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Craft Marketing Tips

Marketing Tips of Successful Crafters

Read part one of this article for more Selling Tips for Crafters.

Successful Craft Marketing

When you are trying to sell a product, you’re up against a whole universe of retailers, not all of whom are crafters. There are millions of products for sale in all price ranges in all sorts of different venues. How do you sell yours?

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating: in this age of mass production, where every store in every mall seems to be selling the same thing, people have an appreciation for the unique handmade product that required more than movement down an assembly line. If you followed some of the tips in the first part of this article, you are already a step or two ahead of the field.

So you have to consider how the product is packaged and marketed. Can you put it in a nice box? Can you make hang tags explaining how you made it, the materials you used and why it is unique?

Look around any store and notice how the pros package everything from breakfast cereal to TV’s. Follow their lead – they’re giving you free selling tips.

Professional marketers are trying to get their product to stand out from the competition. They are trying to make it appear different or special whether it is or not. They are trying to draw attention to it by their packaging and shelf positioning. Try to do the same thing.

If you are going to display at shows, set up your table in a way that every product is shown off properly. If you have an inventory, just keep one piece on display: hide the rest under the table. Keep you table neat and clean. Talk to your prospective customers. Try to get them interested in your craft. Try to get some feedback from them.

Have a handout available with an explanation of the product or your production methods. Have a business card. Be prepared to take and make custom orders.

If you’re trying to sell your craft in stores or galleries, depending on the product, wrap it so it doesn’t get dirty or worn. Use attractive packaging, decorative ribbons, etc. so it stands out on the shelves. Make it easy for the store owner to contact you, when necessary and be open to change.

If you’re selling crafts online, make sure you get some good pictures of the craft up in the ad. Use the space in the ad to explain why your craft is different or better. Plug your offline business and/or website.

If necessary, do as the stores do. Give away a free gift with purchase, hopefully some little trinket you can make or buy inexpensively. Try a “buy one get the second for half price” deal.

Or bundle complementary products together to create a perceived value greater than the cost of the parts. For example, if you’re selling a handmade nutcracker, package it with a can of premium unshelled nuts: if you’re selling a ceramic vase add a few silk flowers: if you make a guitar, give away a songbook. You will find you can often charge more for a well bundled package than you could if you were selling the pieces individually.

If you want to try eBay online auctions, you will find that you can have the choice of selling in any of numerous different categories. Some of these categories can be quite competitive, others much less so. You might do much better in the less competitive areas.

If you’re at all interested in online auctions, download the free e-book Make Your Net Auction Sell by Sydney Johnston. She is the expert on this and her advice and selling tips are very valuable.

I also suggest you look at some of the other books and programs I have mentioned in these pages. Learning is a never-ending process and many of these have advice and tips you will find invaluable. Even if you know 99% of what the author says, it’s that 1% you didn’t know that makes the effort worthwhile.

I recommend that you consider The Basic Guide to Selling Arts & Crafts. This is one of a series of Craftmarketer books available. If you are serious about selling your crafts, the advice in this book is sure to increase your profits dramatically.

Conclusion

Life is full of challenges but that's what makes it interesting. If you're finding building a successful home-based craft business especially challenging, try some of these techniques. Let me know if they help.

The more engaged you become, the more you learn. The more you learn, the greater your chances for success. If in the course of your study and development, you have one of those "ah hah!" moments that gets you past whatever was blocking your success, please write and share it with our readers.

Good Luck!

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