Don't Lose Out: Show your Designing and Making!

Do you show people how you design and make what you design and make?
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Because if not, you may be loosing out by not helping customers connect with your products!

Buyers Don't Think!

Meet the Maker, and event run by Made in Nottingham, drove home to me how key it is to show and tell about what you design and make.

​As designer makers shared their processes with folks browsing the shop, despite the point of Made in Nottingham being summed up in the shop's name, some shoppers were surprised to find people making things themselves. ​​​

Some of these shoppers were even returning customers, intrigued to find a 'real' and 'local' person hand making things they had browsed or even previously bought. Seeing someone create an item helped them understand exactly what Made in Nottingham means.​​

You Must Be Obvious!

As Jen from McEwan Glass put it:

​“People think I buy it in from China. This shows that I do it myself, right from my original designs.”

Showing people what you do is essential. You can never assume that shoppers understand what happens behind a finished item.

Seeing behind the scenes helps people value your items. The labour, or concentration, or skills, adds to the obvious selling points of a piece. It builds a hidden story people can buy into, and gives them a clearer sense of supporting a hard working person with a small business.

Show A Little (You Tease!)

Some stages of designing and making are better with an air of mystery, or may be just boring, but there will be elements of your processes you can show and share.

​How about a messy hand with paint splatters?
Beads lined up and ready to be strung?
The sketch before it's inked?
Perhaps a shot of your tools on your desk?
Your pets or kids "helping" your work along? 

Even if it's only the occasional work in progress shot on your social media feed, showing the designing and making helps people value their designer makers even more. Be artsy and carefully curated, or more organic and rough and ready, but try taking some photos and share them.

For some great examples, have a follow online for the social media of rheaclements.co.uk and stupidcats.co.uk