4 Ways to Earn Money in Surface Design - #2 Direct Selling
Hello, my friend. This month is all about the four ways you can make money in Surface Design. In reality there are many more than four, but I’ve organized this information into four main categories to keep things simple and help you understand your options.
Last week we talked about category #1: Licensing. This week we're going to switch gears by discussing category #2: Direct Selling.
How Direct Selling Works
There are tons of options that fall into Direct Selling. Let’s start with what direct selling is, and then I'll give you some examples of ways to do it.
Direct selling means that you are putting your beautiful designs onto products. You're buying inventory of those products, and then you're selling that inventory directly to the general public and to your customers.
There are a variety of different ways to sell directly including:
· From your own website
· In a local art supply store
· At local craft fairs
· At art shows
· At seasonal / holiday events
The list goes on, but these are some of the main ones.
What are the advantages of selling directly and why might this be a great option for you?
Advantage #1: Interaction with Your Customer
Selling directly is a great option for you if you’re very outgoing or you have an extroverted personality. You love interaction with your customers. You also love to get feedback from them and you enjoy learning more about why they like your products. Interacting with customers directly enables you to find out what they might want to see from you next.
Advantage #2: A Curated Customer-Experience
How you decide to package your products is an important way for you to stand out and make the customer’s experience truly memorable. If you sell your products on your website and someone purchases from you, you have the opportunity to curate every detail of how the product gets shipped - from the box to the tissue paper to the wrapping.
As a surface designer you can design your own tissue paper for inside the box. You can also create stickers with your logo on them. As you're putting your beautiful products in the box, surrounded by your tissue paper, you can close the tissue paper with a little sticker that has your logo. You might even include some free greeting cards or just one little thank-you note inside the package. You are curating the whole experience for your customer and you’re imagining what it’s going to feel like when your customer actually receives this box in the mail, and when they open and unpack it.
If you sell at craft fairs, or at local retail stores, seasonal art shows or big holiday events, you can also curate the experience and avoid shipping costs by using your own printed bags. Make it pretty by inserting your tissue paper, a sticker with your logo on it, and include a beautiful note. You should also consider adding your logo to the outside of the bag so that everyone can see it as purchasers walk around the mall or the show.
Advantage #3: Driving Engagement
Here’s a fun idea to drive engagement with your customers. I’m seeing this a lot on social media. You may want to give it a try. Ask your customers to create a video clip of themselves unpacking your package when it arrives. This is a great way for them to share their excitement and for other customers to see the special packaging care you give to each purchase.
There you have it! Those are just a handful of examples of the ways you can sell your products directly. Use these ideas as inspiration for how you want to make your next craft fair or art show a standout experience.
Next week we’ll talk about yet another great option for making money in Surface Pattern Design - Indirect Selling.
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Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
