Tell them you appreciated their business and let them know you value their referrals. To make your message stand out, choose a short verse or a quote. Maybe like this one:

“Love is like a butterfly. It goes where it pleases and it pleases where it goes.”

Or, just choose a picture that reflects your personality and write “Happy Valentine’s Day” across it.

This one is for you – because I appreciate you reading my messages:

While you’re at it, remember to send a Valentine’s message to your parents, children, siblings, and others who would be happy with a reminder that you love them.

If so, are you chasing “one-time sales” over and over, or have you developed a method of turning each new customer into a future customer?

Maybe you’re happy with those one-time sales – taking a chance that the people attending each event will find your booth, find something they like in your offerings, and buy.

It’s always a gamble. And it’s always dependent upon the kind of marketing that event promoters did. If they got the word out to all the right people, you’ll see a big crowd. If their marketing was not up to snuff, you’ll see very few.

And then, when buyers arrive at the craft fair, you’re gambling on whether they’ll find your booth – and whether they’ll stop long enough to look around. That, of course, will depend upon how you display your wares, and how many other people might be standing in the way, preventing them from seeing something that will grab their attention.

It’s all a gamble – and it’s hard work.

Boxing up your wares, hauling them to the fair site, unpacking, and arranging all take hours of work – some of it back-breaking work.

You may love doing it, but why let it be such a gamble?

Instead of settling for one time sales, you could be creating future sales from those same buyers in three ways:

• First, by making sure that all your contact information is somewhere on each of your products.
• Second, by tucking a product brochure into the sack with each sale.
• Third, by creating a mailing list and staying in touch with your buyers.

Your contact information could be on a hang-tag or on a sticker placed in an unobtrusive spot. But it needs to be there!

I know of at least one holiday bazaar seller who has gained two new steady customers because her name and phone number was easy to find. The lady sold huckleberry flavored honey, and I purchased some for my husband. He liked it so much that he asked me to buy some for Christmas gifts. And one of those gift recipients liked it so much that he called to order more.

If her contact information had been missing from the label on that jar of honey, we wouldn’t have known how to find her to order more.

But why let a customer get away without knowing what else you have to offer? After all, if your booth is crowded with shoppers, your buyers probably missed at least one item that they’d love to buy. So create a brochure and tuck one into each sack.

Finally, since people who love your merchandise will probably be interested in your new products as you create them, collect their names and addresses – or e-mail addresses – before they walk away.
Then stay in touch. If you aren’t interested in mailing your wares, you can at least let them know where to find you the next time you’ll be attending a craft fair in their area.

When that something also gives them good information or entertainment, it’s that much better.

For one thing, you can take your cup of coffee and go sit on the deck to relax and read a newsletter. A computer screen doesn’t offer that opportunity for comfort. And if you’ve included good information, your newsletter will hang around to be passed to friends or family. That means they’ll see it and think of you a few more times before it hits the round file.

However… if you’re trying to promote your business on a non-existent budget, sending your newsletter via e-mail is better than not sending it at all.

Why should you use a newsletter?

Because it is a non-threatening, soft sell method of reminding people that you’re there and that you offer something that they might want or need soon. It helps you maintain “top of mind awareness” with people who might otherwise be lost to a competitor.

What do you put in a newsletter?

It depends upon your business, of course, but here’s a starter list:

• Something personal, but not too personal! News about a class reunion you’ll attend soon or a child going off to college, or that new puppy. Just a little something to remind people about “who you really are.”
• News about your industry. If it’s real estate, give a market update. If you’re a hairdresser tell about a new development in hair care products. If you sell cars, give a sneak preview of features to expect on next year’s models. Just make it something that your readers didn’t already get on the evening news.
• News about a non-profit that you support – perhaps an event coming up or a success story.
• A few good quotes that reflect your own attitude.
• A puzzle – you can get software that lets you build crossword puzzles based on words used in your profession
• Your own thoughts about life. I used to sometimes write a column such as “20 things I love about Autumn” or “The best thing about January.”
• Seasonal tips – like reminders of things to include in your tax deductions or fun things to do on the 4th of July.

