Marketing

[Trinity]

Probably covered before, but I'm determined to up the anti business wise in 2020. Without a High St presence, without a large slug of people from referrals / past customers, what marketing has worked for you, or what might you offer from your current thinking?

[Not your average framer]

I've never been very up front about marketing, it's just not the primary focus, but I'm located in a small town where most of the towms people know each other and for me at lot is all about knowing each other. I would not claim to be running a business, which is going to set the world on fire, but customers find their way to me and I get a good proportion of repeat business too.

It's a bit of an old fashioned idea, but it has a lot to do with people liking you and you liking them. Big corporations are all about branding and corporate image. Small businesses are not like that, especially if it's a one man band. One man small businesses quite naturally reflect the personally of the business owner and getting to know those around you will generate contact for both you and you business.

Most of the interest in my business probably comes from the fact that I operate from a little shop, I have two not very big shop windows and my business name and what I do is on the signage above the shop front. I'm not projecting any particular images, ordinary people take little, or no notice on whatever carefully crafted image you are trying to project. They will soon decide what you are about and whether you are the sort of person they would like to do business with.

In a small town like mine one way of comunicating is via Facebook, I'm not on Facebook, it's just not my thing, but people pop by and say that someone mentioned me, or my shop on the town's Facebook page and this is often quite helpful. So an easy first move is likely to be becoming involved in the town's Facebook page. Personally, I would not treat Facebook as an obvious marketing medium, but as a way of getting to know those around you and also add the odd informative item.

I did advertise and get by well enough, I'm not at the age where I'm going to set the world on fire, I don't have any marketing strategy whatsoever. Much of my business comes from the fact that I don't mind do things that are out of the ordinary. The reality is that being different and do things that the competition, don't do give you opportunities that your competition don't get and no one gets to try and undercut your prices. I'm not saying that this is the right approach for everyone, but I'm not the only guy around who finds that something like this can be a good thing.

[GeoSpectrum]

If you can find your target audience via targeted social media then I believe there is little to beat it if you don't have a shop ( like me) I put a lot of effort into my social media it pays off. A good website which is well presented, has good content and keywords will also attract customers even if it is not an ecommerce site. Those two are your 'shop window'.

As above, do something different. In addition to frames, I make artists surfaces, icon panels, artists palettes and Easels and sell some paints etc online. Ok I don't sell many of the last three but they do act as magnets to people who also need frames.

small adverts in local parish magazines etc are dirt cheap and can reach a different audience, perhaps more senior, who don't have a interest in social media.

Make shure you have those covered.

[Not your average framer]

I most definitely agree with Alan. Over a long period of time other local business owners, have been encouraging me to go on Facebook. I have not, social media is not my thing, but virtually from day one, I have been doing all sorts of different things for my customers and a lot of it is not clever idea of my own. Much of it, has been responding to customer requests. Success is not always the results of clever planning. It can be a willingness and adaptability to make the most of the opportunities that come your way and making the most of letting potential customers know what else you do beside the more "run of the mill" jobs. When customers know you have a track record for making a professional result of various unusual and somewhat difficult, or specialist jobs, more unusual jobs will often come you way.

I even end up making things because they appeal to me and leave them on show, just to let people see what I can do. Try moving out of your usual comfort zone and branching out into doing something different. What have you got to lose? I don't expect to be a great success at everything, but have do I know if I don't try. I do try some things and fall flat on my face at times, but some things are great successes as well. I don't try to do things that people can easily obtain elsewhere. If you can show me something, I'm the guy who will figure out how to make it. Surely I'm not the only forum member who can do that. You getting better at it as you do more of it. Anything that is a main market item, will be made in large quantities and the individual profit per items becomes small. Find a niche market and the profit per items is much more likely to be worthwhile.

The quantity route to producing something for profit is not always the best route, it may look appealing, but if it was the easiest, everyone would be doing it and they are not. Who wants to work twice as hard for half as much profit, when you can work half as hard for twice the profit. Marketing gets easier when you are selling something very different, very special and with obvious quality of workmanship. Figure out how to use hidden fixing methods which are completely invisible when the item is finished. Work smarter, not harder. Wait for the glue to set before taking the clamps off and continuing to the next operation is crazy. Glue it, clamp it, pin it, remove the clamps and don't to get on with the next bit. Organise your assembly order to hide your applied fixing methods a other parts of the assembly are completed. Don't fill your pin holes, just don't let them show in the first place.

[Trinity]

Thanks fellas, some good thoughts to mull over, and I've the semblance of a plan coming together. I definitely subscribe to working less for more and I've got two or three things I will share in the New Year by way of example.
As a ps, does anyone do photo blocks by the way?

[Not your average framer]

I think this might work best for businesses with good foot fall.

[GeoSpectrum]

Plenty of folks do those and they are cheap so the margins are small. Going higher end would fit with the 'do less earn more' manta we all use from time to time.

[Not your average framer]

If you need to add a new income stream to your business, I think that aim up market make a lot more sense than aiming down market. My own take on this is that the down market income streams tend to fail during times of recession. It's better to try and sell to the more afflouent customers when times are hard. I know that it does not come naturally to everyone, but if you are good at repair jobs, it does not take long for the word to get around and for people to bring in regular repair jobs. I even repair scratches on small items of furniture. I don't say that I can do stuff like this, people just ask and I look at it a quote the a price.

Lots of older frames that are joined by nails at the corners, need to have a corner fixed that is coming apart, or a new artwork fitting into a frame someone bought from a car boot sale. It's just a quick fix, often while they wait. It might not be much money,but it's quick and easy, so why not! I reglue a corner and add a couple of extra nails into a loose corner on an old frame using a pneumatic nail gun, but I can fix that old frame in 5 minutes for £5 and it all adds to the bottom line on a slow day for business. Not all of us are rushed off our feet every day, but odd jobs not turned away, may lead to more business from the same customer.

I don't mind taking my chances when I get them.

[prospero]

Once people would reach for the Yellow Pages when they want something. Now they reach for the mouse.

Work on your online presence. Compared with ads in papers and glossy mags it can yield big rewards.

[Not your average framer]

Yes and don't be shy about what you do that's different, or special.

[ChrisG]

Have a look at Google Adwords, fundamentally a way to ensure that your website appears at or near the top of a relevant Google search. It does cost but on a cost-per-click basis you only pay when someone actually clicks on your advert to open your website. Average monthly cost for us £12.

I wouldn't however recommend trying to set up Adwords yourself but speak to Google they will guide you through everything you need to know at no cost.

[Bertie]

AdWords is a funny one. I have used it (for furniture rather than framing) and have found a strange correlation of never getting work directly from it but rather having people find me online shortly after having used it. (I have only used it a few times in small bursts.) Perhaps there is some algorithmic glitch that gives preference to Adwords users regardless of whether they are actively using it or not. More likely it is a coincidence, but I am suspicious nonetheless!

Google also seems to update the interface software and add changes on an unhelpfully regular basis. So just when you think you have got the hang of how it works, you need to go back to them to work out what on earth to do now to get the best results. I am fortunate that my other half is my 'IT department'; I heartily agree with Chris that you don't want to do it yourself unless you know about these things.

To be trite, at the end of the day, it's who you know. So push what you do on people. It feels unnatural (to me at least), but If they don't know, they won't tell their friend who just happens to need something framed.

B.