by Gary Capps, guest author on Wire-Sculpture.com

Now I realize that this is a bold headline.

Can it really be true?

Is it really possible that you can increase the sales of your jewelry by up to 70% instantly?

Well the answer is yes, and I’m going to explain to you a head-slapping simple sales technique that can help you do just that.

Before I do that I just want to take a second to introduce myself to the readers of the Wire-Sculpture.com blog.

My name is Gary Capps and I am the owner and creator behind Bead Manager Pro Jewelry Software. Over the last 5 years we have been helping jewelry artisans just like you to create profitable jewelry businesses.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with hundreds of people during that time and get insight into the ins and outs of what works and what doesn’t work to help coach those people to make a success of their passion.

Last year we became good friends with some of the great team at Wire-Sculpture.com and Rose asked me if I would share some of the tips we’ve learnt over the last few years here on the blog.

Now I’m pretty sure most business owners would like to be able to increase their sales by 70% instantly, but it just doesn’t work in every business.

However, the great news is that this little gem of advice (excuse the pun) works perfectly in the home jewelry business.

This is so simple it’s brilliant; when I heard about it I was amazed by the simplicity yet full power of the way that a few little words could change a business.

That’s right: words.

You may be doing this already, selling one item for $30 and two for $50, but what do you SAY when someone asks you the price.

Here’s the conversation most people have:

Customer: “How much is that necklace?”
You: “They’re $30 each, or you can buy two for $50.”
Customer: “Thanks, I’ll take that one.”

Now check out a new way of saying things:

Customer: “How much is that necklace?”
You: “They’re two for $50.”
Customer: “Ok, those two are nice, I’ll have them.”

Obviously this is a very simplified version of any potential conversation, but do you see the subtle difference?

Before, they were given a choice.

Now we are only giving them one option.

Do not underestimate this very tiny change in language.

By giving the customer the option to purchase two items the majority of the time, if a customer is already serious about making a purchase, they will upsell to two items.

If you think this sounds to simple you should know that McDonalds have added millions to their bottom line every year with this same basic strategy.

Think about it, you go to McDonald’s, order a burger and what do they say?

“Would you like fries with that?”

Those 6 simple words are literally worth millions and millions of dollars every year to McDonalds.

It’s the same basic sales principle that you can add to your jewelry-selling arsenal.

This is why I said it only works for some business; obviously, if you’re selling houses, the two-for-one offer doesn’t fly much, but when we’re looking at smaller impulse buying, this can have tremendous effect on your bottom line.

And of course if the customer says they only want one, well, there’s no law says that you shouldn’t just sell them one, but try to sell two at first.

Now preparation and setup for a show can help increase how this strategy will work, so let’s review some of the basics there.

Preparing For A Show:

To increase your chances of success even more using this very simple strategy lets take a look at how you prepare for your next craft show or home jewelry party and what you might make to help improve your double sales technique.

Think about the preparation ahead of time and plan what you are going to make and how you are going to display it.

Research the show and the type of audience that are going to be there.

One of the most important things you can do is ask the organizers for sales figures from last year’s show and what the average spend was.

This can be vital information because if you know that the average spend last year at the show you’re just about to attend was $50, and you are planning on trying to sell $200 pieces, you are likely to have a hard time.

Knowing this ahead of time you can create the right pieces at the right price point for the audience you are about to encounter.

To make the two-for-one sale strategy work even better try making matching sets of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.

If you get a customer at your booth who falls in love with your beautiful necklace that you have made that you’re selling for $30, how hard do you think it would be to upsell them to a matching pair of earrings for another $20?

Certainly nowhere near as hard as trying to sell them a completely separate piece.

But what about if you specialize in creating One-Of-A-Kind (OOAK) jewelry pieces with no matching sets?

Don’t worry, let’s look at setting up your displays and how you can help to increase your double sales odds by setting up the correct way.

