Happy New Year Artisans! I hope you had a great festive frolic and enjoyed all the ARTE Christmas markets that we held over the last couple of months.

For us makers, sales tend to rise over the holiday period, which can result in a crash landing for the New Year. As an artisan, you have something special, a gift. You have a skill and the power of creativity. Perhaps you revive the ways of the old & innovate them into something new, something unique. That’s something to start shouting about…

Before you start ordering your mega phone though, there are a few simple steps you can take to maximise your customer base, your market stall footfall, your sales and most importantly, your smile for 2020.

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

The good news is, that the demographic with the largest purchasing power is all about unique, well designed, quality made products. Research proves that they want to know where their purchases come from and love to connect with the designers, makers (that’s you!) and business owners behind brands…  I’m talking about Millenials!

Here’s what you need to know about Millennials: As a generation raised in an era of emerging technology, it’s where they spend a lot of their time, which is great because it’s the easiest place to be as a maker with lots to show-off and is packed full of easy-to-use tools to utilise. Of course, not all of your customers will fit within this age bracket, but if you look at Dubai’s current age range, a lot of them will. So here are 5 simple steps you can take to better target your customers for 2020.

Step 1: Invite yourself into their home

There are over 3.9 billion email users in the world today, opening digital mail at their desks, on their commutes and at home. The next time you’re selling at ARTE, make sure to bring a pen and paper with you to encourage those interested and those who buy, to write down their email address.

Of course, we are always on the hunt for new customers, what many don’t realize is that the fastest way to reach new customers is to nurture relationships with your existing customers. Send follow-up emails so they know how to contact your business if there’s a problem with the purchase. Let them know when you’re next going to be at ARTE and which location, in advance so that they don’t miss you. Use email marketing to stay fresh in your customers’ minds and drive repeat business, because 66% of consumers have purchased as a result of an email marketing message. Add links to the ARTE website so that newer customers know that they can trust you as a small business in their lives. It will show that you have an established name to fall back on with the support of a rich & established community behind you.

Step 2: Have an Online Presence

Instagram is possibly the easiest platform to carve out your online presence successfully. Instagram is where you can invite your audience into your workshop, give sneak peeks into your processes and show off your talent. When they buy something from you, ask your customer to share it on their social media channels and ask your happy customers to leave reviews on your Facebook page. Give your customers an informal space to reach out and ask questions.

Your current customers love your business and a good fan loves to see how everything comes together. Every time you pick up your tools, pick up your phone and let them know that something magical is about to happen, with some behind the scenes footage. When you see something that inspires your creative process, share it. Maximise your IG page by using the ‘highlights’ feature to add in an ARTE button, so that when the ARTE market vibes are electric – show them what they’re missing out on and add in some text about how they can catch it next time.

Consistency is key for Instagram posting and an easy way to achieve this is with an announcement post, one day a week that states when you’re next at ARTE, what time you will be there and at which location. IMPORTANT: Don’t forget to tag @artuae and the respective location @timessquaredxb / @mercatomall etc. And use hashtags! When you tag and hashtag, your post has more chance of reaching wider audiences and being featured on other pages. You can save these to your notes app on your phone and copy-paste whenever you need.

Step 3: Give Back

Consider creating an after-holiday special to encourage your customers to treat themselves after ‘treating’ everyone else. This doesn’t have to be a discount offer, it can simply be some content like a blog post, a newsletter or even a video tutorial. Now that you have their email addresses and a presence online, you can let everyone know what’s up for grabs and create some excitement around your brand.

Step 4: Create a Smooth Process

It’s a sad fact that we’re fast on our way to becoming a cashless society. You’ve probably noticed that more and more of your customers ask to pay by card and although most of the ARTE market locations have an onsite ATM, sending them away to have them come back doesn’t always work out as planned, leading to a lost sale.

But having a POS (Point of Sale) machine usually means renting one at a cost you need not bare. Until now: Zbooni is a social commerce app that allows you to take card payments on the spot as well as online via messaging services like WhatsApp and Messenger (yay to repeat orders). If you missed the article on our page by our resident member David Dunn who interviewed Zbooni, take a look here! Also, It’s currently FREE! So now there is no reason to turn away that sale.

Step 5: Advertise For Free!

The UAE populace loves a good Facebook Group. There are many active UAE based Facebook groups out there to join who offer free advertising days throughout the week. It’s a great opportunity for wide exposure (with group capacities up to 25k members) and can boost your engagement, but most importantly, your sales.  Remember that on the groups you also have to give comments and be part of the community before you can start taking from it… Here are a few to get you started:

Dirham Stretchers, #Sundaysouk – One thread held on a Sunday to post your offerings to their 24,551 members. (Sunday)

British Expats Dubai, Trading Tuesday #TT – All posts need to start #TT and you have to be a licenced business to participate and present your work to 8,403 Dubai dwellers. (Tuesday)

The Real Mums of Dubai, Small Business Saturdays #SBS – One for just the mums. All posts must start with the hashtag #SBS and will be shared with the group’s 16,380 members.  (Saturday)

So! don’t forget to bring your pen and paper, collect those email addresses and have your phones ready to start sharing your footage, tagging in @arteuae and our partners to spread your magic far and wide across the Emirates. Get started now and make sure you’re booked in for the next ARTE the makers market event so that you have ample time to let your customers know. See you at the market!

Book in for ARTE online here or contact us.