Red Letter Paper Co.
You’ve packed up your goods, made it to the craft show, and set up your table (looks great, by the way!). Now all you have to do is wait to make a mint, right? Sort of. There are a few things you can do while you’re at the show to help market your products and your business.
1) Be prepared to talk about your products.
What are your most popular items? What are the ones you’re most proud of? When someone zones in on that item, start a conversation. I have a Christmas card with a photo of a red and green Empire State Building. It always draws attention, and I’m able to open a conversation with customers by telling them that I took that photo from my apartment window. (Yes, I love this apartment.) I’ve got romantic cards too, and when people say, “aww,” I can tell them how that particular card was inspired. What can you say about your items? Get to know them, have a story behind them, and be ready to tell it. (Just keep in mind that you don’t want to attack people who approach your table. Looking desperate doesn’t make sales.)
2) Make sure you have business cards.
I prefer not to shove them into people’s hands as they walk by, but I do leave them on the edge of the table where someone can discreetly grab one if they want to. And lots of people do. It’s the next best thing to making a sale. Speaking of business cards, make sure you have your social networking links on them! Unlike expecting someone to visit your website all the time, lots of people are more inclined to like you or follow you or plus you or whatever and they’ll see your updates as often as you post. (And if you’re not using social networking for your business, you should, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post.)
3) If you can swing it, free samples are cool.
(Make sure whatever you’re giving away brings them back to you. It should have your website or business card attached.) I did a show with a friend recently who makes a lot of paper products, and she had made tiny little notebooks to hand out with her logo and website on the back. She probably used scrap paper, but it was free and useful for customers. Genius.
4) Have a candy bowl.
Seriously. Works like a charm. Bonus points for custom candy made in your colors or with your logo, but people will be drawn to it either way. (If it’s an outdoor show, how ’bout a water bowl for the pooches?)
5) Have an email sign-up list.
Keep it at your table for when you send out newsletters and special sales. Who doesn’t love a discount?
6) Hand out coupons — after they buy something.
It’ll encourage them to come back to you for future purchases, and won’t discourage them from buying right then and there, which might happen if you just handed out discounts off the bat.
7) And finally, my most successful and biggest piece of advice: MARKET YOURSELF.
Get out and meet other sellers! Roam the aisles! Get to know other people. Maybe you love their stuff — that’s awesome! But even better, maybe they’ll love YOUR stuff. You might make a sale just by getting out and getting around. Or you might make a friend, who will be your biggest fan and share your successes (and products) with their own fans. I met someone at a craft show last summer who now gives me a heads up on any craft shows in the area I might not have heard about, and has offered me her spot at a few annual favorites she just couldn’t attend. So whether you make a sale or make a friend, make yourself get out and say hello.
Which of these marketing tactics are you going to use at your next craft show? Share with me in the comments below!
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Stephanie Hinderer started Red Letter Paper Company in June 2010 after spending too many years looking for but never finding Christmas cards that were modern while honoring the true meaning of Christmas. So she decided to make Christian cards that don’t look like your grandmother picked them out, and now RLPCo has expanded to cards for any day as well as art prints for your walls. In addition to writing and designing cards, she also enjoys chicken fingers, fonts, chick flicks, and good grammar. Connect with her on Etsy, her Blog, Facebook, & Twitter.
This reminds me of the time that at my last show last year, a woman came up to my table and said how professional I looked (compared to the other tables I think) I’m the only one in my area that has a online shop, so it’s not hard to stand out, but it is hard to get the sales because people are looking for cheap gifts or garage sale type items. I was thinking of getting a twilight popup cardboard mannequin so that kids could take pictures with Bella or Edward and maybe I’ll be more remembered …
Lisa recently posted..Free Pattern: His & Her Mittens
I’m not sure how many craft shows are in your area, but it sounds like you may need to find some more “professional” shows to attend. If most people are selling their products super cheap, then that’s what customers will expect. It then messes up your chances of looking as professional as you are because people are expecting cheap & cheap doesn’t equal value which is what you’re offering.