How To Display Your Jewelry Pieces:

There’s normally a pretty typical way that that a lot of artisans will display their jewelry at shows and it’s not eye catching.

I’m sorry, but it’s true for so many.

How many shows have you been to where you lift things out of trays, dig underneath one bracelet to get to another, or everything’s just laying flat on a table so nothing catches your eye at all when you walk past?

Quite often I’d bet.

So take moment to set your stand up in a way that it catches your eye as you walk past.

If you have created matching sets, keep them together but elevate items off the table at different levels.

While a flat table looks beautiful, when you’re up close, because you can see everything at once, nothing catches your eye to start with to get customers there.

If you have OOAK pieces, keep them in groups, so your necklaces together, your earrings together, your bracelets together, etc.

That way when someone picks up one piece and asks how much it is, you’re ready to say “Those are two for $50″ straight away.

Set up at least one piece as a “Wow” centerpiece attention-grabber. You can use lights or mirrors to accentuate effects as well.

Make sure once you are done setting up that you walk away for at least 5 minutes to clear your brain, then come back and look at your stand from different angles.

• Does it catch your eye?
• Would you stop to look at that centerpiece there?
• How do the other stands look around you?
• Are they more eye catching?

You need to get people to your stand to be able to sell them anything, so having a centerpiece can just help to catch people’s eye and get the most basic transaction started: a smile.

Remember, a smile can lead to a conversation, which leads to questions and when they ask “How much?” now you know what to say: “Those are two for $50″!

So in final summary:

1. Most Important: Price two items into each sale transaction as a FIRST sale attempt. If you don’t get that, you can always come down to one item.
2. Know your market and price point, and be prepared for your next show.
3. Create the right pieces for your market.
4. Create a unique eye-catching display.
5. Take advantage of any interaction and SMILE.
6. Be genuine, honest, and helpful to your customers, they’ll appreciate it.

So give this a go at your next booth sale or jewelry party. Be confident in what you say and make sure you offer your customer assistance with their choice.

If you leave any comments or questions below I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

Happy Selling

Gary Capps
Bead Manager Pro Jewelry Software

I hope you enjoyed PI Wirey and The Case of the Flip-Flop Jewelry Biz! We had a fantastic time putting the pieces together, and it’s time to spill the beans.

Today we’re launching our new package:

The Definitive Guide to Selling Handcrafted Jewelry!
(we call it The Definitive Guide for short)

The Definitive Guide isn’t just another DVD series. Although it has three fantastic DVDs, it also has a whole 128-page book, Wire Java, and several online bonuses!

So Here Are the Facts:

The first shipment of The Definitive Guide just arrived in our warehouse this week. We’re busy polishing them up and getting them ready to ship. We will begin shipping during the last week of July.

As a thank you to our most loyal customers order The Definitive Guide before July 23, 2010 and you’ll only pay $133! (Gold Club members, that’s just $100 for you!) This package normally retails for $177.95, and trust me, it’s worth a lot more.

PLUS, the first 20 people to order today will get 100 free business cards, on us!

And as long as you order by July 23, you’ll also get two free downloads:

• “Harness the Power of Email to Gain Repeat Customers”

AND

• “5 Tips for Selling on Etsy”

These limited-time bonuses are invaluable tools to any jewelry artist, regardless of your business experience!

So, what exactly is in the Definitive Guide?

The Definitive Guide consists of 3 DVDs and Wire Java:

DVD 1, Roundtable Business Discussions
Pull up a chair at Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong’s studio in Tennessee, and join five other wire jewelry artists as they discuss secrets of selling wire jewelry. Taxes, photography, self-promotion, networking–it’s all there!

DVD 2, Let’s Do an Art Show!
Follow Dale from her studio to an art show, from packing, to setting up, to working the show!

DVD 3, Visit a Home Show!
This comfortable venue is a great way to sell your jewelry. Watch a real home show in progress. See how to keep customers’ rapt attention by testing their knowledge and memory. There’s no better networking tool than meeting with friends.

