As a number of you already now, I started Many Creative
Gifts in 2005 as a part time way to showcase my crochet items, mainly on
Etsy. I'd make a baby hat or some type
of crocheted accessory and post it on the site and wait to see what would
happen. Etsy was in its infancy, and I'd
get a decent amount of views and interactions with potential and actual
customers. I also made good use of the
"alchemy" feature by searching for customers who were looking to have
customized crochet items made for them.
It was an eye opening experience in terms of learning about proper
pricing and meeting someone's very specific needs and desires in a final
product.
Now, though, I'm not sure a person new to Etsy could achieve
the same experience. There are sooooo
many vendors on Etsy now, I'm just not sure exactly how any one particular
vendor can stand out, unless he or she has a very specialized niche that pushes
them up the list in a Google search.
So, where to start?
I'm not discouraging an Etsy shop (or one of the other arts seller
platforms); I'm just suggesting you have a very specialized angle if you go
that route. Otherwise, consider these
possibilities:
1) Go
local – make it known to your family and friends that you've got something you
make that you would like to show them.
No pressure, but if they like it, would they like to place an order for
themselves or as a gift for someone? See
how that goes. Although you might not
get the same kind of honest, possibly harsh, feedback that you would from
strangers, it's a gentler, less scary starting point. And, frankly, if they are smiling and
encouraging you but not willing to fork over some $$ for at least one item,
then that's telling in its own way too.
2) Stay
local for a bit – you really might have better luck in local crafts shows and
stores at first. Despite the ease of
buying things online, the shopping experience is still best had in person. Especially if you are in the fiber arts,
potential customers like to see the colors in real life, touch the product and
get a real feel for it, especially if it's a wearable. So, take advantage of that and find ways to
display your wares. And be sure to make
a few things that you can either carry around with you to show off or wear yourself
– that's often how you will get questions or reactions. Keep business cards and other "swag"
with you to hand out to help people remember you and know how to contact you in
the future because, even if they are not ready to buy that very minute, you
want to leave a good impression for the future.
3) Start
blogging and create a Facebook page – I know, there are a million blogs and
pages out there, but again, you've got to start somewhere. Just like the literary agent encouraged me to do, start letting people
know what it is you do and what it is you have to offer. Put up some pictures of your products and
explain a little about either your creative process or why you created what you
did, etc. The handmade movement has
started to evolve from just offering the product itself into presenting a
story, a whole package, the whole you. I'm not saying come up with a sob story to
tug at people's hearts because, frankly, it's still about the product in the
end. I'm saying be authentic and just
share a bit. Again, you don't have to
spill the beans on all your personal details, just give people a small window
into why you and your offerings might appeal to them. You and your products are unique in some way,
and you need to share that.
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