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Bumpkin BearsHi,
I was wondering how many of you advertise in the various bear magazines?
Do you find that you get much reaction from collectors when you do advertise?
Do you have to advertise regularly to get a response?
Which magazines do you advertise in?
I sell mostly to American collectors so I would now like to also reach the european market so do many of you advertise in the UK or other european magazines?
I have been fortunate to have my bears featured in parts of the various magazines, but do not get much response from them, do you think you would get more response from an advert?
I am feel rather despondent about my bears, I am broke but thinking maybe I need to advertise to try and get more people knowing about my bears...
THANKS for any advice :hug:
Catherine
xx
It's a tricky one Catherine. I take a small ad in www.teddybearscene.co.uk every other month. I don't necessarily see an immediate reaction in terms of orders, but I think it helps to keep my profile 'out there'. Having said that, I guess it really depends on circulation numbers and how accessible the magazines are to both established collectors and new comers. I've always had much better response from editorial coverage than from direct advertising, but of course, that's impossible to guarantee! I think magazine advertising can be expensive, but these days, they do at least offer website ads which are cheaper and may be better value overall for bear artists.
My advice is advertise if you can afford to, but weigh up the cost of advertising in a magazine against using that money to promote yourself in other ways ... shows, website, online facilities etc etc ... and try to spread your name as far as possible, without focusing all your budget in one area.
puca bearsHi Catherine
Can I suggest, once again, that you think about doing a show? Yes - it isn't cheap, but it gives you something to focus on... making a good selection of bears, planning your display..... It is a bit frustrating, as you need to take a fair few bears along, and probably WON'T sell them all. BUT the advantages...you'll have lots of fun, meet other bear artists and get feed-back from the public. I look on shows as a well-earned treat for me - a day or two of wallowing in bears, and thoroughly enjoying myself...any sales are an added bonus!
As for advertisng - I don't as a rule - I did take out a small ad in the TBS, before last year's Hugglets show - but one-eighth of a page actually costs more than a year's subscription to the magazine!
The other way of getting noticed is to enter competitions - I remembere a few years back being told by a very successful German artist "I never advertise, just enter competitions" - at the time I thought "all right for you, you always win"...but it has worked for me!
I'll grab a handful of comp. entry forms at Wiesbaden, and pass them onto anyone who wants one....
Of course, you can always send photos to the various magazines - Kathy Martin at the TBS certainly tries to print as many as possible in her "what's new " pages...
It's difficult not to get discouraged at times, but I find that the bear scene has a touch of "expect the unexpected" - new customers seem to pop up out of the blue ....
keep thinking positive!!!
huggies
Maria 
Catherine they say it pays to advertise- so yes I think the more exposure you can get the better it is.
I am feel rather despondent about my bears, I am broke but thinking maybe I need to advertise to try and get more people knowing about my bears...
Remember that only YOU know how well your bears are doing and that means to the rest of the world YOU ARE SELLING AND CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE PRODUCTION.
Some articles that I have featured in have brought in sales- other have not. Most of my sales are generated at shows.
I am looking at going onto E Bay- but I need to sit down and figure out the whole thing- not a pc fundi.
I do think with EBAY you have the world at your fingertips and with the world as it is today- anyplace that is featuring sales via the Internet must be the first place you look to. From TT , I read about all the dangers involved with EBay and yes it does make me think twice, but I have been in business and selling anything is a risk you have to take. Personally thou- unless I knew the artist I would only buy a bear that I was able to connect with and that means I would have to hold the bear so for me to buy a bear via the internet would be a very cold experience and not the way I would make a bear purchase.
Soon I will not travel like I have been doing, so I must then also look at other ways of getting my bears exposed, till then I pack up , push, shove, fight with trolleys, get lost ,use my hands to talk, and travel the world with my beary friends.
Lynette