Wire Java: Your Hot Workbook Guide to Selling Your Jewelry!
Written by a bead shop owner and successful jewelry artist in her own right, this 128-page guide to the jewelry business covers vendors, sales, marketing, and the fundamental principles needed to create a profitable home jewelry business!

In addition to the book and DVDs, you’ll also receive  Dale “Cougar” Armstrong’s personal Show Checklists, a Home Show Starter Kit, and a guide on creating your own Press Kit!

Well, I think that’s about all the information I can cram in this email. So what are you waiting for?

Reserve Your Copy of the Definitive Guide Today!

To your success!

Brandon Hutchins

Wire-Sculpture.com

Click Here to Find Out About Today’s Huge Announcement!

P.S. – We hope that you’ve enjoyed this 3 part video series as much as we have! If you have some friends or family that also love making jewelry, be sure to pass along the video. They won’t want to miss out on this exclusive video series!

Love this video? Leave a comment below!

It’s a question that many jewelry makers need answered, but it’s a hard question to consider.

As you know, the prices of precious metals fluctuate; many newspapers print the current prices of gold and silver by the ounce, and this is a great statistic to watch as a jewelry artist, especially an artist specializing in precious metal wire sculpting!

Gold and Silver Wire

The economy is one of the biggest factors affecting metal prices right now. With the cautious US economic recovery and the European economy, particularly Greece, affecting the value of the dollar and the euro, metal prices have been fluctuating for months. And that can get hard to keep track of!

Now, if watching Wall Street programs doesn’t sound as interesting as say, finding new patterns or photographing your finished work, don’t worry–we’re watching the prices of gold and silver for you!

You may remember that we’ve updated our wire pricing to reflect current market prices–so our wire prices on Sterling Silver wire and Gold Filled wire are consistently up-to-date to match the lowest available price per ounce! You can trust that Wire-Sculpture has the fairest price on gold filled wire for our wire wrapping artists, and today we have gold filled wire available as low as $0.54/foot! As you may know, all our gold filled wire is 14kt quality gold filled wire, and will never rub off like cheap plated wire. You and your customers deserve only the best!

And of course, if you’re a member of our Gold Club, you’ll always receive 25% off all your purchases, even gold filled and sterling silver wire–click here for more information!

Last week, market gold prices took a small dive, and we updated our prices accordingly–our gold filled wire was much lower than usual! That means this is a great time to buy gold wire for your jewelry making! However, with the volatile US economy, gold prices look like they’re on the way back up. Wall Street economists are expecting gold prices to come back up this week, so this looks like a great time to invest in some gold filled wire!

So check your wire stash and make sure you have enough gold filled wire to meet the demands of summer fairs and competitions, in addition to your own custom work or online store. Stock up now and beat the market on gold filled wire and sterling silver wire!

Stay Twisted-
Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

Please keep in mind that the following methods are not “set in stone,” as many people have their own formulas that work well for them. Rather, this is how both my personal students and I price our work. Note: none of us sell wholesale, as we are artists, not manufacturers.

Pricing is always the most difficult part of any art form, and jewelry is the hardest to determine, as there are so many ways to price. When you are making and selling jewelry in today’s economy, you may not be able to receive the compensation you fully deserve, but you should be able to survive if you price correctly for your area.

Most hobbyists (those who make pieces as a way to relax and to obtain a little extra cash) will take the price of their materials and multiply by 3. Weekend craft show warriors (who participate in shows close to home, so there is no added expense of hotels) often multiply the cost of their materials by 5. Many of my personal students will multiply their materials cost by 3 and then add a realistic hourly rate for their time, beginning at $10/hr. Please note, this time does not include any learning curve; rather, when you can make a piece without hesitation and no mistakes, that amount of time is what we charge for.

