you’ve found your medium, you’ve made a bunch of products & now you’re wondering why it isn’t flying off the shelves {or maybe it is, but you want it to fly even faster — hooray!}.
today i want to talk about niche marketing — finding your special, happy place tucked away inside the handmade marketplace. what specifically are you specializing in that is original to your brand? the handmade marketplace is so vast {& growing more every day}; it’s super important to set yourself apart by creating something you love & your customers will love to buy from you.
i know you’re asking yourself:: what exactly is a niche market, & how do i find it???
the answer isn’t always easy to find — it’s a lot of trying things that may or may not work, guess & checking {& guessing again}, really paying attention to your customers’ wants & needs. how do you know when you’ve actually found your niche?
trust me — your sales will tell you.
for me, i found my niche on accident. i was busy trying lots of new things. i knew i loved ruffles & really loved sewing zippers, so obviously i wanted to do a ruffle pouch. but everyone & their mother’s sister was sewing ruffle pouches. i tried a few different styles, never selling much to write home about. after about four or five months of trying different techniques, looks & patterns, i stitched a double stacked, super soft, knit ruffle on a small zip pouch and sold eight that same day.
hello, niche market! i found something i loved that {at the time} was different than anyone else was creating & guess what? there were others that loved it, too! i knew i had hit the nail on the head when my sales continued to escalate in the coming months as i created more products with my signature double stacked ruffle.
there are so many different platforms for handmade. sewing zipper pouches may not be your thing — but there is definitely a market for what you make, you just need to find your unique niche to sell it in. here are a few of my favorite handmade friends who have definitely found their niche {& their sales double prove this point!!}….
denim darcie ribbon bracelet | by twillypop
in a handmade world full of beaded jewelry,
sara designs a fantastically unique line of jewelry
that speaks to lovers of color & bold statements.
graphic art print | by yellowheartart
leonora finds beauty in “the rad” of everything –
feisty, zesty & fun prints, illustrations & graphically designed jewelry
make up this amazingly unique shop owned by one of my greatest handmade friends evah!!!
ps — one of her amazing graphic art plushes was featured in rachel ray’s magazine this month!
home decor wooden block | by bubblewrappd
andrea creates darling works of art perfect to display in your home or gift to a friend –
her prices are reflective of her reasonable,
not-over-the-top-but-still-totally-adorable style of art.
each piece is unique in it’s destressed painting & customized phrasing.
♥ ♥ ♥
a small bit of homework….
are the items you are creating unique enough in the handmade marketplace to be classified as a specialized product within your niche?
if so – how can you better market your product to expand your community?
if not – how can you redesign your already fabulous item into a more unique & sell-worthy piece of art?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a fantastic post!! Thank you SO much for featuring me in such company
LOVED having you featured!!! i have always admired how true you are to yourself & your style in your shop!! xo
{ 1 trackback }