I'm browsing your website now.  But can't help with the FB stuff, as I am no longer there.

trouble with FB is they seem to want to make you pay to promote your stuff these days - spam your friends pages and get them to promote your page is one option. Good friends will or should be willing to help promote you.   Are you on pintrest? If not put your stuff up there.  Create a blog about what you're doing and update regularly - maybe stuff you're doing at the present - get friends to promote it and hopefully you'll get a following and peeps will buy when they see your stuff. Get a twitter account but specifically for your company - tweet links to your products or to your blog if you've just updated.  You could also get instagram and promote your work through there.

 

Social media really is the way to go to promote yourself especially if you don't have a large budget to play with at the moment.

 

By the way, I love your stuff 

 

Firstly let me congratulate you on doing something which you feel very enthusiastic about and also on a well laid out and professional looking website.

 

Good on you - I would love to be self employed (no cracks about contract killings from other FM's please ).

 

Unfortunately your area of business is not one I have any knowledge of, but I'm sure you will generate a lot of discussion with other FM's.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

how about filming a yourself making something and putting it up on youtube or showing something you've made and posting it.  I think you're initially restricted to about 15 minutes but you could show what you've made and talk about what you've done - people then subscribe and you get followers you can also link your blog, website, FB page etc to get customers 

 

I also know on FB they have ladders where you promote a friends business page and they promote yours - I'll look further into that one for you 

https://www.facebook.com/LA2LI

 

 

my brain hurts 

Hi Hoochie  really love your stuff. The cushions inspired by jaffa cakes are brilliant.  

 

Best of luck - how enterprising of you! 

At least it shows you have a functioning one Pengy

  my brain is addled at the moment Moons 

The trouble with social media is that it is infested with plagiarists.

 

People will lift other people's ideas; observations; etc and present them as their own (sometimes solely for the purpose of appearing cleverer than they are or to gain a few more 'followers'). 

 

You have some lovely stuff on your website.  It would be a shame if others cashed in on your creativity.

 

Good luck with your project!

I'm no good at all the tech stuff , but I've liked your page Hoochie , and think your stuff is fab  

 Thank you everybody who has responded .... and to those who've "Liked" my FB page many, many thanks! 

 

Pengy you should work in Marketing!!   and thank you for sharing my picture that was really kind.   Your suggestions on making the most of Social media are really good, I struggle with that getting it out there stuff..... every time I post on FB my mouth goes dry  and the time that I've found I'm spending on stuff other than sewing is really quite astounding  ......but if you are willing to work for cushions? 

 

I am hoping that people might comment on specifics ie if you think something looks a bit naff and any suggestion for improving something I've done or if I'm asking too much for a particular thing if you had a look at the website. or if you've seen stuff that you love elsewhere that might prove inspirational .... I can make other stuff than cushion covers for instance I've got some really cool original 1960's Noddy fabric  it's in fabulous condition, not enough to make anything large like curtains, and I just keep looking at it wondering what I can do with it ..... any ideas?

 

TBH one of the things I've found with doing this is that it's just me ..... and it would be nice to be able to chat about stuff and get some feedback to help keep me on the straight and narrow

 

 

I love everything Hoochie as you know, I'm pleased Pengy is pointing you in the right direction marketing your lovely work  

Hoochie xx.............With your Noddy fabric you could cut out and 'quilt' each picture into patches for cushions covers or frame as pictures, with perhaps an embroidered 'quip' about what was happening in the picture......

 

The best of luck with your new venture!

You've heard of 'car' 'focus' groups?

 

Ford chose the names 'ka' and 'focus'

 

That must have been a short meeting

Just had a thought about 'Copyright' problems with the 'Noddy' thing tho...

 Syd!!! LTNS 

 

I've done some quilting and this fabric would lend itself to it nicely and framing the picture in a cushion ....  maybe with just plain navy or red cotton hmmm my mind is ticking over thank you

  No copyright issue the fabric is sold for making up into stuff

Hoochie, I'm not on FB but I've visited your website and love your stuff.

Hoochie, I can't access the website* for some strange reason, and I'm not on FB.  I wish you all the best with your venture and I think you've had some great tips from the FM's on here too  

 

*PS, I'll keep trying 

 Thank you Yogi and Cosmo

Maybe Rawky could help! 

 

Your stuff is lovely, Hoochie! I love your style, and the website looks great!

 

We have etsy over here for things like this. Do you know of it? Is there a UK equivalent?

Hi Hoochie

 

One thing that people don't mind spending a lot of money on is baby stuff. How about making a range of quilt covers, pram sets, matching mobiles, wall hangings etc. Join Mumsnet ... you might be able to ply your trade there!

 

I love the Scottish cushions ... there must be a market for them in the tourist trade.

 

 

Thank you Lori

 

I found Etsy last week and tried putting a few things on it ..... I still have to do a header and bits and pieces to make it look as it should.  Everything takes so long!    I really am like a headless chicken atm!

  Thank you Rexi....... I haven't really thought about babies (apart from nagging my daughter that she's getting on a bit!    That's a really interesting proposition, I haven't looked properly at baby stuff for a lot of  years I will have to go and do some research on this ...... sounds good!   

Great! There is SO much to do to get started, no wonder you are all headless chicken! 

I haven't really got a lot to add to the great suggestions already posted but just wanted to my support, I liked your FB page the other day and I'm happy to share any posts you put up.
I really like the baby stuff idea from Rexi.

I will have a look later and make some suggestions.

 Thank you jenstar and kimota

 

It's so kind of you all to respond.  My daughter is moving to Dorset to live with her new love on Saturday and it's a huge wrench.  She's been as much of a rock as one drama queen can be for another   for me over the last couple of years and today has been all about her as will tomorrow be.  It's all good but I find myself feeling like a hamster in a gyroscope sometimes

 

 

*send her my best and I hope she will be wonderfully happy* 

No wonder you're a bit doolally  feeling chaotic.  

Hope your daughter's move goes well and every happiness to her.  Once you know that she's settled you'll be able to concentrate on your venture.

By the way, the website looks great and I love your stuff.  

Hoochie.....she's happy....revel in it    

Aww Hoochie  

 Just wanted to say thank you again to you all - my GlesgaChic page has had 17 likes this week!  Really fab!

Like your website Hoochie, and the 'atomic' range.  I wouldn't worry too much about competing with stuff from china ect.  as you are clearly going to appeal to those who like domestically produced, handcrafted things.  Pengy's ideas about using social media are good. Instagram and similar sites are good for building up a profile. If you don't mind putting yourself out there, it can be good to build a more personal relationship with those who buy your stuff, by using You Tube and blogs to communicate your ideas and let people know about the design and manufacture process. A personal touch is always a winner I think.

Get a press release out to all your local media Hoochie. Not so much to sell your products, but to talk about how Redundancy Is The Best Thing That's Ever Happened To Me angle, New Year, New Start kind of thing.

 

Don't forget to send it to all the local little parish magazine type thingies too, you've more chance of it being published by them.

loved the web site and "liked" your fb 

I've just invited a lot of friends to like your page

 Thank you guys!

 

I'm sitting here going quietly mad!!!  I hate ebay! I hate my laptop! I hate Chrome!  I've spent the day trying to set up an ebay shop and gotten NOWHERE! The  are out to get me today and it is so frustrating!

 Aww sorry Hoochie. Tech problems are right pain in the @rse 

 How about ignoring Technology and going door to door for a