Over the past year, there have been many conversations centered on change through diversity, equity, and inclusion, and social justice. This increased focus has given forward-thinking businesses the mandate to develop a brand strategy that addresses the diverse and evolving customer needs and expectations. One important starting point is drafting a diversity and inclusion statement for your website.
Craft business owners use Instagram to build community, show process shots, and display a portfolio of work. New opportunities can come in as a result, but it’s all dependent on keeping up with your Direct Messages. We ask a variety of craft business owners how they stay on top of their Instagram DMs.
Whether you are hiring your first employee, or you already have a staff of hundreds, recruiting best practices are critical for your business. Strong recruiting practices have significant benefits for any organization.
In this webinar, expert copywriter Ashlyn Carter will teach you how to create marketing copy that converts browsers into buyers. Learn to write words that sell, coaching customers through their potential objections, and making your brand stand out among the competition.
Substack is a new email marketing service that allows content creators to directly monetize their newsletters. Could this be a good option for craft-based businesses?
Quilting teacher Mel Beach explains how taking comedy improv classes has helped her to develop public speaking skills, confidence, and the ability to think on her feet, all things she’s used in her creative business.
Use these tips when taking on custom orders so you can be sure to get paid on time and in full.
Many craft companies have stopped sending out catalogs in an effort to cut costs and due to environmental concerns, but others are ramping up this print strategy and including DIY inspirational content that reaches people directly in their homes.
Read 10 tips – from what you can do immediately to what you can do when the crisis is over – from Craft Industry Alliance, complete with resources to help you ensure your small craft business stays connected to customers during this public health crisis.
This week Yarn Market News, the trade magazine for the yarn industry, announced that the January 2020 issue will be it’s last.
Swatched is a new documentary series featuring knitwear and crochet designers. The pilot features designer Andrea Tong. The project’s goal is to showcase the diversity of stories within the industry.
Row By Row Experience has been relaunched as Quilters Trek, an inclusive shop hop that encourages quilters to visit brick-and-mortar quilt shops all summer long.
Creating a Facebook group for your business can be a great way to build community, giving your customers and fans a way to interact with each other and to learn from you. Here’s what you need to know to set one up successfully.
Laura Zander, founder of Jimmy Beans Wool, has been incredibly successful at getting press for her business. She says the most important thing is to understand what your story is really about and to reach out and tell it.
Text messaging, or SMS, can be used as a powerful marketing tool. Text messages have a 98% open rate. Find out how to use SMS to reach your customers directly.
With the recent launch of the Etsy Design Awards (AKA the Etsies) and with applications to the Spoonflower Small Business Grant open through August 15, 2019, we wanted to explore why craft businesses participate in awards competitions, and what’s to be gained.
No matter how long you’ve been doing public presentations you likely still get that sick feeling in your stomach just before walking on stage. Public speaking anxiety is incredibly common. Although most of us struggle with it at least to some degree, there are tried and true techniques you can teach yourself that can make a big difference in your level of ease on stage.
Using a canned response can help reduce your time answering common questions from customers or prospective clients. It’s as simple as cut+paste, then customizing the message as you see fit.
In a perfect world, business would run smoothly. Customers would never leave negative feedback or attack a merchant for a perceived injustice. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world. Sometimes you must take the good with the bad and adapt as situations arise. So how do you handle difficult and stressful situations? Are there ways to prevent misunderstandings and future problems?
Customers are like snowflakes; no two are alike. Some are wonderful people that reinforce your belief in humanity while others make you question why you ever got out of bed. Thankfully, most customers fall somewhere in the middle and are pleasant, happy people. It’s important to recognize the potential high maintenance customers before you accept their orders and to be aware of potential business challenges you may face. So how do you spot different personalities?