Sales & Marketing Tips

TIP 1: Times are changing. Old marketing methods and the illustrious yellow pages are being rapidly outpaced by newer means of advertising and gaining exposure. Are you doing all you can to keep informed of these newer ways? Are you taking advantage of the inherent benefits of the internet as a means of gaining more exposure for your business and increasing your sales and market share?

Creating the works is one thing. Marketing them is a whole other world that requires creativity and innovation, too. If you catch the vision for that, you'll have that much more over the competition that's still doing just the same old, same old, status quo advertising… Customers' tastes are changing. They're more educated too, and they have greater access and greater choices these days. The key thing is to use all available means to reach them. If you do not… rest assured that someone else is.

TIP 2: The internet is here to stay! It will become an ever-increasing part of the world's business landscape in the days to come! Be an early user, not a regretful latecomer, who loses out to those who went before him... It's in your best interests to take advantage of the internet's tremendous sales and marketing power!

Contact us here at A&CNet – We can create an effective online presence for you with a high profile/high traffic Directory listing, and/or we can develop a unique website for you to more effectively market your art or crafts online to a broader market... a market that's not limited by season, nor location. And compared to traditional publishing and advertising means, a website is a medium that's enables much easier changing or updating of sales & marketing and ad content.

The comparative logistics, time consumption, and associated costs of making regular fresh changes to printed ‘longevity-based content’ like catalogues, brochures, flyers, etc., are substantial compared to the ease and low cost of doing so with a properly designed website. Just as a web storefront need not cost anything near what a typical brick and mortar store would, the same applies to far less overhead with web advertising and marketing. Essentially, your money will go a lot farther; you'll be able to do more and potentially accomplish more than via traditional offline means.

TIP 3: Be ever-learning! ! It's okay to be a “jack-of-all-trades” and would-be master, one day, of some. Learn as much as you can about business and being an entrepreneur, self-promotion, marketing, advertising, and merchandising, or any other subjects that will help you make money and/or save money in your business.

TIP 4: More is better than less... Carry on the passion. Not it let be a “done” sale once they're out the door... Sell your art or handicrafts merchandised along with a some nice little certificate, and a brief biography or ‘piece’ profile, particularly if it's a one of a kind unique artwork. This enhances its value. It becomes more than just another paid-for product; it takes on some personalized accompanying life... It becomes a “chat or brag point”. People appreciate this and it also documents the piece for future reference. Tell a little about the piece in a description such as the title of the piece, what type of medias were used in creating it, the style of art it is, its size, the year it was created, what reason or inspiration created it, etc. and always sign it. The old adage of “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true, but it doesn't hurt to add some “life story”, too.

TIP 5: Whether yours is an walk-in retail store, or a gallery or studio, or you're at a trade show or fair, space planning is very important. If you want people to only browse, that's one thing... But if you want an environment conducive to sales, you must “Display to Sell”. Be creative with your displays. Don't over-crowd them. Too much variety in one area can dilute the interest in any one item. Setup “themed centers” rather than mixing up all your products in such a way that there is little logic nor sense of organization. You don't want the customer to have to deal with a maze. Bring to the forefront those things that you want customers to first focus upon. Give those the prime real estate.

In a very real sense, your display or presentation is your key sales partner. Change or reorganize it frequently, per the season, per the theme or product type, and especially so if yours is a permanent location. Keep it fresh and dynamic so that return customers will be seeing enough of a new environment everytime they return, to re-enthuse them again. Too many retail Arts & Crafts stores remain the same for far too many months. You're an artist, so be artistic in spicing up your displays. Move things around sensibly, get some some sense of height and depth, and multi-levels on your tables or shelves. Use effective focused lighting. And of course, be certain that all your display materials and “décor and dressing” are a right match for your showcased Art & Craftworks.