Who should receive your newsletter?

Send your news to past customers, present customers, and your sphere of influence. Then, if you serve a particular geographic area, you can expand your list and use it as a prospecting tool.

When you’re just starting out and your list is small, leave room to write a personal note on newsletters you’re sending in the postal mail. It doesn’t have to be long, just something that shows you were thinking of them specifically.

While your sales message should take up only a small part of your newsletter, this is also a good place to include notice of a special sale or a coupon. If you can make it exclusive to your readers, all the better – because it will make them feel special.

If you want to increase exposure for your own business, you should. Every time you comment you have the opportunity to invite people back to your site, and on many blogs you’ll even have a live link back to your site. As you know, the more relevant links to your site, the better for your own search engine optimization.

Note that I said “relevant.” That means the blogs you comment on should be in your line of business or one that compliments your line of business.

For instance, it makes sense for a Realtor to comment on a blog about mortgage lending, home inspections, or staging. Even a blog about landscaping or building construction would make sense.

But if you’re a Realtor, don’t try to increase your Google rankings by commenting on a blog about a movie star (unless he or she was talking about buying a home). Your comment there won’t add to your standing. Neither would a comment on a blog about car racing or stamp collecting.

Note that not all sites allow live links. But if you’ve said something interesting, your web address can lead that site’s visitors back to you.

When you comment, say something that adds to the conversation. My blogs get a lot of comments that are clearly there just for the links. Right now I’m being bombarded by brief comments with links to sunglasses sites. There’s nothing offensive about the comments so they don’t prompt me to label them as spam, but that’s what they really are.

Those folks should instead be seeking out sites about sunglasses, sunscreen, eye health, or summer recreation. Then they should be making comments about the topics in those blog posts – NOT just saying “I like this blog.”

So stop and think about the kinds of blogs that would offer you the opportunity to add a thoughtful comment. Every business has other businesses that are complimentary to it, so seek them out.

Adding to the conversation isn’t that difficult. You and I do it every day when we’re conversing with friends and family. They say something that sparks a relevant thought in our minds, and we offer that thought for their consideration. As long the thought isn’t offensive, that’s a fine way to go about adding comments to blogs.

For instance, if I write a blog post about writing home page copy you might disagree with one of my points. Or you might agree but think I’ve failed to mention a point or two. Either thought is fodder for a blog comment, and either will show readers that you know enough about the subject matter to give a thoughtful response.

On the other hand, you might have learned something new, so might want to say thanks and tell me how you’re going to use the information. Doing that can also raise your standing with the reading public, because they’ll see that you’re open to growing and considering new ideas.

When Mark Twain made that statement, I’m sure he was talking about the word choices that speakers and authors make in order to create specific thoughts and feelings in their listeners and readers.

Creating those feelings depends upon recognizing the subtle differences in the meaning of two words that are similar in meaning – but impart a slightly different feeling. For instance, the difference between eager and anxious.

One conveys happy anticipation while the other hints at worry, however slight. And yet, many use the two words interchangeably.

These differences are the reason why writers of every variety keep a Thesaurus by their sides. If you know any writers or speakers well, you’ve probably heard them saying “I’m searching for a word. I wrote _____ but it’s just not quite right. I know there’s a better word.”

They’re also the reason why those who submit stories to newspapers are often dismayed to find that someone has edited their piece and removed a word that they had carefully chosen. Sometimes, the whole meaning of an article is changed.

I can only imagine what Mark Twain would say if he came back today and saw what article / content spinners do to destroy the intent and ideas behind written words.

He might have a good laugh, because some of the results can be humorous. For instance, in one of my articles that was “stolen and spun,” the spinning software changed a sentence from “You can appeal to…” to the confusing: “You crapper appeal to…”

It took me a while to figure out how the spinner got crapper from can, but I finally did and had a good laugh.

Of course, I wasn’t pleased, because the person who did it left my name on it. I feel certain that Mark Twain would not be pleased either, if it was his own work that had been “spun.” Especially if the spinner failed to remove his name.

