You’ve got the passion, you’ve got the skills, and you’ve turned your paper-loving hobby into a real, live stationery business. Depending on where you’ve opened shop (Etsy, Shopify, or even a brick and mortar), the only thing standing in the way between you and your first order is getting the word out. That’s right, to create a thriving business, you’ve got to attract your customers to your store through marketing.
And depending on your personality, that could either sound fun or it could have you breaking out in hives. That’s why we titled this, “Getting the Word Out.” That’s all marketing is... utilizing different platforms, tools, and strategies to share your beautiful products with the right people.
Today, we’re going to be diving into the world of marketing, focusing on a few different strategies that will help you get the word out about your incredible business. So, grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started!
Marketing Can Make or Break Your Business
It’s not enough just to have a great product line; you also need a great strategy to get your products in front of the right people. Without a strategy for getting the word out, it’ll be hard to gain enough traction for your business to get it up and running. And when we say strategy, we mean a real strategy, not just sharing about your business at family gatherings. For instance, if your strategy so far has been chatting with Uncle Harry at Christmas about your collection of floral thank-you cards, you may want to rethink your strategy. (No offense, Uncle Harry!)
Marketing Strategies that Will Help You Get the Word Out
Believe it or not, nearly 50% of new ventures don’t make it past their first five years.1 But don’t worry, we believe that with a great strategy, some helpful tools, and endless amounts of passion to keep you going, you can make it! So now that you know just how important this marketing thing is, let’s dive into the basics.
Have you ever heard of a customer profile? It’s essentially a picture of your ideal customer. Who is most attracted to the products you’re offering? Are there any patterns you see or similarities in the people who have purchased from you so far? Who resonates most with what you have to sell? If you’re not sure, it’s time to dig in.
If you haven’t made a ton of sales and don’t have a lot of customers to choose from, you get to do some market research. Think about the products you’re offering. Whom do you visualize using them the most? If you create custom wedding invitations, your target customer may be a newly engaged female in her 20’s or 30’s.
Once you have some information on your customers, find out where they’re hanging out and meet them there. If you’re marketing to moms who need the perfect to-do list tracker, you may find that they’re hanging out most on Instagram. The beautiful thing about technology is that you can create content and pay for ads that will show up in their feed when they’re most likely to see it. (Now getting them to stop the scroll is on you!)
The bottom line? Getting insight into who your ideal customers are will help you know how to create a strategy, where to spend your time, and how to reach them.
Now that you know who you’re marketing to, you’ve got to figure out where they’re hanging out and show up there. There are a million different social media platforms these days, and trying to show up and engage with each one intentionally is hard to do. So instead of stressing about how you’re going to get the word out and be intentional with everyone everywhere, focus on just getting the word out somewhere.
Create and batch your content. Utilize that platform’s business tools (if they have them) and put ads in front of your customers. Learn what stops the scroll and stick to those things.
Don’t worry, all of this takes time. So, if you’re not seeing any traction as you build your following, don’t give up! Keep showing up and pressing in.
The bottom line? You don’t have to show up everywhere to make a sale. You just have to be intentional with the platforms you have.
When you view your business as a tool to help you serve your ideal customers with the very products that will help them, it’ll be easier to keep showing up. It’ll be easier to talk about your products, to build connections, and to market your brand without that “ick” feeling. Many small business owners struggle with marketing because they don’t like to talk about themselves. And if that’s you, it can be easier to share your business with others when you view it through the “helpful human” lens.
There is no perfect tool. What works for one business owner may not work for you and vice versa. The best tool for you is the one that you’re going to use. These could be project management tools, content marketing tools, social media scheduling tools, or something else. So, while you try to find ways to serve your customers with your stationery, look for tools that will help you save time while doing just that.
The bottom line? The best marketing strategies don’t have to be complicated. They just have to be intuitive.
Find Your People
We know firsthand that when you’re a solo entrepreneur, business can get lonely. You have to wear a lot of hats, work in the margins of your days, and it can feel isolating. We want to encourage you to find your people. The stationery industry is filled with so many incredible creatives who love to help each other out! So, if you’re just stepping out on a limb, find some fellow stationers, reach out, and create a network. Remember to keep striving for community over competition. When we help each other out, we can build some incredible things.
If this article was helpful, be sure to visit PrintsWell University for more. We love to encourage stationers everywhere as they grow in their businesses. And if you’re looking for a printing partner, we’d love to work with you! Fill out an application here, and let’s get started.