out a book or DVD that could broaden their areas of expertise. They can train on their own time, and make your shop’s knowledge base that much more well-rounded. And hey, money talks: Put a $25 gift card on the line to reward any staffer who shows initiative and completes a project from one of the books in a technique he or she didn’t know before. Before long, a first-person book review could well become a staple of your shop’s e-newsletter.

Another variation on the book theme: I assume you have the pattern close by to the samples you have around the shop. Do you also have related technique guides on display? Beginners in particular might want to purchase everything they can to make sure they get a technique right the first time. Show them that you have all their bases covered.

• “At the photography studio, they can record their processes and their results.”

How this might translate to your shop: Think of how proud your students would be to not only complete a project in your class, but have it nicely photographed in a corner of your shop. With a minimal investment of a digital camera, a lightbox and an employee with a steady hand, you not only have a happy customer but consistent, professional-grade samples to showcase on  your website  — and even as part of a slide show in digital frames sprinkled  throughout the shop. Make sure you have customers sign a document that states they are aware that, for the privilege of getting a beautiful, free photo of their project that they can use as they wish, they are also allowing you to use it in your marketing efforts.

• “A separate training area, a kitchenette and bathrooms with showers make this an ideal space for some serious learning.”

How this might translate to your shop: While I’m sure you want customers to take their time in your shop, you’re probably not willing to have them set up housekeeping. However, now may be a good time to take a look at your classroom area, your employee area and your restroom. Are these places clean and uncluttered? Are they projecting the hospitality that the rest of your shop is claiming to offer, or are they areas for which you tend to put off doing upgrades (or maintenance)? Believe it or not, this a great place to build staff morale and leadership. Focus on an area — the public restroom, for example — and get input from employees on what changes they’d like to see implemented. Remember, they’re on the front lines and may have insights into some great ideas. For example, maybe a customer has just started selling her handmade soaps locally, and could use the exposure at your register as well as your sink.

I should note that Global Retail Trends’ site is Retail-is-Detail.org, and I’d have to say its URL’s cutesy concept does ring true. What “details” are working in your shop? Wanna share? Drop me a line in the comments section  below or email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

A new study finds that the current college population, defined as ages 18 to 34, has jumped 6% to be the biggest class in history. An estimated 16 million students nationwide are preparing for their fall classes.

Alloy Media + Marketing’s 10th Annual College Explorer Study, powered by Harris Interactive, also estimates that this group has $306 billion in projected spending power.

“And, while overall non-discretionary expenses are on the rise, it’s this consumer group’s discretionary spend that is particularly revealing,” the press release continues. “Showing a projected 10% increase since last year, the 18-34 year old college set continues to display a penchant for what they deem ‘must-haves,’ with annual discretionary spending figures rising to an estimated $69 billion, representing a substantial hike from 2009.”

Those must-haves include cell phones and other technology gadgets, as well as entertainment like movies and restaurants. These are just the preliminary results — Alloy Media + Marketing will release its full findings later this month. But what it’s already released does set up an interesting topic: How do you capture the college student’s heart and mind (and wallet)?

1. Hire ‘em. I’ve banged the drum before about The National NeedleArts Association’s wonderful Pathways into Professional Needlearts (PiPN) internship program, but this year the association has expanded it to include an apprentice program. I’ve witnessed firsthand the college students who have completely embraced needlearts as a result of this program, students who would otherwise have dismissed the pursuits as something their grandmas would do. Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, cross-stitching and needlepointing opened up new creative doors for these students, and in turn, many are putting a youthful, modern turn on stitch interpretation and design. I guarantee they have shared their passion with their friends, and word of mouth gets spread quickly.

2. Help them accessorize. Beaded cell phone charms, crocheted cell phone covers, quilted iPad cases… on campus, it’s all about expressing your individualism (even if you doublecheck that everyone else is doing it first). MAKE magazine and its very popular Maker Faire events are great examples of blending the worlds of technology and handmade.

