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If you missed part 1 of this post, make sure you check it out here! Today Lakshmi is going to continue on with some more great tips & info about what TO DO to create a buzz about your new biz or products. Be sure to take notes or bookmark this post!

In my last post I talked about the importance of getting people involved & excited about your business or product launch & what you definitely should not do to launch something. Today I’m going to share what you should be doing to get things going!

YAY !

Below are some things I did and am currently doing to make my launch take off. A lot of it happened organically. It worked for me because it felt natural & I did what felt right to me.

The key is to do what is close to your heart. Even though these are the steps that I took to create a buzz about my new biz, you need to pick what feels right to you and add-on or modify it to suit you & your needs.

1} Sneak peeks

As I kept painting up a storm, I would give sneak peeks of my work. I had conversations going on twitter and email with my online friends about it. I got a lot of support when I felt a bit unsure about myself. I liked that people were interested in what I was doing and it was only possible because I formed a connection with them. I even got suggestions for colors & if a certain look was better than others. Be sure to involve people in your creative process.

2} Quantity

Since this was the first collection for my new shop, I knew from the start that I had to have at least 25 items for a launch. It would fill up the first page of my Etsy shop & I couldn’t go for anything less than that.

When you decide on a launch, be aware that people are looking for a good amount of products to go through. You provide them with the luxury of browsing and selecting what they like. Think about when you go into a shop – virtual or real – shopping for clothing especially – you walk around the whole store before you decide on the one product or piece you really like. Give your customer a reason to walk into your store. Give them choices. Give them quality AND quantity .

3} Theme of collection

While this may not be relevant to a wide range of products, it applies to but is not limited to clothing, art or jewelry.

Deciding on a cohesive look for the collection was crucial to me from the start. I knew that I was going to paint with fall/autumn colors and have themes related to this season. It is my favorite season of the year. It was autumn in Australia when I started painting. It was my inspiration.

While I did sneak in a few paintings that didn’t fit the theme, it didn’t really affect the overall collection. It is the sneak peek to my next collection , in many ways.

Name your collection. If you don’t plan on giving it a generic name, like Autumn collection, my new collection, etc., make it interesting and it will get people interested in what you have to offer.

4} Photography

I’m no expert at photography. I am still learning to use my camera. That’s precisely why I kept my photo shoot plain, simple, and well-lit. I took photographs from different angles, close-ups and bent every which way to get a good shot! In the future, I may definitely experiment with styling.

But, if you are good with the camera, try to style your product shoot with complimentary color themes or contrast it to get your product to pop . If nothing, a plain white background works wonders. Stick to maintaining a cohesive look between the product, styling and props. A good example of creating a buzz with clean, stylish product styling is Bridgett’s whale suite collection from Perideau Designs .

Apart from creating a buzz about your photographs , your product & its styling become part of your brand…

5} Get the word out

It’s important to make this personal. I contacted my online friends – other creative biz owners – to help me spread the word about my new shop and collection. All I was hoping for was that people would tweet and mention it on Twitter and their Facebook Fan page. I got that and more !

I attribute it to my friendship with these lovely ladies who helped me out in more ways than I was expecting. I didn’t approach in a self promoting kind of way. I approached each of them just like how I would approach my friends in real life, if I needed help in any way. And they responded.

6} Blog it!

At the time I was launching my new shop & collection, I didn’t have my blog up and running. But that probably will be your most powerful tool to create a buzz if you have a loyal contingent of followers.

Your blog is your journal. You get to decide what goes on it and when. Use it to your advantage and use it wisely! Word from the wise – With great power comes an even greater responsibility!

I wouldn’t recommend bombarding readers with shop news or launch news all the time. It has to be done in a very subtle manner. Give them something to look forward to without being in their face. It’s alright to be a tease without over doing it. While there is a diaspora to the notion of self promotion, if done tastefully, your people will look forward to your launch.

And on the day of the launch, THEY will do all the work for you by spreading the word.

All of this is possible, only if you genuinely form a connection with your readers and online peers.

How do you form a connection? Well, baby, that’s a whole different animal!

Many amazing posts have been written on this subject . This is my experience. I hope it will help you if you are planning to start a new business or planning to launch a new collection. What are your thoughts and what have you done to create a buzz about your work?