what marketing can (and can't) do for your business

I’ve been kicking around some ideas about what to do with the content from the Marketing Kick Start workshop.  There’s so much information that I’ve decided to launch my very first e-course this fall, Marketing for Makers (and Designers, Crafters, and Artists too)!

I chose marketing as the first of the workshops to roll into a longer e-course because marketing always seems like the topic most of us wish we knew more about.  We always think, “my business would be successful if only I had the time and knowledge to market it better.”  Most of us know we have to get better at “marketing” but we aren’t really sure what that means.

Most often, marketing efforts revolve around two goals – driving traffic to your business and getting that traffic to make a purchase when they get to you.  (There is actually a middle goal in there, which is to get someone to connect with your brand by signing up for a newsletter, following you on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribing to your blog, all in the hopes that they’ll make a purchase in the future.)  A good marketing strategy (like the one I’ll be sharing in the Marketing for Makers e-course) needs to focus on both of those aspects.

But, here’s the rub.  The best marketing strategy in the world can’t make up for a shaky business foundation.  If your business model isn’t profitable (or if you’re selling products at or below cost) then using marketing to create more sales isn’t actually going to result in more income.  If your products aren’t interesting or appealing, you can market forever and you just won’t see much interest.  If you don’t have a good accounting system in place, then more marketing isn’t going to help if you run into a cash flow crunch.  (And it won’t save you if the IRS shuts you down for failing to pay taxes.)

But, if you do have a solid foundation in place, here’s what marketing CAN do for your business:

Marketing can bring more traffic to your business.  It can help create countless devoted fans who are excited to buy whenever you launch a new product and who talk about your products to everyone you meet.  It can help drive sales to new levels and bring in more money than you’re currently making.  It can take you from relative obscurity to near fame.  (Well, at least fame in your niche.) It can be the secret between business success and business failure.

So, if you’re interested in learning the best ways to market your craft business, sign up for the Marketing for Makers e-course list to be the first to know when registration opens.  (And space will be limited, so trust me, you’ll want to be among the first to know!)

Not only will I be sharing lots of tips, tricks, and secrets for marketing your products, but using the e-course format you’ll get weekly assignments that will help you create your own strategy to successfully market your business.  (Plus, you’ll be able to interact with your fellow e-course participants.)  If you want to be the first to know when registration opens for the e-course (and to get a really great deal on the registration cost), make sure you sign up for the Marketing for Makers email list.

And if you’re looking for help getting the foundation of your business on more solid ground, you can check out my Make it Work sessions, where we can talk about everything from getting your pricing in order to designing the next must have product.