The blacksmith business is an artisan business that requires creativity, hard work and caters to various types of clients. This might mean that starting and marketing a blacksmith business will be different from other types of business but basics are pretty much the same.
Like other businesses, marketing your blacksmith business is very important to making maximum sales and profit. When marketing any business, two things are very important: gaining new customers and keeping the old ones.
Word of Mouth
Never underestimate the power of word of mouth in marketing. Tell your friends and family about your business, pester them to recommend you to their friends and colleagues. Persistence is key here and you cannot afford to be ashamed of being seen as pushy.
Keep pushing until it pays off. When you do get a job, ensure to be on your best behavior, be very polite and nice to the customer and put in a 110% to their jobs. You can also give them a little gift like a personalized keyring or something. You can be sure they will be telling their friends all about you. Word of mouth is one of the keys to starting a blacksmith business.
Furthermore, You can leave your contact information at building supply centers, hardware stores, interior designers, general contractors and online stores that sell the kind of things you make. Marketing is really easier if people recommend you to potential clients. You can also recommend these business owners to people so they feel obliged to do the same for you.
Social Media
Apart from paid ads, you can create a Facebook or Instagram page and post nice, clear pictures of your work there. You don’t have to be a photographer to achieve this; with your smartphone and good lighting, you can take really creative pictures of your work and post them on your page, using loads of blacksmithing and art related hashtags. You can also pay for targeted ads, which will cause more traffic to your pages.
Record keeping
Book keeping is a vital part of starting a blacksmith business, and other businesses. Try and get the contact details of everyone who purchases an item from you. Get their birthdates and send them birthday emails and occasional updates, like new products, promos and sales happening at your shop. If you are feeling particularly generous, you can send all your customers Christmas presents and calendars for the new year, with pictures of your creations on it.
There are several ways to market your business and researching should be your best friend. Apart from this article, look at blacksmithing websites, forums, and communities and find numerous marketing tips there. Also, focus your energy on building networks. Networks are invaluable in every line of business. Make sure to recommend people’s businesses to your clients and they will do the same for you. These tips mentioned here are some of the cheapest ways to market your business. So, you can make a maximum profit while spending just a little on marketing. Do you have any marketing tips that can help with starting a blacksmith business? Please leave your comments belo