3. Keep them from getting lonely. If you’re based near a college, hold weekend classes for kids who might be homesick, stressed, and in need of something fun to pass the time until their friends get back on Sunday. Participate in on-campus community events with a booth and an easy make-and-take — if nothing else, it’s a great way to unload old inventory! There are also plenty of campus outreach groups that would love a place for its members to hang out on a Saturday night, doing something fun for themselves or for charity.

Do you have the college set in your customer database? Please share your tips for building their loyalty, either in the comments below or emailing me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

When you started your business, it’s likely that you chose your unique selling point (USP): Why you felt you deserved to be out there among the competition, and how you were going to grab your share of the market.

But in the intervening years, is your USP still relevant? Or have you evolved from your starting point so much that something like “We provide a safe haven for beginners” doesn’t make as much sense now that your core customers are typically experienced and looking for more complexity? Are you still offering cappuccinos to your customers for a coffeehouse atmosphere, or have you phased that out in favor of stocking beads and making room for jewelry classes? Did that whole “We’re going to reach out to Gen Yers” really work out, or is your customer’s median age closer to retirement than to college?

In her article “Develop your USP,” Jacqui Howard Bear offers a battery of questions to examine in relation to your business:

• What do you do? If you have a broad offering, can you focus on one or two key services that are most in demand? List your specialties or niche areas.
• How do you do business? Is there something special, unusual, or significant about the way you do business? Do you offer 24- or 48-hour turnaround? Do you deliver for free?
• Who are your customers? Look at the demographics: age, interests, location (local, all over the world).
• What do your customers want? Is it low price, your personality, your location, your reputation, or something else that attracts customers to your business? List the benefits that customers derive from you.

There’s no shame in tweaking your USP from its original format. In fact, it shows how you’ve grown and met the realistic demands of your customers, rather than staying in some idealized state that doesn’t match what your receipts are recording. When my husband and I started Gooch & Gooch five years ago, we thought our main business was going to be designing brochures. While we’ve done many marketing projects that touch on all sorts of media, the percentage of actual “brochures” we’ve made for our customers vs. press releases, enewsletters, websites, articles, videos, tweets and so on is really small. Besides, the amount of freelance writers and editorial managers is continuing to grow in light of the massive layoffs in journalism — and there are many competent copy producers out there. We’ve had to refocus on what makes us stand out from the crowd. In our case, it’s our ability to bring out the best in our customers, even on a limited budget.

Your USP is a reflection on how you do business. Choose wisely, and it can be the centerpiece of your marketing plan — the cog from which spokes like your tagline, your logo, your shop decor and even your business policies emanate. Stick with an outmoded one, and don’t be surprised when the wheels fall off.

I recently came across a press release touting the results of a brand-new study from the Craft & Hobby Association. (To see the release in its entirety, click here.)

Designer Beth Gantz may be onto something sweet and delicious: combining needlepoint with "cake decor"!

The 2009 Attitude & Usage (A&U) Study surveyed approximately 6,000 households to see how many craft projects they did during the year. Although there was an estimated $27. 4 billion spent on crafting (supplies, classes, etc.), the study found that the percentage of participating households has remained at a steady 56% — the same as in the previous three years, in fact. In 2008, sales were $27.3 billion, so that’s not exactly a huge gain. But on the other hand, there’s something to be said for it not being a loss.

“The A&U Study tracks trends in four broad categories comprised of General Crafts, Needle & Sewing Crafts, Painting & Finishing Crafts, and Floral Crafts,” the release explains. “During 2009, the General Crafts category represented 44% of industry sales and was +18% over the prior year.  Strong category performance was driven by growth in the Woodworking, Cake Decorating, and Jewelry Making segments.”

While the other three categories saw declining sales overall, there were some segments within that did well: “Home Decor Painting/Accessorizing/Finishing, Knitting, and Wedding/Bridal crafts all grew in 2009.”

