Are you Doing One thing a Day To Market your Craft?

Are you Doing One thing a Day To Market your Craft?

If you are feeling overwhelmed by everything you hear you should be doing to market your craft, you aren’t alone. Most of us need a map before we start out on a journey we’ve never taken before.

So, take a deep breath and know that if you just start somewhere, take one simple step today, you’re on your way. Wait, don’t decide to start fresh Monday. I know that trick. I’ve done it.  I’ve never thought of my workweek as Monday through Friday because being self employed, I don’t follow anyone’s scheduled. I work when it’s best for me and my family. But, even if you take the weekend off, you’ll be able to relax knowing you’ve  taken that first step.

Today’s assignment: choose your very best piece. Something that hasn’t been out in the marketplace yet. Now, photograph it. OK. I know you might consider that two steps. If you’re really feeling ambitious, upload it to your photo program and save it. So, three easy steps. (if you really must be a stickler about the one step a day, choose the piece today, photograph it tomorrow and upload on Sunday. Those are very tiny steps.)

So, Monday morning you are ready to take a BIG baby step on your craft marketing plan.

I’m not calling this a BIG step because it’s difficult. It isn’t. It’s simple and just so obvious but is a big step because it will make a huge difference in getting your sales rolling again.

Send this digital image of your best piece to your list of past buyers or those who have visited your booth at shows, come to your home open studio or just expressed interest in your work. (You DO keep a list, don’t you?) If you don’t have a data base of past customers, send the image to all your friends and family. You aren’t selling anything. You are simply reminding them that you are a talented crafts person. If you have already made prints or reproductions of your work, mention it. If you are in an exhibition, mention it. If you haven’t ever taken your work out of your home studio-mention it. Be open and honest about your newness and people will want to support you. Ask them to share it with their friends. A great way to get people to notice your work and pass it on is to include a quote or some kind of meaningful sentiment or story. Nothing too long, just something to make them smile or stop and think. Something that makes them nod in agreement and want to pass on to friends.

So, by Monday you will have taken your four first steps. Simple steps that will get you rolling on the the next steps.

In any business, it is always easier to bring back existing customers than to attract new ones. Obviously, you want to do both but if you have an existing buyer/collector list, cherish them. They are your most valuable assets. Send them “love notes” of customer appreciation regularly. Your art is a piece of you. You aren’t selling hardware. This is a relationship and if your buyers feel you see them as friends, they’ll be loyal to you. They will show your art to their friends and your list of collectors will grow.

See how much you’ve accomplished even though you didn’t know where to start?

Assuming you’ve followed the baby steps so far, today you are going to make a vital move. If you don’t have a data base of your mailing list, or even have a mailing list, today you will start one. This is everyone you know. Everyone. Remember, you aren’t selling to your friends and family. You are sharing your art with them. (If your work is wearable or home decorative, see other blog entries for tips on getting your work seen and download the free tips in the upper right to give you more great ideas.) If you are like the rest of us, you probably have scraps of paper and business cards all over with names of people you’ve met. Most of us toss them because we have forgotten why we picked them up. But, each of those people might know someone who could become your best customer or the connection to many great collectors. Maybe someone’ sister has a gallery or uncle is a decorator to the very wealthy. You won’t be imposing by sending them a beautiful image with a brief greeting or sentiment online. Think of it as a gift. Because it is.

Even if your list has only twenty names right now, use a contact management program such as Constant Contact. You can start out with their free trial, it’s simple, user friendly and you will have your list automated to start.

This should be day six. Now you have a list, you have an image and you are going to order some postcards. Use a site like modernpostcards.com to order one thousand postcards of your favorite piece that you photographed on day one. You can have the same quote or sentiment that you used for your email printed on the postcards. These are very inexpensive marketing tools which you will use both as mailers and handouts.  Include a special offer or invitation to a home exhibit or trunk show. (more on this in other blog posts and tips at right.)  Also have your domain address (url) printed on them. YOU DON’T HAVE A DOMAIN NAME OR WEBSITE? NO PROBLEM. YOU WILL BY TOMORROW.  At least you’ll have a domain name and landing page.

Day seven, if you haven’t purchased your domain name, do that now. Go to a site like bluehost.com and buy your own name. Even if you have a business name and already have a web site, for ten dollars a year, buy your own name. If you already have a site under a different name, you needn’t change that, just re-direct the url with your own name to the site. This takes three minutes and is important because people are more likely to remember and search for you under your own name than a business name.

