As a craftsman from
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A small businessman, you can do your own craft
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Marketing or paying someone else to do it for you. This is a balancing act. If you do it yourself, you must go to the show or run your own store or website. The more time you spend, the less time you spend on production.
Give up some of the retail price of your crafts, giving you more time to invest in your artwork and provide a broader market space for your products. Galleries and shopkeepers advertise, promote your work, and provide a place to work regularly so that your work can be seen by more people, not by yourself.
However, don't consider these methods as the only choice for process marketing. They are just two aspects of the spectrum: from doing your own craft marketing and making as many crafts as possible; using all your time to make and pay for your marketers.
Along this range, there are many other methods, some very simple, some very high tech. If you are looking for a better way to sell your crafts, try thinking out of the box. Beyond traditional craft exhibitions, galleries and retail stores.
Here are some of the process marketing methods that are useful to me, as well as some interesting ones I have read, but have not tried it myself.
Away from packaging
After three years of handicrafts fairs and flea markets, I noticed some negative aspects. My work was copied by other craftsmen who saw it in the last show.
I have to come up with new ideas to distinguish myself.
I am tired of queuing and competing with very similar products.
And I am just tired. Craft fairs are a lot of manual labor.
I need a better venue for retail stores or galleries that can't pay up to 50% of sales. I need from
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And broke the package.
Use your relationship with other craftsmen
One of the good things I have learned from many years of handicrafts fairs is a lot of new hand-made friends who are also working on artisanal marketing. As opportunities arise, we help each other.
A very mature pottery artist participated in a huge annual fair, attracting importers from North and South America. He wanted some bright and colorful things to dress up his booth and attract people's attention, so he asked if I would show some of my tarpaulin bags. We all did a good job, and it was very exciting to think of my luggage going to another continent for sale.
My handmade friends and I send business to each other. They ordered my business card and signboard. I recommend them, sometimes showing their work in my store [no commission, free]. When they have their own store, I know they will do the same for me!
Brainstorming with local organizations
Brainstorm and understand that your product can or can be connected to an organization. If you use any process that is suitable for personalization, such as embroidery or fabric painting or screen printing, consider approaching a local club or business and offering items with a logo. Of course, get their permission. The logo is a copyrighted material.
At the craft fair, the tote bag folded into a small bag was a big seller for me. What is unusual about my design is that the pouch is custom designed. I applied the bag design using three techniques: screen printing; or printing on the fabric using a Bubble Jet Set or Lazertran Silk decal and my computer printer.
I have done this for my local garden guild. They need gifts for a visiting group. I also sell them to a moving company, and they give them to customers as an appreciation for their business.
Process marketing from
other products
While other craftsmen are talking to gift shop owners about putting gifts together with all the similar work of other craftsmen, consider where your products stand out and enhance the products that the store sells primarily.
For example, if you make jewelry or crocheted scarves, you can help a clothing store by decorating a mannequin. A beautiful combination of equipment increases the visual appeal of the various components.
If you make a tarpaulin tote, you can make some bright tropical fruit and vegetable patterns to see if your local farmers can do it. The market will let you put them near the checkout counter. Add a logo: "Choose no pollution - use our sturdy reusable market suitcase."
Bring your wine gift bag to the liquor store and see if you can make a similar display agreement. Your flower arrangement, paper-cut tray or hand-made candles will bring a more attractive and realistic look to the showroom of the furniture store.
Space barter
Once I was approached by the card of the neighboring mall and the owner of the gift shop. She has seen and claimed my crafts. She thought they would complete the store's inventory, and my existing customers would bring traffic to the store. She gave me a very modest salary and a small corner of the store where I could show my products.
This seems to be an ideal match; but it was doomed to fail from the start. [This is before I understand the importance of collocation and one's product enhancements - not to compete with another person.]
My product is dressed as a store. The traffic has increased significantly. To be honest, I worked hard to sell my goods.
Then one morning, the owner came in and told me to remove myself and my crafts at the end of the day. My sales are very good, and her sales have only increased slightly. This does not seem to be a good thing for her. I got most of the benefits.
After 20/20, if I suggest commissioning instead of salary, it may be effective. In this way, the guesswork about where my efforts are going will be reduced.
I still think that space exchange is feasible and decided that if I find another chance, I will not accept any salary. I also want to make sure that our products are not competitive. I made an idea, but when I asked my friends for their opinions, they looked at me like I was crazy.
There is a small water treatment, garden and pool supplies shop nearby. Most of the
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At the time, the owner went out to work and his wife was bidding at the store. But because young children are at home, she often needs to leave in an instant, and just locks the store and posts "back to the 10 minute sign." Customers are very frustrated that they participate in the competition.
I approached the couple and suggested that I could open the store early until the wife arrived and stayed until 2 am, so she [actually both of us] left and ran as needed. In return, they will give me a little corner where I can show and sell my crafts. They like this idea.
It works beautifully. I decorated my little alcove, like a garden, tied up with their pool and garden products - small wicker tables and chairs, a lattice, I can hang some of my things, fake stairs rise along the wall [I use As a display stand, there is a wrong view door at the top.
OnLine Craft Marketing Co-Ops
This is something I have not tried, and I am a bit skeptical about it. Our idea is to join other craftsmen on a website dedicated to process marketing.
In the absence of five or six other craftsmen, online process marketing is already difficult enough. Applicable to the same web page. It's a miniature craft show that doesn't give you much chance to stand out from the crowd.
But more of these process marketing websites are emerging. I think that many craftsmen simply don't want to put their efforts into online craft marketing, but want to see if any funds can be made in this way.
There are many cooperative craft sales websites that you can find through web search. A person's name is unlikely to be "stars and infinite darkness." Other sites are "wholesale crafts" and "eCrafter".
Whether online or online, there is a way to improve your craft marketing if you are willing. Imaginative and thinking outside the box.
For more ideas and tips on selling crafts and information about setting up a craft business, please visit http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/craft-business.html
Orignal From: How to reduce competitiveness when selling crafts
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