Could Greeting Cards be a Business for You?If you enjoy creating pictures, designs, paper crafting or admiring the many greeting cards in your local stores, then the greeting card business may be for you. Check out these stats from Greeting Card Association: Just in the U.S., consumers purchase approximately 7 billion greeting cards, generating nearly $7.5 billion in retail sales More than 90% of all U.S. households buy greeting cards Average person receives more than 20 cards per year Greeting cards range in price from 50 cents to $10, although counter cards typically cost between $2 to $4 Women purchase more than 80 per cent of all greeting cards 9 out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters & greeting cards as it allows them to keep in touch and makes them feel important to someone greeting cards in other countries have even larger numbers I could go on and on, but as you can see, the greeting card business is huge! There is tremendeous business potential with incredible growth projected which leaves the home based business owner of greeting cards with multiple options. I know what some of you are thinking! How can I compete with giants like Hallmark, American Greetings, etc.? Like any other business you can find your niche and put your talent to good use. Here are some options in owning a greeting card business: You can implement your creative skills by being a freelance greeting card artist If you like writing, consider being a freelance greeting card writer Sell your home made greeting cards at craft fairs or on EBay to start You can sell e-cards online or check opportunities to sell to stores A big step would be to purchase a territory from a card or vending distributor These are a few considerations. First, you need to focus on what part of the greeting card industry you would like to pursue as there are many options. This is the most important decision making process that you will make. Write down what your talents are or what you like to do in the greeting card business. Do not take a “shotgun” approach and try to cover to much of this industry. You need to narrow it down as much as possible to find your niche. This will increase your success rate and profitability considerably. I will give you some tips at the end of this article to help you in your decision making. If your talent is in drawing and/or writing, then a freelance greeting card artist or writer can be an initial step. Card companies pay from $50 to several hundred dollars for your designs or writings. One thing which a freelance professional must do is to build some samples to show your credibility as a freelance greeting card designer or writer. You can start with purchasing a vending route from a large greeting card company. You will be taking care of existing customers card needs and developing new clientele. This involves restocking, replacing outdated or slow moving cards from customers inventory and acquiring new business to increase your profits. Start up costs may run from several hundred to several thousands of dollars in inventory. When you deliver your cards to your accounts, you can receive immediate payment and not tie up your cash flow. If your interests lie elsewhere, create your own line of greeting cards. This is where you have your own personal freedom to use your creativity to its fullest. Design and write your own greeting cards. You do not have someone telling you what they want or how to do it. You control your destiny. The internet is an effective tool to promote your business. A greeting card home based business owner could have access to millions of customers online. You can not “buck heads” with the big companies and this is where your niche comes into play. Whether it is greeting cards or any other product, find that part of the business where you have a specialized area , where the competition is not as fierce. If you market online, a website is easy to create. You can build one yourself or if you have no computer knowledge (like me!), you can have it done for you. You just need a basic site to start with, as you can always add on later. Important!! Come up with a business name. Not to long or complicated and try to have your name related to your business. For example, business name Diane’s Daycare and you are trying to sell greeting cards. They don’t match! Then register your name on a domain to make sure no one else is using your name. Always remember, your website is a platform for your greeting card business. What will sell to your customers are your cards. A great marketing tool is to provide your potential customers a free card or a Thank You card for visiting your site (or do both). This will give you great exposure. Some tips from me which will help you with your greeting card business: determine start-up costs, i.e. computer, printer, software, paper, supplies, etc. cost of website, hosting, domain most people like to feel the quality of cards and see the card first hand, so offer free samples keep a few sample cards in inventory, print cards when ordered have lots of selections in each category personalize your cards for additional income last, but most important, have a detailed greeting card business plan These are just a few ideas for you to think about to start your own personal greeting card business. You just need to select the best niche which fits you and then take action! Find what you like and don’t do what so many do. They hem-haw around and never decide what they want. Don’t be one of them, this is not rocket science. Take action! You know the best deal about this business? You can do all of it in the comfort of your own home and at your own schedule. Remember, Greeting Cards Are Fun! PS - check out more about the greeting cards at my blog.
http://mariesgreetingcards.com This article provided by Amazines - the Ultimate Article Database Return from Greeting Cards to Home Page
|