In the first week, with one small step a day, you have a great start on your art marketing program. If you need help implementing any of the above steps, be sure to email me at the contact above and I will point you in the direction of someone who can get you on your way to a successful craft marketing campaign. Keep checking back for lots more tips on where to go from here and remember to go up to the right hand of this site and get your free gift of “13 Quick, Easy, Low-cost or NO-cost Ways to Turn your Craft into Cash NOW!”

See how much you’ve accomplished in one week with just baby steps? And to think you didn’t know where to begin.

Are you Feeling Lucky? Who Loves to Win Free Stuff? Tell me What YOU want to KNOW about Selling your Crafts?

As I’m putting together the speaker list for my summer “Turn Your Craft Into Cash’ tele-summit, I want to make sure we cover the topics you are most interested in. I’ve had request for more info on How to Get your work into Galleries, How to Break into the Wholesale Market, How to Open your Own brick and mortar Craft Gallery, Cause Marketing, Licensing, Sourcing, How to Get your Work into Publications, Getting Demo Gigs, Organizing Art Retreats, Getting Catalog Companies to Carry your Work, Celebrity Gift Bags,  How to Get Free PR and some other topics I hadn’t expected. I want to make sure this teleconference serves your needs so I’ve decided to hold a contest.  All you have to do is let me know what topics you would like to know more about to grow your craft business. Please either post below or drop me a note at coach@craftbizblog.com. I’ll enter your name in a drawing and the winner will receive a free audio download of the entire telesummit . We’ll cover as many of your questions as possible.  

I look forward to reading your questions. Remember to post below or email me now atcoach@craftbizblog.com. because you can’t win if you don’t play! 

Ever Dream of your Own Craft Gallery?

 

There’s probably never been a better time to test the waters if you dream about your own craft shop or gallery. In a recession, you ask? You bet! Right now is the easiest time to get in with very little capital. So many premium storefronts are vacant and commercial landlords who previously wanted high rents and long leases are anxious to just get some cash flow. For the first time in decades it’s a lessees market and landlords are willing to negotiate like never before.  Whether you want to go solo, or co-op with partners, right now you can work out a temporary, even month to month lease on a prime spot with an option to eventually sign a long term lease. Landlords are hungry so it’s never been a better time to realize your dream of having your own gallery. This is a strategy that I normally suggest for the fall holiday shopping season but going into summer is also a an ideal time. If you live in an area that gets summer tourists, find the best vacant spot and approach the landlord directly. Don’t be afraid to Read more

How to Sell Crafts that are Seasonal

I’ve had a number of inquiries recently from crafters who sell seasonal crafts and are concerned about the off-season.  Many fiber artists who craft  ”cold weather” garments are worried about the coming slow months. And I’ve also heard the same concern from crafters who make summer-sunshine appropriate crafts.  Yes, we are going into a season where it may be tough going if you make only woolen hats, mittens, etc but you have a number of viable, profitable options. 

The easiest solution is to design a 

Read more

Don’t listen to to media. Selling crafts is not typical retail.

This past week, the news was full of more doom and gloom about retail closings and mall bankruptcies. It would be easy to get discouraged, thinking, “If a big department store that’s been in business for generations can’t make it, how will I?” Well, you aren’t in competition with the big box stores. And if you’re comparing yourself to them, it’s time for a major mindset shift.

Your target customer is the discriminating shopper who wants something unique and handcrafted. Yes, people are being more careful with their dollars now and you have the advantage in that when times are tight, consumers want what they are spending on to be special. They may not be shopping for household appliances right now but when it comes time to purchase a gift or a piece of artwork for their home, they are making conscious choices and want something they don’t see everywhere.

Keep sight of who you are and what your work is all about. You are an artist and unless you are not staying ahead of the off-shore knock-offs, you have no reason to be concerned about ‘competition. You have something special that your customers are proud to give. They love to tell the recipient that they met the artist in person-it’s important to know the story behind their purchase.

Right now it’s more important than ever to have your products “shout” of handmade. Take the time to put hangtags on each piece, identifying it as handmade, maybe even talking about the technique. Include a bio and ideally a headshot. Remember, it’s the human connection that makes the difference.

What crafts are selling best right now?

