** The Best Ways to Create, Sell, and Market Your Homesteader Product is a guest post written by Virginia Cooper at Learn a Living. **
Starting a homesteading business can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be difficult if you don’t know where to start. If you want to turn your passion into profits, consider these tips for building and marketing your homesteader business.
How to Create, Sell, and Market Your Homesteader Product
Research Your Buyers
If you’re creating a product for a specific niche, say rustic soap for people with sensitive skin, then it’s a good idea to take the time to research your potential buyers. What problems do they have? How can you market your product directly toward them? Are there similar products available?
Choose a Brand Name
When you begin selling your homemade products, it’s crucial to ensure you take a professional approach. A brand name isn’t just an exercise in creativity — it’s also a way for consumers to identify your products as unique and well-made. If you’re serious about making a living off your hobby farm, spend some time thinking about your brand before getting started.
Market Your Product
When you’re just starting in business, a big part of it is getting your name out there. A great way to do that is to partner with other vendors — like makers markets or small businesses that sell your product. You can attract partners by granting them a share of the profits from selling your products. Not only does cross-promoting help drive sales for everyone involved, it also makes you look like an established company.
Create a Website
Creating a website is an important part of any modern marketing strategy. Depending on your business, you may need a site with e-commerce capabilities or just one with basic information about your product or service. If organic traffic isn’t bringing enough sales, try search engine optimization or get started with a paid advertising campaign through Google Ads. If you’re not confident in your digital abilities, you can hire a digital marketing professional to help drive the best results.
Set Up and Scale
Decide where you want your homesteading venture to be based. That may include an online store (like Etsy or Amazon), a brick-and-mortar store, a local farmers market, or a booth at a local fair. When scaling your business, you’ll find some advantages to forming a corporation. If you’re looking for outside investment, a corporation is more appealing to experienced investors looking for security in a business venture. Taking on investors and adding employees can mean many changes, but shares become easier to transfer if your entity is a corporation instead of a limited liability company (LLC). You can save money on lawyer’s fees when you file for incorporation by yourself or use a business formation service. Each state has its own requirements for business registrations, so read up on them before starting the process.
Live Off Your Land
Homesteading is an easy way to make money if you live off your land. With a bit of forethought and clever marketing, you can establish a niche for yourself with people in your community who want high-quality products.
