How do I get my product to the consumer?
How do I begin the marketing process?
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Let’s have a look at some examples of successful businesses in the crafts sector. These will give us a clue on what is important to be thinking about when starting a new business.
Here are the main success factors:
Let’s have a look at some examples of successful businesses in the crafts sector. These will give us a clue on what is important to be thinking about when starting a new business.
Here are the main success factors:
- Branding yourself
- Choosing a marketing plan
- Focusing on your offer
- Understanding social media
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Branding yourself means that you identify what is important for you, and can connect this to a specific market niche.
Branding means that you need to pay attention to what you want to communicate every time someone sees your logo or product.
Let's have a look at the case of Zylo Eyewear company.
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Zylo Eyewear
The Greek company Zylo Eyewear tells its consumers a lot about who they are as a brand in some of their promotional videos.
Everything you say and do defines part of your brand. Here we can see that the brand has an important connection to the place, the people, and the environment where these glasses are made.
What can you learn from these advertisements by Zylo Eyewear?
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How can you choose what is important to your brand and what is not?
How do you know if you are spreading this message to your consumers?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
Branding yourself means that you identify what is important for you, and can connect this to a specific market niche.
Branding means that you need to pay attention to what you want to communicate every time someone sees your logo or product.
Let's have a look at the case of Zylo Eyewear company.
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Zylo Eyewear
The Greek company Zylo Eyewear tells its consumers a lot about who they are as a brand in some of their promotional videos.
Everything you say and do defines part of your brand. Here we can see that the brand has an important connection to the place, the people, and the environment where these glasses are made.
What can you learn from these advertisements by Zylo Eyewear?
Advertisement 1
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How can you choose what is important to your brand and what is not?
How do you know if you are spreading this message to your consumers?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
- Decide beforehand what is important to you and don’t forget about why it is important.
- Figure out ways to include the details into your brand. Make sure you are showing people who you are.
- Allow you to be you - and if you are unique, let that shine through.
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At the beginning of your business endeavor, it is important to come up with a marketing plan.
This could mean working with professionals or going at it with just your team, but you should have a plan in place before you start, about how to reach potential customers and sell your product.
Let's have a look at the case of Cr@ftsman project.
Let's also have a look at the case of Âme Moi company.
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Âme Moi
Âme Moi, based in Portugal, recognised the importance of planning their marketing strategy before entering into the market. They spent over a year researching what they wanted to share and how they wanted to share it with potential customers. Their unique style connects them with their consumers.
The quality of the materials and the design of the final product is very important to this brand. Can you tell by looking at this video?
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How do you learn about the different options available?
How can you decide what plan will be best for you?
It is possible that you need help developing your plan?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
At the beginning of your business endeavor, it is important to come up with a marketing plan.
This could mean working with professionals or going at it with just your team, but you should have a plan in place before you start, about how to reach potential customers and sell your product.
Let's have a look at the case of Cr@ftsman project.
Let's also have a look at the case of Âme Moi company.
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Âme Moi
Âme Moi, based in Portugal, recognised the importance of planning their marketing strategy before entering into the market. They spent over a year researching what they wanted to share and how they wanted to share it with potential customers. Their unique style connects them with their consumers.
The quality of the materials and the design of the final product is very important to this brand. Can you tell by looking at this video?
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How do you learn about the different options available?
How can you decide what plan will be best for you?
It is possible that you need help developing your plan?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
- A marketing plan is a very indivudal project. Consider your needs and desires before moving forward.
- Think about using a professional or a company that works with marketing. If there is a good fit, it could save you money in the long run.
- Don’t wait – start marketing from the beginning of your project.
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What exactly are you offering and how can it benefit your clients' needs?
Understanding your clients needs, the offer already available to them and what you are trying to sell is very important. Also, make sure you understand the quality of the materials you are using and the skills of your employees. Studying the market and making sure your offer is something that fits into the current needs is a necessary step to being successful.
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There are some techniques that you can use to work on differentiating your product and making it shine in comparison to other offers in the market.
We suggest trying the Scamper technique to help you look at existing products and what you are planning to add to the market.
This tool can help you understand and market your product better by using creative brainstorming revolving around what already exists. Scamper tries to get you to ask opportune questions to find adequate solutions.
Check out how to use the tool here
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Let's have a look at the case of Missom company.
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So how to you decide what you are selling?
How can you focus on what is important to you (both in terms of your brand and making a living)?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
What exactly are you offering and how can it benefit your clients' needs?
Understanding your clients needs, the offer already available to them and what you are trying to sell is very important. Also, make sure you understand the quality of the materials you are using and the skills of your employees. Studying the market and making sure your offer is something that fits into the current needs is a necessary step to being successful.
</slider>
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There are some techniques that you can use to work on differentiating your product and making it shine in comparison to other offers in the market.
