Marketing Tips

If you use my bottle stoppers, feel free to take any wording from my site to promote them. People understand FDA approved kitchen-grade solid stainless steel with a lifetime guarantee and they understand it will cost a little more. Most also love to know your item is 100% made in America.

Have a sign saying these stoppers can be used for oil and vinegar, bath oil bottles as well as wine and whiskey bottles. Have an olive oil bottle with a stopper in your display, not everyone asks questions; people will get the idea and maybe even think of other uses which means more sales.

Many libraries, banks, community centers and visitor centers have monthly displays in their lobby or entry hall. See if you can either do a display or contribute to one. For example; the local Extension Service was having a "Native Trees of PA." display at my local library. They had books, pictures, a few leaves and some bark from each species. I offered to turn small items from each wood. Every library patron saw my work with my name for a month. The library advertised the exhibit including my turnings..... free advertising!

How many times do you hear "I'll be back". This is a "be back" tip: take one of your business cards and write "10% Discount" on the back and write the first name of the customer that almost bought something then said they would be back.   Or write a 10% discount code on the back of your business card and tell the customer it's a one-time offer to cover postage when they order from your website.

If you make bowls, vases, etc., check with fine furniture stores. They have rooms arranged with desks, bookcases, etc. A glass artist in Utah does extremely well with sales in this type of store. Your work is not competing with a lot of others and people can picture that art piece in their home. Also they are not price shopping between artists doing the same work.

Other vendors are not necessarily your competition, you compliment each other. If a customer asks if you make bowls with purple elephants, say, "No, I don't but there's an artist in aisle 4 that does. You can mention I sent you" and give them your card. If you have time even walk the customer to that other artists booth and point out the items. If you just say, "No, I don't make that", what reason have you given that customer to remember you? And that other artist may just get a request for something you make that they don't and will send people to your booth. Also that customer will stop at your booth every show and bring a friend to meet the nice person that helped them.

If you have a website, try to link with fellow artists, vendors and collectors. Don't add links just to have a lot of them. After going to a few irrelevant links, people move on to another site. Your links reflect you and your art.

For your booth at a show, tie a stopper to a bottle of wine with a fancy ribbon. Put a small sign saying something like "wonderful way to give an heirloom stopper to a favorite wine lover." Using the word "heirloom" suggests future gifts and adding to a collection.

Have an empty wine bottle and vinegar cruet in your show booth so people can see how nice a stopper looks in a bottle. Remember, there are people who don't drink wine and might just pass by but if you show them other "bottle stopper" uses, you will get another sale. Many designs are more attractive in the bottle than either laying on the table or in a display stand with a dozen other stoppers.

For example; I make a door-knob shape stopper that isn't exactly an attention getter in the display but when people try them in the bottle, they look nice and are very hand friendly. It's a quick, simple design that you can add cabochons, coins, buttons, inlays, etc. on the top to create unique or individual designs.

If you work with wood, have a "process" display; a square blank, a partially turned bowl, box or anything you make. Have a few tools, too. You know you are going to be asked "How did you do that?" Showing, rather than just describing your process will impress and help make sales.