Three Ways to Creatively Brand Your Craft Business*

As i’ve mentioned a few times, I’m self employed and theoretically run my own business (although I’m not sure how much of a business you can have writing website content, but there we go) so I know just how hard it can be to make yourself stand out, especially if you’re quintessentially British, like myself, and struggle to blow your own trumpet. In this day and age, and the way the county is going, a lot of people want to work for themselves as they can control their hours and work load which is something that is especially important for parents due to the rising cost of childcare.

If writing or social media like what I do, isn’t a viable way for you to earn an income, a popular business venture is a creative one. Whether you design t-shirts, art work that can be turned into things such as pin badges or patches, sew clothes, make toys or jewellery, there will be a slot for you. But without a doubt one of the first things you need to do is create a brand that will set you a part and have people taking you serious as a business rather than someone who makes things for a hobby.

As a brand you can look at things like social media presence and even give a face to your company. It’s proven that this makes you more relatable and people are more likely to buy from you.

So how can you brand your craft business? Here are three creative ways;

Have a Logo Designed
A logo is a vital part of branding yourself as a business and it’s the first big step you need to take as your logo will go on everything. A logo needs to be two things, eye catching and memorable and whether you design it yourself or pay someone to design it, you need to be creative and original so it isn’t a copy of any of the millions of logos already out there. There are loads of different approaches to this, you could go with simply the name of your company, think of something like the Coke branding, or you can have an image that represents your company, going with my favourite the famous castle of the Walt Disney Animation company, or a mixture of both.

Build a Website & Accompanying Social Media
Once you have your logo you can make a start on your social media presence. If your creative business is going to thrive and earn you a respectable income, you need to be able to sell to a larger audience than you’d find at your run of the mill local craft fair. This is especially important if you one day wish to be stocked in stores. You need to have an easy to navigate and purchase from website, and you need to have a social media presence. There is a huge movement on buying locally and from small businesses, having a social media presence will mean you have a face and a personality, the consumer likes that. This is all part of your brand and if you don’t think you’re technologically minded enough you can even hire a digital marketing company that can do this all for you.

If you really want to get your business noticed, it’s worth hiring a company such as Eight Engines, to help you create a marketing video that you can use on your website and social media. When you have a business that relies on creativity you need to be eye catching and let’s face it, we’ve all sat and watched crafting videos on social media platforms and thought “how can I do that?” When you use a video for digital marketing in promotion, it gives your company that extra boost and makes them stand out.

Package Your Products
If you’ve purchased a svg pack this will be easy for you to do as you’ll have the tools you need to create anything from tags to business cards. So if you’re making a product to sell, not only do you need the product to stand out and be worthy of someone buying, but the way you market that product is important too. To look professional you should think about adding tags and packaging that has your brand on it. Include a business card encouraging the buyer to leave a review. All these things are important to the growth of your business and survival in such a competitive market.

It’s not easy to stand out when you’re just starting a business, but taking the right steps to correctly brand yourself is vital and can make the difference between you business surviving or failing in the first year.