As we are getting into craft fair season, I am hearing from clients and friends that two areas of the art market are doing well in the present economy.  The reports are consistent that the very high end and the under twenty five dollar price points are selling. Mid price crafts are suffering. What does this mean for you? 

My advise to any artist, craftsperson or retail gallery is always, in any economy, to make sure your line has a variety of price points. Of course this is easier to do in certain medium than in others.  In jewelry for example, you may want to produce more of the pieces that you can price in that gift range-work that can be cast in quantity or easily and quickly assembled. With the hand forged, more labor intensive pieces, you may want to use more precious metals (gold, platinum) and gemstones. If you sell midrange paintings, this is a good time to expand into some moderate priced prints, small matted or simply framed card sized prints and also to do a few originals on a larger scale. Any work you can print, cast, or otherwise produce inexpensively is a good idea. Put the originals of these less expensive pieces aside. (Don’t exhibit them at the same shows as your prints.) Then have some other work that you only show the originals of at this time.) Do be sure to scan these for future printing.)  

Whether it’s wearable art or home furnishings, try to focus on the two extremes -this is not the time to try to sell mid priced work. 

Keep in mind also that with the big box stores closing and manufacturers losing those accounts, this may be a great time to move into having a segment of your line outsourced for licensed production. Printers, casters etc are hungry for work so they are likely to be more flexible with minimums and also willing to give you a price break. 

How can you repurpose some of your work to sell well in todays’ economic climate? Are you ready to reach out to a new target customer?  It might feel a bit uncomfortable at first if you aren’t used to commanding high prices, but now is the time to see who your collectors are. Not only will it keep your business thriving but you also might just enjoy seeing the fruits of your labor and products of your passion bring in the big bucks. It’s  a boost to the ego as well as the wallet. Who will purchase an original piece that is priced significantly above your normal range? Is it time to do some custom work? Id’ love to hear what you are doing to get into a different price point and and a new audience. 

Why a Recession is the Best Time to Start you Own Craft Business

Do your friends and family discourage you from starting your dream business “in this economy.”?  Is their reasoning that you’d be unwise to “leave the security of your job in a recession?”  I’d find that humorous if it weren’t so sad because,most likely, these naysayers have never been self employed and haven’t yet been victim to the mass layoffs of “valued employees”. In the present economy, the only secure job is the one YOU CREATE for yourself.

Yes, I do listen to the news. I know people are losing jobs and retailers are shutting their doors. And I also know that most of my self employed friends with small businesses are  reporting record breaking sales. Because when you’re self employed, you create your own economy. When something isn’t working , you can make changes quickly without the bureaucracy of a board of directors. On the corporate level, by the time reports are generated and changes approved, it is frequently too late. Too much has been lost. Not so in Read more

Are you an Art Snob or Craft Connoisseur?

I admit it. I was an Art Snob. I didn’t consider crafts an art form. Yes, glass blowing, metal smithing, maybe even pottery, but I turned my nose up at cropping, stamping and needlework. I saw them as “housewife” or ‘granny-crafts”, color-inside-the-lines for those who had no imagination. And collage, well, that was just something for people who couldn’t draw or paint.  That was, until I saw some of the amazingly creative things artists do with fiber, paper and glue. Now, I’m a convert.

My old attitude came from a misguided background in fine art. Actually,  I was a misfit in a competitive Design , Art and Architecture College at a large university.   It was immediately apparent they’d made a mistake accepting me into the art education program. I’m a creative idea generator but this was pre-computer and to say I’m not a perfectionist is an understatement. Several of our design courses were combined with architecture and industrial design students and, well, let’s just say,  I didn’t fit in.  Another part of the curriculum was classic training in the fine arts of drawing, painting and sculpture. It was unacceptable if not laughable to even consider creating anything functional. The only time I felt in my element was the one semester we got an abbreviated sampling of jewelry and textiles.

Decades later as I walked the aisles of the Buyer’s Market in Philli or the ACC show, I thought, “Why didn’t I know in the early 70s that this was a option? And as I looked around my gallery full of  delighted customers purchasing “functional” art (craft), I visualized the disapproving face of my old college professor and smiled, happy I that I’d followed my heart and opened my mind to the world outside of fine art.

Yes, I’m still in awe of painters and sculptors and I do have fine art hanging in my home. I’m also proud of the funky, fun, functional craft I own. It makes me happy and I know that the crafts people I purchased it from are artists as well.