Behind the Scenes at Cilla Crochets
Go behind the scenes of Cilla Crochets in this latest crochet business update.
I haven't done a crochet business update since May 2022, so I wanted to give you all an update on what's been happening behind the scenes recently with Cilla Crochets.
Since my last crochet business blog post, all of the metrics I track (website traffic, social media stats etc) took a hit. Not in a good way.
Now, while that's a bit disappointing, after some further research and conversations with fellow crafty business owners, I've realised that this is all down to seasonality. In other words, it's not just me experiencing a crochet business ‘downturn', which dare I say makes me feel a lot better.
Yup, unfortunately when it comes to online business (in particular, our crochet businesses) the summer months happen to be the quietest months of the year.
I mean, who can blame us right? The sun is shining and it's a lot more tempting to head outdoors than stay inside and crochet (especially if you live in a cold climate like I do!).
Why do crochet sales drop in summer?
While I haven't been selling anything to-date (I will be from now on, but more on that shortly), I have done quite a lot of research around why things slow down crochet business wise in summer. Mainly because I wanted to double check I wasn't doing something wrong with Cilla Crochets.
I thought you might be interested in my research and as such have found two blog posts to check out if this is something you'd also like to read up on. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a lot of information specifically about crochet businesses online at all on this topic. But I did find these:
How to combat the Summer Slow by Laura Cameron
So apparently this slow season also has a name! Laura sets the scene (much like I have) about how many crafty business see a drop in sales over summer simply due to the weather. What’s helpful however is that she shares a few strategies you can follow to help boost your sales back up. You can read the post here.
Is your blog summer-proof? by Lisa at Inspire to Thrive
While not a crocheter (that I’m aware of), Lisa at Inspire to Thrive, published this helpful post on why web traffic often drops to our blogs during the summer. Even more importantly, she shares some helpful tips on how to improve this. You can read the post here.
Find your crochet business tribe
While none of this is fantastic news for crochet business owners in the Norther Hemisphere right now, finding a tribe of supportive crochet business owners and bloggers will help.
Honestly, the relationships I have with other crochet business owners and bloggers has really helped me. Having someone (or multiple people) you can turn to when things aren’t going so well, makes you realise you’re not alone. Plus, these people (especially if they’re more experienced) are great to turn to for advice and to bounce ideas off of.
The drastic drop of my online crochet blog stats during summer
Now to the gritty topic of the drastic drops I’ve experienced for my crochet blog so far over summer.
If you read my original blog post outlining my 6-month crochet business goals (from January 2022 to June 2022), you’ll remember that the key stats I’ve been tracking on a monthly basis are:
Website traffic
Email subscribers and open rates
Instagram followers
These stats above were linked to my overarching goal of building an online audience before I tried to monetise my crochet business. So here's a quick snapshot of the final results covering January to June 2022.
Crochet Blog Website Traffic
Firstly, I need to point out that I hadn’t been consistent with my crochet blog content until this year (starting in January 2022). So my original website traffic started off quite low. But the more consistent I become, the more my traffic grew. Until May 2022… when summer started kicking in. That’s when the drops of traffic really started to show.
The other thing in the back of my mind is of course, did I just get lucky in March and April 2022? Unfortunately, only time will be able to give me the answer to that question, but I will definitely keep you posted!
Crochet Crew Subscribers
Yup, I call my email list the Crochet Crew. Well, more specifically, the email I send out once a month is called the Crochet Crew. While I have seen a slow down in subscribers since May 2022, my list is still growing, and I have also had some individual email conversations with these awesome crafty people. Honestly, it puts such a big smile on my face when someone replies to one of my emails (and I get to reply back!).
Since my biggest goal was to build a crochet community these past few months, if these conversations/emails weren’t going both ways I wouldn’t feel like I’ve achieved my goal. But since they are now, this is the biggest success for me!
Instagram followers
Now, I’m sure most of us have all complained about the Instagram algorithm, but even with the algorithm, I have still managed to build a supportive and authentic community on Instagram. Let’s be honest, it should be quality over quantity every time! I mean these people are the bees knees! Also, what’s the point in cultivating a massive following on Instagram of people who aren’t actually interested in what you do or what you have to offer? There isn’t one…
I also started to realise quite early on throughout the 6-month goals I’d set for myself that reaching 10,000 followers on Instagram is more about luck of the draw. Oh, and being able to produce high quality reels (this just ain’t me… yet…).
For the record, it honestly wasn’t worth pulling together a graph to show you the changes in my following on Instagram. But just so you have the stats, I started with 2,473 followers in January 2022 and as at 4 July 2022 I have 2,911.
What’s next for Cilla Crochets?
Now that it’s July 2022, and the six month goals I set for myself have now passed, it’s time to move forward and share what’s next for my crafty business.
If you’re a regularly reader of my blog, you may have already noticed that ads have now been added to my site.
Now, while I have to admit I’m not a massive fan of ads (I mean, is anyone?), this is one of the steps I’ve taken in being able to monetise my crochet business. It also means I can still publish all of my crochet patterns for free on my website for anyone who isn’t able to (or doesn’t want to) pay for the PDF versions.
However, for anyone that’s keen to avoid the ads, you can now purchase my PDF patterns from Ravelry, Etsy, or Lovecrafts. Keep reading if you’re thinking about buying a crochet pattern though!
For everyone who’s signed up to the Crochet Crew, instead of receiving free PDF patterns each month, you’ll be sent the free online patterns I’ve published along with other perks such as special discount offers and the occasional PDF freebie (yes, you’ll still get free patterns!).
Celebrate the Cilla Crochets online crochet pattern shop launch
To celebrate the launch of my online crochet pattern shops I’ll be running a sale across all patterns listed in my Etsy & Ravelry shops and I’d love you to join in the fun!
The sale will go live on Wednesday, 6 July 2022, and will run until Wednesday, 13 July 2022. To head to the sale simply click the links below.
You can support my shop launch not only by purchasing discounted PDF crochet patterns, but by liking my crochet patterns on these platforms and/or the shops themselves. So even if you’re not looking for a crochet pattern right now, anything you can do to help spread the word would be amazing. Honestly, the struggle is real when it comes to getting noticed on these platforms, so any traffic you can swing my way is really greatly appreciated!
Crochet Business Goals for the next 6 months
So now that July 2022 is in full swing, it’s time for me to set myself some strategic crochet business goals for the next six months. I’ll be honest though, I feel like I’m chasing my tail a wee bit at the moment with setting up website ads, finishing off some exciting new crochet patterns, and getting my online pattern shops set up.
As a result, I’ll publish my new goals for you in another business blog post next month when things settle down a little and I get enough time to reflect on what I want to achieve for my crochet business next. I’ll also be sharing the lessons I’ve learned over the last six months, in the hope that it might help you too (if you’re interested in the crochet business chat).
If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for taking the time and being interested in my crochet business journey.
It is often an uphill battle, but having a supportive community around me has helped me more than words can describe. I really appreciate it!
Until next time, happy crocheting,
Cilla x
