Customize Your Booth! Merchandising Your Products at Craft Fairs

Check out lots more craft fair and store displays on my Pinterest Board HERE. 

Leah Duncan packaged her lovely tea towels with her name! This is adorable and a very memorable way of packaging soft goods. You could use your own signature, or a handwriting font to create a similar effect. 

DIY Customize Your Hangers! This is an awesome idea! Wooden hangers look MUCH nicer than those plastic ones. They are uniform, and space your clothing and hanging products out very nicely. 

Giant Dwarf has created custom packaging for an assortment of items. The black and white photo of the girl's hair is awesome, and will match any color product. The coffee cups are super cute ways to show how those cozies are used.

I would imagine that this booth at Craft 2.0 has their name on each and every product. 

A sign at eye-level engages shoppers from a distance. These magnets are packaged so perfectly too! Displayed inside of an old suitcase that's retro-fitted with peg board...genius!

And here is an example of some modern earring packaging. I know it's easy to just attach them to a business card but hang tags / cardstock backing is a great alternative. 

That's all for now :) How do you merchandise your products and package them for a more cohesive look in your booth or shop?

How to get the world talking about your items!!

These words were taken in their complete form from Vanessa on the PaperNStitch blog.

"Selling your Art online without inspiring a conversation is exactly the same as setting up a physical art stand in the middle of a barren desert! No one will come, and your sales will languish! You have to move where the people are, and then you have to engage them in order to increase sales. This guide will teach you exactly how you can get the web talking about your art.

1. Actively Participate in Social Networks

You probably already have a blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Flickr, but do you really use them?

Take Action: Statically posting your updates isn’t enough to get people talking about your art. You have to join Facebook groups and leave comments, join Etsy circles and curate collections, and upload your photos to popular Flickr groups. Chat with people, make friends and interact, and people will return the favor and talk about your work, too.

2. Tell Your Story

Your art is all about your story. People want to know your process and your inspirations. They want to know your humble beginnings and successes. People buy handmade over mass produced items for the human element, so show how human you are and tell your story.

Take Action: Update your blog and social networks frequently with your process and the adventure that is creating your art line. It will resonate with people, and they will spread the word. (Especially if you get your readers involved in the process! Think of creative ways to make your fans a part of the story.)

3. Make Friends in the Community

Genuine networking in your niche is invaluable, not only for rapport and inspiration, but also for starting the conversation about your artwork.

Take Action: If you see artwork that speaks to you somewhere online, stop and follow that person on their social networks and send them an e-mail. Let them know that you appreciate what they create. Leave comments on your favorite blogs. Starting this conversation is how you create friends in the community. You’ll talk about their art, and they’ll talk about yours.

4. Ask People to Write About Your Art

This is the common-sense answer, and it’s one that few people try. Find a resource that you feel would be a good fit for your artwork, and kindly ask if they would publish a story about your work. Many publications ask for people to submit and appreciate the free content. Be creative, write helpful guest posts for blogs or tell your story in a magazine. Don’t by shy, just ask!

It’s up to you: With consistency and a little dedication, you can get people talking about your art and spread the word of your line and vision. Get out there and get them talking, it’s your job to spark the conversation about your art."



This article and words were found HERE...

Marketing and Selling Local Foods

I found this page on allbusiness.com, and I found it rather interesting. Since I don't sell food items, I did not think about how important it is to share information with those who do.

Below is an example of one of the many important business-related videos:


There are lots of videos on this site, and some of their titles include:

VIDEO: The Difference Between Food Service and Food Manufacturing
VIDEO: Entrepreneurs: The Importance of Long-Range Plans
VIDEO: Target Markets for Organic Gourmet Foods
VIDEO: Market Research: Identifying Your Customer Needs
VIDEO: Gourmet Foods: Becoming a Certified Organic Grower
VIDEO: Gourmet Foods: The Cost Price Ratio of Organic Products
VIDEO: Promoting Local-Farm Products?
VIDEO: Entrepreneur's Story: Product Promotion
VIDEO: Business Strategy: The Importance of Developing a Plan and Executing It
VIDEO: The Importance of Extending the Eating Experience


The information in these videos can probably be applied to any sort of goods, though. So take a minute to see what they have to say...

Marketing : 6 Steps to Developing an Internet Marketing Plan

I found this article here...http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/6-steps-to-develop-your-internet-marketing-plan-687450.html
If you're the owner of a small service business, having a solid Internet marketing plan in place can both increase your name and brand recognition locally in your geographic area, as well as expose you to a whole new set of potential clients throughout the world.

"If you have a business plan or vision that is written, you only need to integrate this Internet marketing piece into that existing plan. However, if you are like many of my clients, you carry your business and marketing plans in your head without bothering to commit anything to paper.

Here are ten considerations you need to make as you complete your Internet marketing plan:

1. Objective of Internet Marketing Plan:

What do you want to accomplish by using Internet marketing? To find new clients? Provide services and info to existing clients? Sell services or products? Educate your target market or your staff about your product or service? Create an online community for your target market? How much money to have to spend each month on this Internet marketing plan? Having a goal and budget in mind will make your marketing more effective.

2. Marketing Funnel:

The most successful online business owners have a marketing funnel (think of it as an upside down triangle) through which they "funnel" clients. For more details go to www.podcastings-teleprompter.com .The process begins from the wide top of the funnel, representing low-cost products or free give-always, and moving clients down through the funnel to the narrower portions which represent gradually increasing investments from the clients from your higher-priced products and services. What products and services do you currently offer? Are they at varied price points that would create a funnel effect? What plans do you have to increase your product or service line? Will those new offerings plug gaps in your marketing funnel?

