Sep
12
2008
If you sell handcrafted items for a living, you know how difficult it can be to spread the word about your work. Why not showcase your crafts by blogging about them?
There are lots of things to blog about regarding your favorite crafts. You can share tips for crafting, give advice about vending and marketing, share projects and patterns, and of course show off the finished product. My blog is a good example of this.
Did you know that I actually get paid to type about what I love to do? I’m currently paid $1 per approved 100 word or more post, plus bonuses for page views. To do the same, sign up using the link below, or one of those on the side of the page.
Blog At Today.com!
Sep
10
2008
It feels weird to blog about your own work sometimes. Why not exchange blog post reviews with a fellow craft business owner?
Being reviewed on someone else’s blog is a good way to introduce your work to a new circle of possible customers. Since the person you’re exchanging reviews with is a crafter, too, their audience is already into crafty things. Your creations may be just what they’re looking for.
Another benefit of blog reviews is related to your reading audience. As much as they love what you do, it’s nice to have something new introduced by a friend. By turning your blog into an information source, more people will take the time to read it!
Sep
09
2008
This is a super easy way to generate local interest in whatever you’re working Many crafts are portable, at least at some stage of completion. By working on a craft in public, you’re bound to attract attention. Have your business cards ready, and give them out to anyone who shows interest!
Why not take them along to the park or the bus stop to work on them? Even working on your front porch may give you a chance to work outside and spark the curiosity of passersby. If you’re shy, this is a good way to have others approaching you about your crafts.
What’s the downside to this approach? Be prepared to spend more time chatting than working. This isn’t the time to do any stitch counting or difficult fancy work or you’ll just end up frustrated.
Your work may inspire more questions about learning how to do the craft than where to buy the finished thing. If you have the time to teach, charging for lessons can be a welcome bonus to your income, so this isn’t always a bad thing!
Aug
26
2008
Lots of small craft businesses make wearable items, from jewelry to clothes and accessories. One of the simplest ways to promote your work without having to spend money or even try too hard is to wear it!
Strangers will ask you where you got it. In some cases, they even offer to buy items right off your arm! This is a giant opening to offer them your business card.
Not only is this a good way to stir up interest in your merchandise; it’s a good way to gauge the public’s interest in what you have to offer. It’s nice to get feedback from outside of the craft community every now and then!
Have you ever been stopped to have some of your wearable work admired? Gushing is encouraged here 
Aug
17
2008
Show the world what you’ve created by uploading photos of your work to flickr.com! It’s a great free way to promote your crafts to specific audiences, or to casual browsers. There’s a more advanced package available for a price, but the basic one is totally free.
Even though you can’t link your pics to your site directly, you are allowed to place a link in your profile. When you add an interesting photo, people can then go to your profile to see what else you have to offer. By joining and participating in groups, you can share with people who are interested in your type of craft.
My favorite feature of flickr.com is that you can add usage licenses to your pics to protect your work. A close second is the privacy settings. There are plenty of pics out there that I can live without seeing!
Aug
14
2008
There are key words and phrases green customers search for when they shop. By adding these tags to your items, you can increase your chances of being found!
We all know the terms reduce, reuse, and recycle, but the wording has gotten way more specific, trendy, and hip. Have you heard of repurposing, reconstructing, or upcycling? They all refer to the practice of using existing items to create something new.
Upcycle: An item is recycled to make an item of the same or increased usefulness or value.
Repurposed: Something is converted into a new item used for a different purpose. Value may or may not change.
Reconstructed: Take an item apart and rebuild it for a whole new look.
I wrote more about this here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/923781/top_3_trendy_ecofriendly_craft_terms.html
I had no idea what upcycle meant when I saw it used to describe what was, to me, a piece made of just plain old recycled materials. If I had to figure it out, I thought there was a good chance that others might be confused as well!
Aug
13
2008
If you are using these techniques to create your products, why not let the buyers know? They may be more likely to purchase your crafts at a fair price instead of buying mass produced items.
Do you knit, crochet, or sew by hand? These methods use no energy resources. Many times, non-crafty customers assume that these items were made by machine. Enlighten them and they may understand why handmade goods cost a bit more and have a reputation for better quality.
I have a couple machines I use on a regular basis. I love my treadle sewing machine, a Singer from the 1800s. My other people powered toy is much newer, an Ultimate Sweater Machine. They are both powered by hand, or in the case of the former, by foot.
A few other examples of eco-friendly contraptions are spinning wheels, weaving looms, beading looms, quilt frames, ball-winders, foot powered pottery wheels, and hand cranked sewing machines.
Do you use a people powered machine that belongs on this list?
Aug
12
2008
A lot of handcrafts are environmentally friendly. They may use ‘people powered’ technology or machinery, saving energy resources. Many of the materials used are green as well, coming from natural sustainable sources. How do you let others know that every day is Earth Day in your workshop?
The first step is to evaluate your work and the methods and materials used to create it. The next is to learn the lingo. Some of the terms used to communicate eco-friendliness are fairly new and can sound confusingly similar if you’ve never used them.
The next series of posts will focus on how to tell what green practices and products popular crafts already use. You may attract a whole new group of interested customers by promoting your work differently. Best of all, it may require few or no changes to the way you’ve always worked!
Aug
05
2008
There are so many different ways to promote your work. I’m going to focus on what I know, ways to promote your crafts on the cheap, both online and off. Surely this topic deserves its own category, so I added one!
You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get the word out about your handmade items. People who are new to selling their crafts sometimes assume that promotion is too expensive, or is only for big-name ‘real‘ stores. They go on to do nothing, wonder why nobody is buying, and give up.
I’ll share some basic tips that you may already know, and hopefully a few new ones. This blog has inspired me to do more crafting in addition to writing, so I’ll be passionate about looking for new, cheap craft promo ideas to share!