As far as the Twilight thing goes. If your shop is heavily associated with Twilight, then I could see where that would bring customers in & reflect your brand at the same time. Personally, I’d be careful when it comes to the movie thing. I think movie companies are pretty particular about people using their movies if they aren’t making any money off of it. Not too sure about that though. It would need to be something you’d have to check into I’d think.
Great suggestions! It’s funny but I do like it when there is a candy bowl
Kerry recently posted..Everything Will Be Alright
Yeah, that would definitely pull me in too!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Stephanie! I’m a huge fan of the candy bowl and would love to swing free samples. One thing that worked like magic at my last show was when I pulled together all the left over flowers in my workshop and let people BYOB (Build Your Own Bouquet). It was a huge hit, my customers loved getting to be creative, and I was able to sell flowers that would otherwise have stayed in my workshop
Wow Kirsten, that’s a fabulous idea! What a great way to stand out among the other booths. I’d think that letting customers do some DIY with your products would be a rare thing. I’m sure you were remembered & what a great way to sell more of your product. Thanks for the great tip & thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Meagan,
These are great tips! I remember a story of these two booths at a show and this other booth was drawing more people than the other one.
The reason was because the owner of this booth was more chatty and has stories to tell about her products and she’s patient enough to answer any questions so I definitely agree with your tip. It sure works!
Thanks for sharing!
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Yeah, that’s a great example of how engaging customers & really caring for them can boost business. It not only gets more people in your booth, which give you a better chance of making more sells, but it also creates a connections between you & the people you come across. They’re more likely to remember you & return to buy from you again or refer their friends. Thanks for your thought Theresa!
Market yourself ! What a wonderful piece of advice. Great tips,Stephanie. I haven’t done a craft show – but I helped out Etsy’s booth back in December here in Australia. I generally am an outgoing person, so I like talking to people. People are genuinely interested in you if you engage them in a meaningful way and not ‘spam’ them in a car salesman way. I learnt a lot about myself that day
lakshmi recently posted..Project 52- Week 4
oh and GREAT tip by kirsten .. Love the idea of getting people to participate.
lakshmi recently posted..Project 52- Week 4
Great tips from Stephanie! Love the candy dish and water bowl idea- even if no pets show up, it may be memorable to pet owners if you have a dish setting out and a cute/funny sign – this is especially true if you have any products for pets (collars, collar charms, etc.)
Also, I love the idea of giving purchasing customers a coupon – I think it’s a great idea whether you do it in-person at shows or send a coupon when shipping an order to a buyer across the nation or across the globe. Repeat customers are great- and if they end up giving your coupon away to a friend, that’s even better!
What about writing a coupon code on the back of your biz cards that shoppers can use to buy from you online?
Sarah recently posted..Give From the Heart This Valentine’s Day, Buy Handmade
I think the coupon code is a great marketing tactic Sarah! Plus if you create a specific coupon code that you use for craft shows only, you’ll be able to see if it’s working or not & you’re getting repeat business. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Meagan! And the same applies for any marketing strategies you have- offer a different discount code to each blog you guest post on, or each crafter that agrees to share your sale on their Facebook page- that way you can see which marketing efforts are most effective.
Of course you can make each discount in the same amount, just use different codes, such as “January10″ or “Blog10″, etc.
Sarah recently posted..Weekend Project: Valentine’s Day Cards for Kentucky Foster Children
Good point using the different coupon codes even if the discount is the same. It’s always smart to track where your leads are coming from & using different codes is a good way to do that. If something isn’t working for you, at least you’ll know & you can stop wasting your time on it! Thanks again!
Great tips Stephanie! I’ve learned many of these in the last year of doing craft shows but there is always more to learn. Your tip about a discount to purchasing customers made me wonder why I haven’t already figured that out! I offer repeat customers to my Etsy Shop a code for free shipping when they return to buy again, so why am I not doing this for customers at shows! I’ve added it to my to-do list that before my next craft show I need to create a coupon for buying customers to get free shipping if they make a future purchase from me online.
Also Kirsten that’s a great a great idea to have an easy DIY project at your table. I have more then enough beads that I don’t currently use and I could do the same thing to let people play with beads to use their creativity and hopefully buy from me or atleast be more likely to remember me!
Thanks for all the great ideas!
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