The second string to our bow is our busy market stall ‘Lizian Crystals and Incense’. Not only does it cover our day to day overheads, but it is also the office of LizianEvents. Organising shows is not an 18 hour a day endeavour. Between us, we put a combined 9-10 hours a day into the shows. This will increase with the Lincolnshire Wellbeing Show, although we’re well on top of the day to day administration. Our visitors know where we are and Community Members know for certain they can contact us and get either an instant reply or we’ll return the call within the hour. The stall is a win, win, win aspect of our business.
The market stall expands our thinking and keeps us in touch with many of the show’s visitors. Someone will ask ‘Do you have any medicine bowls as Crystal Carol had at Newark?’ or ‘Have you got Julie Elizabeth’s contact details?’ or ‘I enjoyed Brigitte Rix’s talk at Lincoln’. We also listen to feedback and opinions about their visit to the shows. I’m always being asked ‘Will you be doing more vegetarian food at Trowell?’ and Valerie complained about the lack of baked potatoes at the Nottingham show.We listen to what our visitors have to say, and we act to address the comments and criticism. We are far from perfect, and it is our policy to update the format for the benefit of our visitors constantly.
While writing about criticism we sometimes hear visitors to the Victoria Market say ‘This market gone downhill. Years ago it was packed and full of stalls’ our answer is simple ‘The footfall of the market does not affect us. We are busy from opening until closing and people travel many miles to buy our goods’. If I’m feeling mean, I’ll comment ‘Do you shop in the market?’ And of course, the answer is ‘not very often’. Lizian Crystal and Incense is busy because we listen to our customer’s needs and never stop promoting our business.
Truth to tell if we stopped promoting our work it would only take a few weeks before the trade would slow down. We never stop the promotion of our business. We never stop pushing LizianEvents Shows, and this is beginning to pay dividends for our The Community. One way we promote the show is to put show flyers into every bag used to pack products we sell. The first job every morning is to put show flyers into 30 bags and no doubt we will replenish the stock as the day progresses.
Some community members or visitors will comment ‘Yes, that’s ok for you. However, we do not have a retail stall, and apart from social media, there is no other way we can promote our work. Well, social media works if you know how to make it work for you. It is not as easy as the internet marketing guru would have his prey believe. Facebook is a fast-moving rapid, miss the post and it’s gone. And the Facebook algorithms are constantly changing: did you know that the targets and ‘demotes’ users who publish low-quality content or misinformation? You best understand the engine which drives the machine is tuned for FaceBook profits. The filters are set to remove, spam, illegal promotion and anything the driver feels are damaging to the customer base.
Google’s S.E.O algorithms are in constant flux. The days of listing a dictionary of words in the powerhouse of your internet site or hashtagging everything pertained to the article will soon be tumbleweed in the desert. The key to success will be consolidation and accessibility. These two words will allow the big fish to feed on the minnows. Times are changing, and community interaction will rule the domain.
When I announced the idea of a Forum on ‘LizianEvents News’ I received a few comments that it would be a difficult project to get off the ground and the idea of Forum had ‘Had its day’.
I understood the sentiments. Although, I know the way search engines work and over the last eight months the dashboard of this LizianEvents News has been tweaked and honed sharp. It is in constant adjustment and ready for a significant change in the Spring of 2018. And while this is happening I am aware of the objective of LizianEvents News. It is part of the success of LizianEvents Shows and The Community which is the shows.
People spend fortunes on websites. Recently I was offered a job at 65k plus commission working for a WordPress designer. The well of wealth for those who understand the internet and the protocols of internet marketing has no fear of drought. There are millions of people who wish to become visible and successful. Did you know there are 600 million websites in the world? The chances of someone finding yours is very small indeed. Those who look at your site are already known to you. It is essential to understand how the site will work for you.
To understand the potential of Forums we look to spammers. Why do spammers attach themselves to other websites? Because they are utilising the hard work of the people, who pay for and run their sites. The spammers know there is possible profit in the good websites with reasonable visitor traffic. We can advantage ourselves with this information.
A community member who utilises’s the Forum of this site will eventually gain traffic to their promotional avenues. Or they may discover by using the Forum by answering questions or giving opinions they will find new customers. They can use the Forum to promote their work by entering into dialogue with people who have a common interest.
It takes time for a Forum to make traction. An answer or question may be dormant for weeks before answers and comments are made. However, the fact the question is there is sufficient evidence of a desire to make a point or find a solution. The participant can add links to the reply or question. If someone wishes to start a new topic within a Forum the process is simple, just click on ‘new topic’.
The cynic may comment ‘Ah! They are phishing for email addresses with the register’. My reply is we are not: In FACT, why do we have to use the emails? As people are already visiting our sites, it would seem a pointless exercise to harvest emails when we already have the visitors. The register is in place to filter out spammers, and although one got through the net earlier in the week, I have tidied the security in the dashboard to make the spammer attack hard work. And of course, I can manually remove anything which causes problems.
To sum up this article. If you wish to promote your work or make people aware of your presence use the Forum. Visitors can make suggestions and ask questions. Our Forums will become a centre of information and because the core questions, answers and comments, are centred in our genre, those who interact become more visible.
See You Soon
© LizianEvents
Using this facility makes perfect sense it is an opportunity to progress I am not very computer literate to be honest however in this fast changing world it makes sense to keep dipping your toe in the water as my feeling is you snooze you lose. Anybody who wants to talk to me on here is more than welcome to contact me.
Keep working on the Forum and just tap the keys! Ian