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Craft Marketing Ideas

Marketing Tips

I am a crafter.

Recently I finished a beautiful crocheted 35" centerpiece doily. But I was told that 'doily patterns' don't sell. I checked on eBay and saw that crochet doilies were not selling at all!

I really need the income and love crafting and so I am looking to sell crafts that I will be making … BUT I have no idea of what items would be profitable to sell. I am clueless and there are so many websites that I have checked out and still I am clueless.

I can paint, crochet, knit, photograph, quilt, sew, do embroidery, etc. I thought that belts, winter hats (especially for the college age kids), necklaces and earrings would be profitable.

I would like to start working on collage/abstract as well as free form and appliqué quilting (wall hangings) but again don't want to start designing and find out that the above mentioned items are not profitable, and that I've wasted so much valuable time on them, especially as the holidays are just a few months away.

I reside in Colorado and have no problem driving to locations outside Colorado. I can't even find workshops that would help me to find what products are worth making. I am very serious about it.

Please help me.

Thanks,

C J

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Boy, did your letter give me a sense of déjà vu. There are so many similarities to my own story. We’re both very eclectic crafters.

Like me, you seem willing to try anything that the market will accept and are determined to do whatever it takes. Read about my transition from crafting for fun to crafting for profit.

If you haven’t read the For Profit section of The Artful Crafter yet, please take a half hour to do so before you spend any more money or design time.

Focus on the two marketing sections most: Meet Your Market and Market the Heck Out of Your Product. It appears that marketing is the area which has you stumped right now.

With the winter holidays just a few months away, as you point out, you need to identify some projects that can be completed rather quickly and will sell profitably in the Colorado market. Also you need to identify some venues where you can sell your products.

Most for-profit crafters who work from home start with their circle of friends which grows to encompass friends of friends. Then they typically move on to craft fairs and/or galleries. In your area, college campuses may also be an option.

If you know the college age market and styles well, your idea of hats, belts and jewelry could work. But before you go ahead on that, check out the ready made items available for that market.

Your's need to be in the same price range and somehow different. Think slightly different in style, higher quality materials and marketing hooks.

By marketing hooks I mean something that will attract the college kids to your products rather than to the local Target’s or Gap’s. Clever hang tags and attractive packaging often help. In some of the links I offer below, you’ll see some packaging ideas that have worked for me.

Other holiday ideas that may work in the short time remaining are wine and other gift bags.

But again, be sure to check out the competition first. If Pier 1 sells gorgeous organza gift bags for a dollar, you won’t be able to charge $8 each as I have.

I’ve had a flurry of orders for my panadiere (fabric bread basket) pattern lately and suspect that other crafters have started their holiday crafting. The panadiere has been a very big seller for me, so I started offering the pattern to our readers.

Candles are nice holiday gift and decorating items. Read my article about decoupage candles.

You might find some other ideas for the holidays that appeal to you on our patterns directory page.

Once you get through the holidays and have time for some longer-term planning, I suggest you pursue the other ideas you mentioned.

Items that take longer to make like quilts, crocheted doilies and collages, take a bit more planning and pre-selling. It you can pre-sell (have orders in hand before you spend any money or time), you will sleep easier nights!

My all-time biggest seller has been a nylon tote bag which folds up into a little pouch. What’s different about it is the customized designs on the pouches. I made a couple on spec for a craft fair and not only sold those but was subsequently approached by people who saw the bags and asked where they came from.

Then I began getting calls from local clubs and businesses to design one for them. Finally one business client asked for a similar gift for their male clients. So I designed a poncho that folds up into a little pouch.

Thinking specifically about the talents you list in your letter, I recently saw the most beautiful, unique quilt that a friend received from her daughter.

It combines quilting with photos, in this case vintage family photos. My friends and I were just enthralled by Gwen’s quilt. The vintage family photos were printed or transferred onto silk panels that are incorporated into the quilt. It not only tells Gwen’s life story, but is a gorgeous conversation piece.

I think this could be a real winner for you!

When you have time to look into designs for collage art, be sure to read our articles on decoupage starting with Decoupage for Profit.

You can make so many practical pretty things with decoupage: shopping list clip boards, coasters, jewelry and other boxes, decorated plates to be hung on the wall (how about birth date or wedding date plates?).

Finally, I’m struggling to think how you could market your beautiful crochet centerpiece. Believe me I understand how much work was involved.

Before I was married almost forty years ago, I got the idea that I would like to make a crocheted tablecloth for my trousseau. Well, I worked on it off and on for several years before I finally threw in the towel.

I still have it and pull it out to admire and have a laugh once on a while. It’s 6 feet long by 9 inches at the widest. It’s a reminder to me that my time is valuable. No one would ever pay me enough to compensate for the time I put into it. Maybe some day I’ll rearrange some of the panels and make a table runner!

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