Like any entrepreneur, if you have a product to sell you need to get the public’s attention and let them know what you have to offer. The holiday season is an especially lucrative time to sell your crafts as everyone is seeking gifts and ways to decorate for the holidays. Your holiday crafts could be just what they are looking for.
Now you just have to let them know that you are here. How do you do that? Here are a few suggestions.
Website
It is the digital age. That means, if you have any sort of product or service to sell, you must have a web presence. Your website allows you to show off your wares as well as take orders and make sales. When you have something new to show off– such as seasonal items– this is one of the first places to post. Try developing some sort of special offer or incentive for trying your new holiday line.
Online Platforms
There are plenty of well-established online platforms where you can build an audience for your work. If you are a crafter, places like Etsy, Pinterest and Instagram are great for posting pictures of your work. You may be surprised at the attention you can attract just by posting regularly. One caveat: make sure you take high quality pictures. Blurry, out of focus or poorly lit pictures will not entice anybody to look at what you have to offer. If you are serious about selling your holiday crafts, it might be a good idea to invest in some quality photographic equipment.
You might think that in the digital age, print advertisements are a thing of the past. Not true. There is nothing wrong with creating fliers or even stickers or post cards to promote your crafts. Make sure to include information such as where they can go to purchase your merchandise. You should definitely have your website listed. As with online platforms, you should also have good graphics. Place these fliers anywhere you think interested people might linger: coffee houses, cafes, art galleries and local businesses.
Craft Shows and Christmas Bazaars
Here is where you can meet other like-minded people in person. Assuming that the craft fair or Christmas bazaar has been publicized, you should see plenty of shoppers looking for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts. The difficulty here will be making yourself stand out. If you have a quality product at a reasonable price, there is no reason you cannot clean up at a holiday craft show. If you do not hear of a craft show in the area, consider setting one up yourself.
Give Them as Gifts
If you really want to promote your crafts, you should be willing to part with a few of them for free as a part of your promotional campaign. If you give one as a gift to a local figure, you may be able to get a little publicity for yourself. You may also want to give an item to a local business to help promote your products. An example of this might be a potter giving a mug to the local mayor. That same potter may also give a finely hand-crafted vase to a business that is likely to use it to hold a beautiful display of flowers in their lobby. In both cases, the artisan in question should make sure that there is some indication on the object of where it came from so that all who see it will know where they can go to buy one of their own.
Teach Workshops
If you are especially good at your particular craft and you have the space to do so, you should teach a workshop. You might teach others a little bit about what you do by guiding them through a craft. Depending on the sort of craft you do, you could have a workshop for the general public, for parents to do with their children, or for a local club or organization. When you can position yourself as an authority, it can make people sit up and take notice of your work. Offering this workshop in advance of the holiday season and billing it as a fun holiday activity to help people get in the spirit may bring just the attention for which you are looking.
Partnerships
Partner with others who are in an adjacent field to your own. For example, if that potter from the previous example has a friend who is a baker, the two might team up. The potter might offer baked goods with every platter bought. The baker may exhibit mugs and platters in his shop that patrons can use to serve the treats they are buying at the bakery. The baker may even use some of the potter’s items in full view of the customers. In this way, the two may help to drive sales to their partner from their own customers.
The holidays are upon us. Knowing how to promote your holiday crafts can help you score some of the sales going on during the holiday season. These suggestions can show you how.
BIO: Olivia Gillmore is a blogger with a B.F.A. in Creative Design and an affinity for arts and crafts. She is currently a contributing editor to DIYExperience.com, a blog with helpful DIY tutorials for everyone who wants to discover their creative side.
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