Twitter can be a fun way to promote your handmade products

Twitter is a platform for sending short messages (140 characters) out to people who 'follow' you. You can use Twitter to build relationships with other people who share your interests and promote your handmade business. This lens is all about how to use Twitter to promote yourself and your work, have fun doing it, and not being spammy.

Twitter lets you build relationships between you and the people who follow you. You can let them know more about yourself and your business and get feedback from other people who also sell their handmade goods.

How to make your profile more distinctive.1: Pick a name related to your business, if at all possible use your business name. 

2: Make your full name visible. Face it, if you're running a business people need to know your name and trying to be totally anonymous online will probably hurt your business.

3: You only have 160 characters for your bio, make it good. Don't just say you're name, tell at least a little about what your create too.4: Don't forget to add your website. This could be your Misi shop but if you have a blog or other website you should use that also. Twitter is about building relationships so it's better to send people visiting your profile to a site that says more about you than directly to your store.

Announce when new products are listed. If you've just listed one item post a direct link to it but if you are listing more than 2 or 3 items in a day wait until you're finished for the day then announce with a link to your shop.

2: Announce sales and promotions. If you're having a sale announce it once or twice during the day, not every few minutes or every hour. You don't want to flood your followers.

Here are the type of people you want to follow for promotion (other than personal friends, family, or celebrities, of course follow them if you want but that's for fun not business). Find them by browsing forums you frequent, blogs, and using the twitter search. Also make sure you check out the profiles of people who follow you and follow them back if they look interesting. I wouldn't recommend auto-following everyone who follows you, there are spammers on twitter and you don't want to get flooded with spam posts.1) People who also sell handmade products. Even if they aren't in the same niche as you.
2) People interested in your niche

https://twitter.com/Misi_us

Fabulous Fridays... The Interview ~ Vintageellie

It's Friday! - I think we are all happy about this - so we have a brand new interview for you. We are pleased to present you Vintageellie, two sisters who run the professional business Bespoke Vintage Castle!

With over 55 colours unlimited fabrics, exceptional designs and an excelent quality service, they offer unique items created with love and creative flair, from wedding centerpieces and supplies to childrens personalised items and chic home furnishings.

Let's meet them:

1. Speak a bit for yourself or introduce yourself. Besides crafting, what else do you love doing?

Hello, my name is Lizzie (Elizabeth) and with my younger sister Jazzie (Jazzmine) last year October 15, I officially started Bespoke vintage castle and at the time MADE my younger sister do it, now we share the vision and are equally inspired and passionate as to what we can achieve.

Besides crafting, I am a wife and mummy, which takes up a lot of my time and a voluntary youth worker with my husband. We travel, giving talks to young people and help raise money charity work with youth and vulnerable young women.

Jazzie, besides crafting, likes music playing piano, singing and songwriting.

2. How did you start crafting and how long have you been doing it?

We have both been crafting all our lives, our mum was a fashion designer in the 80's, hence Jazzies studying textiles - now its genetic! Jazzmine is into fashion, designing, and being abstract with her art. 

I have been into making and up cycling from being a teen. We went to a lot of car boot sales the three of us and practically lived in auctions! My mother, sister and me we were always trying to find antiques. Its a hobby that when we have the time now we still try and do.

3. What are the problems you faced as a crafter until now? Do you have an advice for someone that thinks to start or is new to crafting business?

The one problem I have had is when I was trying to book a stall at a popular event and venue. I was talking to the organizer for months and being completely ignored. In the end they basically said "We will get back to you". They have standards and only want people who have shops and things they like and not people that work from home. At that time I felt discouraged and that my work was not good enough and I should stop, but my husband encouraged me and then I decided not to let one person change my destiny and it would only make me more determined to work harder. 

My advice to anyone starting a new business would be: Once you have a vision, go for it, aim at you're dreams and don't stop till you get there! 

4. What's your favourite crafting category?

My favorite thing to craft is wedding bouquets and hairpieces. The sky is the limit with imagination and ideas you can literally creating anything to put on someones head or for them to hold! 

Jazzie loves making boys bow ties best.

5. What is your main source of inspiration? How do you propel your creativity?

We are inspired in crafting from the antiques I have seen at car boots and vintage fairs. I love history - it is my greatest inspiration and I research period living customs and traditions. We also adore the Victorians, Marie Antoinette, and classic french living. The rustic timeless and ornate things they used to have back then are our ultimate inspiration. I love the fabric manipulation of grand silks and the luster of the Georgian color palette. In fact this is why we work with silk, dupion, cotton, satin, taffeta, organza, chiffon, vintage buttons and brooches and lashings of original Nottingham lace

Jazzmine says shes inspired by things around her, the littlest things in nature, or events daily life inspire her colors, work and design.

I propel my creativity by my research and I love watching the great British sewing bee and Kirstie Allsop "Homemade, home". I also watch wedding TV and bridal programs to be up to date with current trends. We both love pinning on Pinterest and reading in the library. 

6. Tell us about your crafting space. Do you have a favourite material and tool?

We both work from home and I have converted a room into a work space. Initially I was in my dining room  now in a room, but I know I will have to rent a little space soon as a studio, as clients are increasing and I am taking more orders,which is fantastic! 

My sister has a room at home that's full of crafts, paint and fabric. Sometimes she comes to mine or I raid her stuff, but all of this will go to our studio, once we have a space.

7. So your crafting space transmutes to an online shop. How do you promote your e-shop, which social media you use?

We are taking over social media. It's confusing to keep posting, tweeting, pinning,liking.whew.. 

Here are our links: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Polyvore, Blog

8. How long after listing an item into your e-shop you had your first sale?

It took us 4 weeks to make our first sale! It was supplies glass mirror plates and then a week later we sold a tutu skirt to my first international customer (USA)

9. Where do you see your business in 10 years from now?

Oh my, in ten years time! Well, we have agreed that we would love for us to be a brand name, like Vera Wang or Jenny Packham. We want to have a franchise in every city and be interviewed on TV, be the next Sondra Celli or Thelma Nadine and be on a reality TV show. We would love to be in fashion shows and on runways, own our very own wedding boutique and make lots of money by selling to celebrity clients! Also we want to have written a book and done radio interviews. Ten years! I think that's achievable and we will probably do more.

10. How did you find MISI? What else would you like to see being added to the site?

I first heard about MISI recently through my auntie. She said we should come here as were brave enough and we are fans now, and follow MISI on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook! 

The site is improving as it goes along. I like it just as it is and we are willing to move along with any updates that happen, were here for life!

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