“Made in America” is big business in 2015. Every small business, startup, and entrepreneur needs to be putting all of their efforts into leveraging their business to new levels. Around holiday season last year I saw several of my peers use the Made In America hype to their advantage by landing publicity in local newspapers, magazines, and huge magazines such as: Inc, Forbes, and Entrepreneur. More individuals are looking for well-crafted, artisan, and local products. Time for your business to shine!
Tell Your Story Constantly
The first step in leveraging Made In America, is telling your company’s story every chance you get. Don’t get shy or stage fright this is your time to share with everyone about your business. Most people think the only place they can share their story is on their company About page. Which, yes your story should be told there, but there are several other places you can tell your story. Your next step after sharing on your website is to use social media to push your story. YouTube is a great platform to help connect your customers with your story. Doing segments that are 3 minutes in length showcasing you, your product, and story. The first video you create should be an introduction on why you started. Your next video will be on your first product and how you used this product to create other products. Also, discuss how you listen to customer feedback on creating products.
If you know crafting a well-tailored story is going to be hard for you I suggest enlisting a PR and/or marketing expert to help you.
Label Your Products
When Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter shares the story of her company, she always mentions it was made in her kitchen in Brooklyn. She started selling at her local farmers markets and church flea markets. Label your products as Made In Brooklyn, Detroit, Austin, or whatever city you live in. If you possible share a glimpse of your company’s story on products and say you are purchasing a handcrafted soap that was made in Brooklyn. All products should have words such as handcrafted, artisan, created or Made In on the labels. If this can’t fit on the actual product make sure it’s on your thank you card or packaging. Also, it is important to make sure you tie these words and phrases in with your SEO since that’s what people are searching for.
Partnership With Similar Brands
Forge a partnership with other companies who are made in the good ol’ US of A. This is a good way to cross promote and push each others brands. When reaching out to do partnerships, it is important to make sure both companies have the same core values. Think about it this way…not everyone’s products make the shelves at Whole Foods. They are selective and you should be selective of who you decide to work with. You can host events together, do email blast, and even create exclusive pieces for your audience. In addition, I have seen several businesses collaborate with other creative companies to establish great products. If you have a t-shirt or card line you can enlist a calligrapher to design some exclusive pieces for your company. This is a great way to elevate both businesses.
Have you seen the wave of Americans embracing the local, artisan, handcrafted small business owners in recent months and years? What are your plans to use this to your advantage in 2015?