We suggest trying the Scamper technique to help you look at existing products and what you are planning to add to the market.
This tool can help you understand and market your product better by using creative brainstorming revolving around what already exists. Scamper tries to get you to ask opportune questions to find adequate solutions.
Check out how to use the tool here
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Let's have a look at the case of Missom company.
Missom, a Portuguese company, focuses on what product they can offer to their clients, in a way that no one else is doing it. This company makes individualized drumsticks to fit the needs of every drummer.
How do they do it? They have created a tool which allows them to determine what kind of drumstick is right for each individual.
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So how to you decide what you are selling?
How can you focus on what is important to you (both in terms of your brand and making a living)?
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Hints inspired by our case studies
- Figure out what is essential to your offer.
- Decide how what is important to you can be transmitted into the current market context.
- Differenciate your offer from others.
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If used correctly, social media can be a very powerful marketing tool.
Learning how to take advantage of social media could be the difference from being successful and not. That being said, if you use social media but use it incorrectly, you can waste time without any real benefits.
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The UK Crafts Council identifies five main points of social media:
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So how can you use social media?
Check out this quick infographic guide to social media, and work towards understanding what works best for you. Everyone is different, so don’t worry about taking a different path to others.
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Hints inspired by our case studies
If used correctly, social media can be a very powerful marketing tool.
Learning how to take advantage of social media could be the difference from being successful and not. That being said, if you use social media but use it incorrectly, you can waste time without any real benefits.
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The UK Crafts Council identifies five main points of social media:
- Selling: using social media as a platform to convert window shoppers to buyers
- Adding value: by telling the story behind the process
- Building audiences: reaching potential customers
- Positioning: yourself to interact with important contacts
- Networking: social media is a direct form of linking you to people that you might not be linked with otherwise
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So how can you use social media?
Check out this quick infographic guide to social media, and work towards understanding what works best for you. Everyone is different, so don’t worry about taking a different path to others.
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Hints inspired by our case studies
- Use platforms that feel right to you and that you like to use. Don’t feel the need to use all available social media options.
- Make sure your brand is consistent throughout everything you do.
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Are you ready to try it on your own?
Here are some questions for you to think of (assignments).
Consider a famous product that already exists (such as a cola product or a famous tennis shoe brand). These businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve their customer bases and loyalty.
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Are you ready to try it on your own?
Here are some questions for you to think of (assignments).
Using the 4Ps of marketing (price, place, product, and promotion), consider how different combinations of emphasis used during marketing can effect selling your product.
In the same way bakers mix different combinations of ingredients to make a cake, you have to figure out what blend of elements works best for you.
Put together three or four possible marketing plans, changing the amount of emphasis given to each of the four mentions elements. For example, high-end products would focus more on product and promotion than [high] prices, where as cheaper, disposable products would change the combination of elements to focus more on the reasonable price.
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More information on this topic (additional material)
For a more in-depth explanation of how to use the four Ps of Marketing, check out a guide like this one on Marketing Teacher, available here
Online resources such as the Entrepreneur Online Magazine has sections about marketing, and articles like “Three Steps to Effective Sales Promotions”, available here
And if you are thinking about hiring a Marketing Agency, check out what you should be looking for with Matrix Marketing Group’s blog about the possible benefits that a group of professionals provides here
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Are you ready to try it on your own?
Here are some questions for you to think of (assignments).
Consider a famous product that already exists (such as a cola product or a famous tennis shoe brand). These businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve their customer bases and loyalty.
- How could you enhance this pre-existing product in an innovate way? Be creative and try and think outside of what you already know.
- What makes your idea a good idea? How could you use it to sell an already famous product?
- For example, cola used to be a unique flavor, but now we can buy vanilla cola, cherry cola, etc. People choose a brand and a flavor that they like, but why? How can you apply this same idea to your new product?
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Are you ready to try it on your own?
Here are some questions for you to think of (assignments).
Using the 4Ps of marketing (price, place, product, and promotion), consider how different combinations of emphasis used during marketing can effect selling your product.
In the same way bakers mix different combinations of ingredients to make a cake, you have to figure out what blend of elements works best for you.
Put together three or four possible marketing plans, changing the amount of emphasis given to each of the four mentions elements. For example, high-end products would focus more on product and promotion than [high] prices, where as cheaper, disposable products would change the combination of elements to focus more on the reasonable price.
</slider>
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More information on this topic (additional material)
For a more in-depth explanation of how to use the four Ps of Marketing, check out a guide like this one on Marketing Teacher, available here
Online resources such as the Entrepreneur Online Magazine has sections about marketing, and articles like “Three Steps to Effective Sales Promotions”, available here
And if you are thinking about hiring a Marketing Agency, check out what you should be looking for with Matrix Marketing Group’s blog about the possible benefits that a group of professionals provides here
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