Everything You Need To Know About Finding Your Customer For Your Candle Making Business
So you’ve decided to melt into the candle making business, that’s great!
Before you get started on your candle making journey, however, there are a few things that you will want to consider. The first and most important part of entering the handcrafted candle market is identifying your ideal customer.
Everyone loves candles, but not everyone will love your candles, and that’s okay! In fact, it’s actually better that way. Finding a group of customers to sell to can help you gain a competitive edge in the candle making market.
If you are unsure of where to begin with finding your customer, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I will answer some important questions about how to find your customer and give you some of my best tips on how you can narrow down your intended market.
Let’s get started!
For more information on this topic, check out my YouTube video on finding your customer by clicking here.
What does it mean to find your customer?
Finding your customer is one of the most important steps to launching a successful candle-making business. You should make sure that you identify your customer before you even start making your product.
This involves getting familiar with the group of people who want to buy your candles. For most people, this is easier said than done. Thankfully, I am here to help you out with identifying your target market!
Try considering your products from your customer’s point of view. Each customer has different preferences and opinions on what makes a great candle. If you can capture their expectations within your candles, you are already on your way to identifying your customer.
To do this, you can start by asking yourself questions like:
- Who is my ideal customer?
- What are my customers’ interests?
- What are my customers looking for in a candle?
- How can I market to them?
Tailoring your product to your intended customer can mean the difference between a successful candle making business and a side hobby. That’s why it’s so important to find answers to these questions before you begin creating your product.
Why is it important to find your customer before making your product?
It’s no secret that candle making comes with a seemingly endless list of options to choose from.
Candlemakers can spend countless hours determining what scents to use, how to package your product, and the list goes on and on. The paradox of choice can leave you stuck trying to make a decision and never really knowing if you’ve made the right one.
Finding your customer before you start making your product can alleviate some of this stress. That’s because knowing who your customer is and what they are looking for in a candle will guide you in the proper direction for the rest of your candle-making process.
If you’re unsure of who your customer is at this point, you’re not alone! When I first started making candles, I thought that I was simply marketing to people who like candles. This would include almost everyone on the face of the earth.
Although that might sound like a great place to start, it is way too broad of a customer base. The reality is that no matter how amazing your candles are, it’s impossible to make something that everybody is going to like and want to purchase. As the saying goes, “If you try to sell to everyone, you will end up selling to no one.”
After I came to this realization, my candle-making business started to change for the better.
How to Find Your Customer
Here are some of my best tips for finding your customer within the candle making market:
Find a Niche
There’s no questions that finding a niche makes it a lot easier to narrow down your customer base.
For example, my candle making business has comfortably settled into the niche of nostalgia. I market my candles to people who are looking to get lost in the nostalgic scents from their childhood.
Finding a niche is a really fun part of identifying your customer because you can get as creative as you want with it!
Some people like to choose a niche that is personal to them. This can be a great way to share your passions with your customers, giving your candles that personal touch.
Other candlemakers might prefer to explore the market and identify a niche that is lacking. This method of finding a niche can help you design unique products, giving you a competitive edge within the market.
The best way to do this, however, is to combine both of these techniques. This will help you identify a niche that is personal to you and is competitive within the candle making market.
If you are looking for more specific ideas on finding a niche, I walk you through all of my favorites in this video on how to settle on a niche.
Plan Your Product
Once you have settled on a niche, it’s time to start planning for the products that you want to sell.
Having a clear plan of how your candles will cater to your niche can help to save you time and money when it comes to making your product.
In other words, before you dive into making your candles, you will want to sit down and ask yourself, “What are my customers looking for?” For example, imagine that you are in the cottagecore niche. People interested in this niche might be looking for floral, woodsy scents that you would find in a garden or out in a damp forest.
No matter what your niche is, it’s important to have a variety of scents to choose from within it. As your candle making business grows, you will have opportunities to expand your range of products and enter into other niches. However, it is best to start with one specific niche so that you can build a customer base within it.
Candle with care!
Remember, your customer is already out there! They are just waiting on the perfect candle to suit their preferences. That’s where you come in! By following these tips, you will be able to identify your customer in no time.
If you want to learn more about finding your customer before making your product, check out my YouTube video where I walk you through everything you need to know in detail.
