Design Diary: September 2010

More cool tips from Buzz Blog.

http://blog.create-some-buzz.com/2010/04/12/10-tips-for-advertising-on-blogs/

1. What kind of traffic does the blog get?

Any blog worth advertising on will share their statistics with you if asked. Many blogs (like mine) include some basic stats on their rate sheet. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for proof either (like a screen shot), it’s your money.

Check Alexa, Technorati. & Google Pagerank. These sites alone aren’t enough to evaluate a blog’s worthiness of advertising on, but it can help you in your decision making.

Do a Google search for the blog’s name. If the whole 1st page is not full of links to the blog or mentions of the blog on other sites, maybe it’s not getting enough search engine traffic and therefore not a good advertising choice.

2. Know the lingo

Make you sure understand what the terms unique visitors, pageviews,page rank & more before you go asking for stats. You need to know what the numbers mean, so spend some time looking stuff up on the wikipedia 1st.

3. Make sure your ad pops

There is no point in advertising if your banner isn’t going to attract eyeballs…or worse, turn people away. Ask for impartial opinions about your banner and consider getting a banner made for you if your a graphic designs skills aren’t the best.

In my experience, animated banners perform better, but not all blogs allow them.

4. Plan a campaign

Truthfully, one banner ad placed for one month on one blog, is not necessarily going to be the most effective. It’s better to plan an advertising campaign where you advertise on several blogs over an expended period of time. Remember, the more people who seem your ads, the more people will be clicking on them. And more importantly, the more times shoppers see your shop the more likely they are to buy!

Now it may be that one banner on one blog for one month is all you can afford, and if that’s the case, remember that everyone had to start small!

5. Even better follow up free press with an advertising campaign.

Even better than an advertising campaign is following up some freepress with an advertising campaign.

6. Make sure the audience fits your goods.

Obviously, if you make purses it’s generally not a good idea to advertise on a street bike racing blog. But even in the world of craft & design blogs, you want to make sure that the blog’s target audience matches with your products. The blog content is important, but so is the look & feel of the blog.

7. Cheap is not necessarily a good thing

Just because it’s dirt cheap to advertise on a specific site or through a specific service does not necessarily mean it’s a good buy. Sometimes it’s just better to save your money.

8. Think about the timing

Obviously the winter holiday season is an important time to advertise, but so are other holidays. For Valentine’s Day, Halloween & Mother’s Day I always see an increase in traffic & searches on Indie Fixx. Certain times throughout the year can be more effective times to advertise as well…back to school is one.

It’s also important to keep yourself visible. You don’t only want to advertise during the winter shopping season, but you want to get people looking at your shop in the summer to increase your chances of them buying from you in November.

9. It’s not only about the click-through (when consumers ‘click’ on an ad)

Remember what I wrote about the more times people see your shop, the more likely they are to buy? Well, it’s also true that the more times shoppers see your banner, the more likely they will click on it. So, when evaluating an ad’s effectiveness you need to consider how many people saw your ad in addition to how many clicked on it. The pageviews or impressions of the page that your ad appeared on is a good way to evaluate this.

10. What are some good blogs to advertise on?

In addition to my own blog, Indie Fixx, here are some sites that I’ve advertised on. I’ve evaluated these sites as good fits for my site, you have to remember to do the same before starting any advertising campaign for your site.

Print + Pattern, Modish, Creature Comforts, Scoutie Girl, Bloesem,Design for Mankind, Design is Mine, & sfgirlbybay.

I love the info I found on Buzz Blog. Really helps cos I'm having a booth at a bazaar next week.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR PROMOS FROM BEING TOSSED OUT!

Promos can be a both an effective & fun way to grow your brand. They are especially effective for current

customers and you might want to consider adding some sort of promos to all your orders, if don’t already do so. They can also be good to use at craft shows to anyone who makes a purchase or lingers in your booth.

But, it can be difficult to come up with a good idea for a promo that’s just not going to be tossed out. I mean, why waste your money and/or time buying or making promos that are just going to end up in the trash? That’s why I like the usable promo, something that folks are going to

hold onto & use: magnets, notebooks, calendars + more. But usable goodies that are going to stand out from the crowd are the ideal.

Here are some promos I found which are usable and clever and I bet don’t get tossed out!

14 TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR CRAFT SHOW SALES

1. Stand

Standing is a much better vantage point for engaging customers. Sitting down has the potential to send the message, “I’m taking a break, don’t disturb me”, and that’s not what you want. Now sitting is okay, if you use a tall chair (like a director’s chair) or a stool and are out in the booth, rather than behind a table. Of course, taking breaks is a necessity, but try to stand as much as possible…you can rest later.

2. Smile

Even if you are grumpy, hungry, disappointed in sales and/or tired, make sure to smile. I’ve walked out of booths before just because the people behind the table looked disinterested or unhappy. No one wants to interact with miserable people, especially for an items that aren’t the necessities of life.

3. Display a credit card sign

Not everyone is going to ask, especially folks who may be new to craft show shopping.

4. You are not a clerk in a department store, you are an artist.

Don’t ask, “May I help you?” or something similar. You aren’t selling socks at Kmart, you are selling your wares. Come up with a good greeting that fits your personality. I always used a friendly “Hi!” when I was doing crafts shows. It fit my personality and people seemed to respond well. It set the tone and often led to more conversation.

5. Engage people

So, you greet people when they enter your booth, what’s next? Keep talking. Talk about the weather, the show, your wares, something the shopper has on, something else they purchased, ask where they got that smoothie, etc.Come up with some good conversation starters beforehand that you can use. Selling at craft shows is like dating or meeting a new friend, you are trying to make a good impression. Remember, the longer you talk with someone, and the longer they are in your booth looking at your stuff, the more likely they will buy.

