Craft Show Success

Craft show success hinges, in part, on bringing customers into your booth. When you are designing your displays, it's important to consider ways to draw customers in.

Here are 9 strategies to bring customers into your booth.

1. Let them admire you from afar

A large scale photo can be an extremely effective way to draw people to your booth. They'll be able to see your work from a distance and if it's an excellent, intriguing photo, it will draw customers into your booth.

2. Give them some elbow room

Ensure that there is plenty of space in your booth for several people to move around and browse. If your booth is too crowded (o.k., that is a good problem to have!) your best customer may walk on by to avoid the crowds.

3. Create a welcoming entrance

A wide open entrance encourages people to enter your booth. If you clutter up the front of your booth with extra tables or shelves, it can discourage people from entering your booth.

Eye-catching poster draws attention to this jewelry booth from a distance.

4. Use colors that appeal to your target market

Use colors that enhance the appeal of your items. Ensure that it is stylish and connects with target customers. Be careful about how color reflects on your product. A blue or green canopy will change the perceived color of your items and can cause your booth to look quite dark if you're not careful, and that can have a negative impact on your craft show success.

If the "wrong" customers are attracted to your booth, consider the effect of the colors you have selected for your display. A very bright, festive colored booth will not necessarily draw in customers that favor sleek, minimalist design. Be sure that the color you use in your booth reflects that tastes and expectations of your customers

5. Use your space

While you will likely want to avoid a cluttered booth, a sparse, empty booth can send the wrong message to customers. It can come across as though your business is not really established. Find a good balance between avoiding clutter and creating a booth that appears complete and makes you appear established.

6. Look the part

Be busy in your booth to attract more customers. Avoid just sitting around in your booth. Even if you are dusting the same spot for the third time in the day, find a way to keep busy.

Do not look forlorn. No matter how slow the morning has been, if you're feeling disappointed about your sales for the day, don't let or your disappointment show or it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. Customers like to associate with people who are positive and successful, so if you want people to come into your booth, you must appear busy and happy to be at the show.

7. Go high tech

In the right venue, a laptop computer and projector to project images on your wall can be an outstanding way to grab the attention of customers and bring them in off the aisle.

8. Be outstanding

Create an absolutely outstanding item that draws people's attention and creates interest. Go all out with your masterpiece. Be sure it's still a reflection of your style, but a real attention grabber. It will draw people into your booth. You may or may not sell it, but the point of the item is to draw attention to your work and get people into your booth.

9. Draw a crowd

People are attracted to craft booths that are already busy with customers. The more you use good techniques to draw customers into your booth, the more your efforts will snowball and build your craft show success.