As you become more proficient with your skills, and the piece is made more quickly, then you are increasing your rate of pay per hour. Example: when beginning, an about-perfect bangle takes you 3 hours to create at $10/hr. Later, with experience, the same quality piece takes just an hour, and you have increased your rate of pay to $30/hr.

Of course, special pieces deserve special prices, such as a one-of-a-kind pendant or ring with the only stone “cut just like that,” for which you can ask whatever you like. If your one-of-a-kind piece sits in your case for a year and is well-behaved, it doesn’t eat anything, so it doesn’t matter if it sells immediately or not. If you set a special stone in a serious metal such as 14k or 18k, same scenario; I would just as soon not sell it than give it away.

To be able to sell your pieces in today’s “I want it for nothing” world, you need to get them out there. Here is the link to an article I wrote to give you ideas for sales venues: Where to Sell Your Wire Jewelry.

When displaying your work, no matter where, be sure divide your jewelry inventory into percentages of items priced according to the potential market.

For example, try having:

• 20% of your items priced from $20 and under (for example, headpin earrings or little bead rings, made with crystals or unusual gemstone beads like agates and jaspers)
• 30% priced from $48 to $25 (wrapped crystals, more elaborate earrings, regular cab pendants, etc)
• 30% priced from $85 to $48, and
• 20% priced specialty items from $90 and up.

It’s also smart to have a few designer pieces (priced wherever you want) to show just what you are capable of. Not only will these will attract higher-end customers, but also may catch the eye of gallery owners, etc.

Often, my specialty and designer pieces attract more sales because folks would really love to have one but can’t afford it at the time, so they purchase a lower priced item just so they can take a piece of my work home. I always have several of these customers return the following year, looking for me, because they are now ready for a special purchase or a custom order.

Unfortunately, there is no one, single pricing formula that will work for everyone. My advice is to test the waters to see what your potential customers are willing to pay, and go from there.

One last thing–don’t just give your pieces away! For example, someone attempts to convince you that the bracelet you have invested $30 worth of materials and 2 hours of your time in is not worth more than $35, and that you need to sell it to them! Don’t listen to that. Personally, I have had to remove items and put them in my pocket to end an occasional situation such as this.

Remember, Inspiration comes from every Where and every Thing!

-Dale/Cgr

Off your body! Yes you read correctly, many people write to tell me that they sell their pieces while wearing them, anywhere; to the grocery store, doctor’s office, church, sporting event, mall shopping, etc. Some have even said that they wear a piece and have a price tag hanging off of it! Think about it for a moment, it may seem silly to have a price tag, but it would definitely draw some attention and inspire conversations, “Um, excuse me, do you know that you forgot to remove the tag from your necklace?” To which you reply, “Actually I make and sell unique jewelry pieces. Do you like this one?” And then automatically hand them a business card. I’m sure you can see the many conversation possibilities that could lead into:

Private Showings; “Yes, I even give my jewelry away for free.” If the person is interested, take their name, phone number and good times to call (in the tiny notebook you should always carry) and then follow-up with a ‘courtesy call’, explaining how nice it was to meet them and what your private show program is.

Your Open House, name it based on whatever the season is or choose a fun theme (more below on themes). “As a matter of fact I am having an open house to show my work on ___ at ___. Would you like to come and maybe bring a friend or two? It’s going to be a lot of fun and I have nice door prizes”. Again, take their information and be sure to follow up! From your own Open House, you can obtain many Private Showings!

Theme Ideas:

Pool Party; get a small wading pool and serve fruity drinks with paper parasols, a few dips and chips, and everyone is invited to sit around the pool with their feet in, while you do your presentation.

Balloon Party; blow up lots of balloons into which you have inserted small rolled up papers, some with discounts and some with free gifts written on them. When a guest arrives, they get to pick and pop a balloon. If they decide to purchase more than one item, they get a balloon pop for each purchase (discounts cannot be combined).

