Your customers’ experiences determine the fate of your business.

Sound extreme? It’s not. 

From the moment they click on your website, there are certain experiences your customers will have that could determine whether you will continue to make a profit in your handmade business or digitally close up shop for good. 

As a Handmade Hero, you provide something unique to your customers with every package delivered. 

But it takes more than a single package in the mail to create an unforgettable experience to keep you in business. 

Below are the smartest strategies I’ve used to turn customers into fans for life.

Know Your Ideal Customer 

Who is your customer, really? 

Let’s go beyond the vague “Suburban Mom in her 30s” and really dive into your ideal customer’s persona…

What are their dreams and aspirations? What kind of language do they use? What problems or struggles do they have that you can help solve?

Yes, you may have to be a bit of a mind reader to really understand your ideal customer. But the more specific you can get, the more personal your messaging and customer experience will feel. 

They’ll read your emails and social media posts and think, “Wow! She really gets me!” 

Create VIP Email Lists

Speaking of opening your emails, after doing all that hard work to grow your email list {{hyperlink to Smart Strategy #12 blog}} you must keep your customers engaged often.

Follow these simple steps for complete engagement:

Don’t Let Your List Die: these customers have made a commitment to you. They provided their information hoping to receive small pieces of value on a regular basis, so don’t let them down. 

Send them emails at regular intervals to keep them engaged & subscribed!

Follow the 80/20 Rule: many Handmade Heroes fall into the trap of ONLY emailing their potential fan customers when they need something. This turns customers off faster than you can blink. 

Instead, provide value 80% of the time in the form of inspirational messages, education, or entertainment. The other 20% can ask for sales.

Pull Back the Curtain: you’re not a big box company, and that’s what your customers LOVE about you! So, make sure you show them some love back by letting them in on who you are and reward them for being a part of your inner circle by providing sneak peeks into new products and special promos.

By tweaking your email messaging to reflect your unique brand while making your customers feel they are just as unique, you can turn that email list into a VIP corner booth everyone wants to be a part of!

Stand Out Order Confirmations

Don’t leave your VIPs in the dark. Let them know you received their order, provide them with ways to track their precious new product, and connect upon delivery. 

And Shopify makes this easier than ever! All you have to do is make it unique to your customer-base.

Simply take Shopify’s templated confirmation emails and tweak the language to suit your handmade product and the language your ideal customer uses. This will make them feel special, unique, as if they are the center of your business.

Create the Ultimate Unboxing Experience

You’ve met your ideal customer (virtually), they’ve opened your unique order confirmations and emails, and now their package has arrived. 

So what will they come home to find? An unmarked box filled with bubble wrap sitting on their porch… or a beautiful gift box complete with a handwritten note letting them know you can’t wait to see/hear what they think of your product?

I know which one I would remember…

But, your customer’s unboxing experience doesn’t end after the package arrives. By leaving a special note or reminder to give their opinion, your potential fan is now motivated to share their experience with others or even shout you out on social media! 

Customer Service Plan 

Now, sometimes, your customer will receive their order, and something is wrong. It’s going to happen, no matter how experienced you become. 

The key is to have a plan ahead of time about how to handle different customer service needs.

If you approach customer service with the mindset to make it right no matter what, your customers will notice and in turn become life-long fans and loyal customers because of it. 

For example, in shipping my usual wool roving fiber orders, I accidentally shipped the wrong color to a customer. She let me know right away, and I did everything to make it right. 

I sent a shipping label for her to return the incorrect roving for free, I immediately shipped the correct color roving over to her and I even refunded her portion of the order that was wrong.

Because I went the extra mile for this customer, she decided to keep the incorrect color roving and purchase even more roving after the fact. All because I had a plan in place to make things right (instead of panicking and hiding). 

Mobilize Your Fan Army

After completing the above strategies, you’re ready to mobilize all the fans you’ve created. This means creating the social proof your Handmade Craft Business needs to keep going strong. 

Simple asks like leaving a review, tagging you on social media, or even sharing special sales with their following can be used to mobilize your fans to generate more customers, and eventually turn those customers into fans.

Ready to start using these strategies to build your fandom and make more profit in your Handmade Craft Business? 

If you just threw your hands in the air with an emphatic, “YES!” then you truly are a Handmade Hero! 

I can’t wait to hear how these strategies have helped you and I want you to have ALL 20 of my Smart Strategies to Grow Your Handmade Craft Business on VIDEO! Click Here to check them all out today.