Category: Handmade Business

Many people have seen their incomes drop during this pandemic. Being a small business owner is tough right now. It is, however, not the time to rest easy! It is time to think about what we can do for our business. If your sales are down and you’re not busy, this is a great time to think about revamping your handmade business brand.

For many handmade business owners, their brand isn’t given much thought. But we should be thinking about our brand. It’s what our customers see whenever they interact with us. Our brand conveys our values to prospective customers and can tell people an awful lot about our business before they even see our products.

So, to revamp your business, start it by doing a few changes in how your business operates. You can do a few changes in your home workspace or studio; for instance, get better furniture items from a seller, such as an office monster, to make your work more efficient. Once you have more confidence in yourself and your business, start with changes in client services like better management, client dealing, helpdesk facilities, on-time order delivery, etc.

How to start a rebrand

If you’re not an experienced graphic designer (and let’s face it – most of us who are redesigning our handmade business brand are not design professionals), then the simplest way to create a new logo and start your rebrand is to find some fonts that you like.

Look for fonts that represent your brand and even you as a person. Is your brand fun? Whimsical? Serious? Modern? Old fashioned? All of these things can be conveyed through your font choice. Just typing your business name out in a couple of different fonts can start to make you think about how you want your brand to look. And don’t forget that there are plenty of places that you can get your fonts free to experiment with.

Make sure you live with your font choices for a few days before you change your website and shop. You might find that after a bit you come back to your designs and they’re not as good as you initially thought. And remember to always ask a trusted friend for their opinion too.

Imagine your packaging

Once you’ve decided on a few different fonts that you feel represent your brand, if you’re savvy with Photoshop you can start to mock up your ideas. This enables you to see how they might work in on your packaging.

Searching Google for design resources will give you lots of options for mockups and templates that you can use to start to envisage how your handmade brand might look.

Some handmade business owners think that their branding is only relevant for their website and online marketing. But the reality is that you need to continue your brand throughout the customer experience with consistently. The moment your customer opens the package that you’ve sent them, they should know exactly which business it is from. You might want to consider professional help from the likes of Epic Packaging and similar companies, who can help you rebrand your store! Talking about packaging, keep in mind that one of the things that customers nowadays are very cautious about is whether a business is using eco-friendly containers. Since the world has finally started showing its concern about the planet, it might be a good idea to ditch the typical plastic packaging that you might have been using for a long time. Instead, switch to an eco-friendly Custom Boxes Design to show your love towards Mother Nature and your effort to attract customers by using something unique.

Know that branding goes beyond just fonts and logos. It goes into the materials you use and the style in which you package. For instance one of the things that are important to my brand is that I’m environmentally conscious and only use natural fabrics in the things I make. I continue those brand values into my packaging, using cardboard boxes and recycled tissue paper for my packaging. I may also look for transfer stickers and packaging stickers with the business logo and name to use for business branding. I even have a natural-feeling business card rather than a card that has a glossy finish.

I hope that these tips have been helpful and that you can find something constructive to do for your business during this COVID-19 lockdown.

Realised that you need to step away from platforms like Etsy or Amazon and build your own handmade business website? Well, this post is for you. It’s a difficult step that many of us will be facing in the upcoming months, especially if we have enjoyed working from home during the pandemic and have decided to take our business full time.

The world of website building is complicated. It’s a specialist skillset in the same way that photography is. So you shouldn’t feel disheartened if your first attempts at building your handmade business website aren’t quite what you initially hoped. You could, of course, consult professionals in web design services who can build it for you from scratch and just the way you would like it. However, if you have your heart set on doing it on your own, this post might prove useful.

But stick with it, and with practice and patience you can design and build your own business website. But stick with it, and with practice and patience, you can design and build your own business website. Yes, it is indeed true that you might need to master the art of creating a website, perhaps with the help of a website builder like WordPress. It is also true that you may need the best seo plugin (be it All in One SEO or Rank Math) for gaining more visibility. But if you keep your calm and learn more about these, then you can surely get the desired outcome.

Remember that having your own website allows you to be in complete control of your own shop and sales, without worrying if the platform you’re using might suddenly change in a way that damages your income.

Picking a theme

If you’ve picked WordPress as the content management system for your handmade business website (which I highly recommend you do – all my sites are build on WordPress), then you can get themes to help you with the layout and different features. Themes are like outfits for your website – you can change the theme to change the whole look of your site.

Of course, they do much more than just change the look! Website themes can also add functionality to WordPress websites and features that really help a small business owner out.

