Meet Sarah: The girl who lead me to make $10,000 at craft shows

This past year through seven different craft shows I managed to make over $10,000 profit. Some of you crafters might say that is not possible, some may say it was luck or a fluke, or others might say it is all about my skill level. But the truth is before I committed to a single show, I had made a plan revolved around Sarah, my imaginary customer.

Meet Sarah:

“Sarah is a trendy young professional or upper level college student. She enjoys the outdoors, going on adventures and enjoying time with friends. She isn’t afraid to be herself and stand out of the crowd. Sarah is willing to pay a higher price for quality items. She enjoys shopping at boutiques for one of a kind items.”

Who is your ideal customer and target market?

The first and most important question you can ask yourself is who are you selling to? It is important to pick your ideal customer and describe him or her. It is important to define who they are, and what they are shopping for. You should also think about what shows they are mostly likely to shop at and what retail stores they enjoy.  The more detail you can go into about your ideal customer, the better you can plan for success. If you are not sure who you want to sell to, think about what you like to make.  Talk to your friends and family about what they would like to purchase.  The description of Sarah took me almost two weeks to write. She sets the tone for the entire craft show season.

Sarah, can be as, if not more important than making the actual items. Sarah gives my brand focus. With all the other crafters at the shows {{some OVER 400 crafters stands}}, it is important to have an established idea of who you are selling to. With that focus it is easier to differentiate yourself from all of the competition. From her description I knew exactly what shows I wanted to sell at (and what ones to avoid), the patterns/designs that would be a hit, and the on trend colors I needed to use to appeal most to my customer. Sarah is the reason behind all of the little details from the buttons I selected to the design of the logo and price tags. Sarah also inspired me on the layout and design of my booth.

Your ideal customer is  going to be different from mine, like a snowflake, no two are the same. The important thing is to remember what your crafting strengths are. Focus your abilities on the products your ideal customers want.  In today’s world you are not only competing with the other crafters at the show, but also all of the ones online. Etsy.com has over 500,000 crafters and artist with products for sale. You need to stand out to those who you want to buy your stuff, creating a ideal customer is the first way to make your products stand out!

For more information on creating a target market or an ideal customer check out these two great marketing websites:

http://www.inc.com/guides/201104/how-to-narrow-your-target-market.html
http://www.craftbusinesshome.com/targetmarket.html

With a  passion that was ignited by sitting on her Nana’s lap helping crochet beautiful works of art, Samm Rian strives to carry on the tradition of practical and stylish wearable art for an everyday woman. Having designed over 200 patterns, inspired by the beauty and chill of Upper Michigan, Samm has just started sharing and publishing with fellow crafters. Her first design, Darlin’ Little Deer Hat, has already had more than 10,000 downloads in it’s first 6 months published.  Samm prides her design aesthetic on classic crochet with a young twist by incorporating chucky textures and clean lines, much unlike her crazy workspace.