City Girl Hats offer seven helpful tips that will get your foot in the door at selective art and craft shows.

In addition to Etsy, art and craft shows are an important outlet for artisans. A killer app (in this case app means “show application”) is essential. Below are some common reasons and fixes if you have the application blues. Shows cannot respond to individual requests for reasons for not selecting your work. However, there are some common disqualifying factors. Take another look at your product line, pricing, and online presence and see if any of these stand out:

1. Poor Quality Photos. This may include photos taken indoors without adequate lighting or on casual props, with no close-ups, etc. A professional photo shoot can be money well spent, and it may not cost as much as you imagine. Professional photos are especially cost effective when items in your product line are not one-of-a-kind items. The photo can be used many times. There are many talented photographers available in Chicagoland.

2. Saturated Product Market. Are many others executing similar creations with the same materials and techniques in your category? What makes your items different? Being unique limits your competition.

3. Lack of Branding and/or Web Presence. Show organizers like to see at least a hosted online shop or hosted photo album. If an independent website exists, the content should be current. A social media presence is important as show organizer expect you—yes, you—to promote the show itself as well as your products.

4. Indistinct Branding Design. Make your indie business unique. Replace any common fonts, clip-art logos, and poor quality graphics you use in your branding. Just as seeking out a professional photographer may be worth your time, seeking the services of a graphic designer to re-brand your image may also be invaluable to the success of your business. (In a saturated market, #3 and #4 can be deciding factors for who is let into a show.)

5. Items Not Handmade. Don’t try to fool organizers on this one. If they find your handmade claim questionable, they won’t ask you to sell at their show

6. Vendor Rotation. If you are a prior vendor, one factor considered is how your merchandise and branding has evolved. If your products and presentation have been the same every year, and appears to not have changed much from what can be taken from your current application, that puts you at a disadvantage against new applicants. Do not to use the same photos of the same items for the application every year. Tailor your photos and application to the specific show you want to enter.

7. Application Errors. There are specific instructions for entering information on the application. If the format is not followed, it can play a factor. Especially if a dead website link was provided. Photos must be in the size requested and use photo naming conventions required by the organizers. If shops or websites do not appear to exist, there is no way to see your work. If your Etsy shop is on “vacation” mode or mostly empty when it is your turn with the selection committee, then you have missed a chance to show your work.  The committee may be reviewing 300 applications and they may not take a second look at your site. Keep this in mind if you are vacationing during application season.

Show organizers usually have a vision or target market of price and look for the vendors as well as the show marketing materials. Research shows: review past photos and interview people who have sold at the show if you have not attended previously. This will help you determine if your current products and prices fit the overall scheme of the show, or how you can add or edit your photo selections to be more aligned with the target. Do not wait until the last day to apply as the committee usually starts on the editing process much sooner than the stated deadline. Once you complete the application, have another person review it for completeness, spelling, live links and overall impressions. Sleep on it and have another look the next day. Then submit it and get to making stuff because your application will make you a star!