If you’re interested in exploring the different themes that might be available to you for your website, take a look at the WordPress templates section of Theme Planet. You can narrow your search by “category” on the right-hand side, selecting just those that will work as eCommerce websites. If you want to find more themes, a simple Google search will give you lots of options.

Chosing your theme can be a difficult process on your own, so make sure that you get someone you trust to give you a second opinion. It’s even better if that person also has their own successful handmade business because they know what customers look for!

I would prioritise WordPress themes that are clean and simple, which allow you to add your own branding. Find themes that work with your brand and your photographs not against, and that have more functionality than you need right now so that you can grow into the theme in the future, without having to redo your entire site.

Remember the marketing

Don’t forget, if you’re moving from a site like Etsy or Amazon you’ll also need to focus on bringing your own customers. You will no longer benefit from the huge reach that these big companies have and will have to drive all of your own traffic. Make sure you are on top of Google analytics, to gain visitor data that can help you track targeted goals, analyze how content performs, and watch traffic movement on your site. If you have a designated employee, it would work great. You can see how to add someone to your Google analytics account (check https://victoriousseo.com/blog/add-users-to-google-analytics/ for more info on this) that would enable them to access to your GA account, property, or view.

Building up your social media following is one way to start preparing for the switch over, and asking customers to sign up to a newsletter is another. Newsletters are great because they deliver your message straight into your customers inbox! That’s pretty powerful. You can go one step further and invest in business text messaging platforms such as Heymarket (https://www.heymarket.com/) that can assist businesses in sending personalized messages to multiple customers at once, running targeted SMS marketing campaigns, and collecting leads from their websites.

But whatever you do make sure that you don’t release your website too early. Having an unfinished website is far worse than having an averagely-made handmade business website!

If you’re looking for ideas on how to improve your Etsy sales then you’re in the right place. I’ve had several Etsy stores now, and I’ve grown them all to a size that has provided the kind of income that I needed at the time.

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There are some simple steps that you can follow to make sure that you’re really focused on your Etsy store. Etsy isn’t Amazon or eBay. Customers don’t expect the kind of “big business” approach that they see there. They shop on Etsy because they’re looking for something unique, artisan, and from a small business. If you fulfil and exceed their expectations, they’ll be telling their friends about you and coming back for more!

1. Never stop improving your shop

There’s always something you can work on in order to increase etsy sales, but it doesn’t have to be huge, dramatic actions all the time. Even something simple like using crosslisting apps, automating certain processes, and using certain tools can go a long way in helping your sales. Set aside just fifteen minutes a day to work on your store. I like to grab a coffee in the morning and make it my first task.

But what do you work on in those fifteen minutes? It could be a whole number of things. You might grab your camera and update a listings photographs, or work on your titles for a couple of listings. If your shop is looking pretty shipshape you could spend a bit of time doing some sketches for a new product or researching a wholesaler.

The point is that you need to spend time each day improving your shop and what you can offer customers. If you never set aside time to improve and you just fulfill orders, then your shop will not grow over time. When you’re trying to expand your roster of products, consider testing them out first. Filling up your shop with products no one wants to buy could also tank your business. Thus, it makes business sense to do a Product Concept Test for any new products you wish to introduce to your shop, so that you are able to ensure steady growth for your business.

2. Reach out on social media

Don’t rely on Etsy to bring all your sales. I see it time and time again on various websites that someones Etsy sales are down but it often transpires that they’re not driving any traffic to their shop from social media. You can’t rely on Etsy to provide you with all your customers, you must be doing something more. And the good thing about social media is that it doesn’t have to cost you a penny.

Focus on just a couple of social media platforms where you think your target customers will hang out. I love Instagram and Facebook because they’re both really visual platforms that encourage interaction from customers. Other people have great success on Pinterest.

My best tip for social media would be to have great images. When you’re shooting product photos always a grab a couple of extra for social media that might not work as well for Etsy. Try and style your products on a person or in the environment that they’d be used in, these kinds of images really draw people in.

3. Be a boutique

Like I said above – Etsy isn’t like Amazon or eBay. It’s a boutique shopping experience rather than a chain store. Etsy is made up of thousands of sellers who are all really good at something niche. Don’t be afraid of your niche – instead, you should exploit it!

Make sure all the items in your Etsy store relate to each other in some way. If you’re wondering how to improve your Etsy sales but feel like your SEO, photos, and customer service is on point, then perhaps you need to add a new product line that fits alongside your existing products. But think boutique: imagine owning a smart retail boutique, and think about if you could see the products that you sell now sitting together on the shelves of your store! If you couldn’t, then perhaps the products aren’t right.