As an article writer, I’m often confronted with seeing my own words “spun out of control” in a manner that makes them unintelligible. But, for those who like a mental challenge, figuring out what the original article might have said can be entertainment.

For instance, take the following sentence: “Whether you admire them or not, Accessible Houses can be a actual able absolute acreage sales tool.”

I looked up the original article and found that it said: “Whether you adore them or not, Open Houses can be a very effective real estate sales tool.”

The words “real estate” and “Open House” have specific meanings in our culture – we all know what they mean. But when “absolute acreage” is substituted for “real estate” it not only takes on a different meaning, it leaves us thinking “What in the heck is absolute acreage?”

On the other hand, “accessible house” could have a couple of different meanings – just not the same meaning as “Open house.”

As for “actual able,” I doubt if I’d have figured out that it meant “effective” if I had not gone in search of the original article.

In this same article, spinning changed the Law of Attraction to the Law of Allure. The difference is subtle, just as it is with eager and anxious, but there is a difference.

Adding content to a website is a good idea. It adds search engine optimization and gives site visitors more reasons to stay longer. And borrowing articles from a site such as EzineArticles.com is a perfectly acceptable way to do it.

Your website and your articles really are your “face to the world,” and you will be judged by them. So don’t choose an article and ask software to spin it into 10 more articles. The results are often such that you’ll present the face of an illiterate, or a “goof.”

At best, they’ll show that you’re more interested in appealing to search engines than humans – and what is the point of attracting visitors if they’ll see what you wrote and hurry to leave?

My opinion: when content is the result of article spinning, the best idea would be to delete it.

If so, business probably isn’t increasing at a very rapid rate. So try these three simple steps to connect with more customers and build loyalty from your current customers:

• Write thank you notes
• Hand out more business cards
• Send “how did I do” letters

Thank you notes will create a buzz about your business that may surprise and shock you.

Why? Because nobody does it any more. Sure, store clerks are trained to say “thanks” when a customer spends money. And stores that use e-mail might have an automated thank you note they can send at the touch of a key. But hardly anyone takes the time and effort to write a thank you note, put it in an envelope, and mail it.

So when you make it a habit to send at least one thank you note every day, people will start talking – and the talk will be good.

At first you might not have an easy time thinking of who to thank. But if you put your mind to it, you will. Of course you can thank people for coming in to your store or for allowing you to give a presentation. If you sell on a party plan you can thank your hostess – and you can thank every person who attended a party. You can even thank the clerk who works in the local deli for slicing your cheese just right!

It takes a little effort to get some names and addresses, but when people start talking about how thoughtful you are, the effort will pay off.

Take the time to be specific in your thanks, so the people who receive your notes will know the thanks are genuine.

Next – hand out more business cards. Hand them out to people you know and people you don’t know. If you’re in your store, hand them to customers and ask them to let you know if there’s something they wish you’d stock, or if they ever spot a problem with your store. If you provide a service, hand them to everyone and say “Please call me when I can be of service.” If this is the 2nd or 3rd time you’ve given them a card and they ask why, tell them it’s in case a friend of theirs needs you.

Send “How did I do” cards. This little card needs only about 4 or 5 questions – which must relate to your business. If you have a storefront you can ask if they found what they needed, if the store was clean enough, if your help was friendly. You can mail these, or hand them out when you ring up a purchase. If you ask customers to mail them back, bribe them with the offer of a special coupon or a free something.

If you provide a service, ask if you answered all their concerns, if they felt that you understood their needs, and if there’s anything else they’d like to know. You can even ask if there was something they wish you had done that you didn’t do.

People like to be noticed, they like to singled out as someone special, and they like to be asked their opinions. So build relationships with your customers and future customers by giving them what they like

To help you build your local business, I’ve written an e-book outlining a simple plan using these ideas and more. Whether you have a storefront, sell on the party plan, or sell your services, this e-book will help you build your client list faster and easier than expensive ads could ever do. So find out How to Build a Local Business…

If you have a pen, a piece of paper, an envelope, and a stamp, you can do just that. You can write a thank you note.

