The book - Tara Swiger

A Marketing System for Smart + Creative Businesses

You make something by hand.
It is glorious and lovely and altogether wonderful.

What it lacks is people.
People who are buying it, begging for it and talking about it.

If this is you, if you are making something delightful but don't have the people (or enough of them), then this book is for you.

You, the lover of handmade.
You, the maker.
You, the business owner.

If you are fabulous at making your thing, but don't have (enough) people, then this book will teach you how to speak to them, attract them and keep them coming back.

If you've been selling for any amount of time, you've learned that simply making your thing and putting it online (or bringing it to a show) isn't enough.

Without a clear label, no one will buy it.
Without a compelling description, no one will buy it.
Without you sharing it, no one will find it.
Without being reminded, even the biggest fan won't return.

All of this is marketing.

It's sharing your thing with the people will love it.

In this book, we're going to take the noun marketing (that has a bad reputation for being slimy) and turn it into the verb marketing, something do-able in a non-gross way.

BUY THE BOOK!

You can get the SIGNED PRINT BOOK, direct from the author (me!)HERE.

You can get the PRINT + DIGITAL from the publisher HERE.

You can get it on Amazon HERE.

Love for Market Yourself

“Tara Swiger has read all of the marketing books so you don’t have to. This book is a wonderfully distilled way to create a marketing plan for your small crafty business. Along the way, she helps you figure out just who your business self is, what exactly you sell and who and where the tribe of people who will buy your stuff are. She does it all through common sense and experience with a minimum of marketing-speak. She’s packed the book with worksheets so you can go back and review, build on or change all the aspects of marketing your business. There is not only one way to do or be successful at business. In our current world, the more personal every piece and step of a business is, the more chance of success it has. Plus it’s more fun. This is one of the few business books I’ve read that is focused on you the maker and how you’d like to do business within the framework of your budgets of time, money and inclination.”

–Knitty.com

More love for Market Yourself (click to expand)

“Let me just tell you – this book is HEAVY. It’s full of advice, full of theories and ways to practice them. Full of material to follow – from friendly to professional, from personal to business. This book doesn’t have tons of drawings, tons of diagrams or lots of colours. It’s straight to the point.”

-Read the whole review at Rock + Purl

“Market Yourself by Tara Swiger does not disappoint. Tara Swiger knows marketing and after you read this book (heck, after reading the first chapter!) you will believe that Tara Swiger knows you.”

-Read the whole review at Handmade Success

“Market Yourself is oriented toward people who make and sell handmade objects (including, ahem, knitting patterns) but could be just as easily applied to boutique service companies or pro-bloggers looking for the right audience; pretty much any business with a small-to-non-existant marketing budget will find invaluable tips here.”
-Read the whole review at Ropeknits

“What you need to do is straightforward (know who your “Right People” are, for example), but it can feel overwhelming. That's where this book went from being interesting to being gripping for me: Tara breaks all this down in a friendly, conversational way and provides worksheets and helpful tips (like “16 Questions To Help You Write A Douche-Free Bio” by Kelly Parkinson).”
-Read the whole review by MK Carroll

“Do you love to make things, but hate the idea of marketing them? Take a deep breath, make some tea and spend some time with Tara’s book. She’s a gentle, encouraging guide through the landscape of promotion. You’ll build yourself a marketing plan that’s both comfortable and doable.”

– Diane Gilleland, CraftyPod.com

“Market Yourself takes your passion for making to the next level by teaching you step by step how to get your product into your buyer’s hands. Tara encourages and inspires but ultimately challenges you to create the growth you are looking for in your business. You will be amazed and intrigued by what you begin to learn about yourself as well as your brand.” “You will feel like you are in one-on-one coaching sessions with Tara. She communicates like she knows you, your product and what you need to succeed.”
– Kerry Burki, HandmadeSuccess.com

“I’ve learned a ton from reading Market Yourself, and she includes an amazing series of worksheets that takes it from good advice to an awesome project. Tara encourages the creative entrepreneur to craft an honest, comfortable marketing plan that works with their personality and skills. Instead of constantly struggling against a list of someone else’s “shoulds,” I get to do the things that work for me, but in a strategic way that helps my business (without making me homicidal). It’s really worthwhile to take the time to read the book, do the worksheets, and stitch it all together. There’s so much great info stuffed inside, it’s almost as good as having Tara there to help you along.” – Amy Crook, Antemortem Arts

“Tara’s work has taught me to embrace what makes me me and use it to market my crafty business. This book celebrates the journey of finding the people right for my product through worksheets, and I love it!” – Kristine Beeson, KDLB

Take a peek inside!

Click for a PDF of the Market Yourself Table of Contents

Even more…

Wondering about the different versions? Read this!
Video chat with Diane and a small biz volunteer, Elizabeth
My Ridiculous Book Dream at Jamie Riddler Studio
A Simple Marketing Equation at Oh my! Hanmade Goodness
Talking about my journey and the economy in this CraftLit podcast
Starships + Getting it all Done in this radio interview