'Tis the season: Art market tips you don't want to miss

Hi! 👋

"Choice overload" at a market stall? Is that a thing? Let's see.

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This is Petra from ​The Creators' Diary​. If this is your first TC’D newsletter, welcome! We’re happy you’ve subscribed!

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Story of the week 🗞️

Autumn and the lead-up to Christmas are very popular times for markets, and plenty of opportunities for creators to boost their income and profits, too.

Here are a few extra tips to consider if you want to sell at markets (that creators sometimes forget about):

1. Research the markets: If you can, visit a few markets personally to see what they're like. Alternatively, talk to other creators who have had a stall at those specific markets before. Some questions to think about:
   
   • Are people here to buy or just passing through?
   • Are any artists selling products that are similar to yours?
   • How many different types of products are artists selling?
   • Do the prices of other products match what you’d need to sell yours for?
   • Do markets run on multiple days, and if so, which days are best?
     
2. Have a clear offering at your stall: Once you're there, showcase your niche, e.g., charms and bracelets, print artworks, crochet animals. You might have plenty of things in your portfolio, but that doesn't mean you have to bring out your full arsenal to every (or any) market.
   
   If you narrow down your offering at your stall, you can avoid "choice overload", also known as choice paralysis, or the paradox of choice, which describes how people get overwhelmed when they are presented with many options.
   
3. Promote your market dates: Share your market dates on all your marketing channels and do it repeatedly. In fact, keep doing it on the day of the market because you might get people visiting you at the end of the day who only saw your message hours before!
   
   I've talked about this in the past: Don't be afraid to repeat yourself! Due to how algorithms are developed, even your followers will miss out on certain posts from you. Make sure to maximize your visibility.
   
   Extra tip✨: Most markets have their own hashtags. Use those in your social posts to improve your reach!

Find more tips in this article: 👉 ​How to sell your art locally + 3 extra money-making ideas​

Creator quote of the week 📌

Illustrator and maker ​Abi Stevens​ frequently sells at markets. Recently, she promoted what products she'll bring to her next market in October:

See you next week,

Petra

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