The last few years have been a bit of a whirlwind for all types of small businesses – especially those in the craft, artisan and handmade space. We’ve seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows while flying by the seat of our pants with big changes in social media marketing giving us a bit of whiplash. The general consensus of maker businesses is that they are burnt out and exhausted from the seemingly endless load of running a business and trying to survive.
If this sounds like you then I have some good news: everything about marketing and navigating small business is changing for the better.
We kicked off 2024 with a shift away from flashy, trendy marketing tactics and unfortunately seeing increased competition for generic products with sites like Temu and Shein. At that time, I reiterated the importance of being more strategic and refined with your business if you wanted to thrive – not just survive. As the year has gone on, we’ve seen this fully come into fruition and have made a full circle back to the traditional aspects of business and marketing that always sustain the test of time.
What this means for craft businesses who want to thrive in 2025 (and beyond) is that an intentional, strategic business is going to be the most profitable with the least amount of effort needed to grow. Let’s call it the Soft Business Era.
Here is a look at what needs to change in the next year with your craft business marketing:
Focus on Follower Count —> Build Community
I have mentioned this before, so I will mention it again – follower count is not a metric to determine sales potential. In recent years there has been an emphasis on going “viral” with trendy products and marketing. While this did have a short-lived success, it was a lot of work and mostly luck of the draw. Earlier this year we released our Create Your Own V.I.R.A.L. Marketing Plan with a focus on helping you shift away from those inefficient tactics to focus on intentional marketing that resonates with your target audience.
Consumers want to support businesses that are relatable to them and their specific interests. They want the joys of friendship and community within the palm of their hands. Marketing your products is less about the product itself and how the product serves and relates to the customer. Social media and email/text lists will be the vehicle to your community growth. Community building is an evolution of inbound marketing – the type of evergreen marketing I have spoken about for years.
Product/Service Photos —> Soft Selling
Kiss those sales copy posts and videos with catchy captions “goodbye”. For crafting small business owners the new year approach is soft selling. Soft selling is a form of passive promotion of your products within your community builder content. This means that you’ll provide relatable, free information to your audience but garner their attraction to your products in the process. With this marketing method you will tap into the way your product relates to your customer’s life and interests, and leverage it for their attention.
Hashtags —> Search Engine Optimization
Hashtags are still a good tool for social media but they have lost their weight in terms of getting your content seen. Heading into 2025 we are refocusing our efforts on SEO or Search Engine Optimization. No longer will you stress about if you have the right hashtags or enough hashtags; instead you’ll focus on creating captions that incorporate relevant keywords naturally.
Boring Stories —> Stories that Connect
The stories function on social media platforms serves as a space for 24-hour only content. As part of community builder marketing, we want to be leveraging stories to connect with our audience. Consistent use of stories gives you the best opportunity to facilitate sales – especially since you can have clickable links. For some businesses, this will require you to get on camera more. What is best for your business will depend on your market research and niche.
Generic Messaging —> Human Connection
A.I. is one of the many things that have come in like a hurricane in recent years. As beneficial as it can be and as much as it promises to streamline your work – it simply cannot replace the real human experience. Consumers want to feel connection with your business and products. The use of generic messaging and A.I. generated captions or content is easy to spot and starves that connection consumers are after.
In 2025, it’s time to put the YOU back in your business. Be fun, be playful, be real. The right people are going to find you and be part of your thriving community.
Now, what about business in general?
Not to sound like I’m beating a dead horse but the biggest shift you need to make with your business is to niche it down and target a specific customer with specific products. Most apparel and accessory decoration industry makers have realized that the days of being able to sell any product to anyone are gone. Sales and profits have dropped drastically as businesses that are spread too thin try to get a slice of any pie they can. In order for you to fully embrace your soft business era and leverage working smarter, not harder – you need to niche down your business.
Determine your ideal with our easy to follow free Discover Your Niche printable.
The changes happening in the small business sphere are for the better. It is the direct result of a chaotic couple of years and the natural human desire for more connection and community in the wake of it all. Be sure to join us for group coaching inside of the Sub That Learning Library app for support, news and more that helps you make and grow with your craft business.