“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius
Preparation is important if you want to start a handmade business but it should be easy.
Understand at the beginning that making amazing products is only half the battle, the other half of your time will be making sure that the right people are aware of them. Unfortunately there are no quick fixes in business. It takes planning, work and dedication to make a success of anything and most of all being consistent.
Here’s I’ve gathered together with 10 of our best articles that have been golden nuggets of advice for many Etsians:
- Business Plan – A goal without a plan is just a wish. So, prepare your business plan beforehand before going into the battles of the crafting world. Always remember,by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
- Business Brand – Take a sneak peak on what you need to prepare in order to build your brand successfully.
- Business Name – This is very important but is usually underestimated by many handmade artists who are starting a business. Finding a good business name is useful in helping your target customers find you and know what you’re business is selling.
- Market Research – Find out who your ideal customer is so you know how to market to them, and what to make for them.
- Etsy Seller’s Handbook – The first set of articles that you want to bookmark and begin your reading adventure with is the marketing handbooks for craft sellers– available for free. Just what it sounds like, everything and anything you should know about selling on Etsy!
- Keyword Research – Before you start writing your item titles and descriptions, learn the principles of Search Engine Optimization and find out what keywords to use. This will help people find you in the internet. Especially think of keywords as they relate to your ideal customer.
- Great Photos -This can be achieved with the most modest set up even just using a smart phone, edit with free photo-editing tools and the rest is just using your artistic eye to create great photos.
- Product Descriptions – Now you can begin writing your Etsy product descriptions. Be sure to include all the technical specs of your item, how wide, how big, what size, what color, how heavy, who’s it for, etc. Write the description as if there’s no picture to show your item.
- Advertise – Now you can start promoting your Etsy or online craft store through free advertising places for craft sellers. This should include being active on social networking sites, writing an informative blog, getting familiar with search ads, and many more.
- Marketing Tips –Some people found that the marketing part of owning an indie craft business is just as fun and creative as the making part. Find tips on how to market your items in a friendly way as you might want to market your handmade products strategically, without doing a BUY MY STUFF screaming sort of way.
If you want more, learn the most basic things that a handmade business owner should know by following this simple A to Z handmade business guide (for free) in managing your craft business. Here, you will get insights from Etsy top sellers and share experiences with other craft sellers.
It takes a while to get established and start making sales in Etsy. Some craft sellers took 3 months before making a sale on Etsy and a full year before they started to feel like they were getting the hang of things. It takes time to build your customer base and to get your name out there, but it’s worth it!! Have patience!
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