It’s
ironic; what makes a creative scrapbooking business unique attractive to
entrepreneurs seeking a work-at-home venture is also what makes it so
incredibly challenging. After all, there are no definitive “rules” when it
comes to pricing your scrapbook creations or determining where and how to
advertise your services.
However,
there are general business planning techniques you can use as a starting point
to give your creative scrapbooking company the best chance of long-term
success.
Setting Your Creative Scrapbooking
Price Rates
Whether you
specialize in wedding scrapbooks, memory scrapbooks, award/honor scrapbooks, or
other creative scrapbooking creations, you’ll need to develop a price
guideline. Otherwise, it will be difficult to negotiate with clientele.
Determining
your creative scrapbooking business price guideline may seem daunting at first
blush, but it’s actually not that complicated when broken down into “bite
sized” pieces.
Hourly Rates or Standard Price per
Scrapbook?
First, you’ll
need to determine whether you want to set prices per project or per hour.
One huge
advantage to charging per creative scrapbooking project is that consumers are
accustomed to paying for products this way. After all, people don’t purchase a
pair of shoes based on how long it took a cobbler to make them; they simply
look at the price tag or retail value and decide if they feel it’s a worthwhile
investment.
That being
said, setting a price per creative scrapbooking project may not always be
beneficial for you. If you discover you’re spending inordinate amounts of time
on each scrapbook you create, your originally quoted price might not match your
efforts. (Remember the old adage: Time is Money.)
Essentially,
you can expect to experiment with your creative scrapbooking cost methods at
first. Perhaps with some clients, you could
offer a “per project” rate, but with others, you might try an hourly approach.
There’s no “right or wrong” process–you simply want to find the best one for
your creative scrapbooking business.
Remember to Consider “Hidden Costs”
Before
“going public” with your scrapbook price structure, make sure you’ve accounted
for the many costs (both direct and indirect) associated with owning a creative
scrapbooking business. Be certain to
include the amount you expect to spend on basic creative scrapbooking supplies
such as specialty paper, a scrapbook, adhesives, stickers, markers, and
fabrics.
Add into
your creative scrapbooking price figures telephone calls, mileage (if you’ll
travel for consultations), babysitting costs, and any overhead.
At this
point, your initial price estimates may seem too high or low. Consequently, you
can modify them accordingly, although you should never underestimate what people
will pay for a one-of-a-kind scrapbook.
Selling Your Creative Scrapbooking
Services
You’ve
determined your basic scrapbook price. Creative scrapbooking supplies are on
hand and on order. You’re organized, primed, and ready to go. But wait! You
still need to attract that first key customer.
Advertising
and marketing are stumbling blocks for many creative scrapbooking business
start-ups; consequently, plenty of scrapbook enthusiasts shy away from becoming
entrepreneurs because they assume they’ll never be able to publicize their
talents. However, if you approach the selling of your creative scrapbooking
services pragmatically, you’ll have an excellent chance of attracting
clientele.
Initially,
you may want to try a technique that has worked for many other creative
scrapbooking aficionados – scrapbook “parties”. These get-togethers are akin to
the “tupperware” gatherings made famous in the 70s. Put simply, a friend offers
to host a scrapbook party at his or her residence for several persons
interested in the world of creative scrapbooking.
Your role
at the scrapbook party will be to introduce them to creative scrapbooking and
to talk about what you can do for them. Obviously, it will be crucial to bring
along business cards (why not design handmade “mini scrapbook cards” for the
occasion?) as well as sample scrapbooks you’ve created. Coupons for discount
scrapbook services make nice add-ons and will encourage scrapbook party guests
to hire you. From this party, you can expect to get a few “nibbles” and perhaps
one or two customers.
Naturally,
it’s essential to do a fabulous job on your first scrapbook assignment. You
must give it “your all”; that way, your client will have a reason to brag about
and show off your customized (and exceptional) creative scrapbooking services
to friends, family, and coworkers. You can also use your satisfied customer (if
he or she agrees) as a “spokesperson” for your creative scrapbooking business
in future advertising campaigns.
Next … Beyond Marketing 101
In the
final article of our three-part creative scrapbooking business piece, we’ll
examine particularly creative scrapbooking business marketing ideas and provide
hints on running your creative scrapbooking company wisely, ethically, and
efficiently.
