Skill and reliability keep customers coming back, but a woodworking business first needs people to know it exists. Advertising a small business does not have to be expensive. Many of the most effective methods for a one-person workshop cost little or nothing, especially for finding local customers.
This post covers free and low-cost ways to advertise a woodworking business, from word of mouth and a Google Business Profile to email, social media, local groups, flyers and a simple website. It also covers the US rules that apply to customer reviews and marketing emails, and how to track which methods work.
Free Does Not Mean Easy
Free methods cost little money, but they take time and effort. You may need to learn new tools, take good photos, write short posts and keep things up to date. Most of these methods also work slowly at first and build over time. Pick a few that suit you and keep them going, rather than trying everything at once and dropping it after a month.
Free Ways to Advertise
1. Word of Mouth and Referrals
For many small local businesses, word of mouth stays the main source of customers for years. Do not underestimate it because it sounds simple. Your first customers are often friends, family, neighbours and colleagues. People are glad when they do not have to search far for a woodworker, and they are happy to give work to someone they know and trust.
Each job you complete well creates another person who can recommend you. To encourage this:
- Tell people what you make and that you take orders.
- Give each customer a few business cards to pass on.
- Ask happy customers directly whether they know anyone who might want a piece.
- Thank people who refer customers to you, with a note, a small gift or a discount on their next order.
2. A Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is free and lets your business appear in Google Maps and in local search results when people search for a woodworker or furniture maker near them. Google’s guidelines allow a profile for businesses that have a location customers can visit, or that travel to customers at their locations. A business run from home that visits customers, such as a woodworker who measures and installs on site, should hide its home address and set a service area instead. A business that sells only online, with no in-person contact, is not eligible.
Once your profile is set up:
- Add clear photos of your work and, if suitable, your workshop.
- Describe what you make and the area you serve.
- Keep your hours, phone number and website up to date.
- Ask customers to leave reviews, and reply to them.
3. Customer Reviews
Reviews on Google, Etsy, Facebook and other sites help new customers trust you. Ask every satisfied customer to leave one, and make it easy by sending a direct link. Reply to reviews politely, including negative ones.
Follow the rules. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, bans fake reviews, including reviews written by people who have not used your business. It also bans offering money or other incentives in exchange for reviews that are positive (or negative), reviews by owners, managers or staff that do not clearly disclose the connection, and using threats or intimidation to stop or remove negative reviews. You can ask for honest reviews, but not for good ones in return for a reward.
4. Personal Emails to People You Know
An email to friends, family and contacts telling them about your work costs nothing and can bring your first orders. They may also forward it to people they know.
Take the time to write to each person individually rather than sending the same message to everyone. A generic email is easy to ignore, even from someone the reader knows. A personal message that mentions the reader by name, and perhaps something they might like, is more likely to be read and answered.
5. An Email List
Collect email addresses from customers and people who are interested in your work, with their permission, at craft fairs, through your website and at the end of each order. An occasional email about new pieces, upcoming fairs or holiday order deadlines keeps you in mind and brings repeat orders.
In the US, commercial emails must follow the CAN-SPAM Act. The FTC’s guide lists the main requirements:
- Header information, such as the “From” name and address, must be accurate and identify you.
- Subject lines must not be misleading.
- The message must be identified as an advertisement, where it is one.
- The email must include a valid postal address.
- It must tell recipients how to opt out, and opt-out requests must be honoured within 10 business days.
The law applies to emails to businesses as well as to individuals. Email marketing services usually add the opt-out link and address for you. See email marketing for business.
6. Social Media
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube all suit woodworking, because people like to see how things are made. Photos and short videos of a piece taking shape, the finish going on and the finished piece in a home all draw interest. Posts can be shared widely, and each share puts your work in front of new people.
- Start with one or two platforms you can keep up with.
- Post regularly, with good photos.
- Show the process, not only the finished piece.
- Say clearly what you make, where you are and how to order.
- Put your profile links on your business cards and website.
Organic reach on some platforms is limited, so not every post will be seen by all your followers. Paid boosts can help later, but a steady record of good posts comes first. See social media for business using Facebook and the Pinterest business guide.
7. Local Online Groups and Directories
- Nextdoor. Neighbours often ask for recommendations here. A free business page lets them find and recommend you.
- Local Facebook groups. Many towns have community, buy-and-sell and home improvement groups. Read each group’s rules on promotion before you post.
- Directories. List your business on Yelp, your local chamber of commerce directory and maker or craft directories in your area.
