Clay jewelry has a long and beautiful history dating back to prehistoric times. Archaeologists found excavations of clay pendants, beads, and earrings in ancient civilizations like Greece, Egypt, China, and Mesopotomia. Nowadays, despite the rise of popular materials like gold and silver, there are still artisanal communities worldwide who continue to use and adore clay jewelry.
The question is, how do you tap this very niche market? How do you attract new advocates and run a sustainable business when your target audience is extremely specific? Here are some tips to promote your clay jewelry business and make it a name to remember.
1. Get to Know Your Audience Deeply
You already have an idea who your target customers are, but it pays to further understand their values and preferences and determine what draws them to clay jewelry. This way, you can apply these insights to your copy, messaging, and marketing campaign ideas.
2. Build a Robust Brand Identity
It’s easy to be memorable if you keep your brand identity strong, authentic, and consistent. From your visuals to your tone of voice, establish a brand identity that people can connect with. Your brand’s personality should show from your web design to your social media posts to your small business flyer templates.
3. Tap Relevant Communities
Niche communities have specific groups, forums, social media pages, and other online hubs. Find a way to penetrate these communities and platforms and engage with the community actively and consistently.
4. Maximize Influencer Marketing
One of the best things about the world we live in today is how people can easily make money and make a name for themselves talking about what they love and what matters to them. For example, there are millions of YouTube channels, and some of these channels come from very specific niches. There could be channels owned by those who love posting content about DIY clay jewelry making; artists sharing their artwork, or lifestyle vloggers passionate about unique jewelry pieces like yours. Collaborate with these influencers because they have direct access to and influence over your potential customers, and their word-of-mouth marketing can do wonders for your business.
5. Offer Customization or Personalization
People consider personalized items more thoughtful and special. It allows them to create emotional and meaningful connections, and it just has a way of speaking directly to their soul. You can even specialize as a gift shop and make sure that your packaging is extra special and gift-worthy.
6. Focus on Quality Rather Than Quantity
You can either mass-produce your items or embrace the artisan spirit of quality over scale. If you’re doing this business to create masterpieces, you can always just adjust your pricing and focus on targeting Type A or Type B customers. That way, you can focus on creating distinctive pieces for a small yet loyal customer base.
7. Watch Out for Trends Without Losing Your Identity
Your art is your own way of expressing your identity as an artist, but in business, you sometimes need to also look at the trends to stay relevant and profitable. There’s a fine line between staying true to your creative instincts and meeting market demands. Just find that sweet spot to evolve as an artist and businessperson.
8. Leverage Social Media
Be present and active on social media channels, especially Instagram and Pinterest. These platforms work great for visually appealing products. Make sure to document your jewelry making process and the results! You can also highlight your customers or models wearing your products in the most fashionable way.
9. Sell on Etsy
Etsy has already built a reputation for crafts and fine art. Etsy sellers attract more than 96 million active buyers globally. This community is yours for the taking. Just set up your account and take the time to get the hang of the platform and the best practices for marketing your brand on Etsy.
10. Learn SEO
It can be technical, but if you’re set on gaining success online now or in the future, one thing that you ought to be familiar with is SEO. If you put 100% of your effort on social media, your old posts can get buried in the endless stream of new content filling up the newsfeed. If you can learn how to rank your YouTube video, blog post, product page, or Etsy and Amazon pages on Google, you can create an exponential stream of organic traffic in the long run, which is crucial for a sustainable and successful clay jewelry business.
It can be challenging to establish a name in a niche and creative sector, but it’s definitely not impossible with the right strategies and the right dose of persistence and consistency. Just stay true to your artistic vision while learning the trade. Eventually, all your efforts and experiences will add up and you’ll stumble upon the serendipity your art deserves.