All new product lines should add value for your customer and should work with what you already sell. If you can’t imagine your customer putting two different products you sell in the same basket, then perhaps they’re not the right set of products for your Etsy store.

4. Make your branding and photos consistent

I’m not saying that all your photos have to look identical (remember you’re a boutique, not a chain store) but your store should feel coherent overall. Many sellers think that pure white backgrounds are the way to go, but unless they’re lit and photographed well, striving for a white background can hinder rather than help you.

Think about your branding and who it’s trying to appeal to, and then make your photos reflect that. I love to use cute styling props in my images, the kind of things that I could imagine my target market buying and using alongside the items that I sell.

In the past, I’ve also used complementary products from friends shops to style my images, and then linked to their Etsy shops from the listing. It never helps to share around a bit of love, and actually it adds value to the customer as they might have been looking for the exact accessory that you used in the image!

5. Provide excellent customer service

You don’t have to hand-deliver every product or give your customer a call to check their order arrived. But it doesn’t take much to go the extra mile and create a customer experience that will bring people back to your shop and get them telling their friends about you.

It could be as simple as a handwritten thank you. I had some beautiful business cards made up for my Etsy store with plenty of white space on them. Before I add one to my package I just write a little thank you on it. It takes me thirty seconds and is well worth it to remind people that you’re an individual rather than a huge corporate entity.

I also like to provide customers with a small printed note in their package reminding them that I have a mailing list that they can subscribe to (which gives them a discount). My mailing list serves as a way to connect with my customers and remind them that I’m a small independent business. Honestly, I think that every business, be it small or large, should take advantage of mailing lists and include them in their marketing strategy because it can help entrepreneurs learn about the purchase pattern of their customers and allow them to create curated shopping experiences for the clients in the future. It also provides them with extra customer service – suggesting ideas for things in my product line that they might want to buy (interested individuals can learn more about this by going through this post at https://www.ballantine.com/3-reasons-why-a-customer-mailing-list-is-important/).

Business owners should keep in mind that their clients are the most important aspect of their business. It is a deciding factor that will help the brand to be popular and successful not only in the home country but across the globe. Hence, it is their responsibility to make the customers happy with the great products and services.

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Anyway, those are my top tips for how to improve your Etsy sales. What do you think? Are you going to put any of them into action?

What’s important is that you grow your business to the size that suits you. My Etsy business is quite small, but provides a consistent part-time income that compliments my PhD studies!

Personalised embroidered items are the foundation of my business. While I do sell some generic pieces, the vast majority of my income comes from personalisation.

Offering personalisation on things that you manufacture as part of your business can be a game changer. It opens up new income streams and will bring create customer loyalty bringing them back time and time again for repeat business.

Monogram Basics

Monograms were one of the basics that I started with when it came to personalisation. Being able to add a set of initials, or similar, to a simple stock line can improve your profit considerably with only minor expense – assuming that you already have the equipment. Certainly from my perspective, monograms have helped me expand out of my costume and cosplay niche and into giftware and personal purchases.

Many of the software packages for embroidery machines have the ability to easily create monograms. But if you’re looking for a style that your machine doesn’t offer, then you might find yourself stuck.

There is the option of drawing a monogram yourself by hand, but this is time consuming and beyond the skill of many. And that’s where free monogram design sites come in handy.

Using a monogram maker online can be a good way to start the design process for a customised embroidered item. Many are free sites that you can use to play with monogram designs and find something that works for your customer or yourself.

With just a few clicks I was able to come up with a monogram design that I was good enough to take into my embroidery software to serve as the basis for my customised design.

After exporting the file I then took it to my digitalisation software for my embroidery machine and simply used the auto digitize option. It produced a great working file that I could then load onto my embroidery machine.

Sewing the Monogram

Once you’ve designed your monogram, getting it onto a product is the next stage! After all – if it’s not on a product then it won’t sell!

One of my more popular ranges are the embroidered pouches that I sell both for costume and for more general use. I’ve made quite a few of them with monograms on in the past as custom orders, but I decided I wanted to add them as a regular product line to my Etsy store.

If you’re going for this approach then choose fairly generic initials that look good in the monogram style that you’re using. ‘AB’ is always a pretty good pair to try out new designs with. You want people to be able to imagine their own initials on the product – so don’t choose anything too wacky!

Once you’ve got your prototype made go ahead and photograph it so that you can get it listed on your Etsy shop. These kinds of monogrammed products sell great around Christmas time when everyone is looking for something unique to give as a gift to their loved ones.