Positive Yarn

I recently came across a press release touting the results of a brand-new study from the Craft & Hobby Association. (To see the release in its entirety, click here.)

Designer Beth Gantz may be onto something sweet and delicious: combining needlepoint with "cake decor"!

The 2009 Attitude & Usage (A&U) Study surveyed approximately 6,000 households to see how many craft projects they did during the year. Although there was an estimated $27. 4 billion spent on crafting (supplies, classes, etc.), the study found that the percentage of participating households has remained at a steady 56% — the same as in the previous three years, in fact. In 2008, sales were $27.3 billion, so that’s not exactly a huge gain. But on the other hand, there’s something to be said for it not being a loss.

“The A&U Study tracks trends in four broad categories comprised of General Crafts, Needle & Sewing Crafts, Painting & Finishing Crafts, and Floral Crafts,” the release explains. “During 2009, the General Crafts category represented 44% of industry sales and was +18% over the prior year.  Strong category performance was driven by growth in the Woodworking, Cake Decorating, and Jewelry Making segments.”

While the other three categories saw declining sales overall, there were some segments within that did well: “Home Decor Painting/Accessorizing/Finishing, Knitting, and Wedding/Bridal crafts all grew in 2009.”

The study ranked the Top 10 segments, based on sales and participation, and it’s little surprise that scrapbooking remains No. 1. While many of us have all the paper, stamps and stickers we could ever hope to complete albums with to last a couple lifetimes, it seemed that handmade gifts from the heart — like a special memory box for grandma at Christmas, for example — were popular. (For the record, cardmaking is broken out from the scrapbooking category and is ranked at No. 7.)

Because we are taking more “staycations,” it also makes sense that home decor comes in at No. 2. If we’re stuck at home, we might as well spruce it up, right?

I suggest needlepoint businesses in particular take note of what came in after No. 3-ranked woodworking: cake decorating and art/drawing at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Whether you’re talking color, clean lines or overall artistry, there are definite parallels to cake design and needlepoint design. In fact, Medina’s own Sandy Rodgers was a very well respected cake designer before she turned her considerable talents loose on the more permanent medium of fabric — check out her gorgeous work on her “Life Before Embroidery” page here. (And if you’re not familiar with her current needlework, for shame! Click here!)

If your local bakery is offering cake-decorating classes, for example, see whether there’s some synergy to be had with their students. Offer to promote their teaching schedule in your shop if they do the same for yours, with flyers touting something to the effect of “Got cake? Get canvas!” Or perhaps co-sponsor a seminar on color choices.

Similar opportunities may lie with the local community center’s introduction to drawing and painting classes. Offer to be a guest speaker and show in what ways painting on a canvas to be stitched can be similar to and different from just regularly listening to your muse.

I’m actually surprised that jewelry-making came in at No. 6, because it seems so popular with crafters of all ages — and especially working moms. Projects you can do with a glass of wine on your right and a good conversationalist on your left, and still get something beautiful completed in less than three hours, are few and far between. Still, traditional shops take note: Once consumers get the “bead bug,” so to speak, they’re looking to embellish everything they can. Do you have beads on display that can complement certain projects? Selected packets of beads to add sparkle to that shawl they’re currently working on? Quick kits to work up a beaded key fob to go with that new felted purse? Tiny needlepoint frames that can go on a chain and let them show off their work like their Victorian counterparts once did?

Perhaps most important to note is what the study found to be the main motivators for crafting. At No. 1 was a sense of accomplishment. Think about that: Are you letting your customers know that you’re proud of their work? You, the expert, are seeing them transform from novice to skilled artisan with each project they complete? Are you giving encouragement to students who are looking at a mistake or a daunting task, and showing them just how much they have achieved already? When they ask for your input on choosing a project, are you considering how much they can challenge themselves without getting in over their heads?

That final point is important because of Motivator No. 2, relaxation!

I encourage you to read over all the survey’s results, and see how they apply to how you’re currently doing business. The release has a lot of info on its own, but CHA makes a full review of their results available for purchase.

I’d love to keep the conversation going, so please share your questions and insights in the comments section below, or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

Thanks to the wonderful Connie Barwick, who is the About.com Cross-stitch Guide and offers lots of great info through her site and weekly e-newsletter, I just learned that The Needlework Show, an online-only trade show for wholesalers, is “opening” April 15.

There is a lot of talk in trade show circles that virtual shows are increasing in popularity — after all, there is no travel or shipping costs involved, and with their username and password in hand, attendees can conceivably browse 24/7. Unlike a traditional trade show, where a misprinted sign or forgotten business card can be a sign of doom for an exhibitor, mistakes can be corrected almost immediately.