Hat Party; ask everyone to wear their most unusual or unique hat, let everyone vote and give a prize for the best. Have a hat with discount coupons folded up inside, when a guest makes a purchase they get to reach in and pull out their discount.

Old Jewelry Party; each guest brings an old piece of jewelry, tells it’s story, all vote, a prize is given and you take your presentation in the direction of creating tomorrow’s heirlooms today.

I am sure these suggestions have you thinking now, your home showing or open house can be an event where folks get together for a break from their regular world, complete with fun as well as information, and you have the opportunity to sell your work, as well as to see what the folks in your area like.

You don’t even have to invite strangers to your home, rather you could check with a local church or school and offer them a small fee or the proceeds from a silent auction or raffle, for the use of their facilities for 4 hours.

Now let’s talk about Private Showings. Again, there are many opportunities such as: asking the receptionist (who likes the earrings you are wearing to an appointment) if she would like to earn a Free pair (in her favorite color) by hosting a Private Showing in the office conference room after work or during lunch time. You could ask your hairdresser or nail person to do the same, inviting their clientele to a Special Private Showing. What about the local dress or bridal boutique? Often they may agree to host an afternoon Trunk Show, (usually done for a percentage of the proceeds) or even invite you to participate in their next fashion, prom or bridal show (what a great opportunity!) How about asking a local teacher if they would like to host a Private Sale or Show, either in the teacher’s conference room or the classroom after hours?

What about a Fund Raiser? Instead of paying a promoter for a booth (where you hit rewind and play every 5 minutes, hoping for a sale) why not sell to people who want to buy what you have to support a cause, and gain a lot of new customers. School bands, clubs and sports groups are always looking for a way to make money for supplies, and rather than attending a pancake breakfast, a lot of people would rather purchase a moderately priced piece of jewelry, where a percentage of every purchase goes to the organization.

By exploring options besides craft shows, you can connect with brand new customers. No matter which way you choose to sell your work, be sure to collect everyone’s name and address, for a door prize drawing (for future post card invitations to your own Holiday Open House as it’s time to begin this year’s event now). Believe it or not, there are LOTS of people out there who have never seen or heard of wire jewelry!

And hey–stay tuned for an upcoming article on how to price jewelry!

Stay Twisted!

Dale/Cgr

I know you’ve been curious about the Wired Retreat coming up in September. Well, I’ve got all the details–and let me tell you, I can’t wait!

Last year, we held our Wired Retreat in Buffalo, New York. People who came had a great experience–but this year, we’re taking the Wired Retreat to the next level. From September 24-26, you’ll stay as our guest at the elegant Ritz-Carlton – Amelia Island, on the beautiful eastern coast of Florida!

Enjoy breathtaking sunrises from the Atlantic Ocean in your room overlooking the beach. Feel the warm ocean breeze on your skin. Feel free to bring your spouse or a friend to share your room at the Ritz–there are golf courses, museums, and boutiques nearby, tennis courts and a fitness center at the hotel, and of course, the beach to enjoy!

The Wired Retreat package covers all your expenses: your stay at the Ritz-Carlton; all the jewelry making supplies and materials we’ll be using; meals with Dale and other wire jewelry artists; and as always, you’ll get to keep everything you make! The only cost you’re responsible for is getting to Florida! There are also group rates available if you’d like to stay at the Ritz longer than the class - make it a real vacation!

Inside the Ritz, the Wired Retreat spans three days–Friday, Saturday, and Sunday–and it covers several projects. This experience is much more than a Wired Workshop–we mean it when we call it a retreat! Relax in sunny Amelia Island and sample gourmet food and beverages while meeting and chatting with other wire jewelry artists.

We want to make sure everyone who deserves to attend the Retreat, can: that’s why we’re offering single payment, 3-month payments, and 6-month payment plans! And, if you order in the next 2 weeks, we’ll give you a $500 discount on the Wired Retreat Package!

