Online Benefits for Craft Businesses
The internet has an endless number of benefits for craftspeople,
not just as a medium for selling the end product but for each
step that leads to sales. The fact that you are reading this
shows that you already utilise the web for information but
perhaps you have not yet considered some of the following points
presented.
The ideas provided in this article have come from interviews
with craftspeople, conducted for AussieCrafts.com, in the
interest of sharing information with our peers. When boiled down
to its bare essentials this is the true essence of the internet
but it sometimes gets lost in all of the advertising and sales.
The interviews spawned a host of ways in which the internet
assists the crafters, both in their business and creatively, and
provided much insight into untangling the web.
Inspiration
When asked about the sources they use for inspiration most
craftspeople have said that the internet is a much used research
tool. This is particularly useful with commission pieces, where
a client gives a basic idea and there is a need to familiarise
yourself with the subject. Browsing websites is also great for
when you want to start a new piece but are not quite sure where
to begin. No matter what craft you do if you are stuck for ideas
on what to create there are always plenty of places to get some
quick inspiration online. The obvious way to get ideas is to
search for your craft in the search engines but some other
methods are: -Type your craft name into Google image search
-Yahoo groups on your craft often have galleries -Online stores
that sell your craft -Craft directories -Historical sites
related to your craft, most crafts did after all come from very
ancient beginnings. -Try searching for crafts that are similar
to yours, if you do pottery, for example, search for glasswork.
The colours and shapes are likely to spark new ideas.
If it's a more abstract inspiration that you need such as colour
or texture then art, photography and nature sites are fantastic
sources of ideas. Stock photography sites (such as
www.dreamstime.com), for example, have thousands of images of
almost everything imaginable. Let's say you want to create a
bead necklace that reflects the colour and movement of the
ocean. If you browse the sea and ocean category of a stock
photography site you can jot down ideas based on what you see as
you view page after page of photographs that cover every aspect
of the ocean.
Education: patterns and tutorials
There are very few crafters who believe they know everything
there is about their craft. Who of us do not want to learn
something new? The internet is the best source of tips, tricks,
patterns and tutorials on every craft imaginable, so much so
that many craftspeople no longer purchase books about their
craft. Many sites offer this information for free, as a way to
attract and keep surfers, much the same way as articles like
this are utilised. Others charge a subscription or a cost per
tutorial, often downloaded as an e-book or a pdf file. For many
crafts there are also online classes or lessons via email, again
some are free (and often include advertising) and others are
subscription based.
To find these valuable resources consider using some of the
following terms alongside your craft name: tutorial, pattern,
learn to, ebook, lesson, techniques, instructions or projects.
These keywords were tested using Google search and beading, for
example 'beading projects', and the results were astonishing. If
it a particular technique you are searching for then add that to
your search query, for example 'beading peyote technique', where
peyote is a type of beading stitch.
Purchasing tools and materials
The internet has brought about a convenient way to buy almost
anything, from anywhere in the world, and to craftspeople this
has been one the most important benefits of being online. Often
there are supplies needed for craftwork that are not available
locally and this can be the case no matter where you live. It
may be because it is only manufactured in a small area of Europe
or that there are few people working in the same craft as you
and therefore there is little demand.
Apart from availability issues nothing is better than being able
to browse many stores in a short space of time and not only get
prices but also see things without having to leave home. Ebay is
popular with many craftspeople due to the range of goods and
their prices, you can find both new and secondhand tools and
materials there. Shopping online means more time for doing what
you enjoy or what brings in your income. The world is becoming
smaller and shipping costs and delivery times are too.
Often the websites that sell crafts materials also have a range
of useful resources such as guides to using their products. They
also have convenient contact information, like email, and as
they are often craftspeople themselves can give advice on craft
specific problems.
Publicity and exhibition requests
Many of the sources that are traditionally used for publicity
such as magazines, newspapers and event organizers are now using
the internet as a way to find craftspeople. Not only is the
internet often a faster way to find what they need but it is
also a visual medium. Therefore having a website for your craft
business is not just about gaining sales and commissions but it
also provides a way for the media and galleries to see your
work.
One example of this is an artist interviewed on Aussie Crafts
who has in the last few months been contacted by a lifestyle
magazine to do an article on her work, as well as another
contact to request her involvement in an exhibition. Both of
these publicity avenues have stemmed from her website, which
contain galleries of her work.
This same artist is also a member of an organisation supporting
her medium, which has a website that lists galleries showing
members' works at any given time. There are organisations such
as this for many crafts, both global and local, that are worth
having a membership with.
Sales and commissions
The most obvious way that craftspeople are using the internet is
to sell their products to a wider market than previously
possible, what is not so obvious is that there are many ways to
do this. One artist interviewed extolled the virtues of the
internet as, "It's been huge for us. We sell artwork and DIY
kits all over the world and so put virtually all our marketing
energy into our website. We get well over five thousand visitors
every month at basically no cost and the whole world has become
our target market."
Some of the reasons people decided to sell their crafts online
include not having to deal with galleries, no commissions to
pay, less overheads than a store and the fact that there is more
time crafting and less selling.
Apart from setting up an often expensive e-commerce website
there are other means to gaining online sales: -A 'brochure'
style site, which displays the products you make but does not
sell them online. Instead it can be used to promote a market
stall, shop front, commission enquiries etc. -Many craftspeople
are selling their work in auctions at Ebay; this can be a
lucrative option for the right products. -Online craft malls are
a way to have an online presence without the hassle and
overheads of building an e-commerce site. Search for craft malls
in the search engines and you will find such sites as
craftmall.com, aokcorral.com and lilysplace.com. These sites
generally use Paypal as a payment option to take the headaches
out of online payments and are similar to Ebay without being
auction based.
Human contact
One of the common problems that people who craft for an income
mention is loneliness. Oftentimes they work at home alone and
this can be very isolating. The internet can provide avenues to
have contact with others who craft. They could be in the same
locality as you and allow for face-to-face meeting or they may
be on the other side of the world.
There are many group and organisations for most craft genres,
such as Yahoo groups or MSN chats. Often if it is a
location-based group there are classes and retreats organised
for people to come together and learn. These groups can become
invaluable for technical advice, feedback and learning but also
that human contact that is a necessary part of life.
Client contact
Email is a fantastic way to keep in touch with clients and
industry contacts. It is so much cheaper than a phone call (i.e.
free) and is much less time consuming. Email provides a simple
means to show clients' examples or progress on a work via
photograph attachments. It also provides a record of all
communication.
Online messaging systems, available for free from MSN and Yahoo,
are also useful ways to keep in contact with customers. These
can even be used to give online support by providing your
identification name on your website. However these systems can
become a time waster instead of saver if you are not careful.