HEADS UP: I’m partnering with the Handmade Pop-Up to help other makers find and apply to their Holiday Market. Everything I’m saying about them is 100% genuine and I was actually planning on making this blog post before we partnered but I just want to be transparent about my affiliation. Cool? Cool.
The Handmade Pop-Up is an amazing opportunity for artists and artisans around the world to sell their work at a curated, online-only showcase, reach a new audience eager for handcrafted goods and, most importantly, join a community of talented makers. Does that sound wonderful or what?! If you haven’t had a chance to apply yet hop over and do it before the deadline of August 31st to be in their Holiday Market. (Applications are now closed, check back for the spring pop-up!)
I’ve been lucky enough to be featured in all four Handmade Pop-Up‘s (which I’m gonna shorten to the HMPU or just the pop-up from now on) and I’ve learned a few things from each of them that’s helped me increase my sales, expand my audience and connect deeper with the creative community. For me, each pop-up was more successful than the last so, if you get selected, I want to get you started with all the things I’ve learned the hard way in your back pocket. Hopefully, these tips will give you a bit of a head start and, honestly, some of these are just good biz hacks in general. So buckle up and bookmark this ish, it’s gonna be a long one!!
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TIP 1
IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY
The HMPU is unlike any pop-up I’ve been a part of, especially since it’s online only, but mostly because of the amazing sense of community I’ve found here. Because it’s not centralized in one location, vendors can come from anywhere in the world. This, for me, is worth the entry fee: feeling this connection and the honor that comes with having your work shown alongside some massively talented individuals.
Use this diverse community to learn and get inspiration. Look to your cohorts from other countries and see what works for them. If you haven’t started shipping your work outside of your home country this is a great opportunity to test if your business is ready for that.
Also, most importantly, make friends! All of us have so much in common as artists and artisans, reach out to someone and become pals. (I got some great travel tips for my honeymoon last year from vendors who were local to my vacation destination!)
TIP 2
REMEMBER YOUR FANS
The HMPU is great for getting new eyes on your brand but the ones that are going to convert (or buy) are still more likely to be the fans your already got. Make this event special for them by offering an exclusive product only available at the HMPU. Because the pop-up is a set amount of time, you have a built-in sense of urgency for your buyers and a very special reason to do something fun.
Some things I’ve done in the past are brought back a retired print or a new print that will only ever be available at the HMPU. Here’s the catch though, you have to be true to your word. If you say something will only be available at the HMPU then you can’t put it for sale in your shop 3 weeks later. This can be tricky for vendors who can’t do made-to-order stuff but there are alternatives.
If you can’t offer a pop-up exclusive because you need to make everything in advance and are worried about not selling out, thus getting stuck with unsellable inventory, consider using the pop-up to launch a brand new product or item. Giving pop-up buyers first dibs on something new is a great way to incentivize your fans and do a little bit of the next tip…
TIP 3
EXPERIMENT WITH SOMETHING NEW
The HMPU is short and sweet, which means it’s perfect for testing out new products, new colors, new materials, new anything! You can just dive right into something new but not be stuck with it for very long, because once the pop-up ends you can just oops your way right back to how you were doing it before. No major damage. But if something works out, well then, you’re ready to roll with it in your own shop too.
There are other experiments too that can really give you insight into your business outside the pop-up. The past 4 pop-ups, I’ve experimented with different entry point products (we’ll get to that more in the next tip) to find out which products really peaked peoples interest and got them to buy without already being a fan of my work. Knowing this helps me know how to get even more people interested and excited about my work every single day!
I’ve also experimented with how I’ve advertised my products for the pop-up to see which works best for my audience. Is it an email at launch or an email day before close (or both?!)? Instagram posts or Instagram Stories or Facebook or Pinterest? Play around! You can always learn something new about your business.
TIP 4
MAKE IT EASY FOR THE NEWBIES
So about those entry point products… Entry point products are items that don’t require much thought from the buyer. They’re typically low cost and more of an “everyday” type thing.
We all dream that someday some stranger is just gonna see our creations for the first time and say, “Wow!! Give me the most expensive thing you have! I just have to have it!!” But that’s not how it works most of the time. What usually happens is someone sees your work, likes it, buys your entry product (something simple like a calendar, phone case, keychain), looks at it every day, follows your journey, becomes a fan, buys something a little fancier, loves it, becomes a SUPER FAN, and then, if they’re able, they buy your most expensive product or a lot more of your work because you’ve created a path for them to become a forever customer.
The HMPU is the perfect place to get new people started on that journey. So while it’s tempting to showcase your most fanciest stuff, don’t forget to include at least 1 entry product to get those new people converted into fans.
TIP 5
SHARE THE LOVE
We are all in this together, whether it’s the HMPU or this crazy, creative life so take the community over competition mindset to heart here and include other amazing makers in your promotion strategy. Browse through the pop-up and pick out your favorite items to share them on Instagram stories or in a post (if you have enough restraint to not buy them all for yourself). Your audience looks to you as a tastemaker and you could help connect them to another talented and hardworking artist or artisan. Plus nonstop self-promotion is hard, take a break and lift someone else up. It’s way more fun!
“But but but… if they’re buying from someone else then they won’t buy from me,” you might be saying. Well, get outta here with that scarcity mindset! There are several reasons why that’s nonsense. First of all, showing off the cool, amazingly wonderful things that are for sale at the HMPU only helps you by showcasing your products at the same level. I know I’m always humbled by all the other brilliant makers that my work was chosen to be alongside. Who wouldn’t want to brag about that!
Second, what goes around comes around. Even though it shouldn’t be expected, what usually happens is that when you share you get a share back somehow. It’s honestly a win-win so don’t go making assumptions that just because someone got a sale that means you missed out on one. Promoting the pop-up helps elevate the pop-up which in turn elevates you, your product and your brand.
TIP 6
MIX IT UP!
Last but not least, include variety in your product offerings to appeal to a bunch of different people and show a sampling of what you offer outside the pop-up. It only helps you to have something at a low price point and a higher price point, some things bigger and some things smaller, even different colors and styles all while keeping the audiences you want to reach in mind. For example, I like to have small print and a large print, one PoP-up exclusive item, a mini original and a full-sized original painting to have a nice rounded out selection.
Other than reaching a wider audience looking for different things, you’ll also expand your chances of being chosen in different curated pop-up collections. No one but Grace and Sam (the brains behind the HMPU) know exactly what the collection themes will be so you just have to guess and hedge your bets. Themes can be anything from “For the Home” to “Evergreen Dreams” so a different variety of work (and paying attention to the overall aesthetic of the HMPU) increases your odds of getting selected and getting found.
Please note, Sam and Grace hand-curate each collection like they hand curate the pop-up. Just because your item fits in a category doesn’t mean it’ll get selected. So more important than anything is bringing your best work.
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And there you have it! Six tips to help make sure your Handmade Pop-Up experience is a success whether it be with sales, marketing or community. Most of all I want to encourage you to test things out with the pop-up, don’t just take my word for it. What worked for me may not work for you but learning is a part of growing and it’s so amazing to grow with a group of creatives that believe in the power of community. Other HMPU alumni feel free to add your own tips in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts. And I’ll see you all at the Handmade Pop-Up! (Figuratively of course, since its an online thing ????)
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