Why do you need a website, when you primarily sell at craft shows?

Posted by Kira on February 4, 2009

After all, you are selling your crafts consistently at shows. You don’t use the web, and can’t see why you need to.

Well, let me encourage you to change your mind. Right now, we are in what industry experts are calling “The information age.” Almost anything you could want to learn or know about is on the internet in some form or another.I just went to a big Conference on E-Learning, where I learned that Wikipedia is MORE accurate than any written encylopedia that exists right now. That is because real people are seriously invested in making sure that the information out there is accurate.

What does that mean for you? Let me tell you what recently happened to me at a show in Boca Raton. 

I wandered the show, alone, as I often do, looking for something unique to catch my eye. I talked to a crafter I see a lot, but was unimpressed with her attitude (tip- watch how “high and mighty” you sound to your customers. They are people too, and you may actually be talking to a professional artist who doesn’t need to peel back your ego to talk to you about your art.) So I didn’t buy from her that day. Then I happened upon a mosaic artist who was selling really pretty hearts covered with funky bright shapes of ceramic and glass pieces embedded in black grout. They had the “baby bracelet” letters embedded too, spelling out words. I was drawn to one with a large red flower and the word “Create” so I purchased it for my studio wall. The receipt I got was the kind you buy at Office Max, and there was no business card or flyer, and the bag it was put in was from a local restaurant. I can never order from that artist again- I have no idea how to contact her. I strongly encouraged her to start an etsy shop, if only to have some web presence where she could be found again. I don’t even know the name of her business. 

Lesson learned? Don’t be invisible. I liked her work enough to buy it- although I could have pretty easily “made it myself” (don’t you hate it when people say that to you?) I would buy from her again- for a friend, perhaps- but unless she’s planning on coming back to my area and I happen to go to whatever show she is at (there are LOTS of shows in South Florida, and I certainly don’t go to them all) the chances of us meeting again are the classic needle in a haystack. Is that how you want to relate to people who have already bought something from you, proving that they are, indeed, supporters of your livelihood? 

Please think about it, and open your mind. Just because you aren’t linked in to the web, doesn’t mean you don’t need some way for people to find you after the fact. OR- to anticipate your presence in their area so they can plan to meet you again.