Do small craft businesses need strategic marketing to survive?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to determine if small craft producer businesses need strategic marketing to survive. Existing literature on strategic marketing and the craft industry in South Africa (SA) was used to answer the following question: do small craft businesses need strategic marketing to survive? Since craft producers lack access to the market, they face major challenges in marketing their products successfully. Secondary research was used to determine the need of strategic marketing by craft producers in SA. Strategic marketing is crucial since craft producers must research changes developments taking place in the market and to be able to develop an appropriate marketing strategy to sustain their businesses. This will enable craft producers to identify customers and to formulate an appropriate marketing strategy to reach their chosen target market. The research revealed it enables them to identify customers and to formulate an appropriate marketing strategy to reach their chosen target market. The study revealed that craft producers do need strategic marketing to survive in South Africa