18 Things to Add to Your 30 Day Plan
to Greater Craft Show Profitability

I’ve told you the things I did on My 30 Day Plan to Greater Profitability and I promised that I would let you know some things you can do to increase the profits your art or craft show business receives.

1. Draw a marketing map that shows how the people you meet at craft shows are going to move from cold contacts, to warm prospects, to hot buyers.  Include on your marketing map all of your sales tools including your craft show booth, your fliers, business cards, website, blog, social networking, advertising, and more.
2. Make sure each sales tool mentioned above (and any others you use) moves your customer through a process that leads to them buying your art or craft.
3. Get a website. Click here for easy instructions on how to build a website.
4. Get your website search engine optimized.
5. Arrange to take credit cards.
6. Offer a payment plan.
7. Get email marketing (auto-responders). See my post on following up with your customers by clicking here.
8. Create emails for your current customers. Remember to follow the Can-Am Act for email. Send your customers useful relevant information. You want this to help your business reputation not hurt it.
9. Create emails for your warm prospects.
10. Create emails for your cold contacts.
11. Sign up your customers to the proper groups above. Ask permission before signing up people for your emails.
12. Check if your business cards, fliers, etc. look professional and are updated. Be certain they have current contact information. Make sure they mention your website if you have one.
13. Collect names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the people who are interested in your product. Ask if they would like to be signed up for your emails.
14. Sign up for Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Fast Pitch Networking or many others. Let your customers and prospects know they can follow you there. Post regularly.
15. Create a blog. Post regularly. Mention your social networking sites and your website often.
16. Make sure your posts to your blog automatically post to your social networking sites.
17. Pick up the phone and call a customer that you haven’t heard from in a while. Renew your relationship with them. Tell them the news from your business. Offer to send them free information or ask if they would like to sign up for your newsletters.
18. Send an email to customers that haven’t bought in a while. Renew your relationship with them.