[Woodcarver] Websites and Advertising

[Joe Dillett]

Hi Bonnie,

As Jan says "All of the above".

I have a web site. My business card directs my potential customers to my web 
site. The web site, I feel, saves me the high coat of doing a professional 
looking brochure. I found that direct mailing, even to your target market, 
didn't yield orders but I wouldn't forget about direct mailing because it 
didn't work for me.

My most successful advertising is the Home Shows. These are shows where the 
public is looking to build or remodel and they come for ideas, seek out 
contractors, select cabinets, windows, a furnace, so my carved home 
furnishings fit right in. I don't know if you have those types of shows near 
you. One of these Home Shows here sells an 8 X 10-foot booth between 
$900 -$1,500 for a 3-day show. My profit level is not high enough to pay 
those prices. I get into these shows free by demonstrating and doing 
seminars. Talk to the show promoters about becoming one of their featured 
attractions in exchange for a free booth. Being a featured attraction means 
that you might have to do some demonstrating on TV to promote the show or 
maybe do a radio spot. Those are always fun and I get to promote my own art 
besides promoting their show. Because I can cramp my display into one 8 X 10 
booth or spread out into 3 booths the promoter likes to use me to fill 
unsold spaces or last minute cancellation's. What that means is sometimes I 
can't set up until the promoter knows if everyone they sold a booth to going 
to come. It also makes my business look very prosperous having more than one 
booth most of the time.

Through these shows I find out from potential customers who their 
architects, designers, contractors are. I contact those people on behalf of 
my customer and also for any other future business.

This strategy has yielded me lots of leads of which if I can hit one out of 
every 10 jobs I quote gives me more work than I can handle.


Joe Dillett
The Carving Shop
645 E. LaSalle St. Suite 3
Somonauk, IL. 60552
(815) 498-9290 phone
(815) 498-9249 fax
http://www.thecarvingshop.com
jdillett at thecarvingshop.com
http://www.carvingmagazine.com Carving Magazine web site and Readers Forum
http://www.carvingmagazine.com/chat/chat.shtml Live Chat for Carving 
Magazine.
http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett
http://www.citizenactions.org
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jan oegema" <jancarves3 at rogers.com>
To: "[Woodcarver]" <woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 12:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Websites and Advertising



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I don't have a lot of money, and I'm not sure where it is best spent.  I do 
carved doors and mantels - should my first advertising venture be doing up a 
brochure and contacting architects, interior designers.builders etc?  Or 
would my money be better spent on a website - if so, can I do it myself or 
should I get someone to do it?

Bonnie Schroeder
Victoria BC, Canada
+++++++++++++++
I would say ALL OF THE ABOVE
If you want to be seen make sure you can be seen
I did have my website build locally
The lady did a great job (In my eyes) and very reasonable
But if you are realy smart (wich I am NOT) you can build your own website
Good Luck and keep us informed


                                    Woodbutcher Jan


You are invited to check out my website..
       http://www.janscarvingstudio.com

Also take a look at my picture trail albums ...
         http://www.picturetrail.com/woodbutcher


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