3. Your Competition:

Knowing and understanding where you stand among your competitors can you help you strengthen your marketing message. Do a keyword search for the terms someone might use to find your business online. Write down the URL's of your top 5 competitors. How popular and relevant are their sites? Does your competition offer something unique? Where are the gaps in the service or product offerings?

4. Target Market:

Instead of trying to marketing to everyone find a clearly definable target market that you can easily describe and locate. Are they male or female? What age group? What industry? What socio-economic group? Where do they hang out on- and off-line? What do they read? To what groups and associations do they belong? How much money do they make? Can they easily afford your product or service? What keywords are they using to search for businesses like yours online?

5. Solution to a Problem:

The reason that someone will buy your product or hire to you to provide a service is to solve a particular problem that they have. What problems and issues plague your target market? How does your product or service solve that problem? How does your solution differ from that of your competitors? What makes you uniquely qualified to provide the solution to their problem?

6. Branding Your Business:

Your domain name can either help you be memorable or cast you into a sea of "brand less" solutions. At a minimum, you'll want to buy both your personal name as well as the name of your business in the version, if it's available. Then buy the versions of your product names and program names. If you use a full-featured domain registrar, you'll be able to point and mask these domains to internal pages of your web site, or use them as stand-alone sales letter pages. For more details go to www.paylock-generator.com .You may also think of problems faced by your target market or solutions that you provide and buy domain names in the version of those as well. Internet marketer Dean Jackson brands his ebook on how to stop a divorce by owning the domain name, Stop Your Divorce, This is a compelling solution to his target market -- men who have been ignoring their wives' complaints of marital dissatisfaction and come home one day to an empty house and a note telling him that she's filing for divorce."

BIZ SERIES : Marketing on the Cheap

I fond this wonderfully helpful article HERE. Stay Tuned for More to Come!!
It's every new business owner's Catch-22: getting word out that you have set up shop, but not having any money to do it. You need customers to create the money to market the business, but to get customers you need to tell them you exist!

Before you do any sort of marketing, you need to work out your strategy by answering the following questions:

• What do you want to achieve through your marketing? For instance, is it to build your brand, attract customers, or tell potential customers you are there?

• Who is your target market? Such as fellow business mums, teenage boys, men aged 25-40 years.

• What is the best marketing method for your business? For example, brochures, website, direct mail or networking.

• What are you going to say? Will your marketing include a special offer, opening specials, or your business tagline?

• What makes you special? Work our your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that makes you stand out from your competitors, such as "We are a networking group for business mums" or "We only sell Fairtrade products".

Once you know what you want to say, to whom and how, you are ready to get started on the marketing itself.

There are many marketing techniques you can use to build your business profile. Some will just cost your time and others may involve a small outlay, but the results are worth your effort and money.

• Give something away for details - it could be a free pen with every purchase, your monthly newsletter or a free e-book, but make sure you use the opportunity to get their information at the same time. In return for the item ask them to supply their name, email address and phone number so you can add them to your list and market to them in the future (with their permission of course!).

• Think local - find out who your local media is (newspapers, magazines, websites, radio, newsletters, TV stations) and tell them about your business's grand opening, new product line or new service. Local media always like local stories so make sure you promote the local angle prominently.

• Competitions - give away something of value to your target market and before long you will have a healthy list of interested prospective customers.

• Team up with other businesses - cross-promote each other to build customer lists for both. You can offer a prize from one of the businesses or discount vouchers as an incentive and share the cost.

• Editorials - make a list of your industry magazines, appropriate sections in metro newspapers, radio and TV shows that cover your industry and tell them when something important happens with your business. Remember that while editorials carry a lot of credibility with the public, you are not paying for the media space or time and you have no say over what is included or when.

• Online PR - after sending your press release to the media, upload it on the free PR websites, like Free Press Release and 24-7 Press release, to increase your search ranking.

• Be an expert - use the knowledge you have in your industry to position yourself as an expert by writing for an industry magazine, website or newsletter, speaking at industry events and information sessions or publishing your own blog or e-book.

• Use the Internet - list your business on free industry websites and business directories like Aussie Web, Hot Frog or Linked In. Make sure your listing contains all the key words potential customers are likely to type in to search engines so you come up in searches.

• Network - find out about your industry associations and networking groups, as well as complementary groups, like Business Mums, and become a member. All you need is your business card and a willingness to talk about your business.

• Don't forget your existing customers - keep in regular contact with your customers through an email newsletter. This is a great way to tell them what is going on in your business and keep you at the top of their minds. A good content mix is an informative article, special offer or giveaway and tips or tricks to help.

• Word of mouth - an often forgotten marketing method, but the one that I think is the most valuable. If someone is happy with your product or service ask them to tell their friends.

All these tips involve some research on your part, but very little (or no) money. They are a great way to get your name out there and get customers clambering for your product or service.

Johanna Baker-Dowdell is a freelance writer and public relations consultant. She owns and manages Strawberry Communications, a consultancy that helps businesses tell their stories through great words and PR. Johanna is based on the NSW Central Coast just north of Sydney, Australia.

For more information on Strawberry Communications, log on to http://www.strawberrycommunications.com.au or email Johanna at johanna@strawberrycommunications.com.au

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