The Framers Forum

I started my framing business in October and have completed about 30 jobs but only for friends and family (I did charge them). They are very pleased with the quality of my work which I am encouraged by. I am still working full-time and aim to build up my business to supplement my semi-retirement in 3 years time. I fully realise that I need to extend and widen my experience over time but I am struggling to generate any business from the general public.

I do not have a retail outlet and work from home. I admit that marketing in not my strong point but I have placed advertisments in the local community magazines, made contact with local artists and photographers all of which has resulted in zilch. Not a single response. I am really surprised as I live in a relatively middle-class area and I would have thought my ads would have generated at least some enquiries.

So, if anyone is willing to give me the benefit of their experience and help me with some pointers and tips on generating business, I would be exteremely grateful. I am not in any way disillusioned but I am sure my wife is itching to say 'I told you it wouldn't work'!

I have never set much store in local advertising. At best it tends to work by delayed action and once you stop placing ads people will think you have packed up. Also, for every genuine enquiry you get 10 calls from other sources wanting to sell you more advertising.

Word of mouth is the best way. But obviously this can take time to build up, but the more jobs you do the more the word spreads.

What about your web presence? You can buy a huge amount of webspace for a year a fraction of the price of a middling-size ad in a glossy mag. And it's there permanently. You only need one page to start with. You don't have to pay a fortune to a web designer. You can do it yourself. These days people reach for the mouse rather than the Yellow Pages.

In the meantime you can concentrate on developing your skills. Maybe trying to provide something that no-one else in the area can do. Before you know it you will be run off your feet.

it always takes time

meeting photogs etc might not instantley get you work but you need to keep talking to them, you need to network and be around these people

like for example get involved in the local camera club, offer to do a presentation etc

My advice - dont train on customers work. Go and get some training - even better take the gcf and show your customers that you have enough skill and knowledge to not do too much damage to their artwork. You have the time to do that - and you will start your business on a firm footing.

Good luck

I started from home, what we did, apart from local mags like you, was to get thousands of leaflets printed. We distributed most of them ourselves over a couple of weeks, concentrating on the posher places; then we paid for a load to go in a free paper and we also paid our newsagent to slip them in the paid-for papers. The biggest response by far came from the stand-alone leaflets we delivered. We did all this about 3 times a year, but we paid someone to deliver the stand-alone ones after the first time.

I'd read that a 2% response is what you may expect, we got more like 10%. I suppose it depends on many things, e.g. how many framers there are around, how good they are, how competitvely priced they are and how conveniently-placed, etc.

Never had much luck with ads in local papers/mags.

After a couple of years we persuaded a couple of gift/art/stationery type shops to offer a framing service subbed out to us, plus a photographer.

Oh, and we did a lot of craft fairs, selling ready-mades, framed prints and dishing out more leaflets.

What works for us now is radio advertising, not cheap, but effective.

There's no quick and easy way, but here's a few ideas;

I agree with Prospero - I never pay for adverts, as I rarely see a response.

1) Networking. get some cards printed, a website up, and some samples made. Then go along to some breakfast meetings, or evening networking meetings. (Google networking peterborough, or business networking peterborough).
2) Go to art exhibitions, talk to artists, tell them what you do.
3) Charity organisations (slow burn approach, but WILL pay dividends) get in touch with the local Cancer Research or any charity, and offer to frame them something for their charity auction, or even frame the pub quiz certificate. Get to know the folks that organize the fundraising, and get them thinking of you as a framer. This will get you some exposure.
4) join the Rotary Club, or local group of some sort, and go and talk to people telling them you are a framer, not someone who does a bit as a hobby.
5) Take some samples into work.
6) Independent retailers are struggling at the moment - is there a local gift shop/tapestry shop where you could provide them with a sample board and pricing, and share the revenue?
7) i get a lot of work from restaurants, because I eat out a lot. I get talking to people, tell them what I do, and the orders just come in.
Give things away - I often make up little cheap (but nice) frames for other businesses, give them away, it re-inforces what you do in their mind, and they want to help you, to return the favour.
9) Seen anyone you know featured in the Local paper - cut out the article, frame it, and give it to them as a gift. Years ago I did this for my daughter's secondary school - I still get regular work from them now!

As Robo says - leaflets work. As do craft fairs. But get out there, be proud to be a framer, and the work will flow.

Good luck! Happy Framing

I live in a market town which is fairly affluent & has a very good local newspaperbut i would never advertise in it,its expensive & bears no fruit,
However Editorials with a photograph are free & brings in a lot of work,
I release one every 3 months Make sure you've got something to offer, - something different, -
something of interest to capture the Imagination.

Also I always found that ads in the local parish magazines at £20 quid for the year well worth the money,

But my best results come from our local Community Radio Station For a months advertising they charge £100 for that you get a 30 second advert, made by them with what you want to say,
played 5 times a day for 31 days. You also get an invite on to the station to talk about your business
works for me.

If I remember correctly Arqadia have some kind of free start up folder or brochure. It a long time since I've seen this, but I seem to remember there was some promotional suggestions in that.

Also your local branch of "Business Link" may be able to offer some useful free information on the same subject.

Many, many thanks for all of your kind replies. It has given me lots of ideas to try and get things moving.

Best regards...........Bob