WoodMarvels.com Marketing Advice

I’ve been working very hard developing a unique character for WoodMarvels.com, whether it’s the attention to small details or creating things that have never been seen before. I really enjoy the creative process and I would like to share with you my top 10 ways to get the most out of your business if you happen to be in a field that also relies on production to turn a profit.

10: Offer multiple sizes

Having one product with a take-it or leave-it approach is risky. Why not diversify and offer the same piece at different sizes to hit multiple price-points? This changes the question regarding a purchase from stark to choice. For instance, if you create a table that looks great in a living room, why not make a scaled version for a child to enjoy or even a miniature?

9: Create a product line

With modern on-demand technology, you have the power to create just about anything, so why not take the bull by the horns and develop an entire product line or series of designs based around one particular theme? This is what the big guys do! Now you can too! It costs nothing but your time to create something unique and to showcase that uniqueness in several different ways.

8: Diversify your holdings

People may love one of your designs but if all you have to offer is a handful to chose from, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. If your claim to fame is a certain color scheme, design element or combination of materials, why not create a bunch of other things across other fields in order to further broaden the appeal of your products?

7: Participate!

How do you expect people to find-out about your designs if you take a vow of silence? There are a tonne of blogs out there to get your name out to a larger audience. Start by commenting and work your way up to a guest post. There are also lots of different types of niche forums and bulletin boards crawling with potential customers or even distributors. These are all things that cost nothing to do and can really help people discover your work.

6: Get your products on other sites

Get your stuff on third party sites as well. Most of these sites cost next to nothing to join and allow you the opportunity of showcasing your products to an entirely new set of eyes. Here is a short list for your references:

http://www.etsy.com (might as well be free!)
http://www.artfire.com (free!)
http://en.dawanda.com (free!)
http://www.1000markets.com (free!)
http://www.shophandmade.com (free!)

5: Don’t fear failure nor rejection

If you have an idea for something, no matter how crazy, give it a try and see what happens. Don’t let the fear of rejection or failure temper your desire to create some really unique items. You won’t know if something is successful until you give it a try and unleash it upon the marketplace.

4: Create your own website

It costs nothing to set-up your own blog (to promote your products), e-commerce site (sell your products) nor to accept online payments from customers. You can even get some free hosting with a little searching! There is no reason why you should not seriously consider launching your own marketplace to sell and promote the products you create. Here are a few links to get you started:

http://paypal.com
http://wordpress.org (or http://wordpress.com)
http://www.magentocommerce.com

3: Promote your products across multiple mediums!

You just created the most amazing chair that has ever seen and got a few pictures… great! Why not make a slide-show or video showing how you assembled it… or even an infomercial selling your product. I know for my own site, the videos we create showing the assembly of our WoodMarvels.com products really get us a lot of hits each month, this is fantastic marketing that works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free! Here are a few resources that you may find very helpful:

http://tubemogul.com (free video distribution across multiple providers)
http://www.instructables.com (learn and share knowledge)

2: Have everything shipped together

If your design requires nuts, bolts or other items requiring the customer to source it themselves or you having to re-ship the item to complete the sale, you aren’t taking full advantage of on-demand manufacturing and logistics. Try to include as much of your components required in your design, part of your design. Bolts and dowels can be easily replaced with a little ingenuity and design modification to create something just as strong to ship directly to the customer, with everything cut and ready to go from the get-go.

Here is a great example of how I modified a design (heavily) from having to use round wooden dowels that required the customer to visit a hardware store and cut the dowels to size into one that is all inclusive.

New Straddle Carrier which includes everything (but string)

Old Straddle Carrier which requiring customer sourcing

1: Never stop designing!

So, you created one item and are waiting to see how the marketplace responds to it before you do anything else. Unless you are incredibly lucky, I believe this is completely the wrong approach. Each and every time you design something, whether it’s big, small, simple or complex, you are LEARNING a little bit more about design. The moment you stop is the moment stagnation sets in and learning stops. It may take you 5 designs or even 100 before you get your first sale but if you love what you do really wish to perfect your craft, you have to just put your head in the sand and keep going at it day in and day out. For instance, the two videos you saw above of the same design are about a year apart.

Did I forget anything? Feel free to comment!