Recently I signed up to do business with a big company and have had nothing but a terrible experience.  They have however helped me to realize what good customer service is and what it is not.

Good service is delivering what was promised, on time.  It is realizing that as a business person it is your job to deliver value for your customers dollars.

Good customer service is having a way for your customers to reach you regarding any problems they are having with your art or craft, your policies or your business in general.  It is having a clear effective way for them to report problems.  It is listening to them and valuing their opinions.

Good customer service is NOT giving people the run around.  It is NOT making them call and leave several messages to resolve a problem.  Customer service is NOT WAITING two weeks before returning phone calls.  It is returning their calls within 2 days of them calling even if it is only to tell them you are sorry for the problem and working to resolve it.  Then resolve it and let them know.

Providing good service ISN’T about correcting customers misconceptions about your business after they happen.  It is preventing them in the first place, or taking responsibility for them if they do occur.

Good customer service is having a 100% satisfaction guarantee that states:

If you are unsatisfied with our product or service for any reason we will refund you money completely.  No questions asked.  However if you would like to tell us what is was wrong with our product or service we would be happy to listen so we can improve our business in the future.

It is informing all your employees of this policy.  It is telling them that listening means not talking.  It is giving them the authority and resources they need to refund the customers money.

Lastly good customer service is about seeing upset customers as an asset.  Upset customers can do the most damage to your business OR you can see that they are your best opportunities to grow.  By hearing your customers complaints you know the places that your business needs improvement.  If you resolve their problems with your business satisfactorily they may even become your best customers.

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There are several ways to #advertise your art and #craft event to vendors.  The idea is to find the most effective ways and stick with them.  You must test and record the results of your advertising to know what was most effective.

Advertising is best done when it reaches a target audience.  Your target audience is artists and crafters who sell merchandise at art and craft shows,  advertise where they are most likely to see it.

Places artists and crafters look for shows include (but are not limited to) Art and Craft Show Publications, local Chambers of Commerce, visitors centers, fairgrounds and events centers, bulletin boards, the internet, newspapers, radio, and TV.  Have a successful show already?  Maintain a mailing list.  Art and craft vendors also ask other artists and crafters at events they are attending if they know of other great shows in the area.

Art and Craft Publications

Art and craft publications are also known as craft fair guides, art and craft show listings, and many other names search the internet using the right keywords and you will find more than a few.  Art and craft publications contain many listings of art and craft shows.  They also usually contain some advertising for event insurance, outdoor canopies for shows, displays, and art and craft supplies.  They usually cover a specified area such as one state, several states, a region, or the nation.  Some will also contain hints and tips, checklists, book and product reviews, display ideas, etc.

Now for a quick message from our sponsor, smile:
My favorite, The Extravaganza Craft News, covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Local Places Artists and Crafters Look for Events

Local places artists and crafters look for events include the Chamber of Commerce, visitors centers, civic centers, fairgrounds and events centers, basically any where an art and craft show might be held.  Ask when booking your event if they will include your event on a calendar of upcoming events.  Be sure they inform their employees of your upcoming event so they will be ready to refer artists and crafters your way.

Bulletin Boards

Artists and crafters will also check bulletin boards in grocery stores, gas stations, art and craft stores, on college campuses, in salons, at local restaurants, and many other businesses.

Hang posters, postcards, or business cards on bulletin boards everywhere you go.  Be sure your advertising has a headline gauranteed to get the attention of artists and crafters who want to sell their merchandise.  Don’t forget the basics a date and time for your show and a way to contact you including (at least) your name and phone number.

The Internet

The internet is a great resource and you don’t have to spend a fortune on a webpage or webdesigner anymore.  You can buy a website and everything you need to run it for under $100/year.  You can get one that has a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get editor) so that you can design and run it yourself or hire someone to run it for you.  A website is a great place to tell artists, crafters, and customers about your upcoming shows, and to upload your applications.  Need simple instructions for building a webpage visit http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com/index.php?pr=Build_a_website.

Newspapers

The problem with advertising anything in newspapers is actually reaching your target audience.  Reaching thousands of people who don’t sell their art and crafts at shows probably won’t help your business as much as reaching 100 people who do.

Newspapers do have other resources available other than paid ads.  Call the paper and ask about their policy for press releases, people in business, guest written articles, and calls to artists and crafters.  Ask who you send them to and the correct address.  Send a press release and call to artists to many local newspapers.  The free resources will probably benefit your business more than paid advertising at this time, but if they won’t run your articles ask if they offer a deal on paid advertising with submissions.

Ask if they have a (printed/online) calendar of events and how soon your event will begin appearing on it.  Don’t forget your contact information.

Radio and TV

Radio stations often offer a discount on large numbers of ads.  Ask them if they can offer you a deal if you order ads now to advertise to artists and crafters and again later to advertise to customers.  They also offer package deals for onsite advertising.  Ask the radio station if they would like to sponsor your event and have their logo included on all your advertising.

I have never used TV advertising but I hear that cable ads aren’t that expensive and can be targetted to reach people in the area of your show.  Again ask a TV station if they might like to sponsor your event.  Feature a happy artist or crafter in your ads looking for vendors.

Don’t ask more than one radio station, TV station, or newspaper to sponsor your event and ask them if they only work with specific people i.e. ABC Radio only works with XYZ News.

