If you've got a unique product to sell, you'll need new and interesting ways to get your items in front of the public. Your items might be just what someone needs, you just need to find a way to show them.
1) The Electronic Nudge
If your products wind up in carts but don't get the "buy now" click, you may want to put direct mail retargeting to work as a reminder to your potential clients. The items you are selling are remarkable and they work for you; that's why you want to go to the work of marketing and selling them.
Sharing this passion can be as simple as a little electronic nudge. You're telling your prospective client that your product, which may still be in their basket, is a great deal at a great price. You can also boost future sales by offering a timed discount on the next purchase, or a shipping break if they buy two now.
2) Go Miniature
For those selling unique or handcrafted items, consider going miniature with your products. If you are selling baskets of cookies or muffins, make up a mini basket of the same products to drop off as promotions to office managers and HR professionals. If your business is custom blends of lotions and creams, drop off tiny tubs of your latest scent.
Branding is critical here. If your business is flower arranging, create a tiny arrangement in a miniature vase and tie your business card, paper or magnetized, to the raffia or ribbon on the display. Be visible, be colorful, and show off your skills in a tiny touch that a professional person can keep on their desk to help you market your items.
3) Offer a Subscription
Signing potential clients up for a gift box subscription can be a fun way to increase your customer base and automate the shipping process. If you market a line of lotions or soaps with custom essential oil blends, offer a small calendar with your products so customers know what's coming from month to month.
Consider critical holidays when marketing your gift box and subscription services. If your business is designing unique jewelry or making your own beads or pendants that can be swapped out on a monthly basis, offer a discount for someone who wants to gift your unique designs to a loved one.
4) Bulk Discounts
While bulk discounts work well for oatmeal and rice, they can also work for your designs. If you make and sell custom scarves, put together a package deal for repeat customers or create a "grab bag" buy that you can offer in the checkout process. This process can be exceptionally effective around the holidays; one "grab bag" purchase of multiple products of your choice can provide your customer with several casual gift options.
You can also consider selling larger containers of your products early in the year. Many users strive to become a bit thriftier in January. If your regular customers shy away early in the year, consider upping the size of your packaging and lowering the per ounce price to promote the same product at a lower cost to the client. Once your custom blend of lotion or soap becomes someone's favorite, they may stock up on the larger containers and you can start marketing smaller bottles and tubes of your new fragrances.
5) Use Visible Folks
If you know of a blogger or a celebrity who would benefit from your products, offer them a beautifully wrapped free sample. Send a busy mom blogger a small sample of lavender-scented hand cream, or send a thrifty fashionista a single chain with three swappable pendants. Ask for a review and thank them for their consideration.
If you can contact them before you send the product, find out if they do a review other people's products and the best time of year for your samples to arrive and get the most attention. For example, if you want busy mom to try that hand lotion and have time to write a thoughtful post, send it after the kids go back to school and she has time to breathe a bit.
Your products may be a service or a handmade item, but they're always a great deal. To market successfully, you may need to promote your items more creatively than others. Use your favorite blogger to boost your sales, and make sure your cart-orphan items get another look.