Every other Wednesday, I write a business post for the scrapbook industry based on The Scrapworthy Lives Guide to Market Research

No one has ever asked me how I learned about scrapbooking. Has anyone asked you?

Contrary to popular belief, scrapbooking is not embedded in the DNA of women. We learn about scrapboking from somewhere. Even my rudimentary scrapbooks from my childhood were not created purely from my own imagination. Creating scrapbooks and learning that there is a whole industry supporting your hobby are two different things. I was creating scrapbooks long before I knew there was an industry devoted to the hobby and now it is difficult to imagine creating scrapbooks at all without the industry.

So, how did you learn about scrapbooking?
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Why does it matter? If you are scrapbooking business, then knowing this will help you develop strategies to get new customers and help you keep your current customers.

Let’s think about what you could do for each scenario.

A friend. Offer a friend’s discount. A local scrapbook store that I worked at offered an ongoing discount. Once you spent a certain dollar amount, then you received a certain percentage off each time you shopped as long as you shopped once every six months. (Yes, it was as sweet a discount as you are imagining.) How cool would it have been if once a month or once a quarter, you were able to share that discount with a friend?

A family member. Or, you could offer a friends and family discount, sale, or special pricing. I like doing things with people I already know and like. How about offering a buy one get one free spot in the next class you offer? You could sponsor a mother-daughter crop or have a class about sisters with the idea that sisters would sign up for the class. I stumbled upon two men scrapbookers in my study who took up scrapbooking as a way to spend time with their partner. How about offering a class for couples? The end goal would be to get your initial customer and someone they are related to in your store. Does all this seem a bit ridiculous? Well, it’s time to think big.

A co-worker or a classmate. This one is a bit tougher and in all my brainstorming, I’m not sure how to reach these potential customers beyond the other ways mentioned in this post.

The Internet. No matter what your scrapbooking business is, you need an online presence. It is up to you to decide what that presence should look like, but at a minimum, you should have a website and a Facebook page for your business.

An advertisement. Advertising is tough. It is difficult to know how effective your advertising efforts are and if they are worth your financial investment. The most important thing to remember about advertising is to make sure you share with viewers your website information (keep your website updated!), location, and store hours.

A television show. Perhaps you can get some television time on your local news or public access channel? Or, you can create a web-based TV show. Or you could just make videos to add to your website or create a youtube channel. Again, think outside the box. Maybe you don’t want to actively teach on a web video, but you could just take a video of your store, your projects, or your inventory (direct consultants).

My religious group. If you are involved in a religious group, then consider leading a crop group for your religious group. Many religious groups sell advertising in their Church programs. Perhaps, you could buy some advertising space here.

A direct seller or independent consultant. This is a bit more complicated if this isn’t your business model. If you are online, then you can use affiliate marketing to share your products with a larger audience. Direct sellers and independent consultants are primarily reaching customers that started out as family, friends, co-workers, and classmates.

Other. I’m not sure what other would include. Do you have ideas?

How did you learn about scrapbooking? Share your story below!

If you liked this post, check out my new e-book, The Scrapworthy Lives Guide to Market Research. Use coupon code TURKEY10 to save $10 until November 27, 2011.

Stephanie