Craft Shows
I love going to craft shows, mostly as a vendor. Not only do I get out of the house, but I get to sell stuff and see what others are selling too. I'm a sucker for foods and other handmade stuff, even though I don't collect "stuff" (nicknacks and what not - what I buy has to have a purpose other than looking pretty).
The idea behind a craft show is pretty simple. You pay for a table, go show up, you sell stuff. Done correctly you cover the cost of your table and time for being there. I know from experience you don't rely on people that take brochures buying later on. It's good to get your brochures circulating, but the response rate is pretty low. Like mentioned before the main purpose of a craft show is to make immediate sales. Working on the reorders comes later.
Alright so then I get an email today about a local show coming up in less than 2 weeks. Says they still have spots open. Ok cool - I take a closer look and find out that it's only to showcase products and give samples. No selling allowed. Ummm, what? It states to bring information on where the item can be purchased, but let's face it. These people walking around aren't consumers, they're FREEBIE SEEKERS! I'm sorry, but I don't feel the need to pay $25 on top of our freebie costs to give them away to people that are never going to buy. Apparently "only" 30 spots were available, and with 2 weeks left they aren't full yet. What does that tell you? Other crafters had the same thought as I did - "Are you out of your MIND?". Not going to happen, sorry.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm all about good exposure. HOWEVER - spending that much on a promotion that's targeting freebie seekers isn't going to do anyone any good. Well, maybe the big corporations, but that's not who I am (and anyone reading this blog I'm going to take a chance and say is only a small business as well).
I could go on listing the pros and cons of this, but the bottom line is the cons outweight the pros. The bottom line here is that freebie seekers are not a market anyone should be targeting. You want SALES, and the best chance for a reorder is someone that's actually purchased the product in the first place.
The idea behind a craft show is pretty simple. You pay for a table, go show up, you sell stuff. Done correctly you cover the cost of your table and time for being there. I know from experience you don't rely on people that take brochures buying later on. It's good to get your brochures circulating, but the response rate is pretty low. Like mentioned before the main purpose of a craft show is to make immediate sales. Working on the reorders comes later.
Alright so then I get an email today about a local show coming up in less than 2 weeks. Says they still have spots open. Ok cool - I take a closer look and find out that it's only to showcase products and give samples. No selling allowed. Ummm, what? It states to bring information on where the item can be purchased, but let's face it. These people walking around aren't consumers, they're FREEBIE SEEKERS! I'm sorry, but I don't feel the need to pay $25 on top of our freebie costs to give them away to people that are never going to buy. Apparently "only" 30 spots were available, and with 2 weeks left they aren't full yet. What does that tell you? Other crafters had the same thought as I did - "Are you out of your MIND?". Not going to happen, sorry.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm all about good exposure. HOWEVER - spending that much on a promotion that's targeting freebie seekers isn't going to do anyone any good. Well, maybe the big corporations, but that's not who I am (and anyone reading this blog I'm going to take a chance and say is only a small business as well).
I could go on listing the pros and cons of this, but the bottom line is the cons outweight the pros. The bottom line here is that freebie seekers are not a market anyone should be targeting. You want SALES, and the best chance for a reorder is someone that's actually purchased the product in the first place.
posted by Ladybug Dawn @ 4:37 PM
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