Get the gorgeous Pearl Drop Necklace for FREE!!

If you love the look of this necklace, then you'll want to keep reading!!  Because Jewel Kade is rewarding all customers by giving them a FREE Pearl Drop necklace (24") during the month of April when they make an order of $125 or more.  Order either online, at a party, or directly through me--it's that easy to qualify!! That is a $34 value folks, all yours as a thank you for loving JK!!  And might I add, just in time for your hubby to fill your wishlist for Mother's Day!! 

Speaking of giveaways, mosey on over to Twitter to retweet and follow @jkruby to be entered into my Mother's day charm giveaway, to be announced April 30!!

Jewel Kade brings on the bling--and it could be yours!!

They sure make it hard to resist, don't they?  At a reasonable price of only $40, this "Duchess" bracelet will have you sparkly in no time!  Oh. My. Word.  It is HOT!!  To see all Jewel Kade has to offer for a limited time for Mother's Day, click on over to our full online catalog!  Online shopping has never been so fun! :-)

Also:  Enter my second twitter giveaway for a chance to win one of these pictured mother's day charms!!  I'm jkruby, and if you follow and retweet my status, it could be all yours! :-)

Twitter Jewel Kade "Survivor" charm giveaway!!

Since the last Twitter Giveaway was so much fun, I'm spreading the JK love on to those who deserve it:  Survivors!  Whether it be cancer, the loss of a loved one, or getting through life as we know it, we are all survivors in one form or another!!!  I am giving this beautiful Jewel Kade charm away to one of my lucky Twitter followers when we reach 1000!! (It's not even available for sale yet!) Add it to your favorite Jewel Kade necklace, and you'll be set!  Let's try to do it within a week!  Love, Sarah

P.S.  If you're here, comment--you will add $1 to my weekly blog giveaway!
P.P.S.  Want to charm your friends?  Be the first to introduce them to Jewel Kade by becoming your area's first stylist!!!  Share the JK love while looking fabulous at the same time! (the extra money doesn't hurt, either!)

Marketing with Technology

I am a crafter, not a tech person.  (Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT being modest here.)  That being said, in the interst of promoting our stores, communicating with our clients and sharing fun beading ideas, I've learned to embrace technology.  It has been a surprise to me how much the computer can help me in my various artsy pursuits.  Even more shocking has been my enjoyment of the process!  Three scant years ago, the Bead World web site was a one page blip with a couple of photos, and map and basic contact information.  The range of media we now use to spread our message is, in my opinion, pretty impressive.  More important, though, is that anyone could use the same systems to promote their own projects.  Everything we use is inexpensive, widely available and user friendly.  Here's a rundown of our growth:

• http://www.beadworldinc.com/ We completely redesigned the site in 2007, adding interactive maps, class schedules for all of our stores, detailed information about our inventory and lots of gorgeous photos.  We added even more in 2009, including free downloadable projects.  The addition of our web goddess, Brittany, to the executive team really made the continuing expansion of the web site a joy.
• Beading Your World  Bead World's monthly e-magaine was launched in 2007.  It features informative articles about gemstones, new materials, techniches, classes, events and a letter from our executive team.  We include a fun coupon inside every e-magaine, too!  As an e-magazine, it is emailed out to every client who has opted in by signing up on our web site.  We use http://www.constantcontact.com/ for this service, and I would recommend them to anyone.  Their program is inexpensive, easy to use and very professional.
• Email Coupon Program  Launched in early 2008, we piggy-backed this fun coupon program onto our e-magazine program, sending out emailed coupons to everyone on our opt-in list.  This has been a hugely successful program.  After all, who doesn't love getting discounts and advanced notice of sales?!
• http://www.facebook.com/ Did you know you can be a Fan of Bead World on Facebook?  In 2009, we built our company its own Facebook page.  We update our status to show info about sales, new products and beading trends.  We also have great discussions going on about dream materials, new store locations, busting "beader's block" and more.  It's a wonderful opportunity to interact directly with the people who love Bead World and want to help us make it even better!  Facebook is a no-brainer: it's easy, it's free and almost everyone you know is already using it!
• http://www.twitter.com/  Yep, we tweet, too!  We use Twitter to let our clients know when a new blog entry has been posted, when great coupons are in their email in box and all kinds of great updates. 
• Beading the Bead World Way  You're already reading our blog, so you clearly know all about it!  Launched in February, 2010, this is our newest foray into digital communication.  If you can't get enough of beading, or of Bead World, we'll keep you inspired with fabulous ideas!  We currently publish two posts per week.
• Desktop Publishing with Microsoft & Adobe:  We've really utilized our desktop publishing programs, using them to design and create class instruction hand-outs, jewelry kit packaging, our employee manual and lots of marketing materials for the stores.  More recently, we have published (in-house, of course) a series of six instructional books.  Doubtless, more are on the way.  Next on the horizon: publishing those books as ebooks on http://www.amazon.com/ so that everyone can enjoy learning to bead the Bead World way!

I know that, for a lot of crafters, jumping onto the computer can be a bit of a departure.  But there is no better way to share your message!  Customers and fans are not going to wander into your craft room -- you have to go find them.  Get out there and try it.  I promise, you'll love it!