This Retreat isn’t about learning a pattern–it’s about learning techniques that will strengthen your wire jewelry making skills and open up your creativity! You can take these techniques and themes to any jewelry piece you’re making and apply them. Dale “Cougar” Armstrong will give you individual attention and make sure you’re working as efficiently and safely as possible, so you can save wire and supplies!

Before the class, you’ll get to enjoy a 30 minute private consultation with Dale “Cougar” Armstrong where you’ll choose the materials to make your jewelry with–from the gems to the wire. In class, Dale will guide you through planning your piece, techniques, tips, and more advanced methods of wire wrapping, as well as marketing designer jewelry. Dale will work with you one-on-one to increase your skills and draw out your creativity–that’s why this retreat is so exclusive!

Let me tell you what Dale said about the Wired Retreat: “I do not often offer a course such as this, where I actually give many of my personal secrets to my students. The techniques a student can learn at this special event will only enhance their skills!” What jewelry you choose to make in this Retreat, Dale says, “could retail for $1500!” Now that sounds like a great investment–and that’s not counting the techniques and marketing skills you can apply to all your future work!

Now, before you start dreaming of sandy beaches, warm ocean breezes, and laughter over gourmet food with new wire artist friends, I have to tell you--this Wired Retreat is not for everyone. Due to the limited space available, we must narrow our guest list to only qualified wire jewelry artists.

We want to make sure that our participants get the most out of this wonderful educational and relaxing weekend, and we want to ensure that we’re reaching the most deserving wire artists who can benefit the most from this experience.

Only those wire artists who can prove they have the skills, experience, and desire to spend a weekend with Dale in a less structured environment, will be able to come!

Only order the Wired Retreat package if you’re confident you meet at least one of the following requirements (there will be an application form):

•    You’ve attended Wired Workshop classes through the Advanced level (if you haven’t yet, but you will have taken these classes by September, that’s o.k.!)
•    You’ve purchased and worked through Dale’s Beginner DVDs
•    You have pictures of jewelry you’ve made on Etsy, Flickr, Facebook, or on your own store’s site, that we can see (we love looking at pictures of our customers’ art!)
•    You can write us a note about why you want to come to this special Wired Retreat with Dale in Florida

So what now? Click here to sign up for our Annual Wired Retreat! Seats will go quickly!

I hope to see you at the beach!

Brandon Hutchins
Wire-Sculpture.com

P.S. Look for tomorrow’s exciting announcement about our new release: the Intermediate DVD Series!

What does it cost to have one made and where do you go to get one?  There are a number of companies online that offer production services that include writing a script and once approved, voicing it professionally.  Images and video clips are selected to show viewers what the voice is saying.  Watch a TV commercial for just a moment and you will see that most are created this way and are not actually studio productions that cost thousands of dollars.  Stock footage is very low cost and when assembled by a professional editor, is very compelling as a medium to engage customers.  To make it more personalized to your business, you will want to include some images or video of YOU doing your work.

Many times a video ad can include images already used in a website or product/service shots your company has used in printed brochures.  Again, assembling these digital graphics is very easy using common production tools by a professional and hence, why the cost is much lower than you think.  Music is added also to create the ambience to move a viewer emotionally.

With this said it is time for all small and medium business owners, such as wire jewelry artists, to review their websites to see how to leverage the power of video and start using it.  Once a video ad is created it can then be used across the web in advertising campaigns.  More and more websites are including video as an offering for distribution, including Google Adwords and partner properties in a pay-per-click model that is highly targeted.  Yellow page companies also offer a video inclusion option as well as many other websites across the Internet landscape.

Video is here to stay, it is growing fast, and it’s time for all website owners to address their video plan so that they are not left behind in the jump to video. We’ve even added several wire wrap tutorials to our own site!  A few short years ago it was said that if you didn’t have a website as a bricks and mortar business, you weren’t really up to speed.  Now, the same is being said about video.  Get one.

