5 Fun Questions to Improve your Craft Business

I love a little bit of homework when it comes to my business and I also think it’s important to always be looking at it with critical eyes. These are 5 questions that are fun to answer and incredibly important when it comes to creating a successful business. If answered with thought and implemented, you can make some big improvements.

Don’t let the fact that you already have an idea, a business plan, a completed product, website or packaging stop you from analyzing and making changes. There isn’t a successful brand out there that doesn’t constantly tweak and improve so consider change a prerequisite of running a business.

Put thought into your responses. If you already have the answers and are on the right path, make sure your points are being implemented in your business.

I’ve used examples of brands I think are doing a great job when it comes to each point. TOMS, EOS and Blo continue to be a few of my favourites and are used in this article.

 

1) What makes your products recognizable?

If someone is familiar with your brand (i.e. they’ve seen you at a craft fair, followed your Facebook page, purchased one of your products, etc.), would they be able to recognize your work if they saw it without your logo or business name attached?

You have a unique style, so determine what that is and how you can play it up.

>> If you need help uncovering your signature style, check out: How to Develop a Signature Style for your Handmade Business

It may be the repeated use of colours, scents/flavours, shapes, materials, ingredients, packaging, etc.

Imagine someone wearing or using your product and being asked: “is that a ________ (enter your business name here)?”

Which element makes them recognize your products as yours?

Example

Although EOS has expanded their product line and changed their packaging, they starting with colorful pod-shaped lip balms.

The round egg-like packaging was so different from regular tube packaging on the market.

You would be able to spot an EOS lip balm without need to see its logo or name plastered across it.

If you removed the labels from the tubes of Blistex, Burt’s Bees, or Lip Smacker, you likely wouldn’t be able to tell which brand of lip balm someone was using.

 

 

2) What’s one key element you carry throughout your business?

Consider the elements that surround your products. That might be your website design, craft show display, style of photography, etc.

There should be a color, style, feeling that is repeated throughout your business so consumers are getting a consistent look and feel from it. 

>> If you need help defining your brand, check out: 3 (Easy) Steps to Define your Craft Business’s Brand

Example

Blo uses their hot pink and feminine hand-written font across their entire website, social media pages, marketing material and in their salons (their stylists even wear hot pink aprons). It makes it really easy to recognize their brand.

They also have a cheeky way of communicating their marketing message, which keeps their brand fun and relaxed.

 

3) Why should people buy from you?

You’ll always deal with other companies selling what you sell, so what do you offer that they don’t? It’s important to scope out your competitors so you can head in a slightly different direction from them.

Determine what it is they’re doing really well and where they’re falling short.

If another business is selling similar items to you and they’re on top of product trends but not on top of customer service and their branding is bland, those are two areas you can pull ahead and set your business apart.

It’s important to consider your target market and what they care about. If your customer cares about the latest trends, promoting your attention to detail and how many hours you put into each peice will be lost on them.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Simply highlight features and benefits your competition isn’t and lean into them. 

 

Example

Just Fab could be just another online shoe retailer but they tailor your shoe shopping experience to your style. Although they’ve changed their website and expanded their product selection into clothing and accesssories, to stand out from other online shoe retailers, they created a tailored shopping experience.

In the beginning, before you could begin browsing their selection, they had you fill out a quick and fun questionnaire about your personal preferences (e.g. what type of shoe would you wear on a girls night out, favorite celebrity style, etc.). This helped them curate a personal boutique for each shopper.

They also have a membership program that gives discounts and rewards to those who have a serious shoe obsession and shop regularly.

This unique shopping experience helped them stand apart from their competitors. Now they’re a household name and can use a bit more of a traditional website.

 

4) How do you make people feel like you’re talking directly to them?

Have you ever read an email, article or product description and thought; this person knows exactly how I feel! They describe your frustrations perfectly, share the same views and make you feel like you’re reading a note from a friend.

This is a benefit of choosing a target market, understanding them, and tailoring your business to them.

>> If you need help defining your target market, start here: How To Find the Correct Target Market for your Craft Business

When you try to be too broad with your products and the way you pitch them, your message can get lost.

When you get specific and imagine you’re talking to a friend who shares the same issues, goals, passions, sense of style, or even the same sense of humor as you, you end up creating a connection with your audience.

What’s the common interest your business/products share with your target market? How can you find more ways to connect with them based on that common interest?

 

Example

Fitbit is a product that has changed the way I stay active. They’ve changed a lot over the years but in the beginning, their devices were for tracking steps and movement. They were a solution for people who wanted to be active and get in shape, but weren’t necessarily into hardcore workouts.

They explain in their About section that they realize health is a serious business but they want to make the path to reaching your fitness goals, fun.

Their commercials, Facebook posts, notifications (messages that pop up on your phone letting your know you’re only 1,524 steps away from reaching your goal for the day or that a friend has pulled ahead of you in a challenge) and website text, show that getting healthy doesn’t have to be about hardcore workouts.

 

5) What would the title of your story be?

Have a flip through a newspaper or magazine and look for articles featuring businesses. You’ll have a really hard time finding titles such as “Jane started a handmade soap business” or “Kate is selling her jewelry”.

Writers need a unique angle and to be able to tell a story their readers will be interested in.

What’s your story? What are you doing that is different or interesting?

Turn that into a title you can imagine seeing in your favorite publication.

You don’t have to be saving lives to be newsworthy. Simply narrowing down your products to a specific niche can build your storyline.

If Jane started making 100% natural soap for dogs with fleas or Kate was selling celebrity red carpet style jewelry on a budget, it would instantly make their businesses more interesting than those who don’t focus on a niche. 

 

Example

TOMS started their company by selling shoes. What made their business spread like wildfire wasn’t the look of the shoe or the materials they used, it was their “one for one” business model. 

For every pair of shoes sold, TOMS gives one new pair of shoes to an impoverished child.

This concept made an instant storyline and was picked up by the Los Angeles Times. They started with 250 shoes and sold 10,000 in the six months following the feature.

 

 

Thoughtfully answering those 5 questions can help you look at your craft business in a different light, and explore ways to stand out and be memorable to consumers.