Creative Ways On How To Sell Your Arts and Crafts
Creative Ways On How To Sell Your Arts and Crafts
Author: Tommy Venable
Turn on your local news these days and you would think its 1933 revisited. They say we’re not quite in a depression but I guess it depends on who you ask and what part of the country you’re from. The percentage of Americans out of work is almost record breaking. Times may be difficult and job opportunities may be few and beyond reach. These are the times when you have to dig down deep inside yourself and come up with a solution on how you’re going to survive in this economy.
If you’re the creative type, you may want to try making extra cash in the art and crafts field. This hobby can quickly turn into a very profitable business. With today’s technology, you’re able to reach a wider audience to sell your arts and crafts. Believe it or not, there are people still out there willing to buy handmade crafty items. You just have to be creative in finding where these people are and placing your craft items in front of them.
So, what crafty item should you make and sell? Well, that depends on your creative passions. The crafting field is vast and there is always something for everyone. Some suggestions are; crocheting, knitting, polymer clay, sewing, handmade toys, handmade home decoration, the list can go on and on. Think about what craft items people might want to buy. How would your craft item benefit the buyer? Can your craft item be of use as decoration? Is it a functional craft item? What purpose does it have for the potential buyer? These are the questions you should ask yourself when coming up with ideas on what craft item you want to make and/or currently making.
Now that you have decided on what craft item you want to make, how do you know if there is a market for it? You don’t, unless you do some research. Browse some of the online auction sites that are out there on the web. Type in your craft item into the search field and take note of how many bids are placed or how many items are listed. This is not a sure fire method but will give you a sense of who else is making something similar to your craft item. Another way to find out if there is a market for your craft item is to search for possible stores or internet stores that may be selling what you want to make. Research, research is the key.
You discover there may be a possible market for your craft item. How do you make money? Where do you sell it? This is where you need to get extra creative of getting people to buy your craft item. Research local craft fairs in your area and sign up to the ones that fit in with what you want to sell. There are many online internet sites like Etsy and ArtFire where you can setup an online store to sell your craft item. Just make sure you read all the fine print about listing fees and final sale fees but are a good way to sell online. Make sure you take good pictures of your craft item and remember, the potential buyer can’t hold your creation. Describe in detail everything about what you are selling.
Along with selling your craft items on online stores, you can also turn your knowledge of making your craft item into a tutorial or eBook. The quick and simple way is to create the tutorial in word doc and then convert it to PDF file. List your tutorial on your online store. When people purchase your tutorial, you would email them the PDF of your tutorial. There is also online eBook creating software out there on the web. Do a search on your favorite web browser for; creating eBooks.
These are just a few ideas of how I am trying to survive in today’s rough economy as a crafter. Keep your head up and happy crafting.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/creative-ways-on-how-to-sell-your-arts-and-crafts-832550.html
About the Author
My name is TommyV. I am a business owner, entrepreneur, artist, jewelry maker and want to be chef. I was born in Maryland 4 decades ago, was married now divorced with two beautiful children. I now reside in Northern Virginia with my high school crush.
I run a free craft site featuring free tutorials and ideas on how to market handmade crafting products.
www.mycraftspage.com
PVC Labels for Snugging Your Baby!
3 Months ago we were approached by our customer from SnugTheory, who was looking for silicone or PVC labels for baby items.
The first thing that might come to mind to some would be:
PVC Labels FOR baby items? At they a little bit thick/bulky for a baby product?
Not for this one.
Our customers at SnugTheory produce items that keep babies warm in the most inclement weather conditions. The babies are bundled and safe in the weather-proof buntings, which also are attached to the car-seat/stroller and include mittens and a faux-feather hoodie; and they are conceived so the bunting will grow with your baby, from infant to 4T.
We are convinced there is a market for their product, and wish them the best of luck in their endeavors.
Why did we recommend PVC Labels for the folks at SnugTheory?
PVC Labels are perfect for outdoor products, in that they will stay just as the first day, so their brand will last forever.
Plus, PVC Labels are usually attached to the outside of the product, increasing the visibility of the brand itself, not only for the wearer but the public in general. A standard damask label would have usually be located in the inside of it.
Do you produce outdoor products? Do you need weather-resistant branding?
If you answer yest to both questions, then you are in the right place!
We will help you with your branding efforts and will suggest the best option for you.
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Fill out our FREE Quote Request or Give us a Call at 866.611.6118
Craft Business Part 2 – Craft Marketing Success Secrets
Craft Business Part 2 – Craft Marketing Success Secrets
Author: Bob Beacham
In craft business part one I looked at the basics of getting a bit more reach for selling your crafts by perhaps using Artfire as well as Etsy, or other combinations of what might be called “gallery” craft stores. Now we’re going to touch on the tricky subject of craft marketing.
I say tricky because when you mention marketing or promotion to a lot of crafts people their eyes glaze over and they suddenly find something else they need to do urgently! If you want to be successful, that simply can’t be your attitude. Don’t worry though, this stuff really isn’t complicated, certainly well within your abilities.
