5 Tips for Successfully Marketing Your Crafts Online

Guest contributor Alyson Briggs submitted this must read article to us this past week. Hopefully it helps points all new handmade and vintage business owners in the right directions for marketing their sites online. 

While in previous years you had to literally open your own physical arts and crafts store to make money selling crafty things, it’s no longer the only choice. You don’t have to be an established artist or even work in a creative industry in order to make money and gain loyal customers selling arts and crafts items online.

As long as you have talent and there’s a demand for your products, you have a fair chance of making it online. However, in addition to the quality of the arts and crafts goods you’re selling - marketing is also incredibly important.

Use these 5 tips to successfully market your arts and crafts products:

1. Use Online Arts and Crafts Platforms

 Selling items from your own website is a great idea but it’s also important to sell your stuff on external platform such as TheCraftStar.com. These platforms have huge followings, making them a great way to promote your items to a larger audience, sell those products and drive traffic to your own website. Take some time to create detailed accounts and be open to answering inquiries quickly and enthusiastically. You’d be amazed at the level of success some TheCraftStar.com sellers have had, so don’t let this opportunity to promote your products pass you by.

2. Invest in a Good Camera

 To showcase your products in the best possible light and to create an air of professionalism, be sure to use a good quality camera. Many cell phones now have inbuilt cameras that are of excellent quality or you may just want to go the traditional route and invest in a top quality camera. Shoddy or bad quality pictures of products online simply looks unprofessional and even like a scam, so make sure that you only publish high quality images of your products.

3. Utilize Social Media

Social media isn't just for the kids; it’s also a powerful marketing tool that’s fantastic for pushing products and increasing brand awareness. Create profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest and regularly promote your products for sale on these platforms. Include icons to these accounts on all of your emails and also on your website. These sites are free but invaluable when it comes to promoting goods and reaching a massive audience.

4. Create an Email List

 For every online customer you have, add their email to your email list and create a weekly email blast that you send out to all of your customers. Within these blasts inform customers of special offers, discounts, new products and general news about your arts and crafts. This is a great way to encourage return customers as it reminds them of your products and your brand.

5. Create a Blog

Blogging isn't just for the experts anymore – it can be utilized for marketing purposes by just about anyone. Set up a blog on your website in which you post to at least once a week. Include posts on new product announcements and general posts reflecting your passion for arts and crafts. A blog adds a personalized touch to your website and brand and if updated regularly can quickly lead to a loyal following.

You don’t have to be a marketing professional to be successful at selling your products online. Use our above tips to get the most out of promoting and selling your arts and crafts online – and good luck!