1. Are enamel pins a viable source of income?
When done properly, starting an enamel pin business may be enjoyable and successful. Consider doing it even if you believe there is some competition in your niche. Like in any cutthroat business, you’ll make money if you concentrate on creating fantastic products and getting them in front of the correct customers.
2. How much do enamel pins cost to make?
Custom enamel pins may be manufactured for pretty much any purpose you can think of and are rather inexpensive to produce. Depending on size, quantity, and pin type, a bespoke pin can cost as little as $0.61 or as much as $3.48 per pin.
3. How To Make Enamel Pins?
Making enamel pins is said to be difficult. It’s not. It’s simple and usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Enamel pins—how do you make them?
Making pins has six steps.
·Prepare your artwork file.
The minimum a pin factory needs to start production is a PDF file of your design. My articles on the top enamel pin factories and how to design enamel pins go into greater detail.
You can email them a digital file of the art you want created into a pin, or You can create a drawing on a blank piece of paper, color it in, and then save it digitally as a PDF document.
·CHOOSE YOUR ENAMEL PIN MATERIAL
Pins can be constructed from many materials, although most producers use two formats. Pins in hard and soft enamel. Why?
Pins with Hard Enamel
They have smooth, durable enamel finishes and tiny metal lines dividing each hue.
They have a high-quality, sturdy feel since they are created from die-struck iron metal then heated to a high temperature and polished.
Hard enamel pins look like this:
Pins with Soft Enamel
Their textured pin surface allows for more intricacy and reduced cost.
They have a thinner feel than Hard Enamel pins since they are die-struck iron metal, electroplated, and optionally epoxy coated.
They’re both good pin materials. Choose the style that best expresses your design! You can read our blog on how to create enamel pins if you want to get more in-depth information.
·CHOOSE YOUR ENAMEL PIN SIZE
Once you have your artwork and pin material, how do you choose pin size?
Smaller pins range from.75 to 1.25 inches. They’re lighter, easier to move, and cheaper because they utilize less material.
Design detail is limited with smaller pins.
Since you’re working with a larger canvas, larger pins, 1.25 inches wide or longer, allow for more complex design but limit where they can be pinned.
Few people wear 2-inch lapel pins.
If you have a minimal budget and a simple design, smaller pins may be appropriate.
They’re cheaper because pin size determines price. Larger pins are best if you want a detailed pin and don’t mind paying more.
·Choose how many enamel pins to make.
After selecting your artwork, material, and pin size. It’s easy to decide how many pins to make.
All manufacturers require 100 units for your first order. If it does well, order 100 pins and then more.
It is often difficult to know in advance how popular a pin will be, so it is advisable to take a cautious approach when ordering large quantities of a pin that may not be in high demand.
·Decide how many pin-backs your enamel pin will have.
A pin’s needle-like mechanism, generally on the back, momentarily fastens it to a surface.
One thing about pin-backs:
Put two pin-backs on every pin!
Why? Your pin will wiggle and fall off if you use only one pin-back.
Losing a valued pin due to poor pin-back preparation is the worst.
Don’t I and many other first-time pin makers made this mistake: always use two pin-backs.
·Discovering a producer for your enamel pins
There are numerous businesses that manufacture enamel pins in North America, Europe, and Asia. A fast Google search for enamel pin manufacturers might produce a wide range of outcomes. Here are a few possibilities for rapid review:
Made by Cooper; True Metal Works; WizardPins; The/Studio.
As an alternative, you might search for a trustworthy manufacturer abroad using Alibaba.
It can be difficult to establish contact with foreign manufacturers. If you have never dealt with suppliers before, it is understandable that you may be unsure of how to proceed, but that is totally understandable.
4. How Do You Sell Enamel Pins Online?
·Making Your Own Enamel Pin Shop
Want considerable influence over your company? Then setting up your own internet store is the best course of action.
Ecommerce platforms like Shopify make it remarkably simple, even if it will require a little more work than an Amazon Handmade or Etsy business.
You can design the shopping experience you desire for your customers with Shopify, which is a perk. You have complete control over the how your store appears, functions, and is expressed.
·Getting Customers for Your Enamel Pin Store
When you’ve finished building your store, use these suggestions to attract attention:
·Take Excellent Pin Photos
It takes more than just holding a camera in front of your pins to take a beautiful photo of them.
You should carefully consider your photos if you wish to stand out. Buyers will find your pins more appealing if you choose intriguing backdrops that better display them.
If you are selling bundles, take pictures of every pin in the bundle so that customers can see what the entire set will look like.
Avoid using monotonous, blank backgrounds. Add some of your personality to your photos.
·Present package discounts
Offers like “buy one, get one free” can encourage customers to make additional purchases. So why not organize your pins into packages based on themes.
If you sell pins that have words or phrases on them, group them with others that express the same feelings.
This is a fantastic approach to guarantee that little extra increase in sales revenue while also moving more of your inventory and providing you the opportunity to get more in.
In addition, shipping costs will be reduced because there are more pins in each package.
·Utilize Custom Backer Cards
When you send out your pins, you attach them on backer cards made of card. Although they are not essential to the shipping process, they might serve a very significant function: more advertising. You can make your pins stand out even more by customizing the cards that come with them. Ensure that the cards are consistent with the look and feel of your store, such as using colors that match and including any logos you may have.
But how about going a step further and adding QR codes to your website? To draw in more clients, think about providing special discount codes for second transactions made just using the card.
·Promoting Your Enamel Pin Business
Due to their efficacy, you should employ the following tactics to promote your enamel pin line:
-Instagram Marketing
Instagram marketing should be your first stop when showcasing your distinctive enamel pins.
By creating an account linked to your store, you may promote your pins using images on this largely visual social media platform.
Easily provide pictures of your existing and upcoming stock to all of your clients, both current and potential. By asking for photos of people wearing your products, you can enlist the assistance of your prior clients. Let your pins sell themselves!
-Facebook Advertising
Facebook provides even more options for promoting your pins online.
Start discussions in posts and comments to engage your audience. Use posts to promote your newest pin designs, thank followers, or make competitions and deals that will interest your audience in your business.
Through likes, reposts, and mentions, Facebook marketing can assist you in creating a community of your customers and in spreading the word.
-Influencer Marketing
Influencers are strong advocates in the online community whose endorsement can greatly increase your sales.
Find possible brand ambassadors by contacting creators on various social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Influencer marketing is unquestionably a great strategy to market your enamel pin brand, with a return of up to $18 for every dollar invested.