5 Top Tips for Small Businesses at Christmas Markets

As the nights draw in and we start to swap our chilled Savvie B for toasty mulled wine, small business owners are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. Christmas markets and pop-ups can provide a seasonal cash generating ‘bricks and mortar’ opportunity for many online businesses. Not to mention they are a fantastic way to feel more part of the indie business community, reach new audiences and meet customers face-to-face. Festive pop-ups can be great however they don’t come without their challenges. We sat down with bespoke online jewellery brand owner, Esme Rogers Evans to get her top tips to maximise sales during the most wonderful time of the year.

1. Pick the right market. 

‘I’ve done fantastic pop-ups in central London which were amazing for social media content and PR, but we didn’t see the sales we would have liked,’ Esme explains. ‘Think about whether the market and location is right for your particular product and target audience. Also consider if you’re happy to take a risk for the PR, or if you need to save cash only sign up for the markets you’ll definitely make sales at.’
Many events use marketing buzzwords such as ‘sustainable brands’, ‘independent’ and ‘ethically sourced’ in their promotions. This may all be true, but this doesn’t mean it will automatically bring buyers to your fantastic indie business. Do some research and find out who else is going to be there.
Considerations should include:
● Price points – are you similar, way above or way below other brands with a stall?
● Would your customers usually go to this or a similar location?
● How long is the market there for, how well known is it and what reputation does it have?

2. Cash isn’t king. 

Have some sort of digital payment system set up, especially if you have higher ticket items. Esme recommends Sum Up as it is easy to pair with your phone, straightforward to use and cost effective. If your items are priced at the lower end of the spectrum it may be worth simplifying or rounding up your prices to limit the amount of change, you’ll need to take with you.
It is also worth noting here that you may want to take a portable phone charger with you. You won’t always be positioned near a power point. In the quieter moments of the market, it’s a great time to catch up on emails or make content, both will drain your phone’s battery and might leave you in a pickle during the busier times.

3. Presentation. 

‘Don’t spend lots of money on plinths or fancy display units when you’re just starting out,’ advises Esmé, ‘I recently invested in some lighting for my stalls, the reflection highlights the jewellery beautifully and the glow from the table draws people in’.
It’s essential to do a test run of how you will set your stall up. Think about creative (and inexpensive) ways to display your products. Lighting is a fantastic and simple way to make you stand out. Remember about your plug sockets though and consider using battery powered lights.

4. Parking. 

‘If your event is relatively close, I would always advise doing a parking reccy beforehand’, says Esmé. Many locations won’t have parking directly outside so consider how to transport your goods to the venue once you get there as well.

5. Creature comforts. 

Markets can be long days, they can also be outside, and we all know how reliable the Great British weather is, especially in winter.
‘My top tip is to take cardboard to stand on. It may sound silly, but when you’re outside all day on your feet it can be kinder on your soles, and it gives you that little bit of extra insulation from the cold floor which will provide much needed warmth’.
Other top tips for the day from Esmé include:
● Take your favourite warm drink in a flask for the colder hours at the end of the day.
● Stay hydrated with water but don’t drink too much. You don’t want to miss customers because of frequent bathroom trips.
● Wear layers.
● Make friends! Talk to your fellow stall holders, this can be an informal way to build new connections and you can have someone look after your stall whilst you pop to the loo.
● Have a fold down chair.
● Take a craft with you. If you can make your product on the stall, that’s fantastic. Alternatively if this doesn’t apply, take a hobby project with you. It will keep you occupied during the quieter moments and will showcase how amazingly creative you are!
● And if you use interesting tools when making your work, consider displaying them alongside your products in an interesting way. People want to know how things are made and it’s a fantastic way of sparking a conversation that isn’t directly about selling your products.
Find out more about Duxford Studios here and follow them here.
Want to see Duxford Studios in real life? Catch them this Christmas at:
Cardiff Indie Collective’s Christmas Market at Big Moose Café, Cardiff on the 2nd December. For more info, head to their site here or visit their Instagram @cardiffindiecollective.
Seekd Christmas Pop Up at One New Change, London, EC4M 9AF from the 6th December – 24th December. Seekd is the marketplace for unique, chic, eco-friendly jewellery & accessories that give back to people and the planet. Visit their website here and follow them on Instagram @seekdfashion

5 Things to Consider When Making a Website for your Business

Setting up a website for your business is a great way for customers to find you, showcase your products/services and build your reputation.

