Create a Tribe of Followers by Being Different

Being different is tough, especially at first. Selling something unusual, that won’t appeal to as broad an audience as a bronze-toned owl necklace might, is a challenge to get off the ground. But, I’m here to tell you, when you DO get your unique products found by the people who love them, they will be fiercely loyal to both you, and what you are selling.

It’s like the marketing geniuses say: If you try to appeal to everyone you’ll end up appealing to no one.

Say you are a photographer, and you want to start selling your pictures on Etsy. You might take a look around, and quickly see that a lot of sparkly pictures of carnival rides sell well, and are sold by several of the photographers within the marketplace. You now have two choices: try to compete with these already established sellers by selling very similar items to theirs, or, sell something completely different. Monty Python style.

What if: you took some inspiration from these sellers (such as carnival rides) but put your own spin on it? For example, scary images of carnival rides completed with splattered blood and frightening clowns would appeal to the horror-loving crowd. Or, stylized, pastel-colored renditions of these rides could work well for children’s nurseries. See what I did there? I just carved out two possible niche markets that a photographer could be aiming for, rather than the very general definition of anyone who shops on the internet.

Not everyone thinks my eye rings are cool – and that’s a GOOD thing!

When you establish a niche market by selling something unique and different, you will be able to more effectively target your desired audience with the appropriate marketing. You will be able to identify where they hangout online, what they “like” on Facebook, and which local events they might be attending. Since you are making items that your target market is more likely to LOVE, they will also be more likely to become loyal followers of you and help spread the word. By merely selling something unique, your tribe of initial customers will help do a lot of your promotion for you. Who, after all, doesn’t want to be first to tell the world about an awesome new product they just bought?

Market Adaption at Craft Fairs

Where a craft show is located, its theme, the season and time of year it is held, and the general income of those who attend all factor in to what will sell and what won’t. Every year is a learning experience for me, as I only attend a couple of shows when I can get the time off from my “real” jobs. This year was my 3rd year attending Chataqua, the town carnival and craft show in the small town of Chewelah, WA (population less than 5,000.) being a smaller town, the average income is lower. Less money is spent on luxurious items when it needs to be used for the basic necessities. Art is generally considered a luxury item, and therefore, is not going to be splurged upon.

Chocolate Cupcake Ring - $5

Because of the income factor, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of easily sell-able items in my booth. I was right to do so. My hottest items were my $5 rings and $5 earrings. Between the two options, I made more than enough to cover my booth fee and then some. I also brought in a few higher priced pieces, but never went above $24 for necklaces, $20 for some of my highest-priced bracelets (most were $8) and $10 for anklets. All sold well. I brought only a handful of paintings, as in the previous years I have learned do not sell as well. I brought three $25 simple fairy paintings, and $75 more extravagant piece of work. I have also started making little mini paintings, on 2 x 2 inch stretched canvas, of which I attempted to sell for $6 a piece. None of the paintings sold.

My other duds were my lanyards, of which I only sold 1 of. Having brought more than 20 and set up an elaborate display for them, this was disappointing. I also did not sell a single pair of cufflinks. This is where the location and income should have been considered more carefully. Many lookers asked me one of these two questions: (a) What are these? and (b) Do people really still wear cuff links? Needless to say, not the right market at all. I had thought it would be nice to have something that would be suitable for a guy to wear/buy, but could not have been more wrong.

Tea Cup Ring - $5

I noticed that most of the booth of which sold hats/scarves/gloves were not present. They must have figured out that hot mid-July was not the time of year for those kind of items to sell well. I would imagine they do much better during the winter/Christmas season craft shows. I was sad to see some of my favorite fine art booths missing as well. I am sure they also discovered, as I had, that original art does not do as well either. Still, I missed having their presence.

These hot dog and marshmellow sticks did super well.

I am sure I will continue to have to learn and adapt as I continue to do shows. Especially considering that demographics and tastes change and no formula can stay perfect forever.

I must note that the booth behind me did exceptionally well. They were almost out of inventory by the time the weekend was over. They were selling hotdog an marshmallow sticks, made to look like men and women whose genitalia would be represented by the foods placed on them over a campfire. Although I did not find them particularly tasteful, I can see how these sellers found their market. Good for them.

Trying to Sell to Sellers

Black and White Rose Bobby Pins - $16.00

One of the great things about Etsy is its community feel. It’s unlike any other website I have been a member of. This can also come with a bit of a downside, as the members of this community are also there to sell their handmade products and vintage items. It’s tempting to try to sell to one another, considering how often your are around one another in the virtual sense.

Granted, I buy from other Etsy shops all of the time. I’m addicted to shopping on the website! With all of its neat stuff, it’s impossible to find a comparable marketplace in my own neighborhood. Even so, I think that one does a disservice to one’s own shop when too much time and promotion is being dedicated into attracted other sellers to buy your stuff.

Premade Etsy Shop Kit - $5.00

Unless, of course, you sell graphic design or supplies – in which case other sellers ARE your target audience. But if not, it may be time to do some strategy shifting. Perhaps, rather then trying to sepdn so much time in your Etsy teams and in the Etsy chat rooms, try joining other forums and groups off-site. Pick groups that share a common interest of your that is NOT selling craft items. For example, if you have kids, join a mommy-blogger group, or a recipe sharing club, or a video-game forum. ANYTHING. By making virtual friends with persons not a part of the Etsy “club” you can introduce them to etsy -and your shop- as BUYERS, not competitors.

Beaded Brown Earrings - $4.95

By dedicating more time into building up your Facebook fan page and twitter following with more non-etsy sellers, you’ll be able to promote to people who AREN’T waiting for their next sale before they can buy anything. Something to consider anyway, before you spend all day making treasuries for you treasury team and posting new listings in all of those new listing threads hardly anyone browses through anyway.

Something to chew on anyway. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Simple or Extravagant? Delicate or Bold?

Black and White Roses Bracelet - $14.95

You’ll here this advice from many a business know-it-all: you’re target audience is not YOU. You have to sell what your customer will buy, not necessarily what YOU would buy. Okay fine. However, when you are in the handmade business and have to spend hours MAKING the products you are selling, it can kinda help to LIKE what you are making. Wouldn’t you agree? Creating things you are attracted to can be more fulfilling, inspiring, and help you get excited about new ideas.

Beaded Headband or Wristlet - $44.95

My solution? A little bit of both. I tend to be attracted to larger, complicated works with lots of extravagant details. I like lots of sparkling rhinestones and itsy-bitsy tiny bead-work in a conglomeration of an overall finished piece. After creating something like this, I can really feel proud. I can feel like I made something worth showing off and writing home about.

Rhinestone Earrings - $5.00

However, I realize that my audience may also be attracted to more simple, casual wear pieces. After all, we don’t all get married or attend a grand a ball every other week. It’s a practical idea to make some pieces that can be worn to the office or the casual coffee date. So I also fill my shops with ID badge lanyards and everyday jewelry and accessories. These less complicated pieces tend to be quicker on the production side, but also warrant a lower price even if they aren’t.

Lanyard Badge Holder - $24.95

I may not be a big fan of chunky, bold pieces, or simple casual wear pieces, but I can definitely see the benefit of including more of these items in my shops. The real challenge then, is allowing this kind of variety and still keeping my items cohesive enough to appear as though they belong next to each other in the same selling platform. That subject, however, warrants a separate post. :)