Ensure That Your Handmade Products Lead To You

Ensure that potential customers can find you by applying identifying/contact info onto every piece of work that you produce. 

If you like to add variety and jazziness to your work, like I do, merchandise tags can be made out of any old thing. Within the junk mail that you get everyday are potential creative tags. Though there is a lot to be said about ordering coordinated business tags, labels and seals, I am an eclectic type of person. I like showing a different tag on each of my items. I make them from greeting cards, scrap paper, recycled artwork and other salvaged items. Here are the fronts and backs of some of my recent creative tags:

Handmade product tag: made from tissue box design cut out.

 

Merchandise tag made from a salvaged drawing.

Handmade product tag: a salvaged paper star.

Handmade merchandise tag made from a greeting card cut out.

 While tags are a fun identifying addition to your work, they are made to be removed. How do you add a non-removable identification to your work? Some other ways that I do are:

• print out a sheet on which I've added various sized web addresses and emails, and my logo too
• cut out one to adhere to the back of every piece of artwork and crafted items that I produce
• if the craftwork is very small, I print some type of info with an ultra-fine permanent marker
• try to place it in an inconspicuous place, corner, bottom, side
• it's similar to an artist signature, but on the back
• depending on the size and shape of the product, the identity tag can be just the web address, just the email, or both
• on larger wall art pieces my identity tag includes both and my logo as well
• always seal over it, with Mod Podge, gel medium or PVC glue, so it will remain.

For some items, of course, I simply can't find a way to do it, and don't worry about that. With an ultrafine Sharpie though, there are few times when I can't. Below is the back of one of my wall art pieces. You can be formal or creative on how your apply our identifying tags. Thought you might like seeing the backs of two of my mixed media pieces.



On cards and tags I always try to apply a strip of info along the bottom or up the side, or I write the info, as tiny as I can. I even try to take time to add identifying info on items that I think may be thrown away; ephemera like product tags that I attach to my work. If thrown away, someone else may find it, like it and contact me. Yes! Even about a product tag. She may want to know where I got it, and I can say I made it, would you like me to make you some? Sales can come from any direction. I try to think of creative ways to open the window of opportunity.

I committed to this idea long ago when I was often disappointed to find myself at home with a favorite item, and had no idea who created it. No identifying info on the back or bottom. If I wanted to learn more about the person and maybe order more from him/her, the opportunity was forever lost to me.

Anything that you provide on your product may one day convert to several sales. If you could have seen me searching and examining the products that I have over the years, for some minute scrap of identifying info, you would understand how important this is. It has involved anything from a papercrafted pieces to sculpture; things that I've bought in department stores, discount stores and thrift stores. Some of my fav items are from thrift stores, flea markets and other little out of the way places, to where the artwork or crafted items of some creative person ended up.

So, don't forget your identifying info, if you can at all add it. It does take extra time, but it's work it because wherever my product ends up, I'll be with it :) Don't rely on customers to hold on to packing and shipping info. If your product should end up at a church bizarre, that info would not follow it anyway.