Getting Your Scrapbook Business Off the Ground

As modern living has offered luxuries to more families, hobbies are becoming a standard part of everyday life. People need a creative outlet to express their emotions and wind down from the hustle and bustle. These are just a few reasons why scrapbooking has become such a popular hobby. If you already love to scrapbook, turning it into a small business makes a lot of sense. However, if there isn’t already a core of scrapbook hobbyists in your area, how do you successfully launch this venture? There are many things that you can do to ensure that overall success and viability of a new scrapbook business.

Create Exposure
Like any business venture, your biggest challenge and most important work will be to create exposure. The more people that you can get to express interest in the hobby, the greater your ultimate customer base will be.

There are many ways to expose the community to the hobby of creating scrapbooks. It makes sense to start with family and friends. When you get an invitation to a special event, such as a baby shower or wedding, bring a pre-decorated scrapbook as a gift. In almost all instances, you will get a lot of comments about the presentation. You will not only have given a notable gift, but also gotten the attention of the other guests.

Craft or street fairs can also be a great way to show people what you and your products have to offer. Don’t expect too many sales to happen at these events, especially right away. You are working to build awareness and increase your customer base, so keep that in mind. Include plenty of freebies and drawings. These allow you to begin collecting names and addresses that can be used to send out advertising blitzes as your business grows. These names are gold, so if you get nothing else from these events but new contacts, consider the fair a success.

Educate Consumers
Many people are interested in scrapbooking, but are intimidated by the process. As a business, you want your customer base to be comfortable with the supplies and techniques that are used in preserving memories. Offer plenty of classes. Some shops give introductory classes for free, offering fuller featured instruction for those who want to continue with the craft. Other people create interest by providing free instruction, but charging for the materials- all of which come from the showroom floor. For communities that are less aware of what scrapbooking offers, you may want to favor a more liberal approach until you feel that the interest is firmly there.

Use Technology
As a paper artist yourself, it can be common to forget that scrapbooks come in all shapes, sizes and types. If you focus completely on physical products, you will eliminate a potential clientele. The younger generations especially are married to their gadgets. They may express a lack of time to cut and paste paper products. If you haven’t already, play around with the many products that are marketed to digital scrapbook aficionados. Digital scrapbooking is done in whole or part on a personal computer, often utilizing a program such as Photoshop. If this isn’t your forte, find a partner or employee who can offer this to your customers.

Partner with Professionals
Finally, don’t forget that networking is key to any business. As a scrapbook business owner, your best business friends will be professionals such as photographers and executives. Meet together to determine what it is that you have to offer and reciprocate with things like referrals.

Getting your scrapbook business started isn't hard, but it will take time and consistent effort. Create a marketing plan, make contacts and get your business noticed!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Learn More You can find more scrapbook business tips along with a free eCourse and scrapbook business roadmap at www.ScrapbookBusinessTips.com.

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