The landscape of handcrafted is changing and for the better. With change though come new rules. Understanding and embracing those new rules can only make your handmade business better and more successful. American consumers are more aware of locally and US made products and are searching for them at local boutiques and galleries. Keep these new for your handmade business close at hand.
Lindsey is a professional photographer specializing in wedding photography but with a strong ability for capturing a product in its best light. Keenly aware of the power of a good photograph, Lindsey explains, “We live in a visual culture. Everyone has a camera in their pocket and they communicate through images. Beautiful, engaging, well-composed images make an impact and create an immediate impression of your brand. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Display a knock-out image of a product to a consumer and or buyer showing what the product does and the environment in which it is to be used, and watch what happens!"
There is always going to be competition. Don’t let it define who you are and don’t let it become the scapegoat for your misfortunes. Learn from them and you will succeed.
In other words don’t copy. Be unique, showcase your personality and show the world what you are made of. Yes in the beginning we learn our trade by copying a pattern or following along with an online video, but once you learn that skill let your skills shine.
Branding as it relates to your business cards, your packaging and your booth design is extremely important. But today branding relates to so much more than that. Think about what you make and what it says about who you are as an artist. Do your products reflect this? Does your product line tell a story? Does it educate the consumer?
Take into consideration where you live, who you are and the personality you want your line to have. Have a clear and specific definition of what you make and who it’s made for. This helps your product be seen and shopped for by wholesale buyersand ultimately retail consumers. The more distinctive and consistent, the better. An artist must remember geographic, thematic and demographic appeal are all important factors.
So go out there and make your line distinctive, cohesive and full of personality. This will shape advertising, marketing and merchandising at shows, on the web or even in a store. Specializing can drive what you make, help retailers understand what you make and guide customers to buy!
Know when it’s not working. Just because you love a product in your line does not mean it will be your money maker. Understand that sometimes your best sellers are your least favorite. Be able to face the reality when something is just not selling it may be time to retire it.
Green, upcycled, recycled, socially conscious, keeping it local and unique to a destination are just some of the trends that are strong in 2019. One of the biggest trends is keeping it local. More and more stores are looking for local creative people whose product lines tell a story about a region. Consumers are looking to connect and establish a sense of place at home and while traveling. Leading us to Rule #7…
Today’s consumers are starting to pay more attention to handcrafted and Made in the USA. They want to know where a product comes from, how it’s made and most importantly they are willing to pay a bit more for keeping it local.
Nora is owner of a quite successful American Craft Gallery in Florida and has been in business for over 29 years. She has been selling handcrafted Made in the USA products for years and says, “For the past few years, we have noticed the desire of many of our customers to purchase locally made American Crafts. This includes both our home based clientele and tourists visiting our resort beach."
She explains, “For 29 years we have carried, exclusively, the works of over 400 American Artisans from around the country. We believe it all to be important, no matter where it is from! However, following this trend in awareness, we are using signage to clearly mark which of our displays contain the works of a Florida Artist”.
Robert, owner of a gallery in California agrees, “Our gallery is in a tourist area, so our customers are looking for locally crafted items. They want something they can take home with them that reminds them of this beautiful area."
It’s not going away and it’s only going to become more main stream. Get a website or a blog, join a couple social media platforms and embrace a new way of connecting with your customers. Look around, everyone is on their smart phones, their tablets and laptops, if you are not found online many customers will forget you. Remember your competition is online so should you.
Doing your research before you reach out to a store owner is vital. The fact a store embraces handcrafted, Made in the USA movement does not mean your product will sell at any particular store. Judy owns a Studio Gallery in California explains, “As a gallery owner, I've been very aware of our "brand" if you will. Each space needs to have its own personality - gathering work willy nilly doesn't make for a cohesive whole. I often see wonderful work that I love but it wouldn't fit in our mix."
Do your research, look at the store’s website, their social media and then make an educated decision on whether to reach out to the store or to pass. Time is precious for both the buyer and the artist, make that time work for both of you.
Make your best and don’t cut corners to save a buck. Consumers are becoming more and more educated on buying handcrafted work and they expect quality products. Artist Rita, says, “Our rule has always been to make the best product we can. We believe in making a product that not only lasts a long time, but can also be repaired to prolong its life."
But don’t think quality only applies to your products. Quality customer service is vital to a successful handmade business. The competition is strong, don’t let customer service slip. Rita knows how to keep them coming back for more, “My personal rule for running our business is to always try my hardest to keep our customers happy. Happy customers are the life blood of our business. They keep buying our product and they keep promoting us to their customers."
Perceived value – a concept you are going to hear about more and more. If you learn how to accurately price your work half the battle is fought. Under pricing only hurts you and every other artist out there. Over pricing will get you nowhere. If you have one goal this year it is to learn how to properly price your work.
Robert – our buyer from California -buys all American craft. The successful gallery owner knows there is a line between massed produced products that are made in the U.S.A. and those that are handcrafted, and that line can be a bit blurry. “Many of our craft artists use high tech machinery just as large manufacturers do. The difference seems subtle but there really is obvious quality superiority with small production craftsmanship. Inherent in mass production are compromises in detail and quality."
Creativity and the variation in the products is the nature of handcrafted work. As Robert explains “It is not only a visible and tangible difference, but it usually connects to your inner sense of creativity. You recognize the spark of individual effort. We can all see the difference between something made with love and something made just to sell. I think that is my number one rule, to look for a creative item that is made with care and love. Mass produced items, even made in the U.S. do not contain that."
You know all about your craft, you have studied and perfected your talents and you make a distinctive high quality line. But do you know how buyers buy?
Nora knows how to buy, and she knows how to sell. “When purchasing work we have 3 major criteria that we follow: Quality, Design and Price.
Quality: We strive to carry works of the finest quality. The proof is in how finely finished pieces are and how the best products and applications are used in constructing a piece, whether it is jewelry or a jewelry box.
Design: A well designed piece, be it a “beauty” or something whimsical or comical, should have all the basics of good art, balance, composition, texture, space, shape, aesthetics.
Price: Does the piece have a price tag that matches its perceived value?
Other Criteria: The work has an intrinsic feel that speaks to me; little touches that are unique to the Artist; the work is fresh and not a rehash of other work out there; an individuality of design that is Artist recognizable.
Our photographer Lindsey shops for local work from handcrafted artists, her advice from a consumer point of view: