Learning from Others

We have been learning from others since the day we were born. It's no different here on the internet today. We either try things to see if and how they work, or we listen to what other people tell us we should do. Both routes have their good and bad points. We have to keep trying to find out what works best for us and what doesn't work for us at all. While on my quest today to learn new things, I came upon an article that I thought emphasized some very important points. It was in the Start Up Nation newsletter. It made this beginner perk up and pay attention. Check out this article and see what you think. Here is the link : http://www.startupnation.com/steps/76/marketing-website.html. I found it to be very interesting and very useful. I hope you do too.

Getting Found

Sometimes I feel like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Having your own business is great. Making your own products and selling them is what it's all about. The internet provides the marketplace, you provide the product and customers will come. Oh if it were only that easy. To get people to your site takes work. Learning how to get the right keywords to list your products with is one of the keys to having a successful website. Try different words and phrases in search to see what comes up. Don't use any fancy or uncommon words, use words that people will search when looking for a certain type of product. The easier you make it for the public to find you, the more views you will get and hopefully more sales. This will take a little time on your part to find the right words. If you go to Google Traffic Estimator you can test different words and phrases to see how well they work. Marketing on the internet keeps changing. If you don't keep up with the changes, sales will be few and far between.

How Much Promotion Is Enough

Is it ever O.K. to say,"that's it , I've done all I can do to promote my products" ? If this were true, then why are there commercials on the tv from huge well known companies, all day and all night. They don't stop reminding the consumer and we can't either. Of course the major companies of the world have a huge budget for advertising that we don't have. We have to rely on other ways of promotion that are affordable. Find ways in your local area to become known for what you make. A few donations for community events will help to get you noticed. There is almost always something going on to raise money for something in any given area at any time. Most of the time, it will be cheaper to make a donation than it will be to place an ad in your local paper. Of course, there are no garauntees either way. But by starting in your own area, you get a feel for the promotion game before you set out to tackle the world.

Product Pricing

This is the tough question, what is my handmade item worth? There are so many things to consider when pricing an item. You first have to know how much your materials cost to make each individual item. It doesn't matter whether it costs you 10 cents or $100 to make, you have to get this amount back. If you need any special tools to make your item you will have to add a fee to cover this tool and replacing it. The electric or other power source has to be accounted for. You can say I was using it anyway but in reality , it's still a cost of production. This is just like any other business out there, even though you are doing most of it at home, you still have business expenses. If you do shows, you have spot rental, tables, a tent, vehicle expense, insurance, and maybe a few other little expenses. All of these are cost of doing business expenses. Each item you sell is responsible for it's share of these expenses. The "Big One" is your time. What is your time worth? Most people aren't doing this full time and don't charge near enough to cover the expenses of doing business. It isn't important to them, it's just a fun way to sell the things that they like to make. For the full time or more serious vendor, it's a different story. Your selling price has to include all the expenses of production and marketing or your bottom line will not be a true reflection of your business. Choose your selling price wisely.

Finding Places to Set-up and Sell

As I have said in other posts, I've been doing craft shows for almost 30 years. They haven't all been good experiences but they have all been learning experiences. I never ask another crafter how they did at a show that I might be interested in attending. An opinion just based on how this other crafter did is really kind of useless unless we made the exact same thing, the same exact way, and sold for the same exact price. And if we did copy each other, unless it's a huge show, we are going to hurt each other's sales significantly. So when I do talk to another vendor about an event I will ask more general questions like, how was the attendance, the advertising, and were people carrying bags with purchases? I feel these questions give me a better idea of what the event was like in general. I have never yet heard two vendors give the same account of a show if all you ask is how was it? Too many "hobby" vendors don't care if they make any money or not. As long as they make back their spot fee they're happy. If you judge a show based on this person's opinion, you could be in for a surprise. Get some facts about a show. Ask attendance numbers, how many vendors will be there, how many vendors will be selling something similar to what you make, what do they do for advertising, and maybe the most important thing to know is what else is going on in the immediate area. Other local happenings can help bring more people to an event while some will leave you wondering where everyone is. A little research can save you alot of frustration.

Being Remembered

To make yourself memorable may not be as difficult as you may think. There is nothing truly remarkable about the picture on the left. But when you speak about the wolf in it's natural habitat, the way the wolf ran free, and speak of how the howl sounds, then you have something. Now you add the Handmade Colonial Plank Frame, of which no 2 are alike, the burned finish, and the fact that it's sealed so no glass is needed. Now all of a sudden you points to remember. You have a spot that is uniquely yours that although there might be something similar out there, it's not yours. People will remember these points about your products in the future. They will see something somewhere and BANG, they remember you and your products. This still doesn't guarantee that they will buy from you, but the fact that they remembered you is a good sign that someday they will. Nothing happens overnight as a general rule, it all takes time. For more home decorating ideas , my website is :OldTimeCountryCrafts.etsy.com

Getting Noticed

I,ve been doing this for almost 30 years and I'm still trying to learn how to promote my wares in the right way. As a small business, we don't have the advertising budget that the industry giants have so how do we compete? First of all, you can't compete with the giants. You have to be better! The late Billy Mays started out on the Boardwalk in New Jersey selling in a similar manner as we do today and he grew into a household name, known and recognized by everyone. Now we all can't become TV celebrities but what we can do is develop our own marketing style so we cross peoples minds when they need something. They have to be able to remember who we are, what we sell, and most important, how to find us. We all have business cards, so make sure people get one. Start a mailing list to keep in contact with potential customers. And probably the most important thing is label your products in a way that it stays so people can easily find you. Being remembered is a giant step towards making that sale that you didn't know was there. Talk to customers about how you make your product, start a conversation with them, have some fun with them. Almost everyone has a certain thing that they will only buy at one place. For some it's the hair dresser while others it's the meat market. We do this because we like the service and the quality of the purchase. Price is considered relevant if you are satisfied with the services rendered. This is the kind of relationship you are trying to build with your customers so they will remember you and talk of you to others.