Part 1: Create Marketing Materials that Convey Fun!

Go to any bead show, bead shop or home jewelry party, and you'll hear lots of laughter and see people enjoying themselves. That's because bead jewelry makers and customers like to have fun and are passionate about beads. And that enjoyment can draw new clients to you and keep existing clients coming back over and over again. So, how do you convey that ''fun'' in your marketing materials? Here are a few ideas:

• Explain why you're passionate about beads. Buyers of handcrafted jewelry often mention that an important part of the buying experience is the personal connection they form with the jewelry artist.
  This connection starts with marketing materials that describe the joy you get from creating with beads.
  Reflect on what inspires you, then write about that feeling and include it in your ads, story cards and on your website.
  For example, ''I'm often inspired by memories of the games I played as a kid. And I try to capture that innocent joy in the jewelry I make. You'll notice fun visual ''allusions'' to hopscotch and jacks (my personal favorite).''
  Your self-description can include photos or drawings of those inspirations. Whatever drives your passion, include it in your self-description.

• Show works ''in progress.'' Bead jewelry makers often have several projects going at once. This variety conveys the energy of an active mind, and you can share that energy with prospective customers by showing unfinished pieces or sketches. People like ''closure'' and will likely imagine what the finished piece will look like.
  

  Example of unfinished design showing work in progress.

  Not only will this pique the curiosity of readers and site visitors, but people love watching things being made. I learned this early in my career when I was the marketing director for food businesses along the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. We arranged our stores so that caramel corn, fudge, lemonade and other treats were made in the front window, where crowds of people always formed to watch the process.
  In the jewelry world, hall of fame wire-wrapper Jim Fowler also used this technique, making jewelry to order as customers watched at his booth.
  Use photos and sketches to invite readers into the world of jewelry creation. This can inspire custom orders too. Custom work can be lucrative for you.

• Take pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, so take photos at your next live event. Capture the smiles of current and prospective buyers, and get their permission to use their photos on your website and in your marketing materials.
  Hand the camera off to someone else and ask them to take photos of you with clients. Those photos will instantly convey the connection you make with others.
  If you can videotape those events, all the better. You've heard the expression that laughter is the best medicine? It's infectious, too. You can attract buyers through the fun they see others having with you.
  Your marketing materials are a gateway to the customers' actual experience with you. When a new prospect responds to your marketing, let your enthusiasm and passion shine through. After they buy a piece of jewelry, something wonderful will happen: each time they wear it, they will be reminded of how much they enjoyed the experience of buying it from you. And that will make them want to do it all over again.

• Boost Your Beaded Jewelry Sales Part 2: Home Jewelry Parties
• Boost Your Beaded Jewelry Sales Part 3: Offer Customers a Chance to ''Finish'' Their Piece
• Boost Your Beaded Jewelry Sales Part 4: Take Custom Orders
• Boost Your Beaded Jewelry Sales Part 5: Offer Repairs