Craft Show Tips with Tammy

Hey guys, if you’re a door hanger business owner or hobbyist who enjoys attending craft shows then today’s blog post is just for you! My friend Tammy Harris Hodges of Polka Dot Wreath Co. has written an ebook called “Resources for a Profitable Craft Show” that explains in great detail how to take your craft show to the next level and make money. Today we’re going to be going over a few craft show tips that Tammy has shared. If these tips have helped you I highly recommend you go purchase her ebook where Tammy goes into even more detail and provides you with great resources for your next craft show.

Table of Contents

Catch Their Eye

If you’re participating in a craft show, booth appearance is so important. You want to make your booth fun, inviting and the talk of the show! Consider your booth at the craft show as an extension of a small store. It doesn’t matter if the store is online or in your garage, if you set it up like a real business then you will get serious, real customers. Don’t be afraid to stand out and go above and beyond other booths. This will allow your presence to be known at the craft show!

Show Off Your Skill

Craft shows are a great place to demonstrate how you make your product. This is also why you will want help running your booth. As the creator, you need to be showing shoppers what you can do. As a wreath maker, Tammy is always making bows on her Pro Bow to show her customers what she can do. She is even passing out her affiliate link to Amazon when people as where she got it, so it’s a win-win. People love to watch you craft, so be sure to show off your skills at the craft show.

Be Intentional About How Much Product You Bring

When prepping for your craft show you can never have too much product. In fact, it’s better to always have too much product instead of not enough. Have some products that you don’t put out until you’re running low. For example, Tammy decided that this year she will have forms pre-made, bows in a bag, and a tote of signs to choose from that are all ready to go. As she starts to run low, she will put them together in two minutes and restock. This is also a great way to demonstrate your product and restock your booth – we call that another win-win for sure!

Ask for Help

One of the most important craft show tips Tammy gives is to have help with your booth. Whether you are a husband and a wife team or a mother and daughter duo, don’t go to a show alone. You will be overwhelmed and as a result every aspect of your booth will suffer – from signing to the customer service you can give.

Invest in a Card Reader

Tammy states that 90% of her sales are from debit or credit cards. She uses a Square reader on her phone and encourages craft show attendees to do that as well. When you get a card reader, be sure that you also have a backup device. Tammy brings her iPad with her to craft shows in case her phone decides to go wonky.

Bonus Tips!

While those are just some of the tips that Tammy touches on in her ebook, she also offered us two great bonus tips too, including business cards and promotional material. You should have business cards on hand at all times, as well as requesting email addresses to grow your email list. You can then “email them” a business card later it they don’t want to grab one.

Promotional material helps shoppers remember you! Having a sign made is very affordable. You should have banners for your booth to tell people who you are. Add you business name and logo all over your booth by adding it to signs for price points, entry and exit signs, thank you signs, and anything you have hanging in your booth. The more that people see your name and logo, the more apt they are to remember you!

Purchase Tammy’s eBook

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning some craft show tips from Tammy today. It is my hope that you have learned something you can put to good use in your business too. I want to remind you that you can purchase Tammy’s eBook on Etsy and learn even more about running a profitable craft show.

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