The study ranked the Top 10 segments, based on sales and participation, and it’s little surprise that scrapbooking remains No. 1. While many of us have all the paper, stamps and stickers we could ever hope to complete albums with to last a couple lifetimes, it seemed that handmade gifts from the heart — like a special memory box for grandma at Christmas, for example — were popular. (For the record, cardmaking is broken out from the scrapbooking category and is ranked at No. 7.)

Because we are taking more “staycations,” it also makes sense that home decor comes in at No. 2. If we’re stuck at home, we might as well spruce it up, right?

I suggest needlepoint businesses in particular take note of what came in after No. 3-ranked woodworking: cake decorating and art/drawing at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Whether you’re talking color, clean lines or overall artistry, there are definite parallels to cake design and needlepoint design. In fact, Medina’s own Sandy Rodgers was a very well respected cake designer before she turned her considerable talents loose on the more permanent medium of fabric — check out her gorgeous work on her “Life Before Embroidery” page here. (And if you’re not familiar with her current needlework, for shame! Click here!)

If your local bakery is offering cake-decorating classes, for example, see whether there’s some synergy to be had with their students. Offer to promote their teaching schedule in your shop if they do the same for yours, with flyers touting something to the effect of “Got cake? Get canvas!” Or perhaps co-sponsor a seminar on color choices.

Similar opportunities may lie with the local community center’s introduction to drawing and painting classes. Offer to be a guest speaker and show in what ways painting on a canvas to be stitched can be similar to and different from just regularly listening to your muse.

I’m actually surprised that jewelry-making came in at No. 6, because it seems so popular with crafters of all ages — and especially working moms. Projects you can do with a glass of wine on your right and a good conversationalist on your left, and still get something beautiful completed in less than three hours, are few and far between. Still, traditional shops take note: Once consumers get the “bead bug,” so to speak, they’re looking to embellish everything they can. Do you have beads on display that can complement certain projects? Selected packets of beads to add sparkle to that shawl they’re currently working on? Quick kits to work up a beaded key fob to go with that new felted purse? Tiny needlepoint frames that can go on a chain and let them show off their work like their Victorian counterparts once did?

Perhaps most important to note is what the study found to be the main motivators for crafting. At No. 1 was a sense of accomplishment. Think about that: Are you letting your customers know that you’re proud of their work? You, the expert, are seeing them transform from novice to skilled artisan with each project they complete? Are you giving encouragement to students who are looking at a mistake or a daunting task, and showing them just how much they have achieved already? When they ask for your input on choosing a project, are you considering how much they can challenge themselves without getting in over their heads?

That final point is important because of Motivator No. 2, relaxation!

I encourage you to read over all the survey’s results, and see how they apply to how you’re currently doing business. The release has a lot of info on its own, but CHA makes a full review of their results available for purchase.

I’d love to keep the conversation going, so please share your questions and insights in the comments section below, or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

After paying a hefty mechanic’s bill this week to ensure we can once again stop our car at will, my husband and I are watching our budget a bit more closely. So when our kids came home this afternoon with a “wish list” for a slew of books from the school book fair, I immediately swung into action: I logged on to our public library’s Web site instead.

Now, I certainly have nothing against Scholastic, the love for reading they inspire in kids or the help they give our schools and school libraries. I fully intend to let the girls get a couple of books — ideally, some Mad Libs or other “interactive” book that doesn’t lend itself to being in library circulation. But otherwise, I’m loath to add to our own collection when I know that they’ll read the books, stick them under the bed and never mention them again.

Our library is a part of ClevNet, which brings together the inventory of 31 library systems across nine counties in Northeast Ohio into one nifty database. You can put a reserve on a book housed in a branch 80 miles away, and know that you’ll likely get a call from your local branch in a just a day or two to let you know it’s waiting for you.

By the time I waded through the girls’ lists, I put a total of 11 books on hold on the library’s Web site in a matter of minutes — just searching, clicking and saving online, with my library card number as my account. Bingo: I get happy kids and save about $80. I’m also eliminating the clutter factor of nearly a dozen books around the house long-term.

The convenience of the interactive Web site (which also lets you renew books online, which has often saved me from paying fines) just can’t be underestimated. I feel the same way about my bank, which lets me pay bills and transfer funds on its site at any time of day or night. Heck, we’ve even ordered pizza online!

It’s your turn

So, what’s your site doing for your customers? Are you just listing class times, or are you linking them to an email (or better yet, a form) to sign up for the class today? Are you just describing your products, or are you letting them order and pay via PayPal or some similar payment option? Are you just talking about what’s coming soon, or are you giving visitors the chance to pre-order? Are you giving visitors the chance to sign up for your free enewsletter? Reserve a gift card? Ask a stupid question?

Check out the online homes of Wellslee’s All Strung Out, Mobile, AL, here, and Needle in a Haystack, Alameda, CA, here, as great examples of shops doing nearly all of the above. And if you want to toot your own horn about your virtual business, please feel free to comment below or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com. I wanna know (and perhaps shop)!

Everyone (and that includes, me, too!) has been telling you to get a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a LinkedIn presence — plus a Ravelry account if you’re in the yarn arena. So you did, and now you’re stuck thinking “Now what?”

I’ve written about social marketing before, of course, but it’s a topic worth examining again — especially if you’re new to the process or if you haven’t given your accounts attention in a while.

Here are five ways to jumpstart your efforts:

1. Spread the word. The first thing to do is make sure you’ve incorporated your new online presence(s) into your regular marketing. Put a “Follow us on these sites!” blurb on every page of your Web site, with links to your accounts. Also put it on your enewsletter (you do have one, right?) and your blog page (ditto). It should also be a part of every direct-mail piece, even if it’s just in small print at the bottom of your announcement. Post signage all around your shop. Add it to your business card info and product labels when it’s time to replenish your supply (or perhaps sooner).

2. Use it to announce updates. For Twitter in particular, this is a no-brainer use to announce trunk shows, new designs, sales, events, etc. Try to turn them into a call to action whenever you can. Just remodeled the front of the shop? Make sure you also add “Stop by and tell us what you think!”

By the way, March is National Craft Month. That’s a post in itself!

3. Optimize your time. Make sure you take advantage of the “widgets” (applications) that allow you to post efficiently. For example, LinkedIn has a widget that pulls in your latest tweets and blog posts, so your profile is updated there whenever you update either of those accounts. Facebook can show a screen shot and link to your blog, as well as a blog or two that you want to highlight.

In addition, free online software like TweetDeck allows you to post to Twitter and Facebook simultaneously (with the option to choose only one if the occasion calls for it). It also allows you to organize who you follow on Twitter into categories (clients, friends, family, etc.). If your phone allows you to post from it, by all means enable that application. That way, you don’t have to be in front of your computer to keep things going. You can also do a simple update while waiting in the dentist office, hotel lobby, etc.

4. Make it a habit. The experts are advising that you make it part of your routine to get online and monitor how things are going. This week, I’m attending a free Webinar from Hubspot titled “How to monitor your social media presence in 10 minutes a day.” Hubspot has a great article here, taken from its popular seminar, that breaks down five easy ways to accomplish just that.

5. Get help if you need it. Social media can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be a major drag on your time. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone. If one of your employees would like to join in and be your ghostwriter, by all means let him or her try it. If that’s not an option, you can meet a personal quota of a “tweet a week,” for example, without reinventing the wheel. Just try retweeting something insightful said by someone you’re following, or link to a story of interest to you that you think your readers may also find worth reading. Of course, there are professionals (like me, for example!) who can also help you accomplish your goals.

Maybe you can't turn every reporter into a fiber enthusiast, but it never hurts to try!

