What to Work on in Slow Times of a Handmade Business
It’s not uncommon, and so easy, to feel a little down and stuck after December. You’re tired from the holidays, have the back-from-vacation blues and are returning to your handmade business after one of your busiest months, filled with sales and craft fairs, and into a slow time full of crickets and empty inboxes. …
How to Make a Best-Selling Handmade Product
If you’re struggling to make sales in your
small handmade business, one of my first suggestions is to take a look at your
products. When you have a great product, people brag about it for you, write
good reviews, become repeat customers and if they own a shop, they carry it in
their store. Having a great product also helps take pressure off when it comes
to marketing and selling.
How to Display Jewelry at a Craft Show
Craft Show Display Tricks to Stand Out is one of my more popular craft show display-related articles with over 20,000 people reading it each month (and growing). Through that article, I’ve received many emails and comments from craft show vendors asking for ideas on how they can create an impactful display for their products….
50 Ways to Market your Handmade Business without Saying a Word
Many handmade business owners don’t like to market. They don’t spend enough time marketing, aren’t sure what else to do besides post to Facebook, post to Instagram, pay for an ad, etc. And maybe aren’t even sure what exactly marketing is. I feel ya! Marketing, advertising, branding, social media strategies…there’s a lot to learn…
How Craft Fair Vendors can Increase Sales
I often looked at other craft show vendors as my competitors. They could potentially take sales away from me. But there’s another perspective you can have that may help you increase your sales at a craft show. Think about how you can work with your fellow vendors to promote each other’s products. Cross-promote with another craft fair…
10 Times a Craft Show Vendor should say NO
This article outlines the requests I’ve received from craft show shoppers over the years. They’re ones I wish I hadn’t accommodated (or at least not with some serious thought first). Shoppers don’t head to a craft fair with the intention of insulting the vendor. They’re usually just asking a question they see no…
7 Ways Handmade Businesses Lose Money
At the beginning of every business I’ve started, I’ve bent over backward for my customers. There’s nothing wrong with caring about your customers and their happiness but just as the airlines advise you to put your oxygen mask on before assisting others, you need to take care of your business and happiness first or it…
15 Ways to Lower Website Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
60% – 80% of online shoppers abandon their shopping carts (source). That means a whole lot of people thought about buying something but didn’t have a strong enough feeling that the product was right for them or that they really needed it. Abandonment may also be the result of pricing or website issues but there’s…
Tips to Help Introverts Sell More without Speaking
This article was written for introverts who aren’t keen on spending the whole day speaking and selling. But whether you love to talk or not, doesn’t everyone want a little help when it comes to selling? You can either do it all yourself and explain your products and vision to each customer or you can…
How to Lower your Website’s Bounce Rate
I put a LOT of time into my articles. Probably too much to be honest. I write and write then edit and edit. I read each article several times to be sure I’m using the correct there/their/they’re to avoid the grammar police. Whether you’re writing text for an article, a sales page or a page…
15 Online Mistakes Costing you Sales
This is a mistake I see so many handmade sellers make. I spend well over 40 hours a week digesting everything creative/handmade/small business related so I’ve seen a healthy amount of handmade business being a shining example of the “DO” in this area and of the “DON’T”. That area is… Not putting enough effort…
How to Use Product Collections to Boost Sales
Imagine you’re heading to a craft fair and are looking for a knitted scarf to go with your new cream winter jacket. You spot two vendors selling knitted goods. One has scarves in a variety of colors, folded in rows on the table. You think you see a couple of colors you might like but…
Why Subscribers aren’t Opening your Newsletter
I’ve subscribed to A LOT of newsletters over the past several years. Some I sign up for because I love their content and don’t want to miss anything and some I sign up for because they’re offering a free download or worksheet but you need to join their newsletter to receive it. I’m sure I’m…
How to Attract More Shoppers to your Outdoor Market Booth
These are super easy ideas and can work regardless of what type of products you’re selling at an outdoor market. Aaaand, it will only cost you a couple of pennies per customer. What you’ll gain are shoppers who are more enticed to come into your market booth and shop, stick around a little longer and…
How to Display & Sell Customized Products at a Craft Show
Customized or personalized products are one of the benefits of selling handmade. It doesn’t work for everyone but selling products that shoppers can put their own touch on is something that’s hard to come by with big companies. If you sell customized products that take longer than a few seconds to customize, you may…
Not Hitting your Money Goals? This is Probably Why
I cover this in more detail in the goal-setting chapter of MAKE MORE MONEY AT CRAFT FAIRS but it’s too helpful of a concept to not share with everyone. Do you ever notice that when you want something so incredibly bad, it seems like it’s never going to happen? While on the other hand, when…
10 Tips to Boost Handmade Sales in the Slow Summer Months
Regardless of what type of product you sell, every handmade business goes through a period of slow sales. These tips are here to help, whenever that time strikes. You’re not alone if you feel your sales drop as the days get warmer and longer. Consumers are outside enjoying the nice weather and going…
Top Product Photography Tips for Handmade Crafts
You’ve heard it before; product photography is important to your handmade craft business. But are you aware of how important? You quickly snap a photo with your camera phone and some decent lighting because it’s more important to get your handmade product posted with an average photo than to not post it at all. Those “quick pics”…
10 Tips to Prevent Theft at a Craft Show
I bet you would never think theft would happen to a small handmade business….but it does. You obviously want to assume the majority of your shoppers are stopping by because they’re interested in supporting you, and we never want to deter them from shopping. But as a small business, you also have to protect…
How to Sell Handmade to Anyone at a Craft Show
Although sales are not naturally my strong point, I picked up a few tips while working in retail. I’m not one for pushy sales tactics but you also don’t want to hear crickets when people are at your booth. Part of the beauty when you sell handmade products is the experience the shopper gets with the creator….