Craft and vendor fair season is just around the corner and now’s a great time to get ready for not only the season, but for the year as well. What you create now will get you off on the right foot and as you go to each fair from here on out, you will have an opportunity to improve and really get the momentum you need for your business this year.
Before I give you my 5 favorite ways to make the most out of your upcoming fairs you must first realize that those who visit your booth are guests and therefore customer service should be your top priority. Amazing customer service will unlock the success of these 5 ways. Your booth is a mini-version of your store or business and therefore anyone who visits or walks by your booth should be treated as guests. That means you should be greeting everyone with a friendly, engaging attitude and warm smile. If you or your staff are grouchy, unfriendly, inattentive or unprofessional, chances of making any sales during the event will be slim.
So with customer service at the forefront of our mind, let’s dive into the first of my 5 ways to make the most of craft/vendor fairs:
Promotional Pieces – This gives your customers or prospects something they can take with them or hold on to. They can include the following items:
Coupon for an in-store purchase or online coupon code for online purchase
Business cards – sometimes a small card like a business card is perfect for those who are already carrying multiple items.
Brochures – these are not only beautiful ways to showcase your products, but can often times showcase more items than what you actually have at the booth. Now these are pricey to print, so make sure you have a product that photographs well (and you have quality photos), before you invest in printing brochures.
Promote social – display a sign in your booth in a couple places (i.e. at your check-out area) to encourage people to follow you on social media. Social media will connect you to these people and you can build relationships beyond the event in doing so.
Schedule of events or menus – Have an upcoming event at your store? Print out your store’s event schedule on 4×6 post cards and let people take them home. Make sure you include ways for them to connect on social media and your website on those cards as well so they can stay up-to-date on all your future events too.
Price/Info/FAQ sheet – if one of the questions your customers are always asking for are pricing for your products or services, that is a good indicator that you should have pricing available for your booth guests. While I understand that some products and services have a range of pricing, you can still include simple verbiage such as “Packages starting at $275.”
As we talk about the power of having a good marketing piece to send with our customers and prospects, it’s also imperative to have these pieces displayed nicely as well. Having a stack of papers on a table is a sure-fire way to make your booth look cluttered as the neat stack you once had is now scattered across your table. Acrylic stands come in all shapes and sizes and are relatively inexpensive. A simple Google search will give you a wider variety of options and price points.
To get more ideas on marketing materials, check out the Facebook LIVE I recently put together here.