8. Flyers and Notice Boards
You cannot email people who have not given you permission, but you can reach them with flyers. Flyers cost little to print and can be placed on community notice boards, in cafés, libraries, community centres, lumber yards, hardware stores and shop windows, with permission. Use one clear photo, a short description of what you make, your contact details and, if you have one, a QR code that links to your website or portfolio.
9. Local Press and Community Events
Local newspapers, magazines, radio stations and newsletters often look for stories about local makers. A short email with a few good photos and a note about what makes your work interesting can lead to a feature. Demonstrations at community events, donating a piece to a school or charity auction and taking part in local makers’ markets also put your name in front of local people.
10. Partner With Other Businesses
Other local businesses can show your work to their customers:
- A café that uses your tables or serving boards, with a small card saying who made them.
- Interior designers and home stagers who need custom pieces.
- Real estate agents who give closing gifts to buyers.
- Florists, gift shops and wedding planners who can use wood displays, boxes and signs.
- Other makers, with whom you can share a fair stall or cross-promote on social media.
11. Show Your Work in Public
An open studio day, a demonstration at a market, a sign on your vehicle, or a sign at your workshop where local rules allow, all tell people what you do. Each finished piece in a client’s home or business is also a chance for others to ask who made it.
Low-Cost Ways to Advertise
A Simple Website
A website works for your business around the clock. People look online for products and services, and a website helps them find you, see your work and contact you. It should include clear photos of your work, what you make, the area you serve, how to order and your contact details.
Decide whether you want a site you update often, with new photos and articles, or a simpler site with key information that rarely needs changing. A blog suits you if you enjoy writing about your work. Platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace and Wix let you build a site yourself, and the main costs are a domain name and hosting or a platform plan. If you cannot build it yourself, hire a web designer. Whichever you choose, keep it current. An outdated or poorly made website can create the wrong impression. See how to start a WordPress blog for business.
Business Cards and Printed Material
Business cards cost little and are useful everywhere: at fairs, in shops that stock your work, in every order you send and in your wallet for chance conversations. Include your name, what you make, your phone number, email, website and social media.
Small Paid Ads
Once your free channels are in place, small paid ads can reach more people quickly. Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Pinterest and Nextdoor all let you target ads by location and interests. Start with a small budget and a local area, measure which ads lead to enquiries and sales, and increase spending only on what works. Ads work best when you advertise something specific, such as custom dining tables, to a clear group of buyers.
Craft Fairs and Markets
Fairs cost a booth fee, but they combine sales with advertising. Buyers who see your work in person may order later or tell others. Take business cards and an email sign-up sheet. See how to sell at craft shows.
Good Photos Make Everything Work Better
Almost every method in this post depends on good photos: your Google Business Profile, social media, website, flyers and press pitches. Take clear, well-lit photos of every piece you finish and keep them organised. See how to build a woodworking portfolio and product photographs.
Track Where Customers Come From
Ask every new customer how they heard about you, and keep a simple record. After a few months, you will see which methods bring enquiries and sales, and which take time without results. Put more effort into what works and drop what does not.
Advertising On and Off
A one-person woodworking business can only take on so much work. Many woodworkers advertise more when they need work and less when their order book is full. Keep the basics going all the time, though. A Google Business Profile, reviews, a website and a social media presence take months to build, and they are hard to restart from nothing when you suddenly need work.
For more on where to sell, see how to sell woodworking projects. For handling the enquiries that advertising brings, see how to take custom woodworking orders.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google
- Federal Trade Commission, 2024, Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials
- Federal Trade Commission, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business
This is the worst advice I’ve ever seen… no business has ever gained a lick of mindshare through word of mouth, digital (in a non-digital profession) or direct/email. The old adage, “a happy customer tells one person; a dissatisfied customer tells ten” should explain everything you need to know about why WOM is not going to grow your business. Have a marketing plan in place when you go to your lender. If not, start putting $200-$500/month away and advertise with your local radio stations. If you’re rural, forget digital entirely as most don’t have sufficient enough access to be absently browsing Facebook. Know how many prospects you need (what’s your closing ratio), and how many customers you’ll need to turn at least a 20% return on investment with any advertising and if you can’t reasonably conclude you’ll get that, don’t do it. But any advertising at all is an exercise in long-term momentum. Advertising only when you need the extra business is assured to be a waste of money. Consistency in message and frequency is key and jumping in and out of the fight for share of mind is the equivalent of lighting money on fire.