How good is the quality of the linens, kknight? Do you know the thread count? Are they pure cotton? Organic cotton? Silk? Do they wear well? How are the linens decorated? Embroidered by hand or machine? Are these fair-trade situations, or factory made, or artisan made, or...?
These sorts of details will be important to your marketing. Notice, for instance, that Gaiam.com positions itself, like Polo Ralph Lauren, not just as a retailer, but as a "lifestyle" company. Gaiam uses words in their marketing like "rich", "detailed", "healthy", "eco-conscious."
Some of their products are priced high, and they advertise that they give 10% to the Solar Living Institute, so their customers can feel that their $19 t-shirts are doubly worth the purchase. Not only do they get a t-shirt that they like, they can feel like they donated to a cause they believe in.
You could do the same sort of thing -- price the retail of your linens 10% higher, and then give that 10% to, say, an organization that provides scholarship programs to the children of your artisans, or to a like company that you investigate and form a partnership with. (You must be able to show in your books that you in fact did give these funds, upon demand.)
Find out who your sheets appeal to. Show them to every person you know who buys linens, ask them what they like about them, what they don't like about them, try and sell them on the idea of the linens. One of the things you really want to hear about is why they WOULDN'T buy the linens -- that is one of your best opps ever, because now you know how to overcome objections to buying your products in your copy, BEFORE they ever come to a choice to buy or not buy!
Then market the things to your target demographic. It's fairly easy to find out what kind of copy, what kind of photos and feel of marketing materials appeals to your target demo.
Let's say that you find that your best demographic is female, 20-35 yrs old, who like funky, off-beat style with an eco-conscious, world feel. Go to the top retailers who carry that sort of styled items and market actively to that demographic (I'd immediately suggest Pier One, for instance) -- read the copy, study the website, the photos, take it all apart and put it back together again.
For instance, here's the copy from Gaiam about some of their sheets:
"Experience your own passage to India. Our richly hued 210-thread-count sheets celebrate the artistic influence of this culturally rich country through a stunning display of vibrant colors, intricate patterning and stylish details. Crafted from 100% organic cotton and made vivid with low eco-impact dyes. Set includes one dark-orange fitted (14" deep) sheet, one light-orange and paisley flat sheet, and pillowcases that match the flat sheet. Twin set comes with 1 standard pillowcase and King set comes with 2 king pillowcases. Duvet cover and pillowcases feature darker, all over Bangalore print. Made exclusively for Gaiam in Italy."
First, they talk about the style, in a way that refers to literature and movies ("passage to India") and that implies that they can live this sort of life ("experience"). They describe the product in luxurious terms (richly-hued, artistic influence, culturally-rich, stunning, vibrant colors, intricate patterning, stylish details, vivid). They talk about the eco-conscious part for their eco-conscious customer (organic, low eco-impact). The details of what's in the sheet set are very important -- customers want to know exactly what they'll get. And finally -- surprise! -- these "Indian" sheets are made in Italy, land of expensive textiles and famous style.
Pier One, land of the import, has this to say about their "Urban Sturgeon" decorative piece:
"In ancient heraldry, the sturgeon symbolized longevity, even royalty. Our modern interpretation denotes long-lasting style. Crafted by Filipino artisans, each one is hand-painted and fire-glazed for one-of-a-kind interest. A Pier 1 exclusive. "
So here they've appealed to the royalty mad Americans. They appeal to those who want to know they're buying something stylish and modern. They talk about the artisans and their techniques and emphasize the fact that handmade art is one of a kind, no matter how many are made. And finally, they mention that you can only buy it from them.
So, say your sheets are made by craftswomen from 100% silk with vegetable dyes and hand-embroidered with traditional Hmong motifs. You bought them from an agent who is helping them sell their cottage industry work from Laos. You might market these sheets this way:
"Sleep in the luxury of our exclusive, lustrous 100% silk sheets, hand-embroidered in ancient motifs of the Hmong people! Hmong craftswomen carefully dye the silk with 100% natural vegetable dyes and painstakingly decorate the sheets in richly-hued applique and bright silk threads. Your purchase supports a cottage industry that allows Hmong women to work in their homes and support their families."
(This is the product of a few minutes work, you'll want to spend lots of time on copy, and test it on willing members of your target demographics!)
HTH -- what fun. I love doing stuff like this. :)
Waterproof