TIP 6: Whether yours is an walk-in retail store, or a gallery or studio, or an online web-based business, “Make shopping an enjoyable experience”. If paintings or drawings are your talent, and you're at a show, do some “Live” for potential customers. If it's dried floral designs you create, make some on the spot, so visitors and customers can see your talent. It goes a lot farther than just standing there at your table or booth! Demonstrate whenever possible. Create a pleasant and friendly atmosphere in your sales area. Make it warm and inviting, and interactive.

TIP 7: Art is art and business is business? NO! They must necessarily go hand-in-hand nowadays if you want to survive. The two are inseparable. You can still be the pure artist or crafter, but you can't ignore having a good business-sense. The Artist or Crafter that hopes to be lucky enough to just create his art and hope for the best business-wise, will soon find he's not doing very well. “Selling” is no place for the faint of heart, either. It's an art of its own that you must come to know like the back of your hand.

You must understand the basics of business and marketing. You must know your own market and who your peers are. Customers have many more choices these days, many more products to entice them, than ever before. You have to be ‘a seer’ in your market and proactive in all your endeavours. Strive to have that competitive edge. You can't make a painting or a craft piece, of themsleves, more competitive, but YOU CAN market and present yourself more competitively! The quality and creativity of your art may speak for itself, but your business won't, necessarily. The field of Arts & Crafts is not a passive one. As the field grows, and and it comes to the masses, marketing has become a integral part of the equation like never before. It's a far more competitive world nowadays and the movers and shakers amongst your peers have tapped into new means to market and sell their wares. Is your status quo good enough, or will it always be enough for you? Or do you need to do the same?

TIP 8: It could be said that your art or your craft is both your business card and your promotional brochure. It is your best form of advertising. If you haven't already, get it out of your studio where it's not doing anyone any good, and display it wherever possible, particularly in places frequented by people who like Art & Crafts and are looking to buy it. It could be galleries and craft stores, etc. Other great venues for your works could be restaurants, hotels, other retail shops and craft malls, waiting rooms, corporate lobbies, decorating firms, and better home furnishings stores, you name it... Be sure to put contact information and a little “bio” alongside each piece. There's far too many Artisans & Crafters who still only have their works in their own studio, and that's it... It's up to you, but there's a whole world out there, anxious and desirous of seeing your creations...

TIP 9: Always enhance the value of the services your business provides. You may create wonderful works of art and crafts... but there may be much more you can tie in to your product offering - Workshops & Seminars? Trips & Tours?

If you're good at communicating and teaching, why not hold some art classes or craft workshops in beautiful or exotic locations?

If you know the great art galleries and museums, why not offer “theme-related” trips that include tours of these institutions.

If you know of unique arts or crafts destinations, why not offer to share that knowledge with others, or better yet, offer a tour to those locations. The fact is, Canada has some very unique and special towns and villages that are nothing but Arts & Crafts shops and studios. They're great places to visit, places like St. Jacobs or Elora, Ontario are a couple that come to mind. Nelson, B.C. is another - in The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, Nelson is ranked as Canada's Best Small Art Town, a great place to tour.

Other possibilities include organizing visits to small or obscure museums, or Artwalks or Artdrives exploring local or regional art scenes in other provinces, and visiting interesting artists or personalities who your fellow travelers could never meet otherwise. The price of a trip might even include a piece of your art specially created to commemorate the event. Get creative... serious enthusiasts and Arts & Crafts lovers will pay to be a part of these unique and memorable journeys.

Stay tuned! A&CNet will DEFINITELY be offering these kind of unique Arts & Crafts Tours in the days to come! If you're interested give us a call!

TIP 10: Think smart with your advertising – Consider augmenting your living by catering to other niche markets, too. Consider advertising in trade publications or exhibiting at trade shows that are not necessarily directly art-related. For example, an artist who specializes in painting for childrens’ books, could advertise in publications for Children's writers and exhibit at trade shows dedicated to that field, etc. Many Artists & Crafters have tapped into a considerably larger market and increased their revenues substantially by advertising in these “other” places. Put your “thinking cap” on!