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Getting Through My First Year Of Craft Shows
I had thrown several mugs, bowls, and plates before this as practice, and I decided to take them to that particular show. When I got there, I saw that I was just two booths down from another potter with similar items! What could I do? I just set out my booth as nicely as possible, and hoped people would choose my pottery instead of the other seller's. The evening turned out okay, but I didn't get nearly as many sales as I wanted. When I got home that night, I was determined to make the next craft show I went to more successful. I got online to research what I could do, and I found one thing I wanted to try - branding my products. I needed to build a recognizable brand that people would remember from one craft show to the next. I set out to do just this. I started throwing and firing new pieces, but this time, I focused on a totally different niche - tea accessories. Not everything looked the same, but I tried to give all my pieces the same whimsical, Alice-in-Wonderland feel. I wanted people to pick up a piece and know that it was one of mine before they even saw the hand carved initials on the bottom. Since there weren't many craft shows until spring, I spent all winter throwing as many teapots as I could. They're the most important part of a tea set, after all, and they're also the most difficult piece to make! In between crafting, I also started building a website that featured full color photos of my favorite works. I didn't get much traffic, but I got business cards printed so that I could pass them out at the next show. In the spring, I went to five shows in three months. It was tiring, especially when inventory ran low and I had to quickly craft some more tea sets. However, the most rewarding part was when someone came up to me at my third show and said, "Wow! I remember these tea sets from the last craft show I was at. I couldn't stop thinking about them, and I'm so glad you're here today so I can finally get one!" Not every craft show was successful for me, and I even lost money on one of them. Over the spring, though, my business grew substantially. Even when I didn't sell much at a show, my website and business cards drew me more business than ever before, and I started a healthy online side business, too! Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com FairsandFestivals.net is your premier online resource for detailed information on 20,000+ US craft shows, fairs, festivals, and more. You will find all of the latest events as well as articles and information on how to market your craft and fair business. To learn how you can increase your craft show profits, visit FairsandFestivals.net today. |
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