I'll be exhibiting again at TNNA in June. Come say hello if you're attending, too!

However, also unlike a traditional show, you do lose some of the spontaneity that comes from a casual conversation at a booth, identifying a visitor’s needs and getting the chance to show him or her how your product fits the bill. In the needlearts industry especially, the inability to touch yarn or see the true color of a canvas can be a hindrance. Plus, unlike the packed schedules of, say, a show from The National NeedleArts Association or the Craft & Hobby Association, this is a market only — no classes or seminars to support it. That’s not to say future events won’t include a live Webinar or YouTube-archived project instruction, though!

Recession conditions and multimedia technologies seemed to have converged at just the right time to make virtual shows viable. For example, according to an October 2009 press release, Middleboro, MA-based Champion Exposition Services did a study that found 28% of associations polled plan on using a digital event platform in 2010. The study also found that 70% of respondents are “actively producing, considering or interested in pursuing virtual events.”

I don’t think virtual shows will replace brick-and-mortar exhibition events, but there is definitely room for them at the table. The Needlework Show is appealing mainly to shop owners, but the site doesn’t neglect needlework enthusiasts (which is Barwick’s target audience). It offers a list of vendors, as well as retailers by state who are signed up for the show and thus would potentially carry the various products. Plus, as Barwick says in today’s newsletter, “Be sure to visit the Fun Page — once the show opens they usually have contests that offer opportunities to win fabulous prizes.” That sure beats trying to discern whether it was your name that was announced over the ancient public address system on the show floor at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 4 p.m.!

What I think we’ll see more of is what’s known in the trade show industry as “hybrids” — where a physical event takes place, but there is heavy social media promotion (Facebook fan page, dedicated Twitter account, etc.) and even an online component, where exhibitors are highlighted and videos of seminars are archived, for example. TNNA is already doing this to some extent, particularly with showcasing its popular fashion show events that take place at the Summer and Winter Markets online (TNNA’s Yarn Group has its own YouTube Channel). For that matter, CHA offers a dedicated Web site that offers event-only content, a separate entity from its regular site.

Forbes.com has a great article here that covers the virtual show topic well; while it’s geared to tech shows, the points made could be applied to nearly any industry, including craft and needlearts.

So what’s your take on virtual shows? Are they worth giving a whirl, or do you prefer physically attending a show? Have you participated in one already, and if so, was it a good experience? Please sound off below or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

And if you’re planning to attend the TNNA Summer Market June 12-14 in Columbus, OH, come say hello to me at Booth 1450T!

Everyone (and that includes, me, too!) has been telling you to get a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a LinkedIn presence — plus a Ravelry account if you’re in the yarn arena. So you did, and now you’re stuck thinking “Now what?”

I’ve written about social marketing before, of course, but it’s a topic worth examining again — especially if you’re new to the process or if you haven’t given your accounts attention in a while.

Here are five ways to jumpstart your efforts:

1. Spread the word. The first thing to do is make sure you’ve incorporated your new online presence(s) into your regular marketing. Put a “Follow us on these sites!” blurb on every page of your Web site, with links to your accounts. Also put it on your enewsletter (you do have one, right?) and your blog page (ditto). It should also be a part of every direct-mail piece, even if it’s just in small print at the bottom of your announcement. Post signage all around your shop. Add it to your business card info and product labels when it’s time to replenish your supply (or perhaps sooner).

2. Use it to announce updates. For Twitter in particular, this is a no-brainer use to announce trunk shows, new designs, sales, events, etc. Try to turn them into a call to action whenever you can. Just remodeled the front of the shop? Make sure you also add “Stop by and tell us what you think!”

By the way, March is National Craft Month. That’s a post in itself!

3. Optimize your time. Make sure you take advantage of the “widgets” (applications) that allow you to post efficiently. For example, LinkedIn has a widget that pulls in your latest tweets and blog posts, so your profile is updated there whenever you update either of those accounts. Facebook can show a screen shot and link to your blog, as well as a blog or two that you want to highlight.

In addition, free online software like TweetDeck allows you to post to Twitter and Facebook simultaneously (with the option to choose only one if the occasion calls for it). It also allows you to organize who you follow on Twitter into categories (clients, friends, family, etc.). If your phone allows you to post from it, by all means enable that application. That way, you don’t have to be in front of your computer to keep things going. You can also do a simple update while waiting in the dentist office, hotel lobby, etc.

4. Make it a habit. The experts are advising that you make it part of your routine to get online and monitor how things are going. This week, I’m attending a free Webinar from Hubspot titled “How to monitor your social media presence in 10 minutes a day.” Hubspot has a great article here, taken from its popular seminar, that breaks down five easy ways to accomplish just that.

