The Ultimate guide to sell crafts online
If you want to sell crafts online then we have the ultimate guide to getting started..
Seeing your creations flying into customers’ baskets, quitting the day job and spending the rest of your days making beautiful creations from the comfort of your home.
Yes, maybe this is over-ambitious, but still, it’s possible to make a nice second income from selling your crafts online, if you’re smart about it. There are plenty of ways to set up a shop – such as Etsy. Folksy or Depop – but getting your products noticed by the right people and building up a customer base takes a little more work. However, it’s not impossible.
There are platforms such as Shopify and Etsy that allow you to sell anything you
want online. If you are good at creating things such as sweaters, clothes, or art,
then you can host them on Etsy and advertise them for people to buy online.
On Shopify, you can literally build a digital storefront where you can sell a wide
variety of wares.
Have a clear picture in your head of who your perfect customer is. ‘Once you know that, you can work out how to get your products in front of them and also create listings that appeal to them,’
The idea is to find something that people like buying, find out where those
people hang out online and redirect that traffic to your digital store. It takes
quite a bit of work, but it is worthwhile. You will have to:
1. Have great photography
Photography is the most important thing when you want to sell crafts online – it’s the only way customers can see what you’re selling, make them clear, well-let and appealing, and try to develop a cohesive style for all your product shots.
If your skills need a re-touch, there are online courses you can do, or try learning from a book or magazine.
2. Identify your target customer
I recommend having a clear picture in your head of who your perfect customer is. Once you know that, you can work out how to get your products in front of them and also create listings that appeal to them.
Have a look for bloggers and Instagrammers that you think might fit your customer profile – can you see what magazines they buy? What style of photography would they be attracted to? All these things will help you develop your brand.
3. Be niche
Don’t try to please everyone! Shops that do one thing and do it well do better than ones that try to do a bit of this and a bit of that. If you focus on one thing you can hone your skills, become an expert and build a name for yourself as the go-to person.
4. Price it right
This one should hopefully become easier once you’ve worked on tip number two. Think about the kind of budget your target customer will have. However, don’t go too low, other wise you wont be able to sell crafts online and get a good income.
Make sure you’re paying yourself adequately and aren’t undercharging for the materials or time spent crafting. The simple formula is materials plus labour plus expenses plus profit equals the wholesale price. Times that by two, and you’ve got the retail price.
5. Test it out
Doing a couple of craft fairs to test your products is great for gaging customers’ reactions to them.
You can have face-to-face conversation with people about what they like, and also see if you’re pricing is right. However, make sure you pick a craft fair that’s right for you. If you’re selling high end jewellery, a school fair won’t work. It’s better to travel a bit further to be part of an established fair where people will appreciate your work and not balk at prices.
6. Get stocked up
This is a simple one. The more products you list in a shop, the higher your chances of getting found. The perfect product range is large, yet cohesive.
7. Use keywords
Tagging your products with keywords helps potential customers discover them through searches.
‘Think about the words customers might use when looking for products like yours, and use them in your product title, description and tags. For example, don’t call a bracelet “The Emma”, give it a descriptive title such as “sterling silver star bracelet”.’
8. Be social
Pick one or two social media platforms, and start building a community around your brand. ‘Social media is an amazing tool for sellers – not only is it free, but it allows you to build a relationship with your customers.
Don’t just post and run – use hashtags to connect with people interested in similar things and start conversations. Be interesting, engaging and genuine, and spend as much time commenting on other people’s posts as you do crafting your own.
9. Reach out
Think about what media your target customer might consumer, and aim to get seen in it. Get in touch with bloggers, journalists and magazines that you think would be a good fit for your brand and your customers. Briefly introduce yourself and send a couple of eye catching product shots.
If you follow all these tips, then over time your favourite hobby really could grow to be a nice little earner on the side.
After all of that, you rinse, repeat, and scale up your business as you see fit.