Creating a Marketing Plan
For Your Craft Show Business
People usually require 7 or more contacts with an artist or handcrafted business to become comfortable with them.
Most people only buy from craft show businesses after 7 contacts although there will be the rare person who will buy the first time they come into your show booth.
Does the same customer walk into your craft show booth very rarely, rarely, sometimes, regularly, often? Are those contacts daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly?
You are making a common mistake if you very rarely, rarely, or sometimes see the same customers at craft shows. Many crafters spend too much time and money chasing new art and craft show customers and don’t spend enough on turning people already interested in their crafts (prospects) into buying customers.
You are losing most of your sales if you don’t follow up with customers who come into your booth.
Follow up with your customer by creating a marketing plan.
A marketing plan is a very simple guide for your business. It shows you what you are doing to guide prospects through your process to buying your arts and crafts.
Quickly make a list of everything you use to create contacts with buyers including business cards, fliers, emails, website, blog, art and craft shows, direct mailing pieces, phone calls, and social networking. Leave lots of space between each item so you can write down the goal of each thing. Decide on and write down a single goal for each marketing piece.
Goals can include things like getting prospects to:
- visit your blog
- follow you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social marketing
- visit website
- give you their name and contact information
- share their email
- tell me their needs
- getting a testimonial
- visit your craft show booth
- buy something
The goal of each marketing piece helps you determine where that piece of marketing will go in your marketing plan. Emphasize the desired action you want customers to take in each piece of your marketing so that your prospects can easily tell what action you would like them to take.
Customers aren’t likely to trust you enough to buy handmade crafts from you on the first contact. Draw a map of how you would like to encourage customers from their first contact with you down the path to buying crafts. Continue to encourage those who come into your booth and have purchased crafts from you before to come back to your craft show booth or online craft store.
Art Festival and Craft Show Expert
Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handmade crafts who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals.
Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.
Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.
