Should you Attend a Holiday Mart/ Bazaar?
Need another way to get your small boutique in front of potential customers? Attending holiday marts are the way to go. These localized events — often called bazaars or shows — are hands-on ways to personally connect with the people who make up your ideal customer base. Once you sign up to attend, what should you do at the mart?
Hand out coupons.
Everyone loves a deal! Consider creating coupons that offer a BOGO option on small collectibles. Or, a sweeping percentage off an entire purchase can make customers splurge on a few extras. To get customers in the door quickly, make the expiration date on the coupons within two weeks after the holiday mart.
Gather email addresses.
As people approach the booth, welcome them and offer to answer any questions. If they aren’t very talkative, offer them bottled water or some candy as you hand them a clipboard or tablet with an email sign-up form displayed. Let them know you’ll be sending out special offers to holiday mart participants, and they won’t want to miss out! Later, follow-up with a digital coupon.
Create a social media promotion.
Get people talking about your business on social media by staging a selfie booth or by asking people to tweet with your custom hashtag. For example, if you sell holiday crafts, offer Santa hats, reindeer antler headbands and colorful winter scarves for people to wear as they take a selfie in front of a backdrop featuring your company logo!
Give away cool swag.
Free stuff always gets people interested in what you do. This year, splurge on small gifts that people can really use, like sport drink bottles, ear buds and flash drives printed with your company’s logo, website address or slogan. Edibles are also popular. Small boxes of cookies, chocolate bars or beverages wrapped with a custom label featuring some witty information about your company are popular.
Promote a free, helpful event.
Finally, give potential customers a reason to visit with you after the holiday mart. Let them know about an upcoming event at your shop that’s open to the public at no cost. Whether it’s an open house tour complete with appetizers, or a class to teach a DIY project or how to implement new ideas, you’ll get people interested in what you do.
So, are you ready to jump into the holiday season and set up a booth at your local event? Be sure you have plenty of business cards, brochures and promotional materials ready to hand out. Shop Paper Direct online to get started!