Guest Post: How to Find More Paying Customers for Your Handmade Shop

I’m Lisa Jacobs of Marketing Creativity, where I help handmade sellers build their creative businesses into the career of their dreams. I’m so excited to be here today, and I’ve been a proud member of Team SASsy for some time now.

I appreciate your attitude and willingness to learn. Simply being readers of this blog and followers of this team shows your dedication to the creative businesses you’re trying to build. Your effort alone is something to be proud of, and I ask that you never forget:

Somebody is out there, right now, just waiting to pay you to do what you love to do.

As handmade artists, you offer a unique value: you provide your customers that special feeling only an item made from passion can produce. Artists and crafters love what they do so much that they often cringe at the idea of targeted marketing. In fact, the notion of cold-selling what’s been made with a warm heart makes many creatives downright uncomfortable.

However, targeted marketing simply means finding the customers who desire your work, and it's time to show the world what you've got to offer. So, how do you find your paying customers?

In the handmade community, we often count fans, sales, followers, and favorites, but the number that adds to your bottom line, the audience who will truly help you fund your passion is composed of paying customers. They will help your business grow, your talents expand, and your skills improve. This audience is composed of the people who “get you” and they want what you’ve got to offer. These are “your people.”

How to Find "Your People."

If your product is for everybody, it’s for nobody, because nothing is for everybody. Realize that your product isn’t for everyone; it’s for a select few who share your taste, and have an eye for your art and a love for quality handmade. If you could tell the whole world about your product right now, and then separate the interested buyers from the rest of the population, you could never keep up with the demand from that interested sea of paying customers … not by yourself, anyway.

In order to find “your people,” you have to identify them first. Do this by narrowing it down to one person: the ultimate fan of your art. Now, about that person:

• Is she single or married?
• Does she have children?
• Does she exercise, and if so, what's her preferred method?
• Is she conventional or quirky?
• Which magazines does she subscribe to?
• What are her favorite television shows?
• Who are her role models?
• What hobbies does she have? Is she a crafter or artist too?
• What does she dream of doing/seeing/being one day?
• How do (or will) your products make her feel?

There are many benefits to answering these types of questions about your target audience. Identifying this person will help you generate a whole list of ideas on where she might be hanging out (and how you can approach her). It will help you determine your niche market, because your niche market is the sea of people doing much of the same. 

Building Your Creative Business: Free Webinar

I’m doing a free webinar, exclusively for readers and members of Team SASsy on Building Your Creative Business. On Wednesday, September 5 at 7PM (EST), I’ll be discussing how to improve your shop, gain exposure, and find more paying customers for your creative business. 

It’s one jam-packed hour of brainstorming, networking, and live Q&A. Your seat is free, but spaces are limited. To reserve your spot, please click here and complete the sign-up form.

Thank you! 

I want to thank the members of Team SASsy for all that you do! Thank you, Becka, for writing and maintaining this fabulous blog. Please keep up the good work! I wish you continued success and all the best.

Lisa Jacobs writes Marketing Creativity for fellow creative spirits who aim to build a career with their own two hands. She leads group webinar programs and offers one-on-one coaching designed to help you get paid to be ... you.