Hand-makers: What's your problem?

Handmakers - what's the biggest thing holding you back? What's the hardest thing about hand-making or, better still, making money from it? What would make you more successful, most? If you could ask a fairy god mother to wave her magic wand and make one thing happen, what would it be?

I'll tell you why I want to know. It's for two reasons. Firstly, I have entered a period of "post exhaustion". It happens from time to time. You lose your way and motivation. I have been writing this blog for over a year now with very little feedback!

The second reason I want to know is I think I can help. Especially, if the main answer is what I suspect it is - being less invisible.

The web has been great for hand-making. It's given designer/makers access to a mass market, a global market. But, as the web has grown exponentially, so it has become increasingly difficult for any individual business to be seen.

These days, having a website seems just the start of your problems, doesn't it? Because, once you have it, you have to try to get people to visit it. And, that's not easy. Adwords or pay-per-click can be prohibitively expensive. While, PR, search engine optimisation and other forms of marketing all require either lots of time or lots of money or both.

But hey, I am second guessing your response. Please, please do drop me a comment and tell me what's troubling your handmaking business; what's holding you back; what you are struggling to fix. Alternatively, you can email me at steve@pretty-somethings.co.uk

I hope to hear from you. Thanks.

Steve

Help Starting Your Hand-making Business

If you're 18-30 years old and unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week, you could get help starting your hand-making business from the Prince's Trust.

I've just finished the training to become a Prince's Trust Business Mentor. I'll be supporting people starting businesses within the Trust's Business Programme. One-to-one mentorship is just one of the benefits of this scheme, which also extends loans to individuals most High Street banks would turn away.

The success rate of businesses started under the scheme is significantly higher than the average for all start-ups. Find out whether you qualify here: Prince's Trust Business Programme

Why every hand-maker should publish a blog

I discovered blogs only 12 months ago but I am hooked already on the power of blogging. I believe blogging can drive great strides in hand-makers' visibility and appeal on the web. In this post, I will tell you why and how.

Why should you listen to me? Well, I started speciality gift retailer pressies4princesses as a static website from my spare room 6 years ago. Now it receives over a million visits a year. I know how to build a successful web presence. Since starting this blog, I've discovered much about blogging. I still wouldn't claim to be an expert. Personally, I would beware of anyone who does. But, I've learned enough to realise that a blog should be every hand-maker's first priority on web. That blogging fits so well, it could have been made for working a niche. And, that starting a blog could be the single most important step you take to promote your business this year. To understand why, think about what's wrong with plain old websites.

Is your website up-to-date? Not a silly question, but a harsh reality. If you're a small business and don't have a blog, the answer is almost certainly "No". I see it all the time. Hand-maker's referring me to websites that haven't been updated in 18-months and don't contain their latest work. Some are beautiful examples of graphic design. Some look like they were nailed together by an 11 year old. Either way, they aren't helping to sell you or your products if they're out-of-date.

'Static' websites are a lost opportunity. Apart from costing good money, they close people's minds to the real opportunity. Because, no matter how awful or out-dated, the temptation is to think "Have website... tick" and, move on like that job's done. Worst still, some time in the near future, many hand-makers will decide their website needs updating and complete the whole exercise again. And, in return, they'll get another website that's redundant the day after it was launched.

Stop squandering money and opportunities by starting a blog. Imagine if your website did have your latest designs on it. Perhaps it could be even fresher and have you latest ideas? Imagine if you had control over the content from one hour to the next. You could add and edit at will. Imagine if you didn't feel obliged to produce a brochure but could instead represent yourself and your work personally, letting your personality and passion shine through. Dare to imagine that your website could even become 'useful' to some people. This is the power of blogging.

A blog sells handmade better. Why? Well, why do people buy handmade? Why do they rate it above mass-produced alternatives? Well, two main perceptions spring to mind:

1) It is more exclusive and individual

2) It has been conceived and crafted by someone who cares, because this is their passion


These are the same reasons that handmade products are worth more (that is, consumers will pay more). It is the second perception that makes blogging so apt for hand-makers. Your customers want to know that there is a passionate individual behind these designs and producing them. They are buying into you as much as your products. Blogging can bring you - your passion, personality, enthusiasm and love of your work - to the fore. It can give your prospects a taste of the real you - even if you never meet them. In short, it can be the starting point of your personal (or personality) brand and that's what sells products - lots of them.