To make things as straight-forward as possible let’s just say that craft marketing and promotion are the things you do when you aren’t actually making or selling. Something as simple as having a business card and giving it to someone is marketing. Telling a group of friends that you’re going to be at a local craft fair is promotion. Not rocket science, is it!
Of course the proper marketing and promotion of your craft business is going to be a bit more involved. Whether you already have a web presence or not I always suggest a craft blog. If you’ve already got a site it’s a relatively easy addition or you could run it as a stand-alone. It doesn’t really matter which, as long as you do one.
Why? Because it’s the most powerful promotional and marketing tool that your craft business can have, and a professional set up, even if you’re working from scratch, will cost you peanuts. Once it’s up and running you can use it to attract new customers. You can use it to keep existing customers informed. It will rank well at the search engines. You can sell directly from it or redirect people to your store. You can use it to gather prospective customers’ details so you can keep them up to date with what you’re doing. You can use it to introduce new products…
Any modern craft business is competing in a market where almost everyone knows a little about the internet. The secret to success in that kind of marketplace isn’t complicated, it’s a question of doing a little more than your competitors do and ensuring your customers have what they’re looking for. A properly run craft blog will allow you to monitor, test, modify and build your business, and your customer relationships, with speed and ease.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/craft-business-part-2-craft-marketing-success-secrets-1396962.html
About the Author
I’ve done it, and although it was challenging at times most of it was a lot simpler than I feared. I now run a blog helping people like you to grab their own slice of freedom. Visit Crafts Business Online for loads of free advice and a copy of the highly acclaimed ebook “Craft Success Online”. Of course you could just keep going to work every Monday…
2 Quick Ways To Market Crafts
2 Quick Ways To Market Crafts
Author: Buy Handmade Crafts
There are tons of places to market crafts online! But what are the quick, affordable and effective places you can market your handmade and get it noticed. Well here are two quick and simple places!
Place a free classified ad on Craigslist.com under the Arts & Crafts category under For Sale. You can make your ad for individual handmade items or give a summary about the handmade you sell in general. Make sure to include a link to your online shop or craft web site where they can complete their purchase. Please note there is a limit to the number of ads that you can place. You will need to place your ad each time it expires. Make sure to include pictures of your handmade. Ads with pictures get more notice.
I recommend having an online shop or web site if you are going to market crafts online. Nothing is worse then being swindled out of your valuable handmade because someone sent you a fake money order or gave you a promise to send you money if you send them a sample of your handmade first!
Don’t give your email address unless you want to be spammed! Now be careful, you may receive inquiries through Craigslist.com from pretend shoppers or swindlers! Don’t fall for anyone who does not want to place an order through your online shop.
Join a virtual like, like HandmadeCraftShow.com. This is perhaps the easiest and best way to market handmade crafts online. They take care of all the online marketing work for you. Advertising on HandmadeCraftShow.com automatically puts your handmade on Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Ning.com, Technorati.com and craft related blogs and websites! So you can get a wide range of online exposure without breaking your monthly marketing budget.
For a small very reasonable marketing fee, you can post pictures of your handmade, a description, your location, and even include your Etsy.com Mini or Artfire.com Rapid Cart. They have a companion Arts & Crafts Buzz blog, where they blog about the individual artists in their show. So you are not just placing a banner or pictures on their site and then that’s it. Nope! The folks at HandmadeCraftShow.com actively work to market the handmade artists who participate in their virtual craft show all over the web.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/2-quick-ways-to-market-crafts-2721118.html
About the Author
HandmadeCraftShow.com is a fun way to buy handmade online. If you love handmade, then you should visit our virtual craft show. You will find new and popular handmade!
Are you a handmade artist? Do you you need help marketing your handmade online? We understand that marketing and selling crafts online can be a very daunting task. Which is why HandmadeCraftShow.com works very hard marketing our artists and increasing their online exposure.
Clothing Labels: Best of November 2011
These are the most popular blog posts in the last 3 months:
- Custom T-Shirt Labels: Let Your Designs Speak For You: Our post dedicated to those little woven labels we find in the neck of t-shirts, or in the hems, called usually hem tags
- Embroidered Labels vs. Woven Labels: looking for embroidered labels? have you considered woven labels? what is your best option?
- Custom Fabric Labels: Sew-In or Iron-On Labels?: Illustrates the differences between sew-in and iron-fabric labels, and gives advice on the best uses for each style.
- How to Start a Handmade Bags Business?: Have you been thinking about starting your own handmade handbag business? Why not sell your creations? What about the labels for your handmade handbags?
- The Handmade Baby Clothing Business is Booming: Do you make handmade baby clothes, do you know you are at risk of not having repeat sales?
Did you read our famous blog posts? which ones are your favorites? Did you get inspired and need help deciding?
Give us a call 1.888.720.2115 or quotbuttoncode
