Making Money Marketing Your Crafts
by Natalie Goyette
Your marketing materials are a valuable and necessary part of your craft business.
They create a consistent and professional image that causes an initial as well as lasting
impression of both you and your craft creation. If you've ever heard the term "branding,"
you'll understand the need to create a look that is your business identity. You may need
to hire a graphic designer to create a logo and typestyle for your business name. Once you
have your look, use it everywhere - on your stationery, business cards, brochures,
displays, hangtags and anything that has to do with your business.
Most crafters know that their most critical marketing piece is their hangtag or price
tag as sometimes, that's all your customer has to remember you or contact you again. A
well-designed hangtag can add considerable value to your work. You can use it to describe
your craft and its process, how to care for the item, any guarantee you offer and how to
contact you. If your crafts do not lend themselves to a sizeable tag, create postcards or
brochures to give to customers with all this pertinent information.
You may even want to offer a postcard, brochure or well-designed, informative business
card to everyone who stops at your booth, whether or not they purchase anything. If you
have enough items for a catalog, make sure to have enough catalogs on hand at every show.
Just because you don't sell to everyone who stops by, doesn't mean you can't make a future
customer out of them. You do that with your marketing materials.
Another common marketing tool is a monthly newsletter - either mailed through e-mail or
snail mail - so if you've created one, have sample issues at your booth. In addition to a
monthly or even quarterly newsletter, some professional craftspeople mail postcards to
past clients with their upcoming show schedule. You can offer a 10% discount on the postcard
if they bring it to the next show. That way you can see if the postcards were effective.
Also have a guest book, sign up sheet or entry form (for a drawing) to capture names
and e-mail (or snail mail) addresses from as many people as possible. Consider having a
portfolio of your work at your booth if you don't have your full line with you.
If you belong to a local craft organization, the benefits of sharing knowledge and
maybe even the cost of hiring professional will ease your budget and learning curve as you
embark upon the craft business full time. And now that you are indeed in business, you're
ready to seek out the right shows...
Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in her best
selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site:
www.craftshowsuccess.com
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