Blogging puts personality into your online brand. Jade Jagger, Jimmy Choo, Nicky Clarke (even!) these are all personal brands. Brands built on the personality of the people behind them. They are attractive because of their real life namesakes. Those folks made a name for themselves, spread their identity. Their enthusiasm, passion, personality was contagious. OK, so Jade Jagger had a little head-start. But, now people buy her and Nicky's and Jimmy's products because of that name, even if they no longer make/ do everything themselves.

Putting the person into hand-making increases sales. Even if you don't aspire to be the next Jade Jagger, putting yourself forward is essential to maximising sales of your handmade wares. Often consumers want to know the real person and story behind handmade products. There's an emotional involvement that they are not necessarily looking for with mass-produced items. Maybe they seek evidence your work is 'authentic' and you're the real deal.

Sceptical? Well, consider this example. Over at the aforementioned gift retailer pressies4princesses (the family business) we sell handmade jewellery by Posh Totty Designs, amongst others. We had our first ever Posh Totty return the other day. We asked the chap why - to see if we'd done anything wrong. We had. We hadn't sent any information about the designer/maker with the piece. Did he like it? Yes. Why was he returning it? Well, basically, because he stopped believing. Without the extra information, it was just a pretty necklace. He had nothing to pass on the recipient to tell them why it was special. He wanted them to know that it wasn't something mass produced that he'd picked up on the High Street. We had given him no way to do that, save him directing the recipient to our website (and the price). For that reason, the sale crumbled.

Blogging helps you 'keep it real' and make real profits. The sort that are going to turn this hobby into a bread winner. Get someone to design you a website and you'll likely end up with a static brochure. All very elegant, but also bland and impersonal. Get a blog and suddenly you have the power to tell your own story. In your own way. And, while a website may stretch to a couple of paragraphs about you, now you have unlimited editorial. You can cover all the angles - from how you design, your ideas, inspirations and passions to how things are made. There's nothing more convincing for the prospective customer than the full story - and one that doesn't read like a brochure!

There's plenty of proof that blogging works in niches. If you need to see one, check out this blog by Thomas Mahon, bespoke savile row tailor. It has transformed his business. It gave him a way to reach out to discerning gentlemen the world over and has been staggeringly successful at generating new custom, repeat custom and media coverage. Oh, would you look at that - he just got some more!

Journalists love blogs because they tell them so much about the person behind the products and they are inevitably looking for a human interest angle in any story. Plus, people love linking to blogs, whereas who really wants to direct their visitors to an online brochure?

A cautionary warning though, blogging is not a panacea. It can't make bad products good, uninspired work interesting, or the same old same old, well... different. And, all blogs are not created equal. There's plenty of "terrible" as well as "great" out there. The reality is, the blog is just a tool - albeit a very powerful one. How you use it matters. That will decide what it delivers for your business. Get it right and it'll beat that static website hands down for business contribution. But, it could wind-up being just as irrelevant, which is why the advice doesn't end here; part two describes how handmakers can best use blogging: Hand-makers: how to blog your way to more sales, more PR and higher web visibility

Summary: Why handmakers need to blog

• It's an up-to-date web-presence


• Your stale website is missed opportunities and sales


• Re-publishing your website periodically is expensive and ineffectual


• People don't read brochures, they do read blogs


• Blogging puts you in control of your web-presence


• Blogging puts personality into your online brand


• More customers buy your work if they buy your 'story'; blogging lets you tell it and makes it 'real'


• Blogging generates new custom and makes your site 'sticky' for repeat customers


• An honest, uncontrived blog will attract PR opportunities and links

This post is part of 10 tips to help you promote your handmaking business on the web

10 FREE ways to promote your handmaking online

Craft shows - are they worth your time? What's your experience? Handmakers tell me they have to drop their prices and stand around all day to sell a couple of pieces. Mostly they don't make back the cost of the stall and petrol getting there.

Say you don't go to that next craft fair. That's going to free up 8 hours or so of productive time? What could you do instead, that might actually be more worthwhile? Well, here's 10 ideas from me for starters...

1) Set up a blog. If you aren't blogging, you should be. A blog should come BEFORE a website. Why? Because you can keep your blog up to date, it is more link worthy, the search engines love 'em and you can strike a more personal and compelling tone. So long as most handmakers' websites are no more than an online brochure, a blog wins hands-down. In 8 hours you could set it up and write your first half dozen posts! Google's Blogger is a free service with free hosting too.
Discover why every hand-maker should blog and what to do with it.

