Crafters and small business owners alike, pay attention!
This post has to do with you and the growth of your craft!
Perhaps you already know this, in which case it's always good to be reminded
of things and to cross reference what you've learned.
If this is new information, I'd encourage you to read and see what you can
apply!Today I came across this article, How to Deliver an Experience, via
Etsy newsletters, and I found it to be so encouraging in the area of shipping
your product.I've read it in just about every "small business" book I've read:
it's really all about the packaging.
Naturally, it all makes perfect sense.
You make knitted finger puppets, it's a longtime hobby and you do it just
about everywhere you go. You decide to sell on etsy and are so excited to
be making a profit with your favorite craft; your first buyer makes a purchase
and you jump on the opportunity to make them a returning customer, your
one stump is that you don't have that much capital to spend on specialty
wrapping, stickers, stamps, or tissue paper.
But since your motto is, "Do the best you can, with
what you have, where you are." (thank you, Teddy),
you decide to do just that.
So, you lovingly wrap your knitted finger puppets in some brightly colored
tissue paper you got at Target, oh, and you place a few of your business
cards along with the puppets, just in case. Then you decide on the smallest
box at the post office and--wait, you make notecards too! They're not on your
shop yet but you decide to write a personal note on it (you never know),
thanking the buyer for his purchase and letting him know of the other products
you sell (like those beaded scarves you love making), and you add another
business card in the note ( just in case one falls out). Then you tape it up and
handwrite the buyer's name and address with that floral design you enjoy
drawing, better write "have a great day" on the back, just so they don't forget
you. Then you place it in the trusty hands of the USPS and off you go, making
more items and hopefully sell more items. The point being that a) you don't
need commercial packaging to make a difference, and b) it's not that hard
because it's a way of promoting what you love doing.
Your product is an outflow and representation of you and your work,
what does your work say about you?
The excited crafter will want to make her customer as satisfied as she can with
her craft and to stimulate future business. The seller in the article added her
logo and name no less than five times in her package, how can you forget
something after seeing it five times?
What can you be doing to ensure a cheerful, unforgetable business experience?
After reading, ask yourself what more you can be doing to promote what you
love, how can you stand out to your buyers?
Let me know what you think; I'd love to know what you come up with!
1 comment:
Thank you so much for posting this article, Elena! It is very helpful. I did about the same thing with my shipment (I've only had one sale), except the business cards. I don't have any of those, but I'll have to remedy that! I slipped in some handmade bookmarks, but they were more work than I anticipated (since they were hand painted). Thanks again!
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