Friday, October 8, 2010

My Obsession:



I've been at it again...tweakin' my labels!  

 It seems that every time I need to label a large quantity of soaps, I become dissatisfied with my labels.   They're too plain,  they look cheap, they look too bare, or,  you can't see the soap (since I've started using natural colorants, that seems much more important!)

 I've told myself  "LET IT GO ALREADY!"  too many times to count. 

Does the label really matter?  What's in a name?  Appearance is secondary.  Yeah, but...

Sad to say, we're all affected by a product's packaging -some of us more than others, I'm sure...but we're affected, nevertheless.

We all painstakingly adjust and tweak our soap recipes to make sure the final product is as moisturizing & skin-friendly as  possible.  People rave over our soap, yes?  But let's face it...if one of our goals is to sell our product (and let me just say that's certainly a goal of mine) people must try it...but first, they must buy it...and before that, they must eye it!  (forgive me...it had to rhyme)  It's true, and besides,  breaking it down in this way makes me feel better about my tweaking!

Bottom line: Is my label tweaking a waste of time? Hope not.   Will this packaging prompt a purchase?  We'll see.   Will this wrapper convey the effort, quality, attention and love that go into my soaps?  I can only hope so.   But if it doesn't....you know what I'll be doing!  :)

12 comments:

Courtney Beard said...

I think your labels (all of them!) have looked lovely. Having said that - I am very simple and plain with mine. I know that labels bring "curb appeal" to your product and help to support or define the creator behind it. For me I've chosen to keep with just plain printed labels and cigar bands for the fact that it is in essence a throwaway part of your product. By keeping cost down in that aspect, I can more justify using luxury ingredients in the part they will actually use- while being able to keep my prices lower. So while I admire and like a pretty package, I'm just as content to get a very plain one and go right to the goods inside!

thesoapsister said...

Courtney, you are my dream consumer! I wish EVERYONE felt that way -that would make life SO much easier! You're wise not only as a consumer, but also as a manufacturer...what counts is what's on the inside...much like people! :) Thanks for your insight.

Jennifer said...

I would love to go with Courtney's philosophy as well but... I think packaging matters. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover... but if you really want to sell, I think smart classy packaging sells better. This is just my opinion. So, no I do not think it is a waste of time. Wanna know what I was just doing? Tweaking!!!!! I am majorly tweaking lately... in my dilema of exposed or not exposed.... if the soaps are fully wrapped, won't they preserve the EO scent better? Anyway, do you remember that you were going to do a post with a whole bunch of your different tweaks from the beginning? Still waiting.... xo Jen

cocobong said...

Sista, you know I'm with Courtney on this one..I haven't moved beyond tweaking appealing font, but it's still just font on a cigar band. Ho-humm? Oh well. So much said, your label looks great and I would buy your soap if I saw it and could get a good whiff of it :)

thesoapsister said...

Oh I forgot that! Yes! That's definitely one I need to dig into. I'll have to look through the old computer and see what's there. Thanks Jen, this will be fun to do! (It sure makes me feel better that you tweak, too!) I'll try to post my "Tweaking History" early next week! :)

John Frillman said...

You could put Fabio on a few...see how that goes

thesoapsister said...

Cocobong, I gotta say: "Gurl, yer soaps 'r so purdy, they'd sell, even if they was nekkid! :) I gotta 'gussy mine up a tad, I reckon'.

Thanks for the kind feedback. I do so value your opinion! I think your soaps look fab with no wrapping whatsoever. :)

I did vary the fabric on each soap variety, while the front label remained consistent. I'm running a grand "marketing experiment" with two names and wrappings in two different stores that are located in the same town. ( I guess it would be even better if the two soaps were side-by-side in the same store.) At any rate, I'm eager to see which sells better.

I wonder if one's labels correlate somehow to one's personality. I'll have to ask my friend the psych major....perhaps I could learn something from my label dissatisfaction/perfectionism -but then again, maybe I would rather not know! :)

Have a nice weekend! ( I'll be garage sale-ing with one of my sisters tomorrow -woohoo! Lookout bargains, here I come!) Do they do Garage Sales in Germany?

~Sista

thesoapsister said...

Reckon I'd have to split the profits with him?

Jan said...

Very nice! does make you think of country fresh. I too think that packaging is very important, if something doesn't look nice, there's not much chance of selling it. If you were selling soaps without labels then it would be different, your beautiful soaps would sell themselves. Maybe if the labels are small and you can see mostly soap then it probaby wouldn't matter as much. I'm at the moment tweaking signs for my market tomorrow and it's a ongoing thing, always trying to improve them:)

cocobong said...

well yeehaw, gurl! hope you have yerselves a mighty fine time at themmm garage sales!
I just love g-sales, and no..they don't have them here, can you imagine? Ridiculous, such a very cool concept. We have flea markets and stuff like that, but garage sales? Do they have them anywhere else besides in the States?

Maggie said...

Hi Becky, I couldn't agree with you more about the part where people shop with their eyes first (and maybe nose second when it comes to soaps). I personally think your labels are beautiful and, if you have fun creating label designs, then why not? :)

michaelsuds8 said...

Very nice Becky with what you have done with the packaging! As we at Joyful Soaps have been learning quickly, as beautiful and eye-catching as your soaps can be, the packaging can very well make or break the potential sale. As you have done very well, the packaging accentuates the soap, and brings out its personality and character. While I certainly would put more of your focus always on the soap making and the art of soap making, I think the packaging is a great extension of your passion for making soap. So, yes, it is important to look at your packaging with fresh eyes on occasion, and you did that very well. Congratulations!