Offline Marketing ~ Part 2: Craft fairs and bizaars

By Kara Kelso
Posted Wednesday, July 7, 2004

In the first part we discussed how drawing can be benificial to your business. You can view the first part here: (http://www.momsmarketonline.com/offline-drawings.html)

In the second part we will talk about how to make the most of your table at a craft fair or bizaar. Finding the fairs and bizaars is simple. You can contact local malls, chamber of commerce, or special interests groups related to your business (this is also a great way to do some networking if you choose to be a memeber of some of these groups).

The first step after you have found the event you will be attending, is getting ready for the show. You will want to have everything ready several weeks before hand. Just to name a few items that you will need:

~ A box for a drawing (explained in part one)
~ Table cloth for table
~ Lots of cash and carry items
~ Plenty of catalogs, coupons, and free samples
~ Change ($5s, $1s, etc)
~ Pens, perferably with your logo on them
~ Posters, flyers, etc
~ Boxes, bags, etc for sold items
~ Business cards

Now you are ready to attend your bizaar! Make sure you table is neat, and if possible tidy up in between customers. You want those looking to pick up items and look them over, but they do tend to set things back out of place. Just a few more tips while at the bizaar:

~ Welcome everyone that comes to your table...don't forget to smile!
~ Stand, don't sit, if possible
~ Set out a unique item (even if you don't think it will sell it will catch your visitor's attention!)
~ Offer everyone that walks by a catalog, sample, coupon, business card, and entry to your drawing

After the show comes the real hard work. Now that you have all the contacts from the drawing, you can start following up with them a few weeks later. If you offered samples, ask them what they thought of them and if they have had a chance to look at the catalog. Remember that following up is the most important part!

About the Author
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About the author: Kara Kelso is the owner of Mom's Market, which is an online shopping mall for busy moms, where shoppers can support other mothers in business. Visit: (http://www.momsmarketonline.com)