[Nfb-krafters-korner] Holiday Market Marketing

Tue Nov 6 20:52:58 UTC 2012

Hi Jill,
Wouldn't that be wonderful to begin a project like that!
We are a group of only 12-14  artists who do this together.  It is so much 
fun for us. We always have it on the first weekend of November - so people 
come to expect to do it and to shop with us that weekend.  We see the same 
people every year, plus new ones who hear about it through word of mouth or 
see our ad in the newspaper or on Face Book.  We all share the cost of the 
newspaper ad - it is only about 10. each - and of course FB is free for us 
all.

We set the show up on Friday, and then we are open for business on Saturday 
and Sunday.  We are talking about the possibility of having a wine and 
cheese gala opening for it on Friday night next year.  We thought it might 
attract people who would enjoy coming after work on Friday, or have a little 
night out at our event.  The wine and cheese cost would be shared among us 
all - so it would be very reasonable to do.

Oh, I forgot one other thing we do when the show is open to the public. We 
have a refreshment area where we put out cookies and punch - all brought in 
by the artists. Each of us brings something for this holiday treat table and 
people just love it. It gives them a place to linger awhile and visit with 
each other and then to shop some more. We do not provide any chairs for 
sitting down on - that would encourage people to come in and eat and drink. 
We figured out very early on that it is never a good idea to have people 
sitting around eating at an art opening - it kills sales to do htat. We 
found that out by experience!  lol

Lynda

Lynda Lambert
River Road Studio, Since 1976
Village of Wurtemburg, PA 16117

Visit my Web Site at:  http://lyndalambert.com
Visit my Blog at:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com

www.lyndalambert.com
www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jill" <jillbilly4 at comcast.net>
To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Holiday Market Marketing

> Linda,
> I really appreciate your info.  I would love to do a holiday market at 
> some
> point in conjunction with our Alabama institute for the deaf and blind
> regional center.  I volunteer there during the year.  I would love to get 
> a
> number of blind crafters together here locally to showcase their abilities
> and talents.  Your information is great for planning purposes!  Thanks for
> taking time to write down your thoughts!
>
> Jill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfb-krafters-korner [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On
> Behalf Of River Woman
> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 10:38 AM
> To: List for blind crafters and artists
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Holiday Market Marketing
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I thought some of you might like to get some tips on marketing the holiday
> shows you might be doing this year - or have the information you can use 
> for
> something in the future. I hope this helps someone. Our Christmas artisan
> market is very successful, and gains momentum each year, even though it is
> out in the country, and has no such thing as a "store front" or
> "pedestrians" or people just passing by. In other words, it is out in the
> middle of nowhere, really.
>
>
>
> Our show went really well this past weekend - lots of people and just 
> about
> everyone came to buy.  I don't think I saw anyone leave without a 
> package -
> but we have built up that clientelle for the past 12 years.
>
> How we built our clientelle:
>
> We advertise the local newspaper.
> We call the show a  "market" which  immediately make a person think of
> buying things there.
> The word, Market, indicates
> "selling" stuff.
>
> We keep records of those who have made purchases each year.  They will get
> an invitation by mail and by e-mail each year.
>
> We give a wonderful GIFT to one lucky person at the end of the show.
> The vendors EACH  donate one item for the "gift bag" and everyone who buys
> something at our show, gets to fill out a little coupon as they pay for
> their purchases at the check out desk.
>
> The coupons for the drawing are kept till the end of the show.
>
> On the coupon, we get their name, address, email, phone, and how they 
> found
> out about our show. This way we know what is most effective for brining in
> people
>
> We have a FaceBook page for the show.  It is FREE marketing.
> On that page, we highlight different members who will be selling there -
> show photos of their work, and describe it, on the FB page.
>
> Each of the vendors "share" that information through our own FB pages, 
> too.
>
>
> Remember this:
>
> IT takes a maximum amount of effort by all of us to being out the buyers
> each year. That is what it takes - you cannot just put out your work and
> think that people will come and buy - it takes a lot of work all year 
> long.
>
> And, one final thing that makes our show work is that there is no
> duplication of products. In other words, only one sculptor in the show;
> only one photographer, only one card maker; only one knitwear designer, 
> etc.
> It is very important to limit the scope of vendors so that they are not
> competing with each other. Be selective in what vendors you permit into 
> your
> show - Make sure it is people who respect each other and who get along 
> well
> as a group.  You don't want anyone who tries to undersell anyone else, or
> who makes duplicate items. This way the show stays FRESH and EXCITING to 
> the
> people who come to shop each year.
>
> I hope this helps anyone here who is intending on putting together a nice
> holiday market in your area.
>
> Remember, it takes time to build it up, so just work on it throughout the
> year and be really selective about what you are putting on display.
>
> Lynda Lambert
> 104 River Road
> Ellwood City, PA 16117
>
> 724 758 4979
>
> My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
> My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com
>
>
>
>
>
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