Friday 14 April 2017

6 Tips to create a High Visibility Craft Booth

Let's face it, you could have the most amazing product ever created but if you are not able to get customers to come into your booth, then you can't show them how great it is.





















You only have a a few seconds to catch the attention of shoppers before their eyes settle on something in the booth down the aisle.  What can you do to capitalize on those first few Seconds?


1. Incite their curiosity. 
Shoppers are expecting to see racks and shelves and counters in your booth. If you can prominently display something that is different your potential customers will be naturally drawn towards your booth to figure out what is unique in your space. In our recent booth for Scrapfest we hung a vintage parasol with flowers in it, and a glass chandelier from our booth frames. They could be seen from a distance, took no floor space away from our products and became quite the conversation pieces. They were also great landmarks for happy customers to direct their friends to.

2. Make them laugh.
One of the things that I invested in for the booth was a foam board poster that said "a good friend shops for scrapbooking supplies with you, a best friend helps you hide the stash when you get home." We hung the poster on the canopy frame facing the main aisle. Hundreds of crafters stopped to read the sign giving us an opportunity to chat with them and bring them into the booth. We also helped over 50 people take photos of themselves and their BFF in front of the sign. Those pictures were posted all over social media where my Web address is prominently displayed on the bottom of the poster. Not only did we get customers from this sale, but also free advertising from social shares.

3. Offer more than they expect
Being a veteran Scrapfest shopper I know how dry the arena can get when you are walking for hours on end. Visitors to our booth where offered free water bottles while they browsed. Shoppers were surprised that we were giving water to everyone without need for purchase and it placed our booth in their mind as a friendly courteous shop.

4. Be true to your brand
I can honestly say that anyone that saw our booth knew immediately what to expect as far as products. We spent a large amount of time planning which elements would best represent our brand. The shabby chic feel  we achieved let our customers know we were a boutique type business that specialized in high end supplies from around the world.





5. Give them a reason to stay in touch
We handed out over 500 business cards to patrons of the show and with each card we made sure to connect a reason to keep it. Some customers were interested in additional pieces for a collection, some were looking for new lines that we are ordering in. Several people had an interest in classes and workshops and there were even a few that were interested in having their designs featured on this blog. Whatever the hook, we ensured that each customer felt invested in our business and knew that the information on the card was key to staying connected.

6. Be a problem solver
No one store has every product. If a customer has a particular item that they are looking for, go out of you way to find the business that has it. Do not give vague directions and send them on their way. If possible, personally bring the customer to the appropriate vendor. It will keep you in the mind of the customer as well as the vendor that may send business your way.

Well there you have It!  6 tips to increase your booths visibility.  Try one or try them all and I am sure you will see your foot traffic soar.


Bonus Tip

Smile at Everyone!  It is really hard to walk past someone when they are looking directly at you with a big smile on their face. Give it a try, bet you can't ignore them.

Friday 10 March 2017

Where did February Go?

Hi Friends. I can not believe it is half way through March. The kids will be home next week for March Break and I have to start thinking about booking their summer camps. I realized that it had been some time since I posted and I have created a few items that I wanted to share.

The first is a canvas I made using Heartfelt Creations Paper and Dusty Attic chipboard. I love the way the locket turned out. I used Rub and Buff to make it have that vintage gold look.






The second is a gift box with a cute little tag album. This was also Heartfelt Creations, Graphic 45 tag album and a box from the dollar store.






Finally I made this cute little card using Heartfelt Creations. Seeing a pattern here? I am trying to use up things I have been hoarding.








I will likely be busy all week so chance are I wont get to post until later in March. In the meantime enjoy what looks like the beginning of Spring (fingers crossed) and don't forget to celebrate St. Patricks Day.


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Sunday 5 February 2017

Crafty Chick's Road Trip 2017

Hello fellow craft hoarders.....I mean papercrafters. Our trip to Scrapfest in 2016 was so much fun, we have decided to do it again. This time we will start out on Thursday April 6th. There will be pick ups in Kingston, Shannonville, Belleville and Cobourg. We will be staying at The Radisson hotel in Kitchener and enjoying a full breakfast before being shuttled to the Convention Center in time for the Scrapfest Crop. We will be staying until Saturday so you will have lots of time to crop and shop in the huge Scrapfest Market.

Your passport to crafty fun includes: a seat on one of McCoy's luxury coaches, 2 nights shared accommodation at the Radisson hotel, full breakfast on both Friday and Saturday mornings, shuttle service to and from the event, crop and market access and inspiration from some of the greatest retailers in the industry. We will even bring you home Saturday when you are too tired to think straight. All this for the amazing sum of $350.

 For those of you that would like a ride and crop space we only  have a limited number of seats reserved for $250. Hurry to reserve your spot. 50% non refundable deposit required at booking and the remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to the trip. Book with three friends and you will all be entered in a draw for a brand new product from Creativation 2017. To reserve your space: email mygrandmasteacups@gmail.com


Thursday 2 February 2017

The Right Tool for the job.. The top 5 benefits of Cricut Products.

This post was sort of a rabbit hole as I was planning a tutorial for next week on how to use your Cricut Explore to make planner stickers. I was looking on YouTube to make sure the topic had not been covered 100 times already. I was surprised to see that most of the tutorials were for the cameo.

I have been a long term Cricut fan from the original right on through the Explore Air. Cricut had a few bumps along the way that upset fans of the product. Despite  that it is still one of the most user friendly digital cutter around.

Top 5 Benefits of Staying with Cricut.

#1 Backwards Compatability
They never abandoned the cartridges from previous machines.
#2Constant new innovative products being release
Cricut Vinyl, magnetic sheets,  markers, tools.
#3 Once master a Cricut the learning curve for the next machine is not bad.
#4 Print then Cut
So many new projects can be made with this feature alone
#5 Ability to load any svg to Design Space.
For people that are still bitter about losing SCAL this gives you back the ability to cut anything.

I know everyone has their own opinion but for me, I am firmly planted on team Cricut.

https://youtu.be/dbNdLBqvMTQ