Working a Home Crafting Business – Tips for Marketing your Wares
Now that you have worked hard at creating your unique crafts the next step is finding equally unique and creative ways of marketing your wares to your target clients. Marketing, for any business, involves knowing, first of all if there is a market for your product and if so where is that market and who are your target clients? This may sound overwhelming, but the truth is you don’t need a marketing degree to answer these questions and the good news is you know your product better than anyone else, because, well, you conceived it, worked hard on it and brought it to fruition.
It helps to be as realistic about your product as possible. You made your product, so of course you love it, but try to see it through the eyes of a potential buyer. Is your product useful or decorative? If it is useful determine all of its uses and if it is strictly decorative consider its value in terms of design. Perhaps it is both useful and decorative, still when determining these things be as honest with yourself as possible.
Taking a realistic approach to your product will help you to figure out who will have the most need for your product and once you have determined that you will have your target clients. Knowing your product means knowing your client and this helps a great deal when it comes to marketing. For example, if your product was hand-knit sweaters you definitely wouldn’t market to people living in a warm climate, just as if your product is decorative doggie collars you would want to market to dog owners.
Once you know your target client you can make the most of your advertising dollar by targeting specific media or places. Knowing your target client means knowing where your energy will best be spent in gaining visibility. Going to specific trade shows or conventions that your target clients go to will give you exactly the sort of advantage you are seeking.
No matter who your target client may be, bazaars and craft shows are wonderful ways to introduce your product and your business to a wider range of potential clients. No matter where you are there is likely to be a bazaar or craft show that you can become involved in. Call local malls, churches and community centers for a list of bazaar and craft shows in the area.
Once you’ve decided to participate in a bazaar or craft show, you will need to focus on how your products will be displayed. This is a very hands-on marketing opportunity. Your potential client will be able to see, touch and truly experience your products and their immediate impression is up to you. Often the hardest part is getting the potential client to stop and browse. Consider how you will display your items. If they are simply laid flat, they will have less visibility from a distance and possibly attract less people. Think of creative ways to show off your products in an eye-catching way. Practice displaying your items at home before a show. This allows you to work out any kinks and you will be ready for the big debut.
No matter how you choose to get your product out to the world, be sure to have all of your contact information and further information about your work and products available for the potential client in a clear and concise way, either on a business card or a flyer that they can take home with them. Produce plenty of these, because hopefully you will need them. In order to do this, you will need to have the prices of your product worked out so that any questions the potential client has can be answered quickly and clearly.
If you are planning on marketing your products to stores, having a clear list of products and prices readily available is a must. It is also very important to be professional when dealing with stores. Remember, stores often do business with a number of companies and you are essentially competing with those companies. Being professional and producing wares that stand out above the others will definitely give you a strong advantage in this area.
Last, but definitely not least, when deciding upon prices for your products it is important to keep good records of your expenses in the creation process. It is also important to be aware of the time you’ve spent on working on products and the varying levels of difficulty. These aspects factor into the price and will also give you an edge when it comes to marketing them to your target clients.