In fact, you’ll do even better if you write a dozen thank you notes. And if you make it a daily habit, you might just be amazed at the results.

Even if your business is already doing well, those notes will give it a boost.

Taking the time to send a hand-written note of thanks will set you apart from your competitors, and it will lift you up in the minds of every person who receives one. That’s because hardly anyone does it, and because a hand-written, well thought-out note shows that you actually thought about the recipient – and that you do appreciate whatever they did.

Your notes don’t need to go just to people you do business with, but can be just as effective when sent to people who perform services for you.

Why? Again, because this has become an unusual practice. So unusual, in fact, that people will talk about it. The mechanic who repaired your car might be sitting at the lunch counter visiting with other patrons and start to brag about getting your note.

“Hey, I got a thank you note today – you guys ever get one of those? Mrs. Jones wrote to thank me for getting her car in and out of the shop so quickly – and for not leaving any grease on her carpets like the last guy did. You know Mrs. Jones don’t you? She runs the …. down on ….”

A thank you in person does leave a warm feeling – and you should hand one out at every opportunity. But a written thank you is something people can show their spouses and friends. It’s something that gives them bragging rights along with that good feeling.

Thanking customers and would-be customers…

Remember that there is a difference in thank you notes. A printed card that says “Thank you for your business” and bears your signature is not very special.

A blank card with “Thank You” printed on the front or a hand-written note on a blank sheet of paper is special – but only when it contains a specific thanks.  So think before you write.

What did that person do? Did they give you some of their valuable time to present your product or service? Did they follow your recommendation about something? Did they refer a friend to you? Did they alert you to a problem in your business? (Yes, that one deserves BIG thanks!)

Try it right now – and you’ll be glad you did.

Not only will you feel good right away because you know you’re making someone else feel good, you’ll be activating the powerful law of attraction. That law says that when you feel gratitude and give thanks for something, you’ll attract more of the same. So the more people you thank, the more people you’ll have to thank.

Because of the price of fuel, truck sales are down – way down.  But they aren’t giving up. Instead, creative officer David Lubars was quoted as saying “We know the amount of people out there who are going to buy a truck is going to shrink. It’s a smaller group than usual, and we have to get all of them.”

Wow. That’s an ambitious goal. But why not adopt it for your own business?

Does it sound mean, or even greedy? I don’t think so, because you couldn’t help your competitors thrive even if you tried.

You know that when times get tight, a whole lot of them are going to curl up in a ball and hide, afraid to spend a dime on marketing because they think there’s no use. So when you take the opposite attitude, and begin to market aggressively, you aren’t hurting them, you’re only helping yourself.

AND – you’re helping your prospective customers. They’ll be dealing with an up-beat positive person, and that will help them to be more up-beat and positive as well. Energies do rub off on other people, you know.

Start thinking about that. You aren’t Chrysler and (I assume) don’t have billions to spend on a media blitz to market yourself.  What can you do instead?

Of course I believe that sharpening your message to show your prospects the positive benefits of doing business with you comes first. The words you use make all the difference in any marketing effort – be it yours or Chrysler’s.

Then consider all the places you advertise and focus only on those places that have given you a good return in the past.

Then reach out for all the low or no cost marketing opportunities on the web. Craig’s List comes to mind, and there are plenty of others.

Get your web site up to speed with search engine optimization – and strive to come up on the first page in an organic search, so you don’t have to pay for clicks. Make sure your landing page reaches out to visitors with the benefits you offer them. Give them something in exchange for their email addresses.

Then implement a solid email marketing campaign using an autoresponder to stay in touch with all your customers and prospects – and encourage them to forward your messages to their friends. Give them a reason to do so by including valuable information – or even a tasteful joke or two.

In short, stretch the marketing dollars you do have by focusing and using them wisely.

You can do it! And if you need help making your marketing message sparkle, write me. Helping other people make more money is what I do.

Yours for success,

Marte