· Mailing lists - returning customers and contacts make up the base of visitors. Less is more with email - 2-3 good newsletters per year with a spring one about SAOS. A visitor book is good for building emails for that up.
· Posters - we usually design our own eye catching posters for our local shops and amenities and get them up a few weeks before at least. Similar design for posters and flyers to save effort.
· Flyers - we have had plenty of success from a morning or two or local flyering. Even if only 2 people visit as result of flyers and buy, that's worth it. It all adds up. We might spend total £50+ on posters/flyers and adverts, it's a very worthwhile investment.
· Local Facebook groups and advertising. This has been key and very successful. I gleefully post in local FB community groups and, in addition, usually create a 'boosted' post on Facebook choosing a specific demographic nearby. It costs about £30 for a 2-3 week advert to a few thousand people. I often take some good photos of our garden and studio setup for the ad. I have definitely had many new visitors and sales from this. Plug, plug, plug!
· SAOS trail map, definitely brings visitors, particularly for more isolated studios.
· Food & Drink . We have actually found wine/cake/refreshments is NOT key. Often they are not touched and it ends up being more work for yourself. Water on a hot day is different. A good seating/rest area goes down well.
· Good orange signage is key. Big signs on the local main roads are essential for passing traffic.
· When people say 'Have you been busy?', always say 'YES! I've had years with great work to show.' If I was tired or uninterested people wouldn't buy. Then there were years where my confidence and enthusiasm led to a great results. It's just the way it works!
· Generally as much hype and awareness as possible seems to correlate directly to visitors and sales. My best years were when I got the word out as much possible in the lead up, even 6 months before at shows and events.
'If people don't know about it, they don't visit. My best advice is to make as much noise as possible, starting early before SAOS begins so people can plan their visit. If you're going to open, then put the effort in for it to be worth it, otherwise you can easily be disappointed.'
Hope it helps!
https://gregpearsonoriginals.co.uk/