How to Develop a Signature Style and Connect with your Audience Ft. Campfire Woodworks
“I think one of the things I struggle with is developing a cohesive product line. I look at a lot of these other woodworkers, Etsy shops, and folks out there. All of their products have a certain look and style to them, and it’s immediately recognizable. I don’t think I quite have that yet, and I think I struggle with that. I haven’t found that key element that I want to add to everything to develop a signature look.”
- Justin Bailey
Creating a visual signature for your company is one factor that turns a business into a proper brand. While there is nothing wrong with building things custom and having a unique appearance with each product, creating a signature look can be a way to elevate your brand to a point where you develop a following. It can be a potent tool to aid the growth of your wood business.
“I just had somebody from Woodward Throwbacks on the podcast not too long ago, and they have a line. I did this myself, and I also recommend this to people. If you want a standard line, you’re going to have to use the same type of products to ensure it’s the same thing all the time.
What I like is to approach things from a ‘seasons’ perspective. A TV show has different seasons, and each of those seasons has different themes. The most consistent thing you can have is your logo, brand, and personality. So let’s say spring is coming around, and within this season, what you’re feeling right now is ash, oak, walnut, or whatever. Then come up with two or three consistent key elements and then make everything just like that.”
- Steve Larosiliere
Leveraging a Scarcity Mindset
“So if it’s charcuterie boards, the bread knife, or whatever, then you build a collection based on saying, ‘I have enough wood to make 10, 15, or 20 of these. And when it’s done, it’s done.’ It’s about leveraging a scarcity or urgency mindset and then building up hype around that. That enables you to connect more with your audience, and they’re more in tune with what you’re making.
It builds a little bit of a collection factor. I’ve seen one or two people do that successfully with tables, but I haven’t seen it done with small home goods. Like I said, play around with epoxy and other materials. So if you have your core products of what you’d like to make, two styles of charcuterie boards, a couple of cutting boards, a couple of other signature home pieces, and then throw in one or two side tables or coffee tables, but it’s all within that style. That’s how you can start building up reps.”
- Steve Larosiliere
By creating a limited run of certain products to supplement your existing offerings, you can give yourself room to experiment or work with materials that you don’t usually have access to. The urgency/scarcity mindset can help you sell those products while allowing you to see if other products might sell well always to give yourself room to grow and improve your business offerings.
Building and Interacting with your Audience
“Lastly, you just grew many followers in a very short period. I would thank them for following you. The most engaged people in your comments slide into their DMs, creep on their profiles, and if they’re potential customers, say hi to them, don’t sell them, just say hi to them.
Then go live once a week or once a month or whatever works for you. You now have an opportunity where you grew 5000 followers in a very short period to truly connect and build this audience that are rabid fans of you. Too many people build up this audience, but they don’t connect to them.”
- Steve Larosiliere
The value of this information cannot be overstated. Having many followers is all well and good, but unless you have an audience engaged and interested in what you are doing, it’s not worth very much. It doesn’t take too much effort to create these small conversations with your most engaged audience members, and the rewards will more than pay off in the long run.
Website: https://www.campfirewoodworks.com
Instagram: @campfirewoodworks