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TARGETING YOUR MARKET

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?--

whether you make wooden lawn ornaments, stuffed animals or silver jewelry, there is a market for your crafts. Finding it may not be all that difficult, and it should be handled the same in an arts and crafts business as in any business. The key is actively thinking about it.

Magazines have great, easy to find examples of targeting a market. If you look in a magazine devoted to women, you are not likely to find an ad for a dump truck. Likewise you will not find an ad for a new household cleaner in a Money magazine. These examples are all very stereotypical, but they are true.

Magazines, television programs and newspapers all reach out to a certain market in an attempt to get business for their advertisers. I know, you are alone without their resources and manpower; but it is possible to target the appropriate crafts market as effectively they do.

WHO WILL DO THIS FOR ME?--

Marketing firms are paid a great deal to find the market for a particular product, develop a campaign that speaks to that market and target that market where they are likely to be.

As a professional crafter you will be your own Marketing firm. Your resources, time and money will be limited. You must find the shows where the customers come who will buy your crafts. This intelligent marketing of your crafts will save you time and misery in the long run.

WHO IS MY MARKET?

Who your market is will be as personal as the craft you sell. It is something you must figure out yourself. Why target your limited resources for marketing to someone who won't buy?

If you sell handsewn doggie bandanas, your market is obvious...Dog owners. Breaking it down further, you know it is doggie owners with disposable incomes. Looking at past sales, you may find it to be primarily female dog owners. If this is your market, sell your crafts in an area where there are likely to be lots of females, with dogs and disposable incomes....(craft shows in nicer areas of town, pet shops...etc.)

If you sell higher-priced, artsy jewelry..your target market could be female(but sometimes males) with higher incomes and an artsy sense of style. You may find these customers frequent the high end "Art" shows instead of the lower end "Craft" shows. These are often found in the more artsy, upscale neighborhoods. They are also harder to get into.

FIGURE OUT YOUR CUSTOMER--Who are they?

Male or Female? Lower-Middle-Upper income? Young-Middle-Older aged? Working class-Professional..etc? Do they have small children? Where do they live? How do they dress? Do they have access to the internet?

Figure out where YOUR customer is then find the art or craft shows, stores or websites that cater to those demographics and sell there. If you are not selling to YOUR customers, it could be a waste of time.

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