1. What kind of website should you choose? 

Depending on what your business does, you’ll need to decide which kind of website is best for you. We’ve listed out the below the basic functions of different businesses, depending which one you fall under will directly effect what your customers will want to see on your website.
Services – information about what you can provide your customers with, where they can find you, how they can contact you and some background information/testimonials or reviews. An enquiry form or simple booking service may come in useful as well.
Products – customers will want to see all of the above but you may consider adding a shopping feature to your website.
Community organisation – information about your current projects and past projects, how people can get involved, contact details and background information about the organisations mission or vision. A blog my be a great way of keeping people up to date and informing them about current events.
Freelancer – this is a great way to showcase your work if you are an artist, creative or any other kind of freelancer. You can add portfolios, examples of your work, projects you’ve worked on, contact details and even a blog to share updates with potential clients or collaborators.

2. Should I use a template to build my website? 

If you are looking for an informative or ecommerce website there are some amazing platforms out there which have easy to use templates. If your business offers something more complex you may consider engaging a web developer to help you build your site from scratch. If you want your site to be constantly updated, you will need a CSM (content management service) these template websites will have this built in and developers will be able to code this into your website too. Some template platforms out there include:
NBR – National Business Register offer a website and email service. This can be paid for yearly or is free when you take out Business Name Registration protection.
Squarespace – this enables you to build a professional looking website quickly. It is intuitive and even has marketing tools to help you maximise your online presence.
Wix – similar to Squarespace it has customisable templates and tools to help you build your site.
Shopify – if you are a product based business this is an amazing way to get your online shop up and running. It has integrated analytics tools, a dashboard and lots of add-on apps available to help you market and grow your business.
Etsy/depop/eBay – you can set up a shop within these sites. Benefits of this include having a well-known name attached to your business however it may look a little less professional to some as you won’t have your business name as the URL. Also there are thousands of users already on these market places so coming high in the search results will require real effort and may take some time. However, if you’re starting small these are a great place to start.

3. Should I have social media accounts for my business? 

Yes! Social media is a great place for people to discover your business, build social proof and showcase your talents. If you’re not keen on social media you can keep it very low key but regular posting and interacting with people will help build your account and reach. Do some research to see which platforms your competition uses, what channels your customers use most and what type of content works best for your offering. Also consider which platform you are personally most familiar with.
You can set up a business account for free and will have basic analytical tools to help you track your progress. We’ve listed out a few below with some advantages to help you decide.
Facebook – having a Facebook page will help people find you and allow you to post photo’s and information about your business. Facebook tends to have a slightly older audience and works well local community and product based businesses.
Instagram – has lots of different ways to present your content. This platform is best if you have a product which is particularly visual.
Twitter – this is prodomitely a text based channel however there are options to add visuals, but not to the same extent as with Facebook and Instagram. Twitter is a great place to re-post articles, share ideas/thoughts and get industry news. FYI Twitter is the only social platform used more by men than women (70% vs 30%).
LinkedIn – this is a great way to build professional connections within your industry. Some people do share personal news through this channel but it is usually connected to business or industry in some way. It’s great for posting news about your business, sharing industry articles, networking and posting job vacancies.
YouTube – ideal if you like producing video content. It’s particularly useful for explaining products/services. Create ‘how to’ video’s for your products or services to maximise this channel.
TikTok – speaks to a younger audience and has yet to be monetised in the same way as the above channels.
This is not an exhaustive list so doing research into which channels your customers use most is essential.

4. What should I put on my website? 

Content is king! Setting up the foundational content for your website is the place to begin. Keep it really simple and clear, outline the basic information you think a potential customer would like to know and make yourself contactable.
Your business name & logo.
Details of your offering.
Full contact details.
Visuals of your offering – this can be photos of products or you can use graphics/stock photos if you provide services.
After this you can start to have some fun! Think about the content your customers enjoy consuming, content that answers questions your customers may Google and types of content that would work for your business. Keeping your website up to date, relevant and engaging is paramount so depending on how much time you have to devote to this, you may want to ask a professional for help. You can draft in agencies, have part-time or fill-time marketing assistants/managers or you can put time aside in your schedule to keep on top of things. Remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for your social media, take content & copy from your website and reuse it on the different platforms.