6. Don’t be pushy

Be chatty and try to engage people, but if they give off signals that they don’t want to talk and want to move on, shut-up.

7. No gossiping

Don’t talk about other customers, or other people for that matter in front of customers. It’s rude and tacky. Unless it is something nice, of course.

8. Customers come 1st

Whenever customers enter your booth, stop chatting with your partner/helper, you can chat with them later. You won’t get another chance to sell to me, if I can’t get a word in edge-wise.

9. Share your craft

When you see customers engaging with your goods, tell them a little about the process and/or materials, especially it involves something special or uses materials they might not recognize. For example, if you make polymer clay jewelry, let people know that when they pick up a piece to study it, don’t wait until they ask. Don’t be too pushy though, let it drop if they clearly aren’t interested.

10. Make it easy for shoppers

If you make edibles or consumables, have samples or testers available. Also, have a mirror handy if you sell wearables, and even if it’s in plain sight make to sure to mention it when a customer starts putting one of your necklaces. If possible, have a changing station if you sell clothing.

11. Differing price points

If you sell pricey items, consider adding lower priced items to your offerings just for the show.

12. Look legit

Make sure to have a sign for your business, business cards out, a professional looking display, be organized and don’t ask me to write my credit card # on a scrap of paper for you to process later.

13. Be genuine!

Be yourself and don’t be all salespersony. People will run screaming from you.

14. Remember, you are selling yourself too.

Finally, not only are you selling your crafts, but you are selling yourself. Be professional, knowledgeable, friendly & helpful.

CRAFT SHOW CHECKLIST: WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU

As a continuation of my craft show series, I’m going to share a list of what to bring with you to a craft show. I’m going to focus on outdoor shows, considering we are in the midst of the outdoor season, but most things will apply to an indoor show as well. My last post in this series was all about how set up your displays at a craft show to attract more shoppers.

What to Bring With You to a Craft Show?

Scissors
Tape (Scotch, double-sided, masking & duct)
Pens
Cash – I always brought $120. $40 ones, $40 fives & $40 tens.
Someplace handy to store your extra cash and credit cards slips.
Credit card knucklebuster and slips.
Clipboard for customers to sign credit card slips.
Business cards
Bags and boxes & other packaging
Your crafting tools to make minor repairs.
Signage – both on the tent and on the table.
Notebook for newsletter sign-up
Mirror
First-aid kit
Sunscreen
Change of shoes & clothes (in case it rains).
Apron
Tent with removable walls.
Plastic sheeting for rain coverage. You can use it to cover your tables in an emergency.
Bungee cords
Twine or rope
Sewing kit
Handiwipes
Lint Roller
Ibuprofen, Anti-histamine & and other meds.
Paper towels
Trash Bags
Toilet paper
Snacks
Water
Lunch – you can never be sure what will be there.
Chair or stool
Tent weights
Helpers!
Extra price tags
Stick pins – pin lightweight objects to table to keep from blowing away & pin the edges of table cover to keep from blowing.
Binder clips – can be useful to keep table coverings from blowing around as well as for other stuff.
Camera
Calculator
Mints!
Basic beauty kit for you – brush, lip gloss, hairties, barrettes, hand lotion, deodorant, etc.
Receipt forms for cash transactions.
Tissues
Basic tools – hammer, screwdriver
Dolly or luggage carts
All-natural insect repellent – don’t be spraying chemicals around other people.
Sunglasses/hat
Cell phone
Laptop – if you need it for processing credit cards. Otherwise, leave it at home.
Blank notebook to record sales, take custom orders, etc.
Promotional materials besides biz cards. Stickers, pins, pencils. People love freebies.
Candy to give away and to eat!
Fishing line – good to hang stuff from tent and affix items to table.
Paper weights
Extra backs for earrings & other extras suitable to your craft.
Business license
Craft show details – starting time, break-down time, organizer’s contact info, etc.
Sales tax chart
Credit card sign. Don’t assume people will ask.
Checklist of everything you want to bring.
And, of course, all your crafts, tables, display stuff, etc.

13 CRAFT SHOW DISPLAY DO’S

As a veteran of craft shows, both as a participant and as a shopper, I think I am a semi-pro on craft show displays. Since craft show season is upon us once again, I decided to put together a list of some craft show displays do’s to help you attract more attention to your booth or table.

One important thing to remember is that your store should be exciting as any mainstream store at the mall, that’s what lots of shoppers are used to looking at. In fact, you could even take a field trip to shops like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters to see how they display stuff as a stepping stone for your own ideas & solutions.

Also, if you are looking for a craft shows to take part in or attend, check out indiecraftshows.com.

Now onto the tips!

1. Do use fun props. image from the workroom & display from needle book.

2. Don’t forget to price your goods & make sure those prices are visible. image the workroom from & display from Melinda Josie.

3. Do display items at varying heights to utilize space as well as keep things from being too cluttered. image from Tasha McKelvey & display from rebound designs

4. Do provide a mirror if your goods are wearable. image & display from Giant Dwarf

5. Do think ‘outside the table’ in terms of your display. image fromschmancytoys & display from Tillansium

6. Do make clever displays. image from me & display from Olario Studio

7. Do come up with solutions, so your items don’t blow away. image from me & display from Kflick

8. Do design custom & eye-catching displays. image from renegade craft fair & display from zooguu

9. Do use recycled materials to create your displays. image fromrenegade craft fair & display from early jewelry

10. Do make it easy for customers to interact with your goods. image from renegade craft fair and display from freshie and zero

11. Do incorporate your branding into your display. image fromrenegade craft fair & display from Timber!

12. Do make your stuff look as tantalizing as sweets in the sweet shop! image & display from something’s hiding in here

13. Do be colorful! image & display from a bardis