How storytelling helps your craft business stand out in a crowded market
Contemporary craft is a busy sector, with makers, artisan businesses and stores all promoting their handcrafted creations alongside each other in a bid to attract attention, customers and generate sales. The abundance of craftwork can make it difficult for your own work to be seen, calling for a well-thought-out visibility-raising plan. This is where storytelling can be of great benefit. Storytelling is an effective promotional tool that helps your craft business stand out in a crowded market because stories draw people in, evoking emotions that create heartfelt connections.
One of the advantages of craft is the stories centred around it. Stories of the techniques, the process, the materials, the heritage, the inspiration, and the maker, the essence of which becomes embedded into the objects created. This makes storytelling a must-use, visibility-increasing component of your marketing strategy to help your craft business stand out. Brand storytelling does this in the following ways:
1. Establishing a USP
In marketing, there is what is known as a Unique Selling Point (USP). In other words, what makes your business, product or service different from similar offerings in the marketplace? Your USP is the thing that sets your craftwork apart. And the stories you have to tell about your craft contribute to shaping your USP. Your USP will help you develop a strong brand identity that encompasses your mission, purpose, values, messaging, graphics, craftwork characteristics, and so much more.
2. Becoming memorable
A distinctive USP, in turn, makes your craftwork memorable. People remember stories over facts, and when the story of your work resonates with them, they will find it easier to recall what you do. By sharing the stories centred around your USP, you strengthen the customer connection to your work. This is important because connections will help you engage with your customers, building relationships that lead to trust and loyalty.
3. Generating awareness
Being memorable generates brand awareness. When your audience becomes more familiar with your work and story, they start to recognise what makes your craft unique, your signature style. As a result, your craftwork immediately stands out to those who are drawn to what you do and why you do it.
4. Creating emotional connections
Brand awareness leads to emotional connections as the people who come to know and connect with the story behind your craftwork become more invested in what you do. When people buy into your story, emotional connections form. They start to appreciate your work as being more than just another product, viewing it as something meaningful to their lives. This is the reason why storytelling is a powerful brand asset. Stories can fire up the imagination, touching people on a deeper level in ways other marketing strategies cannot.
5. Building Trust
Emotional connections build trust. Trust turns audiences into customers. The people who buy your products and then tell others about you. Trust occurs when people believe in what you say and do. Building trust requires consistency in the messages you share and how you show up and present your work. Gaining trust is a gradual process as people come to know more about you. Building trust requires exceptional customer service skills because the way you treat your customers can make or break their trust in your craft business.
6. Gathering a community
Trust gathers a community of loyal followers who willingly support and believe in what you do. Having a community puts you in a position of influence to inspire and motivate others for the better. Influence comes with responsibility, and when used to good effect, it can lead to acts of positive impact that extend beyond your business, community and industry, leading to even more stories to tell.
If you are fed up with your handcrafted products being invisible and want to learn how to use storytelling to help your business stand out from the crowd, read Harnessing the power of storytelling in your craft business to help you create better customer connections.
– Tapiwa Matsinde
[Image credits: The image shown belongs to rovenimages.com sourced via Pexels. If downloaded and used elsewhere, please credit accordingly.]