You’ve been putting your shop’s name out there for years, and it all comes down to this moment: The local newspaper’s business reporter wants to stop in for an interview. Is it a dream come true, or the start of your worst nightmare?

It’s all in the preparation. While you absolutely want to be yourself, not overly rehearsed, it’s important to keep in mind the key points you want to get across to the interviewer each time you open your mouth. It’s equally important to know when to not “overshare,” as it were — an off-the-cuff remark that could send your conversation hurtling in a direction in which you’d rather not take it.

What follow are five basic tips I’ve culled from my professional experience of picking business professionals’ brains for print, as well as from other media masters.

1. Learn all you can about their intentions beforehand. Is this article going to be about your business specifically or the industry at large? Is it an overall profile, or are they focusing in on just one thing — your upcoming charity event, for example? Just about any coverage is good coverage, of course, but it will help you decide whether you need to grab your scrapbook to remember things like whether you were founded in 2002 or 2003, or if you need to take a gander at some industry association Web sites to bone up on such factoids like, according to the Craft Yarn Council of America, an estimated 38 million consumers enjoy knitting and crocheting. In addition, find out when they plan to run the piece so that you can be prepared for a little extra attention from new and existing customers alike when it hits the streets (ah, the power of the press!). Of course, also be prepared to be bumped from the 11 p.m. newscast because they had to make room for wall-to-wall coverage of the unexpected snowstorm headed our way.

2. Dress for success. Will the interview include a photo session? Or are you going to be seen as you speak, on TV or online? Even if it’s for a no-frills radio interview, clothes can make the man — and woman. As this helpful article on Media-Training.info thoroughly explains, your best bets include:

• Solid pastels or bright colors: White washes everyone out; navy or black loses detail; patterns are a no-no.
• Clothes that fit: You’ll be nervous enough as it is. There’s no need to add discomfort to the equation.
• No shiny jewelry: The article recommends keeping your glasses off, too, but professional photographers and videographers can usually work around that with their lighting choices.
• A good night’s sleep beforehand: “Mommy, does knitting really make your eyes get all puffy like that lady on TV?”

3. Assume everything is on the record. I could write a book simply based on the secrets that have been shared with me during the course of interviews over the years. But boy, would I be in trouble. While I try to get my sources back on the record as quickly as possible, so as not to have any gray areas about what is and is not fair game, I can’t say that’s the reaction of every reporter. If you have a good rapport with the local media (and by all means I strongly suggest you develop one, so that you never find yourself on the wrong end of a reporter’s notepad), that’s great. But no matter how buddy-buddy you are with them, pay attention to what you’re sharing during the course of your conversation. A casual mention of your ex-husband, for example, might be the peg on which the reporter hangs the crux of the story: “Fueled by the independence her divorce gave her, Smith opened her shop in 2003.” (“But that had nothing to do with why I opened the shop! And it was in 2002! Arrgh!”)

4. Never say “no comment.” This is especially true in crisis management situations, when a microphone is shoved in your face after your best employee was just charged with embezzlement, your business just burned to the ground or some other horrible event has just occurred. You can say “I’ll have to look into that and get back to you” or “I’m still trying to collect some more information myself before I am able to comment” or something similar that will buy you some time, but simply sticking to the terse, two-word phrase is going to do your public image no favors. Consultant Karen Friedman has a great article that discusses this particular subject in more detail, and in fact has a wealth of great media relations advice for entrepreneurs at her own site, KarenFriedman.com.

5. Remember, you’re the expert! One trick reporters often use is to ask a leading question and then pause, assuming that you’ll say something, anything to fill the dead air. (Yes, I use it, too. Don’t judge.) Don’t be intimidated. If there’s a point to make, make it, but don’t ramble. You have your key points you want to make, you have the expertise to elaborate on them — so go for it. The reporter is there to find out information that you have and he or she needs to both interest and enlighten the readers. Seize this opportunity to get some great publicity and share your knowledge about something you love: your business!