Exclusive Ways for Marketing Crafts during Recession

With global recession, consumers have become tightfisted. The first things consumers cut back on in hard times are such items that are not basic to their living and purchase of which can be postponed for some more time. These may include apparels, fashion accessories, handicrafts among others. As such, trade shows in this uncertain economy does not hold much promise about selling artists' creations. Many artists have in fact, done away with shows and many others have cut back on them.

However, those who are solely dependent on crafts business can't just sit back for economy to improve, they have to find buyers for their crafts. Also, not all have stopped purchasing. Regular visitors may not be attending trade shows but there might be many other people who are searching just that style of sculptures or painting that you've made. So, how can you find these promising buyers? How can you market your craft in these tough times? You'll have to think ways – traditional as well as novel- for selling crafts. Here are some exclusive ways that you can adopt for marketing your crafts.


Personal Networking
It is the basic rule for all businesses, leave alone crafts business. Stay in touch with friends, vendors, customers in howsoever humble ways you can.

• Leave your business card at grocery shop counter, table for restaurants you visit for lunch or dinner, in the envelope containing payments of bills and the like. You might get a call or two frequently making inquiry about your products.


• Whether from new or old customers, give immediate response to client inquiries.


• If you are a woman in handicrafts business and your target group is middle to upper income group, join some women's networking group. You'll get an opportunity at every meeting to introduce yourself and your business. You can even give presentation of your craft making process that might generate interest in the group regarding your crafts. The same hold true for men crafters who can join recreational or some other groups and follow the same technique, either formally or informally.

Technology Assisted Marketing
Learn to take advantage of newer technologies like mobile phones and Internet.

• Take further your networking strategy through online craft artists’ forums and discussion boards. You can follow peers, customers, gallery owners and even your competitors through online social networking.


• Make your own website, either as a virtual brochure for showing off your work or as a retail sales outlet.


• Creating and maintaining own site needs some amount of money. If you don't have so much capital, you have other options too. There are many other auction and sale sites that'll do the work for you. There are sites for selling wholesale crafts as well as for retail selling. Such items as fashion jewelery can be sold through retail sites too.


• Upload interesting videos about your work on the sites that support such a concept. A moving image can do what even thousand words can't do. However, videos should generate interest among the viewers.


• Many artists have made their work related blogs- the alternative option for conventional websites and much easier and cheaper to operate. They make regular updates there. However, you need to be patient with blogs as they take relatively longer to give fruitful results. You don't know when something on your blog will interest your readers and make traffic to your website explode.


• Use advertising options on cellphones. There are many sites that have a large base of followers who willingly let them advertise through SMS in exchange of some offers from these websites. Explore such avenues to advertise your work.
  

Other Rare Marketing Strategies
Following are some rare marketing strategies. You can think and add to this list your own niche marketing ideas.

• Design and sell handicraft for charity auctions or fundraising. Keep yourself a smaller share with lower profitability and give the larger share as charity. Optimum business plus satisfaction, both will be yours.


• Join some institutes like Museum Store Association and get listed on their website as a vendor. This list is often referred to by buyers from museum stores, antiques or collectible stores, zoos, national parks, etc.


• Leave a well made tourist brochure with hotels having large tourist traffic. They are promising buyers of local crafts. However, you might have to give some commission to the hotels.


• Inspire friends and relatives to organize home craft parties at their homes and present your work there. Deliver crafts yourself when orders come in, this helps in making loyal customer base. To thank your friends you might do them favor, either monetary ( if it's acceptable to them) or something like dinner at a good restaurant.