Outdoor market versus online
Join us for day 15 of our 2nd 30 day blog adventure by Caron (the other bloom).
The tent has been taken out of
the car, along with the folding tables, folding chairs (not the low
ones, but the swanky high ones that allow you to slouch/stand), tent
sides, trolley/dolly whatever it’s called, bamboo polls to support our
cute little awning, bags of clamps, shelving, bags of bags and the
crumbly remnants of 6 months of weekly craft/farmers markets. Seats are
propped back into their upright position and the captain has switched
on the no smoking sign. (Just kidding about that one, checking to see if
you’re really reading this :)
And
now we’re smoothly transitioning into indoor Christmas markets and
online. Which got me thinking – what venue is best? The answer for us
will probably be radically different for every person. And if we made
something wildly unique that we could only makefrom tree resin that
elves had licked, we would could rest on online sales alone.
Here’s
the thing about outdoor venues – exposure and immediate feedback. You
will meet such a variety of people on a regular basis that it will help
your brand immensely. People are very happy to tell you exactly what
they think of your product. If the products sells really quickly,
you’ll know right away that a) your prices are too low or b) you’re on
to something good.
Downside
is they are exhausting to set up/take down every single time. You need
to be bright and positive and engage every single person who looks your
way. Have a great sense of humour so when chocolate covered children
come to your table and touch every single item leaving chocolate on
everything, have a response (trust me, it happens).
Then
there’s online, where you watch the sales roll in, go to your massive
wrapping department, choose pretty paper and wrap the purchase up with
ribbons and bows while birds chirp in the background. Pack the 114
boxes up in colour coordinated shipping bins and skip to the post office
where the happy people will burst into song when they see you.
Which would you prefer?
Online
sales are fabulous. In my opinion, having a unique product helps as
well as knowing SEO and how to use it. Social media on ALL platforms
works well. Yes, I am on a first name basis with
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest/Linkedin/Blog/Newsletters/Snapchat/Periscope
and they work, but you have to know how they function and most
importantly - BE CONSISTENT.
So now your turn – what works best for you? Outdoor markets or online?
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Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.
