Crafty Business Part 5: 7 Ways to Market Your Business
So, this post will conclude our Crafty business series for this month. I have enjoyed reading all of the admins of Sew Much Talent kend their feedback and experiences, whether for hobby or for business. Now you have options. However, I will continue this month, February with the bonus guest posts that I promised you. These posts will include more topics on business matters, and maintining your health in this crafty arena. It is a must to stay healthy and fit.
Well, without further delay I can't wait to read what Elizabeth has to tell us about ...
7 ways to market your
business
When Alethia asked me to write about Marketing Your
Business, my first thought was, I am the last person who is qualified to be
writing this! But the truth is is that I
think deep down, we all know more than we think we know when it comes to
business. So with that in mind, here's 7
simple ways you can market your business.
1. Always be prepared: You never know when
someone might approach you with a business opportunity, so always be
ready. If you sell custom clothing, wear
your own creations whenever you go out.
Always have a stash of business cards handy to give to people who might
ask about your skills. I have some of my work in a local boutique
simply because I happened to have a magazine handy that I wrote an article
for. I met the owner, she liked the
article and trusted me implicitly to make things for her store. You just never know when those moments might
come up, so always be on the lookout!
2. Be present on
social media: It's true that social media can give your business a
spotlight beyond wherever it is that you live, but it can also be an online
portfolio of your work. You might not be
able to do a full business pitch to someone that you meet, but if you can point
that person to your blog or your Instagram or Facebook page, that person can
get a really quick idea of what your work is about and may choose to purchase
from you. This leads me to my next point.
3. Learn to take nice pictures: Sewing is
a visual medium and often the only way we have to convey to our future
clientele the quality of our work is through photographs. You don't need a fancy camera to take good
quality pictures, but investing in learning about photography will have a great
return on investment for you. Places
like Craftsy
and Udemy
are excellent places to take basic photography classes that will help you take
better pictures. And better pictures will
help you establish your brand. Udemy has
some great classes for taking pictures with your smartphone. Remember the advice of Ansel Adams on what
kind of camera you have:
4. Have a business pitch ready: Let's say you walk into a boutique. You like the store, and you think that those
fun skirts that you make would really sell well here. Could you walk up to the owner, introduce yourself
and convince her that selling your goods there would be mutually beneficial? Here's a quick formula for a pitch. Hi, my name is ..........., I make/teach/do
........... I really love your store.
You do a great job with ...........!
I think that my work/products/skills would be a good fit here
because....... Let me know what you think about it. I'd love to work with you!
5. Collaborate: You may not know a lot of people that you can
sell to, but you may just know someone who does. Say that you make custom handbags. Maybe you have a friend who sells
makeup. Ask your friend if she'd be
willing to do a home show for you both to sell your goods. You can both invite people, and her customers
will get exposure to your work and vice versa.
And since your friend is your friend, her customers will already be more
inclined to trust you enough to buy your goods.
On a recent house show with my good friend who sells Mary
Kay, I sold a couple dresses and a skirt and gained some good advice from tall
friends about future garments. We had a
great time together and she was able to sell some makeup too!
6. Keep your customers: Get to know your customers and listen to
their feedback. If something is not
working, be humble enough to fix it, and then thank your customer for their
help in making your product or services better.
None of us has infallible business sense, and if a customer is willing
to give you free consulting advice, listen to it (with a grain of salt if
needed!). Doing so will go a long way in
helping establish a relationship with your customers that will keep them coming
back to you for years to come and hopefully referring others to you for your
excellent work!
Enlist your customers as models for your product shots
too! Styling your garments on other
people and not a dress form gives your work a context for other potential
customers. They will be able to see
themselves in your work better.
My friend and
neighbor modeling one of my dresses for the shop
7. Don't be afraid!: Do you like your work? Are you really proud of the garments that you
make? If you can say yes, be bold as you
approach people about it. Your
enthusiasm alone will go a long way in convincing people that they should buy
from you. It's true that you will face
rejection when you go and try to market yourself, but really, the worst that
someone can tell you is no. That person
is probably not your ideal client anyhow.
Brush off the hurt and keep moving.
The next person might still say no, but eventually, someone will say
yes.
Elizabeth Farr lives in Colorado with her husband and 4
children. She writes at elizabethmadethis.com
where she is always sewing up something creative. Her sewing videos aim to help other sewists
sew better, sew faster, and sew creatively.
Her line of one of a kind dresses and skirts made from many upcycled
materials are showcased at the local Denver boutique SEWN.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth and the rest of the SMT admin team, for such a great series! And, thank you to all of you who stopped by and read, even commented on each post.
Another great post! Great marketing tips, Elizabeth! I'm still working on my pitch/elevator speech! One of these days it will roll off my tongue naturally. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I agree with wearing what you make and taking good photos! The entire post is great, but the not being afraid is so important too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and invaluable information Elizabeth!
ReplyDelete