Have you done any market research for your craft business? Probably not!
Just because you want to run a craft business because you’re an artisan, doesn’t mean you can ignore the basics.
Market research is necessary to discover what your customers want, need, or love. Once that research is completed, you can use it in marketing your handicrafts.
Here’s a few pointers for you:
Ask people
To get your craft business successfully off the ground, you have to listen carefully so that you’ll have a much better idea what your market is. You can send surveys in hard copy via mail, via email, or — even better — by using a Web-based service, many of which are free. A popular survey creator site SurveyMonkey can help you create a professional-looking online survey, invite your prospects by email, and tabulate the results in useful ways, all for free. Once you find what people want, work on that area.
Understand your competitors
You will also find researching your closest competitors is a good idea, and seeing what they are doing and what sells. You can use this knowledge to create marketing strategies that take advantage of your competitors’ weaknesses, and improve your own business performance. You can also check any threats posed by both new entrants to your market and current competitors.
Study what people are searching online by keyword research
It is absolutely essential to know the relevant and important keywords related to your craft business as it assists your customers to find your website, thus driving traffic to it. To learn more about it, check our guide on how to do keyword research for your craft business.
Read craft related books and magazines
Reading crafting-related magazines each month also works. You could also subscribe to The Craft Report and American Craft Council Magazine. These and any other magazines related to your area of expertise provide a wealth of information about customers and other crafters that will be helpful in preparing your marketing plan.
Study arts and crafts marketplace at craft and juried shows
Attend a few juried arts and crafts shows where you’ll meet other craft hobbyists and experts. Also, while there, check out the customers and notice how they purchase, the decision-making process they seem to go through and what type of information they ask the artist or crafter prior to making the purchase.
Now that you have a basic knowledge of market research, read our tips on how to promote your craft business and start your business marketing plan.
That’s it for now.
Subscribe to our blog to find more tips and tricks in marketing your craft business. Happy crafting!
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