5. Should I use digital marketing? 

As you build your business you want to maximise your digital presence as being online can multiple your reach experientially. We will go into more detail about digital marketing in a separate article as it is an entire industry within itself however these are the 7 main areas you may want to look at.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
Social Media Marketing
Content Marketing
Email marketing
Mobile Marketing
Marketing Analytics
You will find experts in each of these areas along with some people that have strengths that cross-over. If you are an established business it is worth either engaging an agency or employing a individual specialist through a digital recruiter to ensure you are getting exactly the help you are looking for.

Marketing For Small Business

You have a fantastic product or service, now you need to let people know about! We’ll run through the key points to consider when setting up marketing for your company.

Do Your Research 

Before going public it is worth taking some time to investigate two broad categories that will affect your business – customer and competitor. You can send surveys out, employ friends and family as guinea pigs, experiment with elements of your product/service, ask potential future competitors direct questions; the sky is the limit but always keep an open mind and listen. You have to maintain a strong vision, this will see you through the late nights and curve balls on your journey but ensure this vision is founded in a deep understanding our your industry and audience.
1. Customer Research
Imagine your ideal customer – the one that will be the easiest to get on board and will become fanatical about your business. Once you identify this person it will be easier to find more of these people. Traditionally marketing professionals looked at demographic, geographic and psychographic factors. However, with websites and social media opening up potentially a global customer base to all business owners, the emphasis has become more focused upon the psychographic traits of your audience. Creating customer profiles is a great reference to have and will help you in every area of your business from inventing new products/services to creating engaging social media content. Really spend some time getting into the mind set and problem solving for your customer; where are the pain points, listen to friends and families opinions and push for negative feedback – it will only help you improve. You don’t have to be perfect right out of the gate but keeping your customers needs at the forefront will keep you on track.
2. Competitor research
Chances are, you are not the only company providing your chosen product or service and although you want to keep an eye on your industry peers, don’t get distracted by them. If it is feasible to go through the customer journey with them, do so. If not or there are too many of them, pick the ones that stand out to you and jot down a quick pros and cons list. What looks great about them and what do you think potentially lets them down. Without being inside that business owners mind it may be difficult to discern their actions, strategies and plans so don’t put all your eggs in the ‘let’s beat them at their own game’ basket. It’s easier to be different than to be better, so identify what makes you unique and focus on that.

Marketing Channels 

Where are your customers? Identifying this will help you decide which channels will be most effective to market through. Ensuring you have the right message, in the right place, directed at the right people is the jackpot and may take some time to get right. We have listed a few avenues below to consider when advertising, putting campaigns together, copywriting and creating content.
Email marketing – an engaged mailing list is a invaluable asset to your business. With digital privacy becoming more important to people it is also vital that you own your customers data. Many email platforms will also help you segment your customers, this will enable you to target people more accurately, tailor your content and up your conversion rate.
Adverts – an oldy but still a goody! Depending on your nature of business these may still be as effective as ever. Consider trying a mix of print and digital, and always track return.
Improve you website – along with the obvious of making your site as user friendly as possible, add branding and features you would want to see if you were a customer to give them an enjoyable experience without you even being there!
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – you can teach yourself the basics or outsource to an agency. Pushing yourself up those Google search results is a must. Search your company name or service using an incognito tab to see where you’re coming up for customers that haven’t engaged with you before.
A/B testing – if something is not working in your digital marketing, compare it with something else. Keep track, be guided by the result but always keep perspective and be true to your brand.
Social media – creating storytelling content for your brand will help bring sales in. You can get extra help by engaging in paid advertising on social platforms but, be warned, it can be a money pit. Work with an agency you trust, set a budget (stick to it!) and take expert advice.

Figure Out Your Brand 

We went through the basics of setting up your brand here. Much of this will inform how you market your product, the content you create and your business strategy as a whole. Depending on the nature of your business and your personal opinion of branding it may play a smaller role in your company, it’s still good to have the basics down though.