I want to give you an update on how we’re lowering prices to save you money, and remind you about our Gold Club!

We’ve been hard at work on reducing our prices on Jewelry Making Wire. Right now, our prices are lower than ever! In our new Jewelry Making Wire Section, you can quickly find the exact gauge and shape of wire you need. You can also select how much wire you’re purchasing—1, 5, 10, or 25 feet in most cases! And that’s not all.

We promised you we’d dedicate ourselves to bringing you the lowest price on wire—and in this economy, nothing beats a bargain. Today, we made good on that promise.

Thanks to our brilliant website guys, we are now able to base our prices on the current price of gold and silver—updated daily! Yes, that’s right—daily. You can buy all your jewelry making wire from our site confident that you have the most competitive prices, anywhere.

Check out our Sterling Silver and Gold-Filled Wire for your wire wrapped jewelry making, now priced as low as $0.32 a foot! Head over to our Jewelry Making Wire page and check out the improvements. We know you’ll love it!

If you’re looking for even more savings, don’t forget our Gold Club! If you’re already a member of our Gold Club, you already know about the benefits of joining, like our amazing 25% discount on all products.

But if you’re not a member of our Gold Club, let me take a second to outline why you should join.

•    It’s automatic—as soon as you qualify, you’re in. No applications, membership fees, or renewals!
•    It’s exclusive—get members-only emails alerting you to special deals, unique products, and bulk or limited-quantity supplies!
•    And don’t forget—you’ll save 25% on all Wire-Sculpture products automatically!

Just by qualifying for our Gold Club, you’ll save 25% on our already low prices! Check out our Gold Club membership page here for more information.

We’re always working hard to bring you the lowest prices in the market at Wire-Sculpture.com. Thanks for choosing us to supply your wire jewelry tools, wire, and inspiration!

Wishing you all the best,

Brandon Hutchins

First of all, if you are Gmail user, you got introduced to Google Buzz at launch of the new “social networking” tool.  When you opened your email a couple of weeks ago you noticed that you were asked if you wanted to “follow” folks and you were able to quickly and easily make your selection.  So, the signup process is where you start.  If you don’t have a Google Gmail account then click here to get signed up – http://www.google.com/buzz.  You will notice also that you can get Buzz on your phone.

After you have registered you will have a dashboard to manage your buzz activity.  It provides a private, consolidated summary of the data associated with your Google account as well as direct links to control your personal settings.  You can also see how many people you are following, information about your recent posts (once you get started) and comments, etc.

You will need to invite people to follow you.  Once done then you can directly message them all or if you want to make sure one of your friends sees a certain Buzz post, you can direct it to their inbox with @reply. Type the “@” symbol followed by the first few letters of their name, and select their email address from the list. Only you’ll see their Gmail address — other people will just see their name.

After you’re set up and have people who have agreed to follow you, you can send out messages to them about your wire jewelry business.  Keep them short (like Twitter) and to the point making sure that your audience will find what you are communicating about as important or useful to them.  If you buzz too often on topics that don’t matter you will find that people will “mute” posts or worse, stop following you.  The integration with email puts it closer to your fingertips.  Again, select those to follow you that may engage you in the future for wire jewelry pieces.  And stay on topics that they will enjoy hearing about.

The core philosophy behind Google Buzz is to allow people to share experiences in real time.  Integrating this social networking tool into an email application directly is new and may pull some people from Twitter that have to “go there” to Tweet.  However, keep in mind that many software solutions online have integrated with Twitter and Facebook so that you can auto-deliver one message to a number of platforms quickly and unless Google does the same thing, these other platforms may keep market share.  This means, don’t stop using Twitter or Facebook.

The bottom line is, keep your followers happy and make sure that they aren’t overwhelmed by you using all of the tools out there only to rehear your message too many times.  Learn what they like and keep building your base.  The connections you make and continual interaction will ultimately create a loyal following of wire jewelry enthusiasts.