5. Get help if you need it. Social media can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be a major drag on your time. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone. If one of your employees would like to join in and be your ghostwriter, by all means let him or her try it. If that’s not an option, you can meet a personal quota of a “tweet a week,” for example, without reinventing the wheel. Just try retweeting something insightful said by someone you’re following, or link to a story of interest to you that you think your readers may also find worth reading. Of course, there are professionals (like me, for example!) who can also help you accomplish your goals.

Easter is still three weeks away, so in the meantime I’m turning my attention to other events — namely, the Medina Needlework Guild Needle Art Show being held this weekend at the Brunswick Library. I’m helping check in entries on Thursday, and helping demonstrate (and keep an eye on “overly tactile” kids and adults) on Saturday and Sunday. I also need to figure out what on earth I’m going to enter myself, and whether I want it to be judged. I am in awe of our judges; I know Sandy Rodgers personally, and Carol Lynn Stratton and Carla Waggoner by reputation. I’ve also jokingly said that the five-year time limit on finished pieces is a bummer, as I’m so slow in finishing anything that it severely cuts down on what I’m able to enter. Still, I’ll figure something out.

How did you celebrate National Quilting Day, which was last Saturday? I went to the Medina Library to see my friend Kathleen Clark and her fellow quilt guild members sit and stitch. They were garnering some interest — and with some of their gorgeous quilts on display, how could they not?

But if you missed out on March 21, remember that according to the Craft & Hobby Association, March is National Craft Month — and if you haven’t already made your customers aware, you still have a week to do so. With household budgets ever tighter, show customers (and potential customers) that they can have family fun as well as a little keepsake of their bonding time. It’s much more meaningful than another movie ticket stub or fast-food meal receipt.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention baseball this time of year — and The National NeedleArts Association is once again spearheading the Stitch n’ Pitch program. There’s even a “Stitch n’ Pitch Day” on April 19 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY, as well as the local-market events at MLB cities nationwide.

How are you getting in on the act of special events this spring? How are you working it into your marketing plans? Let us know by commenting below or emailing me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

Martha Stewart’s scrapbooking line makes sense. Paris Hilton’s does not. Or does it?

When I first heard reports from the floor of last weekend’s Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Show that not only did the heiress lend her name as a scrapbooking and fabric embellishments brand, she was actually at the show to promote it, my jaw dropped. What are they thinking?

Actually, it seems they’re thinking good business thoughts. As the topic made its rounds on the industry message boards, some pointed out that while you may love her or hate her, you know of Paris Hilton, which brings the brand instant status and recognition. In these credit-crunched times, it makes more sense for her to associate with products that are more affordable than, say, a line of high-end clothing that few can afford. It also speaks to people wanting to turn to their home lives and memories for entertainment — a night of scrapping is certainly more affordable than a night on the town.

Another selling point for “Paris Hilton: The Creativity Collection”: It seems to be aimed more at tweens and teens than at soccer moms — or even other women who are Paris’ clubbing-aged equals (although I’m sure someone’s 21st birthday photos might get a special laugh when noted that they’re at least partying on Paris paper).

While some of Ms. Hilton’s past escapades haven’t exactly been rated PG, much of the junior high set is either oblivious to that or can overlook it while being charmed by the pretty pink floral themes. As a parent of a budding photographer, I can attest that putting a camera into a young person’s hands can make you see the world from a different view, where something as mundane as a blanket draped on a chair can be interesting at the right angle. As I’ve banged the drum before, the future of many creative industries rests on the interest of the next generation — if they don’t want to learn how to make something, there won’t be anyone to sell to in the coming years. So kudos to you, Wooky Entertainment. I’ll be interested to see how this all pans out.

However, our fascination with celebrities and their hobbies isn’t a new trend. Look no further than the 1972 Celebrity Needlepoint Book by Joan Scobey and Lee Parr McGrath, a coffee table tome with such luminaries as Princess Grace of Monaco, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White and even football great Rosey Grier. Mr. Grier is also known for his knitting, as is Madonna, Tracey Ullman, Sarah Jessica Parker and several other famous folks.

Which all leads me to wait patiently for 2010, when avid knitter Julia Roberts graces our movie theater screens with the Friday Night Knitting Club. In the meantime, my recommendation for a cold winter week is to consider warming up your shop with a Hollywood-themed open house. The Academy Awards is just weeks away — why not fill a “Curious Case” with “Benjamin Buttons,” for example? Or for the TV crowd, host a “yarn tasting” that showcases Vanna White’s own brand?