Making the most of Expos and Trade Shows

By Belle on 10 February 2007 in Blog

Hey there,

Talking with exhibitors at the local craft fair this weekend I was amazed at how few have websites and their perceptions of what’s involved in having a website.

Most didn’t have a site and most seemed to think that they couldn’t have one because their stock changed so much and so often that they couldn’t keep up with the images online. I can understand this concern because I’ve faced it with my work too.

The answer is that you don’t have to put all your work online. You can start with phase 1 having information like:

calendar of shows for the year so customers know where to find you
contact details so customers can easily contact you
online email newsletter subscription so customers can give you their details so you can remind them about upcoming shows (newsletters can be monthly or just once a year, but building the database list of interested customers is vital for business growth and success)
product range so customers know what you’ll have at the show
some images of your goods so customers can see what you have to start to get ideas

For phase 2 of the business site development you can make a start with online shopping using PayPal or the equivalent:

a small selection of regular stock items that are your basic bread and butter selling items – these are the ones that you have available regularly and don’t change very often as people need them
make available patterns and instructions – some free and some for sale
a manageable range of kits that are easy to put together and ship – this range can include regular ones and/or kits that you change once a year – nothing too high maintenance, just an easy quick way to start and build an online income
regular email newsletters for your customers so they know where you are, what you’re doing, what they can buy from you and remember you

A website can back up and support a traditional mail order business, it doesn’t have to replace it. A website grows over the years and develops into a great resource for your business. Think of it in terms of building in phases that you can manage.

For more info about having a success website for your small business click here.