sell Archives - Flipping Pennies

The first thing you want to do is make sure you’re making your craft as unique and marketable as possible. If you’re selling the same exact craft as 50 other vendors, then you’re going to have to try even harder to set yourself apart.

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Find ways to make your crafts unique and memorable so people want yours above other similar products.

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Make sure that you go into this with a business perspective. Lots of crafters want to sell their crafts but don’t take it seriously and either don’t make any money, or barely break even. While you should love making the crafts, you also need to accept that it’s a business; and that means doing the boring stuff like marketing, branding, advertising, etc. Don’t let those fly under the radar just because you don’t want to do them.

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Find a local store or two (or multiple) that agree to sell your item. Usually you can get a pop-up stand somewhere in the store to place your craft. You’ll have to pay for this space, but if your target market shops at that store, then it could be a good investment.

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You should have a website. You can learn how to start your own wordpress website on my previous post. First, you need to chose a domain name and find a hosting service. Bluehost is offering my readers a very special price on all hosting right now through my link. So, if you are considering it, this is probably your best chance at a great hosting plan for only a couple of dollars a month. You’ll also want to set up an online shop on a site like Etsy (or one similar). The more you can get your name and product out there, the more crafts you’re going to sell. Starting a blog is a great way to get your name and brand out there. Don’t be shy, and pin your ideas to Pinterest and share them on your social media accounts. This is a great way to launch your new business.

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You’ll also want to set up an online shop on a site like Etsy (or one similar). The more you can get your name and product out there, the more crafts you’re going to sell. Starting a blog is a great way to get your name and brand out there. Don’t be shy, and pin your ideas to Pinterest and share them on your social media accounts. This is a great way to launch your new business.

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In the beginning, the book keeping shouldn’t be too complicated. Hopefully, as your business grows, you will need to learn how to do all the financial stuff like managing budget, inventory, and managing your books. You can hire someone to do that, once you get busier and have a lot of business, but it is extremely helpful if you can figure this stuff out in the meantime. It will also save you a lot of money in the startup phase.

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Do some research and figure out what time of the year your product sells best. If it’s Christmas, then push big and spend a bit more on advertising that time of year to really sell your product. If you can find out the market surges for your product and plan accordingly, you can make a big profit.

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Find all the conferences for crafters and attend them! There you will learn how to be a better artist/business person as well as have the opportunity to sell some product. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn (and sell) at these conferences.

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Also look for craft fairs that you can sell at. TONS of people go to those things, and they go with the desire to spend money, so this is a great opportunity.

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Offer your customers incentives for spreading the word about your business. Give deals like a free craft when they get five friends to buy one of your products, or something similar. Positive word of mouth is great for business.

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This should go without saying, but make sure that your product is actually good quality. No one is going to come back to you if the craft you sold them breaks quickly. If needed, spend a bit more money on materials to make a good product. Retention of your customer base is as important as new customers. You want them to come back to you, and to tell their friends. So make a product worthy of that!

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Don’t be afraid to embrace social media and use it to let others know about your product. Take pictures, write posts, and share messages about your craft to everyone on your social media outlets. Hopefully something will stick!

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Get a booth at a local business fair. Not only will your craft be out there, but you’ll also be able to reel potential customers in and tell them all the great things about your craft. This is good for business, as well as networking with other people in similar industries.

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Offer free (or cheap) workshops to the community. You don’t necessarily have to teach them how to make your signature craft, but if you can get the word out about your products by engaging with the community, then people are more likely to buy your crafts.

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Really get to know your market and feel out what they want. If you can do that, then you’ll be able to discover new crafts they may love, which can increase your profits drastically.

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You’ll want to make sure that your website is clean, professional, and easy to navigate. If it looks like your website came from the early 2000s, then you’re going to lose a lot of potential customers right away. Make sure it looks good. If you don’t already have a website, see my step by step tutorial on how to set up a website for super cheap.

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Build a brand that people will recognize. That means designing a memorable brand. This starts with a great name, colors, logo, font, etc. If people can see a certain design and recognize it as your craft, then you’re on the right path.

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In order to keep costs low, especially in the beginning, never waste material. Try to be as efficient as possible and use your scraps if you can. Everything you throw away =$, so be as smart as you can be about reusing your resources.

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Don’t be afraid to experiment with the crafts you sell. If you think you have a good idea that your market will like, try it out and sell a few of them. If they go fast, you know they’re good. If not, then you know it wasn’t a good idea. Lots of popular products were experiments at first.

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Make sure that you’re building a good rapport with your customers. Treat them well, make sure they get their product on time and in good condition, and take any of the questions or concerns seriously. If your customers know you care about them, they’re more likely to spread the word about your business.