2) Write a press release. You can find free advice about what to write. Then use a free news distribution service to promote it. There's loads, just google "PR distribution". Don't leave it at that though, contacting you local rag doesn't cost anything and nor does promoting your story to relevant online communities and blogs. The key thing with PR is coming up with a newsworthy angle. Spend twice as much time on the angle as on writing. A killer angle will pay off.

3) Publish a Squidoo lens. www.Squidoo.com is where you can build a free single page 'lens' about your passion. It's free and easy, with push-button publishing. Your lens will be wired into Squidoo's community and network and the search engines. The key is not to be too self-serving. It's all about the angle again. Don't go for the direct "This is me I make jewellery" approach. You need to be prepared to broaden it out and give some love to other folks too. Why not band together with some other handmakers and make one?

4) Re-shoot your photography, then open a flickr account. Lousy images won't sell your work - no matter how good it is. Take lots of time to perfect your shots and take lots of shots. Experimentation is the key. Once you've got some great images, open an account at a photo sharing community like Flickr. Get your images on your website too; images show up in the google image search, which is another way to solicit traffic.

5) Advertise your website in your emails. Add your website's URL to your email signature. That way everytime you send an email you are promoting your website. Also, start using "me@mywebsite.co.uk" as your primary email for everything but your day job (if you have one).

6) Set-up an email newsletter or notifications service on your website. There are web services that make managing the subscribers and sending the email easier. LiveWire Campaign offers a free service to low volume users.

7) Write some useful content. You can transform your website from simple brochure to useful resource, in part at least. Search engines love words. They want content, good content. Don't forget, google wasn't really designed to search product catalogues. It was designed by pointy-headed PhDs with research in mind. What's useful content? Nothing self-promoting. As an example, this page at pressies4princesses.co.uk brings in thousands of visitors a month Common Mistakes When Buying Gifts For Her.

8) Get social. Social networking is the new phenomenon on the web. And, this doesn't just mean hanging out on MySpace or Facebook. Getting into the blogosphere could be far more worthwhile. Find blogs, read them, comment, contribute. Who knows, they might just pop over, check you out and send some traffic your way!

9) Set up a competition or giveaway. Be prepared give something with real value - like a piece of your most expensive jewellery. The juicier your prize, the more coverage you'll get. Promote your competition through a press release and/ or competition websites. They're are hundred's of websites that will list your competition for free.

10) Build your portfolio on portfolio hosting communities like www.deviantArt.com. This one supports artisan crafts too. Their authority in the search engines may mean your profile appears higher up relevant search terms than your own website. Either way, more people will get to see your work - for free!

The best thing about all ten of these ideas is they are free. They'll cost nothing more than your time. That's got to be better than standing behind a trestle tablle for 8 hours?

If you have some other (better?!) ideas, please add with a comment.

Cheers,

Steve

The business of hand-making

Hand-making may start a hobby and then become a dream. But, turning that dream into a business requires more than just drive and determination.

As good as this jewellery or handicraft is that you're producing, it won't sell itself. And, it might not be your best shot. Where you are now is not necessarily the best place to start your business. And, is where you're headed really the best route to success? It's better to accept that you sort of stumbled here. And, be brave enough to question where here is and where it's going.

It is one thing to sell a few bracelets to family and friends for pocket money. It's entirely another to make your living out of it. You'll run out of friendly buyers pretty quickly. Then you'll find yourself at the mercy of the market. A place where nobody knows you or your work. Here your biggest challenge is being noticed at all.

You may find that what your friends found interesting and unique, is not so unusual at all. In fact, you can guarantee it - almost. There's just so much choice and competition out there. How will your customers discern your genius from amongst all this other stuff?

Don't throw the towel in just yet though, because stand out you can. But to do it you will need to plan your hand-making business from the bottom-up - rather than starting in the middle somewhere with what you've got so far. It's time to hit rewind, back track and make some informed choices. These decisions will shape your business and decide its future.

This process is too important - not to mention large - to cover in a single post. So, next week, a step-by-step series of articles will begin, published roughly weekly. I'll give you my take on turning a successful hobby into a career. Why should you care what I think? Well, I've been lucky enough to witness a few hand-makers actually do it. And, as a retailer, I am constantly exposed to the vagaries of 'The Market' and troubled with understanding and profiting from them. Plus, unless you intend to sell solely direct, it will be people like me that you'll need to convince your business has a future.

I'm off to get my thoughts together, meanwhile keep up the good handiwork and don't forget to check back next week for the first installment!