Starting a Successful Creative Scrapbooking Business, Part III
Every scrapbook is unique and inviting; as a creative scrapbooking professional, your marketing should be as eye-catching and irresistible as your creations. Even if you have only a few hundred dollars to spend, you can absolutely woo clientele using grassroots methods to showcase your creative scrapbooking acumen.
Educate Others in the Art Form of Creative Scrapbooking
One of the fastest ways to turn yourself from an unknown scrapbooker into a creative scrapbooking expert is to teach a class on the art of creating a fabulous, memorable scrapbook.
Though you might initially be wary that if you tell others your creative scrapbooking secrets, they wont use your creative scrapbooking business, that usually doesnt happen. Instead, what occurs is that your students see you as a professional in the arena of scrapbook design and development. Thus, when they want an important scrapbook (e.g., for their daughters Bar Mitzvah or husbands retirement celebration), they will immediately think of you. After all, they might enjoy creative scrapbooking, but they dont necessarily feel confident enough to construct a special scrapbook on their own.
You can work with many community centers, schools, college campuses, and libraries to offer your creative scrapbooking courses. Expect to spend a bit of money on advertising, room rental (though you can often snag a free space if youre a start-up), and creative scrapbooking paraphernalia, though its still much less of an investment than if you paid for a full page, 4-color ad in the Sunday paper.
Write About Scrapbooking
Another way to become an instant creative scrapbooking guru is to write articles or tips about creative scrapbooking. Sometimes, smaller community papers will print such items as filler for their circulars. Alternately, if a local sewing center or arts and crafts store offers a newsletter to patrons, you might be able to become a guest columnist. (Or perhaps you can offer to write your own creative scrapbooking newsletter gratis if they agree to pass it out to consumers.)
Will you receive a ton of creative scrapbooking business from this type of subtle marketing? Probably not. But you will be building your reputation as your areas premier creative scrapbooking authority. You will also be able to tell prospective customers that youve published items on the topic of creative scrapbooking, always an impressive credential to tout (and a resume booster as well.)
Start a Scrapbooking Blog and/or Web site
In todays cyber society, blogs and Web sites are fairly inexpensive, so theres no reason not to get online and start talking about your creative scrapbooking know-how and burgeoning creative scrapbooking company.
For example, you could quickly set up a blog 100% devoted to the tricks of the creative scrapbooking trade in an effort to attract persons from around the world to your site. Though most of them wont become clients, you stand to gain instant exposure. And who knows? The family down the street may wind up stopping by your creative scrapbooking Web site and hiring you to redo their three sons baby books!
Never Stop Selling Yourself or Your Scrapbooking Abilities!
Its critical that you never stop selling yourself and your creative scrapbooking business if you are serious about succeeding in this infant industry with huge profit potential.
This may mean stepping out of your comfort zone and becoming a master at self-promotion. If you have an innate fear of networking, its time to overcome your worries and learn how to shake some hands. Remember that you wont be the first entrepreneur who took a plunge into the unknown.
To become a better press generator on behalf of your creative scrapbooking business, youll have to force yourself to try again and again. However, if the process becomes achingly difficult and hampers your desire to scrapbook, it may be time to hire someone to promote your business on your behalf. Yes, this is a last ditch measure, but if it keeps your dream alive, its worth the cost to bring on a partner who isnt afraid of a good sales pitch. (And many individuals will work with start-ups on a commission basis, which is terrific news for your budget!)
A Final Note about Ethics and Your Scrapbooking Venture
Though its imperative that you keep up standards and operate ethically and legally (the tax man will cometh whether you like it or not!), that doesnt mean you cant be innovative. Constantly seek out ways to differentiate yourself from other scrapbook artists and allow yourself to grow personally and professionally.
Love your work, and that positive attitude mingled with creative scrapbooking talent will draw customer inquiries and have you wondering why you didnt begin your creative scrapbooking company sooner.
Michele Cardello, director of marketing and creative for Life Imprints, a creative scrapbooking supplies company also offering contemporary picture frames, in Cleveland, Ohio, has worked in the photo packaging industry for 10 years. Cardello helps customers find creative ways to preserve and appreciate a lifetime of memories.
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