Recession proof your arts and crafts business

We all know that the arts and crafts business is not the easiest business to succeed, even in the best of economic times. This business is plagued with ups and downs that are out of your control.

Trends that had been in style for months or years suddenly died out, and new and unexpected fashion niches developed overnight. There are a few things you can do to help your Arts and Crafts business succeed for years to come.

The good news is that money is not going away. There will still be people buying gifts and decorating houses and going on vacations. All of these people will try to get the best value for every dollar they spend in any circumstance.

Sell ​​the service aspect If you are selling crafts, your market may change a bit. People will look for quality and an exact fit to their needs. So in these times of economic recession, service becomes extremely important. If you are a producer of arts or crafts you can do custom work. Can you make a painting of the same subject but scaled to fit the exact measurements of the clients? Can you install that custom piece of furniture you built? Are there colors or finishes you can offer that your competitors can’t duplicate?

Service becomes very important, and people will be willing to pay a little more for a product if there is tons of high-quality service to back it up. To succeed in times of recession you will have to work harder, but your business will benefit in the long run from this.

Have multiple price points Depending on your art or craft, price may become an issue. Let’s take painting as an example. You may have been selling large canvases (for example, 4ft by 6ft) and are beginning to see a slowdown in this niche of this market. Try to make some canvases in the size of 3 foot by 4 foot and 2 foot by 3 foot. Keep some of the larger canvases to attract your buyers. You will find that many will opt for the smaller canvases if they have financial considerations.

Try to develop multiple price points so that you broaden the appeal to your customers. Occasionally there will be sales of high priced items. You’ll find that most of your sales come from mid-priced products, so make sure you have plenty of mid-range products on hand.

An old tip, but one that still works, is to take your top end and make it your mid-range price point. Suddenly, you have expanded your business and your customers will still tend to buy what you normally produce. This is a bit tricky as you don’t want to invest a lot in your new high-end products. It can make you gain weight and set you up for financial collapse.

Teaching If you’re skilled in your medium or if you own a shop and have a good relationship with your artisans, set up classes in the process. Many people can justify spending a course on “Learn to do______” (fill in the blank with your idea) before they can justify the purchase. With the courses there is an opportunity to sell supplies, tools, books and secondary level courses. Done right this can be very lucrative. People develop an interest in arts and crafts, and in their mind they get good value for money. They have fun, they socialize, they do something that gives them pleasure and they are entertained, all at the same time.

One fee and they receive as much benefit. It just so happens that you also receive some financial benefit.

use the internet The most powerful marketing tool of the modern age is the Internet. If sales for your particular arts and crafts business are down in your area, it doesn’t mean they’re down in another geographic region. You need a website and you need to promote your business all over the world. This expands your potential customer base to massive proportions. It’s not as difficult to build a website as you might think.

If you are a potter, you can promote your pottery in galleries around the world, as well as get “traffic” to your own website. Consider using a video of the formation process to interest clients in the practical aspect of their art or craft.

Recession times don’t have to cripple your business. Always keep your customer in mind and go that extra step to make them feel valued. You may have to work a little harder for the next time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t survive.