Mailing List

Tell artists and crafters which publications they can find your listings in.  Contact art and craft exhibitors who have attended your show in the past.  Keep them happy and they are likely to return.  Keep your list updated so you don’t waste money mailing to bad addresses.

Email autoresponders from AutoWebBusiness.com or Constant Contact make it easy to stay in contact with vendors.  I highly recommend you check out these two companies if you don’t already have some kind of automated follow up/email system in place.

Word of Mouth

Many artists and crafters still only hear about shows through word of mouth.  Keep your vendors happy and they are more likely to tell others only good things about your show.

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The body contains 6 parts they include:

1. Lead paragraph
- City, State – Month Day, Year – Your Business Name
- What is happening

2. Quotes – From previous newspaper articles, quotes from show promoters, other crafters, or previous customers about your product.

3. The Why and How paragraph – Tell the reader why you are attending this event, why you make your product, why someone should come see your product and how to attend the event.

4. Call to Action – Ask the audience to do something i.e. See me at The Extravaganza or at my other upcoming shows.

Include your schedule of events.

5. Corporate Summary – Include a short summary of your business here.

6. Contact Information – Name, Business Name, Phone Number, E-mail Address, Website

For samples of press releases look in your local newspaper, also examine the People in Business Section to determine the best place for your advertising.

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Sites like facebook, twitter, myspace are sweeping the nation.  What is the big deal about social networking you ask?  Well let’s answer that question as it pertains to your art or craft show booth.

No one knows about your art or craft business when you first start out.  You might not even know who your customers are going to be, and you definitely don’t know how to reach them.  You don’t have a lot of money to spend on random advertising or your business will go broke before it starts.  Don’t despair yet, there is free advertising out there that will let everyone know about your art or craft show business.

Facebook, myspace, and twitter are all free advertising where you can afford to let everyone know about your business.    Plus there are many more social networking sites where you can freely promote your business.

Some key points to remember.

Read the terms of use and abide by them.  The goal is to get the word out about your business not to get you banned from every site on the internet.  You want people saying good things about your business not bad ones.

No one like to be pressured to buy something so participate respectfully in conversations.  Give people the information they are looking for including:  product information and care sheets, updates on events you will be attending, notices of sales and discounts they can receive, articles, hints and tips, how to’s, and checklists.  Disguise your advertising as information.  Remember that when your customers feel like you care about them they are more likely to buy from you.

Use plug-ins on you blog to make your posts to your blog automatically post to your social networking sites to save time.  Post on your blog that your customers can follow you on their social networking sites.  Have all posts on both point back to your website.

The Benefits of Social Networking for Your Business

Not everyone who hears about your business through social networking is going to be your target customer or in your area of service, however, they may have friends who are your target customer or in your area of service.  The people who hear about your business through social networking tell their friends.  When a friend recommends your art or craft to them they are more likely to buy.

People who are interested in your product or service go to social networking sites and search for the topic they are interested in.  Sometimes  they stumble across your site.   They can then follow your social networking, visit your blog and site, and potentially become customers.

Did I mention it’s free!?  You can’t afford to advertise to everyone with paid advertising -and if you are YOU ARE WASTING YOUR MONEY! You should always target your exact customer with paid advertising.  With social networking you allow your friends and family to spread the word about your business and since it’s free you can share your business with everyone.

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The Extravaganza is working to promote an art and craft show.  We want to provide the best service possible for you (our artisans, crafters, and vendors).

Please help us plan accordingly by answering a short survey.  Just click on the link below.

http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com/index.php?pr=Craft_Show_Survey

Please ignore the email you will receive regarding confirming signing up for our newsletter.  I promise I won’t sign you up for any random newsletters, smile.

Thank you and have a great day,

Shasta

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I have struggled as a show promoter to figure out what the perfect mix of advertising is for any show. I have learned that nothing is ever guaranteed and with the advent of cable TV, internet, and satellite radio advertising has become all the more difficult.  My advice to vendors and promoters alike is this:

Advertising is everybody’s business.

Vendors remember that the more advertising a promoter must do, the more the booth will cost.

I have had a few vendors at my shows ask how they could help and I decided that how they could help was to tell everyone about the upcoming shows they are attending.

For the vendor:

I suggest that you create a simple flier on your computer that shows your schedule of upcoming shows. Take your schedule with you everywhere. Take it to your kids school, after school activities, lessons, work, church, and out to eat. Talk to people and ask if they are interested, give them a copy of your schedule of shows. Ask at restaurants, grocery stores, work and church if they will hang it on their bulletin board or lay it on an informational table or counter.

Let’s use 30 vendors for an example:

30 vendors tell 10 people about a show=300 people know
30 vendors tell 50 people about a show=1500 people know
30 vendors tell 100 people about a show=3000 people know

Write a simple press release to the local newspapers. Press releases are free as space allows so write as early as a few months before the show and again just before the show. Tell a little about your product what makes it unique and give a copy of the schedule of your upcoming shows.

For the promoter:

I suggest making a four up flier (or four ads to a page) mail or e-mail the flier to your vendors as they sign up for your show. Suggest that they make copies and hand them out or hang them everywhere they go. I also take the four up with me to activities etc. and talk to people about the show. It has been very well received and I have even found new vendors this way.

Send press releases at 8 weeks to show time, 4 weeks to show time, and every week after that.

Everyone use an automated email system like AutoWebBusiness.com or Constant Contact to keep in touch with clients, let them know of your upcoming events, offer product information etc.

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