{photo by muffin9101985. Are you an open book?}
How do people connect with one another, relate with one another, grow to trust one another? Through stories. From ancient paintings on cave walls to books and radio, movies, tv and blogs, humans have always connected to one another through storytelling.
As a designer, an artist or a maker of any sort, this puts you at a distinct advantage... What do all handmade goods have that their mass produced counterparts don't? A story!
You know exactly where your products came from and how they came to be. You can use that to your benefit to help build a connection with your customers. When you emphasize the story behind your product, you can set yourself apart from your competitors and show customers exactly why your shop is different and why they should choose to buy from you.
For example, just yesterday I featured Fox & Clover on Modish because I fell in love with the story behind the work. Each product description tells of how the glass came from an old picture frame or an old window pane, how they were cut and shaped, molded, fused and polished. Each design, painted with a fine quill pen that will never scratch or fade.
Hearing the story of how the items were made had me picturing the designer, Sabrina, digging through piles of junk in search of an old frame to use the glass from and imagining the hours it must take to cut and shape and sand and paint each piece. The story added value to her products and connected with me. And when a good story is paired with a well made item that's presented well too, it becomes pretty hard to resist!
You too can create this additional sense of worth and connection with your customers, just with your words. You don't have to be poetic or a phenomenal writer. You just have to be honest.
If the fabric you used in your latest handbag came from your Mom's old college wardrobe, tell us that! If you were spying on a pair of birds charming each other in the tree outside your window as you drew them, tell us that! If you took that photo of the ocean in Cannon Beach, OR on an unusually crystal clear day, tell us that!
Tell us in your product descriptions, on your blog, on your about/profile pages. By sharing a bit of the story of how your items came to be, you're sharing a bit of who you are and what your inspirations are. Doing that builds trust with customers. It builds a relationship with customers. It allows them to see you more as a talented and creative person who they have things in common with than some random joe-schmo just trying to make a buck.
Your connection with your customers is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's how they begin to see you and what you have to offer as irreplaceable, as unique to you alone.
You can build a relationship with your customers by sharing yourself, letting them into your world a bit. Show them that you're a real, authentic person with stories to share and a reason behind the things you make.
What story do you have to tell?
