You run into an old customer at the grocery store. She tells you how much your soap has helped her husband's skin condition and you remind her that she can reorder from your website. You wonder if you will ever hear from her again. In today's super-hectic culture, convenience is the key to getting repeat orders from customers. It is very easy for one product or another to slip the mind of a customer even if they are fond of your product.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for the handmade soap maker to keep in touch with customers is with email marketing. Start a product announcement marketing campaign. Send it once a month. If you do more than this, it can seem pushy, especially in the beginning of a marketing effort. When a customer buys from you offer them a 20% off coupon if they will sign-up for your announcement list. They will get the coupon via email, this way you will get a legitimate email addresses. Friends, family, neighbors - ask everyone you meet to join your list. Keep mini samples with you. It can be an icebreaker when you meet new people. Tell them that you give away a nice item once a month in a drawing from your email list. If this does not entice them to join, you are probably better off without them. As the list grows, your business will grow. Offer a nice sample item to customers who get someone else to join your list. This type of word-of-mouth advertising is the best type of advertising you can get. When you have a winner from one of your contests, be sure to announce it in your email.

All this marketing takes is some dedication, a few samples and some of your time. It does not take a large budget. If you happen to be the crafting type that does not interact with customers as well or as often as you would like, you might consider teaming up with someone who does. Handmade soap making and marketing are two completely different skill sets. We all have that friend or relative that seems to know everyone in town. This is the type of person who should be first and foremost on your sample list. You need not have a formal arrangement with this person as I'm sure if they genuinely like your product they will not be able to contain themselves when talking to their circle of friends.

If you decide that having some type of marketing agreement is necessary, be careful, as they can go awry very quickly. Keep it simple and don't make too many demands on this person as he or she is the one who is doing you the marketing favor. Remember their time is valuable also. Offer product in lieu of cash for their efforts. Manufacturer's reps typically get anywhere from 7% to 15% of sales they generate. This is a great way to go as you don't have to pay anything until a sale is made.

Once you get a customer, keep in touch with them yourself through your email marketing campaign. I have found customers generally like to talk directly to the crafter. Many customers are involved in a craft of their own and like to share experiences with other crafters. Having a monthly email list is a surefire way to expand your business at a very nominal cost.