Make your Handmade Business Memorable
Learn about building a brand as an indie artist or designer. Branding helps create an image for you and your business. It helps generate repeat business and word of mouth which is so important for small business.
What is Branding?
Examples:
Walmart is known for low prices.
Volvo is known for safe cars.
Domino's is known for fast pizza delivery.
What do you want to be known for? In my case I want Noadi's Art to be known for beautiful and quirky sculpture and jewelry.
Why Should a Handmade Business Worry about Branding?
You want more business right? Building a good brand image will help you generate more business. If your customers remember you well they're more likely to buy you're creations again and also to tell their friends and family about you.Being a small indie business myself I know that budgets for this sort of thing are small so I've compiled advice that requires little or no money to implement. Do expect to spend a fair bit of time doing this when you first start (though once the initial work is done it gets easier).
Branding Basics Links
- What Is Branding? Basic Business Terms
- Small Business - A discussion of how to run a small business, how to manage accounting and payroll, how to handle growth, how to hire, how to fire, tools and services, insurance, taxes, technology, benefits.
- FREE Online Guide to Creating a Small Business Brand | SMALL BRANDING
- Your free online guide to creating a small business brand on a super-tight budget.
- Branding archive | Duct Tape Marketing Blog
- Simple, effective and affordable small business marketing
- Marketing for Independent Professionals and Small Business | Shoestring Branding
- Marketing for Independent Professionals
Small Business Branding Books
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBranding Inspiration
- 70 Amazing Business Cards - Fubiz™
- Business card inspiration.
Visual Branding
MOO does some really beautiful photo business cards. If you're budget is really tight you could try out VistaPrint's Free Business Cards
Simple Tips
Pick a theme. It could be a color scheme, a genre (retro, victorian, country), or set of textures.
Stay consistent. If you want to change your visual look do it all at once unless the change already fits what you've been doing.
Be inspired by others, don't copy them. If you like the box someone is using to package their jewelry it's fine to use the same shape box but make it your own with the colors and printing on it.
Branding Your Packaging
Packaging your products attractively can be a signature part of your brand. Here's a lens all about creative ways to package your handmade items.-
Make your Handmade Products Stand Out! Using Creative Packaging
-
There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different from the rest at festivals or shows and make a special surprise for customers ordering your products. This lens is all about using creative packaging to make your creation...
Customer Service and Branding
What to Do
Be kind and courteous. Treat your customers nicely and without rudeness. If they become rude with you do not respond to them at all unless you have to.
Be prompt. Meet deadlines or ship orders when you say you will.
Be available. Answer emails, letters, phone calls, etc. from your customers as quickly as you can.
Be cooperative. If someone is having trouble with your website or a product help them out as best you can.
Brand Personality
This is related to the customer service. Show your customers you aren't a faceless entity. Be fun, be quirky, be sweet, but find what feels right to you and go with it. Don't force it or it won't feel authentic, it needs to fit you not fit what you think your customers want.
The Fun Stuff
DIY Branding Ideas
There are endless things you can do yourself that are creative and makes and impact with your customers.Wear a shirt, totebag, hat, lab coat, etc. that's been screen printed with your name and logo.
Use recycled materials like old wrapping paper, playing cards, postcards, etc in your packaging or advertising materials.
Post flyers around town.
Include thank you notes or small free gifts with purchases.
DIY Links
- craftgrrl: Cheap screen printing tutorial
- Alright, I've finally had the time to "screen print" another shirt, so here's the tutorial...
- D.I.Y. Screen Printing - Instructables - DIY, How To, craft - Entry
- Once you start screen printing your original designs you won't want to stop.Watch the the video below and subscribe to our weekly show on iTunes to ...
- Zazzle
- If you don't feel up to printing your own t-shirt get Zazzle to do it for you.
- Make Your Own Art Stamps and Save
- Make your own decorative rubber stamps. Save money and maybe even start a home business.
- Make your own Re-Usable Stencils
- This tutorial shows how to take a stencil image and turn it into a reusable stencil sheet.
