{how to brand your handmade business.}

Ohhhh, branding. I heart you and your power.

A little bit ago I received an email from April asking about how to brand a handmade business, so I’ve taken her answers below [Qs 2-5] and I’m answering them in a really casual manner. The idea is to offer you some quick answers on branding so you feel inspired to work on yours. If you have additional questions for me, leave them in the comments… I’ll reply there so everyone to see ♥.

Having a cohesive brand can be super easy & simple to achieve, but I think knowing what you’re trying to create/communicate is key to branding success. I mean, if you’re the designer then you definitely know the product you’re trying to share, right? So to make this happen, make a list of what you want to communicate, then make a list of how that could be transferred over to your brand’s style. I do believe if you create a brand that’s fun and true to your product/style it can be something you end up obsessing over, because it’s just that much fun to work with. [It’ll be a good kind of obsession, of course *wink*.] Having a solid brand will help your products work *for* you and will help you create eye candy on your blog/shop — your readers/customers will love you for it. And, you’ll love yourself, too :]

How to brand your handmade business:

1. Ummm, what is branding? Branding is an identifiable mark of ownership that you apply to your shop, product or blog. It probably includes your logo but it can also be something relateable to style, like a signature design or color palette [in my case, my signature ruffle]. Your brand can be included on your business cards, packaging, your blog or shop header, through your product photography, a newsletter, etc. Your brand is something that when people see it, they instantly recognize the product as YOURS.

2. Where do you even start with branding — should you keep your blog/biz both the same for easier recognition with your clients/customers? I say keep it simple to start out, but later when you feel comfortable and confident, extend it to other areas of your business. For a blog, consider your header, the style of your writing, your post titles, your buttons. For a shop, also include your packaging and business cards. Think of branding as a way to unify EVERYTHING, but on a simple level. Even if you start out small, make sure you start out solid with your brand. If you have a blog and you promote your shop on it, I recommend both having some similar branding. This style can be through font, colors, overall aesthetic style. There should be some similarity with the two.

3. When starting up {as I am} you want to be as professional as possible, but the costs can add up quick — where do you draw the line? Business cards, branding logos, web fees {for blog hosting as well as a shop like big cartel}, packaging materials, promotional items… My advice is to figure how much money you have to spend, and from there decide how/where your money should be spent. If you’re a start-up business really work towards being debt-free. Maybe you pull money from your savings, but try and work with cash {instead of credit}. Also, write down your business goals, your ideas for products and promotions, and ways to grow. These goals will help you to decide how much money should be spent on branding. If you’re only so-so interested in your shop then you won’t need to spend the same kind of money as you would if you were super, super excited and are ready to get started NOW :] So, I think the line can be drawn at how much you have/want to spend along with how far you want to take your business. I would suggest having business cards designed [www.overnightprints.com is a GREAT resource for printing], have a pretty blog/shop header, purchase some simple packaging supplies [brown paper bags are darling and can be sealed with a custom sticker, or punch 2 holes + string ribbon/twine through to close up the bag]. Also,Freckled Nest is a great company to work with for design help.

4. And if you do start “small” and work your way up, how do you promote yourself if you don’t have much of a shop following to begin with. I know Twitter and Facebook are out there, but how else can you put your brand/logo out in the world to generate buzz? Twitter and Facebook *are* great social media sites to work with and I think every business should have a Twitter account and Facebook fan page. Seriously :] Every great idea needs a little bit of time to grow, but it’s like a snowball that once you start [and you have a solid brand that will help people to easily recognize your work] you’ll start to see results [in a little bit of time these results will grow quickly]. Yeah, the Internet is humungo, but my experience has been that it helps to make the world feel a little bit smaller. It’s amazing how quickly your, “Oh, I know/have heard of them” list grows when you’re using the Internet to help you connect with others. Create a newsletter, use your blog as a platform for your ideas and thoughts. Read other blogs and comment/email the writers. Just introduce yourself :] Just be yourself.

5. Branding — is it worthwhile to spend time doing it yourself or would you recommend forking out the money upfront to have something really professional and unique? Of course you want to look like you know what you are doing and like you are a shop that will stick around! Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. I think learning how something works is really key in growing a business. Even if you learn it just so you’re educated on the subject, but you hire someone else to do it for you, it’s worth it because it will come in handy down the road. This question really speaks to me because it’s exactly how I started sewing and customizing my Blogspot blog. It’s why I have a custom Facebook fan page. It’s how I know how to write code for a button [or a handful of other HTML thingies :] ]. Google is a fantastic tool, as is the public library [!!!], and honestly — most of the time when I’m asked how I did something I respond with, Google. I’m not trying to be rude or unhelpful, I just want to encourage other gals to have more confidence in themselves. Looking back I sort of giggle at the extra steps I took when sewing or customizing my blog, but now that I really understand the how & why I now speed through those same steps. YOU CAN DO IT ♥ – I know you can.

*Bonus tip: When dreaming of your brand and what it should look like, think of what you are creating/sharing. Thing of how it makes the customer feel, what does it sound like, what kind of experiences/adventures do your customers have with your product. What kind of emotions are you prompting your readers to feel? Use your 5 senses to help you brainstorm a fabulous brand: hear, see, touch, smell, and taste.

♥ Have a question? Want to share some encouragement with fellow handmade biz owners? Leave a comment below.
xoxo