Summer is generally craft show season. The weather is gorgeous and people want to be outside. More importantly, they want to spend money. Now the question is how to most effectively get them to spend money on your wonderful craft products? I dug up some wonderful articles on IndieBizChicks that talk about just that in more than just the usual ways you’re used to hearing.
Prepare Yourself for Craft Show Sales:
Slow Craft Fair Sales: This is something that plagues us all and something that we can’t always control. This short article give you some tips on making the most of a show when it’s moving along slowly. My favorite is this one: Sometimes, it’s not an immediate sale. Keep in mind that just being at the craft fair you are introducing your products to a whole new set of customers, so bring lots of business cards!
Craft Show Tips: Even if you feel like you could have written this article, it’s always nice to hear that you’ve been doing thing correctly. Although, The Hip Hostess does have some great ideas for making the most out of every craft fair and putting the luster back into them if you’ve been attending craft fairs for a long time.
Make Your Own Craft Show: I love this idea! It’s something we’ve talked about on here before, but it’s nice to see that holding your own craft selling event has worked out (and well!) for some crafty business ladies out there! Do you have lots of crafty friends with big back yards? Well, who said that yard sales have to be for used items? Just rememeber: promote, promote, promote!
5 Tips for Craft Show Success: This article from Beadin’ Path has some great tips not only for craft fairs, but also for trade shows. My favorite is the bit about having something of value to take away. You definitely don’t want your customers to walk away empty handed and forget your shop’s name. Great tips!
Of course, as with anything, remember to tailor these tips for your specific business model. As much as we would like there to be one formula that creates success for every craft business, that can never happen because there are too many variables. Try some of these tips out, but if they don’t work for you, don’t force them! They’re not all going to work, but some of them definitely will. Also, all of these things can take time, so don’t always expect to see a huge turn around because of one change. Most importantly, go in with a smile and confident that your products are the best products out there, even if you only sell one of them!
What craft fair tips have worked the best for you?
- How to Make Money Blogging - November 30, 2017
- Real Life Sales: Getting Your Crafts Into a Shop - November 11, 2017
- Facebook: Friend or Foe? - February 17, 2014
Thank you for the email I received today. I was just thinking of trying a show at my home. This came at a perfect time at the end of a holiday season. I started the craft show circuit this past summer and boy there must be information in your articles to help in all areas of the craft show business. I think doing shows selling on-line and other venues are the way to go. Something like the stock market. We are never encouraged to put all our eggs in one basket. Thank you so much. Creations By Gigi