How to rake in coustomers?

[welder_guy]

i am in to selling metal artwork that i create. lately i havent been geting any customers. does anybody know how to get customers to comission me any projects. my budget isint very high, but i will accept any sugestions.

[Fishy Jim]

Getting works published in a local paper might be a good way to go. Have someone do up a story on you and see if they'll run it.

The other option is doing the weekend craft show circuit. Most of those people (attendees) are pretty cheap though, so getting any real cash out of them might be a losing battle.

What it boils down to is exposure. No one can buy from you if they don't know you exist.

[84ZMike]

I know some guys / gals have had good luck with craigs list...
Mike
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html

[tasslehawf]

I was going to suggest craigslist too. Doing shows is a good idea or make a photo portfolio and go around to stores and pitch your stuff. Do consignment. Where are you located?

[woof]

Making friends with rich people is the best way. Or make a friend of someone who sells things to rich people. I've seen it work.

[Fishy Jim]

CL is primarily inhabited by extremely thrifty people in this area. You'd be better off putting stuff on ebay.

[welder_guy]

I was going to suggest craigslist too. Doing shows is a good idea or make a photo portfolio and go around to stores and pitch your stuff. Do consignment. Where are you located?

i'm located in bend, oregon

[dwain]

There is a lot of art to be seen in metal working and blacksmithing books. Do an online search for these books and spend a few bucks to get them. They are full of ideas. Pictuures of other artist's work will inspire you.

You might try developing some practical/useful art pieces, such as a creative and fully functional stair railing for someone's front steps. People will spend more to beautify their home in a practical way than they will when considering an art for art's sake creation, as a general rule. How 'bout taking an old oak hall tree that is plain jane, affordable for you to buy second hand, and then adding some wrought iron art to it? Just one idea out of zillions to come up with. Good luck.

[jamscal]

I put an ad on craigslist to build an off-road bumper for someone, for cheap, as a means of getting work. I charged $250 and the ad has generated a bunch of interest.

Now, I have about $50 in steel in it, and probably will have 10 hours in the bumper.

$250 is too cheap of course, I wouldn't sell another for less than $500, but now I know how to build one, and have a calling card out there. I'll also have pics of the finished product to use.

I look at it as proactive advertising.

You might try to find some useful products that can be customized, advertise that you can make 2 for x amount, and see what happens.

Craigslist is free. I update my ads at least once a month and test ideas like the above all the time.

Good luck,

James

[SundownIII]

Welder_Guy,

Not trying to be overly critical, but, cleaning up your spelling/punctuation/use of caps, etc., will go a long way towards making what you do look professional.

People responding to an ad do not know you as a person or anything about you. All they have to go on is what they see in print. Poor spelling, incorrect grammar, etc. do not send the signal that the person is concerned with "attention to detail". This is particularly important in the arts and crafts field.

Hope this is taken the way it was intended.