William's Arts / Crafts Business Blog

If you sell high-end crafts that cost well over $100 per piece you will likely do well to stay away from street festivals. Likewise if you sell hand-made pop-guns for kids you would do better to spend you money on attending lower cost shows than wasting your money on expensive art events. Remember to always match the type of event to your product.

When you apply for juried shows, your pictures should be of the highest quality as possible. Digital cameras can make taking those photos a lot easier these days, however if you are not happy with the results of your own photography skills, you should hire a professional. After that you can make copies of the images for future applications.

That crafter selling similar items to yours across the aisle is not the only competitor at the show! The parking fees, door charge and the expensive food at the convention center can also hinder your sales. Be sure to take in all these factors when you are deciding what shows to attend.

One of the biggest mistakes crafters can make when creating a Web site is to provide little to no contact information. Remember that you should put your contact information on each and every page of your site. It also helps to have a separate "Contact Us" page with a prominent link on all the other pages of your site.

Remember that if you really want to get into a show, make sure you get that application in to the promoters on time. Although some shows will still accept apps. after the deadlines, your likelihood of getting into the event increases if you get your application in on time.

Empty spaces do not sell crafts. Make sure that you create and bring enough stock to fill your display for the entire event. Although it is impossible to tell how much you will sell at shows, try to keep about twice as much inventory as you expect to sell. Though if you have very large items, this is harder to do. Just remember that you can’t sell what you don't have!

When the economy is slow, people cut back on buying things that are not necessities. Unfortunately one of those things are crafts. But there are things you can do to encourage shoppers to buy your product. Remind people of things like buying your crafts for gifts. What ideas do you have to turn those browsers into buyers?

Building a Web Site isn't enough! You must market your online venture in order to get people to visit your site. Buying ads on Google can help. But before you pay for your marketing try cross-linking with other sites as well as promoting your site though all of your literature.

With gas prices at an all-time high, saving money can save your business! Start by watching for sale at the discount stores. Also, you can buy in bulk whenever possible. Lastly, make sure you use a wholesaler discount whenever possible at the major suppliers.

If you are considering opening a craft business, one of the first things you will need to decide upon is a name. Your business name should reflect what you do or even who you are. You should also consider the availability of a domain name if you will be using a Web site to market your crafts.