You’ve created the perfect craft business. Your brand is on point with colors, logo, and design. Now you are thrown into a saturated market, trying to get traction in your business. Let me help you discover a technique to help new crafters (and seasoned ones) stand out in the craft market.
Stand Out In A Saturated Craft Market
Appearance Is Everything
The first impression a person gets when they discover your business is visual. You want to make sure you always look professional. Always look professional, whether on your social media accounts, your vendor booth, or when meeting a customer to drop off a purchase. No matter how small your craft business is or how long you have been in business, you always need to put your best foot forward when presenting yourself to the world.
Be Uniquely You
Find your own niche within the market. When you find your niche, you can target your marketing to people interested in what you are selling. If you try to take on too much or too broad of a market, you will confuse your customers and ultimately get burned out trying to do it all. The more you niche down, the more targeted you can market.
Let Your Personality Shine
One of the most incredible things about owning your own creative craft business is that you can let your creativity shine. Crafters are unique people that have a certain flair about them. Let that shine through your business. Your creativity will attract people to your business.
Spot On Customer Service
Practice outstanding customer service by treating your customers the way you would want to be treated. Go above and beyond just your basic customer service. You are a small business, and this is one area that will set you apart from big businesses. You get to add a personal touch to your customer service. Your care for your customers should reflect in your customer service.
Be The Expert
Your customers came to you expecting you to be knowledgeable. So know your business inside and out. Be one step ahead of any questions or request your customers may have. Being prepared helps you look confident when talking with your customer. Having answers to anticipated questions helps to keep you on your toes. If you are presented with a question you don’t know the answer to, it is best practice to tell your customers to let you find out the solution instead of saying you don’t know. Then have a way to follow up with them.
How To Grow Your Business In A Competitive Craft Market
Be Consistent With Your Business
One thing that customers like is consistency. Consistency is critical, whether posting on social media or emailing once or twice weekly. A detailed marketing plan helps you devise a routine and stick to it. With a marketing plan, you can create a schedule that lays out which tasks to do and when in order to stay consistent with your audience.
To work with me on creating your marketing plan, look at my Make Your Business Soar course. If you have any questions about the course, you can always email me at erin@erinclay.com
Go Above And Beyond To Deliver Quality And Value
One way to stand out is to go beyond the average shop and consistently deliver quality products with value. This can be giving gifts with purchases or rewards and incentives for return customers. Each shop is unique, so you want your quality and value to line up with your shop or business. This can come in the form of making your customers feel heard or quickly responding to any issues that may arise. A simple thank you can hold a lot of value with some, while excellent customer service is what others search for.
Be A Problem Solver
Life happens, and eventually, a problem will arise. When it does, be a problem solver. Meet your customers with a solution to a problem they may have. Think ahead so you can resolve any issues quickly and as smoothly as possible.
Stay On Top Of Trends
Stay on top of trends in the digital world and the craft world. It is essential to stay current on the latest social media trends or have options to purchase through the newest payment options and know how to respond to messages promptly. Craft trends include the latest home decor, shirt styles, fashion statements, and so much more. Staying on top of your niche’s trends helps you to have a competitive edge.
Even for established craft businesses, standing out in the craft market will be a constant challenge. You have to be willing to adapt to an ever-changing market, be one step ahead of others, and create an experience that your customers will want to return to again and again.
Want to know if you are ready to turn your craft hobby into a craft business? I’ve created a free checklist of the 5 Things to Have Before Starting A Craft Business so you can turn your hobby into a craft business. I created this checklist because I often see DIY Crafter and Handmade Crafters struggling with knowing how to get started as a business. If you can relate to this, my 5 Things To Have Before Starting A Craft Business is explicitly designed to help you know exactly what it takes to start a handmade business and get to do what you love, crafting. So if you’d like to take advantage of this free download.
WANT TO WORK WITH ME ON A DEEPER LEVEL? HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DO THAT
- Be A Vendor Booth Rockstar – 5 strategies to help you be a prepared and confident seller at your next Craft Fair.
- 5 Things to Have Before Starting A Craft Business – Download my Free Cheat Sheet & Turn Your Hobby Into A Business!
- 100+ Small Business Ideas – A list of over 100 ideas for small businesses that you can start from your home. This helps you brainstorm and come up with the perfect business for your skills and personality.
- How To Use Instagram To Grow Your Local Business – This cheat sheet helps you use Instagram’s power and influence to reach your local audience and grow your business.
- Launch Your Dream Business – This 5-day course helps you set up your business correctly and gets you started building your dream business.
- Make Your Business Soar – A Premium online course that guides you on the step-by-step journey of how to market your business..
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