For those of us who do sewing, crafting or alterations as a home based and/or internet based business, we keep hearing about finding our own “niche”. How do you find your own niche, and to follow that — what is niche marketing?
What type of business do you have? Sewing? Crafting? Alterations? That’s the easy question. Now think about what it is that you do that people can say “you’re the only person I know that makes these” or “you’re the first one I’ve seen that has this or that”. The “niche” in your business would be that service or those crafts that nobody else is doing or making. The step to take next is to expand on that particular product or service. You may have the “corner on the market” with Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls, or with the particular type of purses that you make, etc.
Once you’ve figured out that particular product or service that you have that very few or nobody else is doing, make a variety of styles or sizes, or personalize the products for customers, then promote them in as many places as you can. If you’re online, see about linking your website / blog to other websites that would compliment what you have in order to increase your sales. If you do craft fairs, highlight those items that only you have available – make sure they are visible from all sides of your booth.
As a couple of examples of finding a niche and following through with it, I will have to add my own “niche” website, PlusSizeChildren, which was started because of a friend’s very overweight and obese child that my friend could never find clothes that fit. By making a series of patterns for this child, word got out about the patterns I was making and immediately I got the “you’re the only place that has patterns using actual plus size children’s measurements”. There you go – the answer then was to expand on what I had that nobody else offered.
A second example would have to be my own daughter, whose love of sewing, crafting and designing found herself “thrown into” a niche of making designer coupon totes when she and her husband lost their “day” jobs due to the economy.
What do you do or make that nobody else does, or that nobody else does as well as you do? Now think about where you could do some marketing of that product or service. If you have a hometown newspaper, you might talk to some folks there as they are always looking for things to write special articles about — you could be the next featured article in the paper. Write to a few websites that are in a similar marketing area as what you have and ask about doing a “giveaway” of one of your special products. This could lead to quite a few sales once all those people who have entered the “giveaway” go to your site and check out those special items.
Don’t let your special sewing or crafting talent just go by the wayside — get it into the public eye and watch your sales increase!
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