- Stencil Art...Creating Stencils - Online Tutorial at Melissa Clifton page 1
- There are several different techniques for creating stencils with Adobe Photoshop. In this tutorial we will look at using Threshold to make stencils.
Part B of this tutorial explains how you can then print your own original t-shirts with your stencil art. I couldn't even begin to explain how addictive printing t-shirts becomes! - Stencil Revolution :: View topic - Bleach on fabric tutorial
- Creating a reverse image by stenciling using bleach on dark fabric.
- 105+ Logo Design Tuts And Resources
- Logo design in today's world has come to be one of the most important aspects of creating a brand identity and connecting with consumers. Logo's are everywhere - the web, books, magazines, newspapers, television, movies?you name it, there is some type of logo. Logos have become a symbol of corporations, business, and success.
Book on DIY Design
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byLove This Lens?
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
- Favorite it
- Lensroll it
Your Thoughts?
Do you have a tip to share? Or just want to leave a comment? This is the place to do it.
-
Reply
- lucykitty lucykitty May 20, 2009 @ 6:16 am
- love this lens(especially the fun stuff( and rated it)!
-
Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Sep 17, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
- I recently had some fun helping my friend Watsie -- Mommy Petree with her branding. She is SUCH a busy lady that there are not enough hours in the day for her to get to everything. Branding is such an integral component to the marketing of virtually anything! Great lens that touches on the important touchpoints of branding. 5*****
-
Reply
- WritingforYourWealth WritingforYourWealth Aug 29, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
- Nice--I don't make handmade goods, but branding is something I want to pay a lot more attention to with my writing (blogs, books, etc.) in the future. All you have to do is look at something like the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" brand to see how powerful (and lucrative!) a good brand can be.
-
Reply
- annetteghallowell annetteghallowell Aug 23, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
- I have never thought about branding for handmade goods. You have given me something to think about as I get ready to dive into the CafePress/Zazzle world! 5*
-
Reply
- makingamark makingamark Jul 9, 2008 @ 9:39 am
- Nice lens - I've added it into my Resources for Visual Artists group
- Load More
Learn More About Handmade Business
-
Get Customized Earring Cards on Zazzle
-
You can really make a statement at a craft show with beautiful earring cards. Customize one of the ones on this lens or use the template to create your own from scratch. Take a look around my earring card gallery: Earring Cards Designed by Noadi
-
Using Squidoo to Promote Your Handmade Business
-
Squidoo is a great, easy way for anyone selling handmade items to promote their creations. Display your knitting, painting, sculpting, jewelry making, etc. and generate more visits (and hopefully sales) on your website or webstore.
-
Selling Handmade Jewelry Online
-
The internet gives jewelry artisans so many new opportunities to sell their work and reach a far larger number of people. This lens gives an overview of things to consider before selling your jewelry online.
-
Make your Handmade Products Stand Out! Using Creative Packaging
-
There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different from the rest at festivals or shows and make a special surprise for customers ordering your products. This lens is all about using creative packaging to make your creation...
-
Tools for Etsy Sellers
-
Etsy is the biggest online marketplace devoted to selling handmade products. Here is a collection of tips and tools for Etsy sellers to help their productivity and success.
This handmade business lens is a creation of Noadi's Art
This Lens Constructed By A Bonafide Giant Squid! Look For The Giant Squid Badge of Honor- Your Assurance Of Quality On Squidoo
Click here to start building your own lenses on Squidoo!
by Noadi
I'm obsesse...
(more)Explore related pages
Make your Handmade Products Stand Out! Using Creative Packaging- There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different f...
Preparing for an Art or Craft Festival- Art and craft festivals are a lot of work but worth it for the exposure you get...
Altoids Tins - A Myriad of Uses- Altoids and other candies sometimes come in great little tins. It really seems a...
Introduction to Sculpting in Polymer Clay- I have many lenses here on Squidoo about sculpting in polymer clay but none that...
How To Make Your Own Business Cards- This lens is all about doing it yourself with business cards. Designing them and...
Tools for Etsy Sellers- Etsy is the biggest online marketplace devoted to selling handmade products. Her...
