How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Upcoming Market, What to Do When Sales Are Lower Than Expected, and How to Turn Events Into Online Growth

Let’s set the scene:
You’ve signed up for a market. You’re hand-pouring, printing, labeling, and maybe having a small existential crisis over your tablecloth. You’re crossing your fingers for great weather, better foot traffic, and a customer who actually reads your price sign instead of asking, “How much is this?”

You’re doing everything “right,” but maybe you’re wondering:
How do I get more people to actually show up?
What if sales are slow?
And how do I make this market do more than just one day’s work?

This blog is the coffee date you need to walk through all of that — with real tactics, a little tough love, and some honest business-building tips that won’t leave you yelling into your IKEA bins.

Let’s break this into three parts:

1. Promoting Your Market Like a Social Media Wizard

2. What to Do When Sales Are Low (and You’re Spiraling)

3. Turning Markets Into Online Business Momentum

Part One: How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Upcoming Market

Social media isn’t just for showing off cute product pics. It’s one of your best tools to build hype, educate your customers, and drive actual foot traffic to your booth. And guess what? You don’t need a huge following to do it well — just a clear message and a little consistency.

Here’s your pre-market promo checklist:

1. Start Talking Early (Yes, Earlier Than You Think)
Mention your market at least 2 weeks in advance, even if it’s just a “Save the Date.” People have busy lives. They need reminders.

2. Use These Key Post Types:

• Countdown Posts: “3 Days Until Market Day!” builds urgency

• Behind-the-Scenes: Show prep, packing, display setup

• Product Sneak Peeks: Highlight what’s coming to the booth

• Location & Parking Info: Make it easy to attend

• Personal Invitation: “Come say hi — I’ll be there with free samples and awkward small talk”

3. Talk About the Experience, Not Just the Product
People don’t come to markets just to shop — they come for vibes. Show what your booth feels like, what smells they’ll encounter, what freebies they can grab. Make it about them, not just you.

4. Use Your Captions to Educate & Invite

• “Never been to a market? Here’s what to expect.”

• “Why handmade matters — and why I hope to see you there.”

• “How to shop local this weekend without leaving your neighborhood.”

5. Don’t Forget Stories & Reels
Quick tips:

• Add the date, location, and booth number every time

• Use polls, countdowns, or Q&As to boost engagement

• Show your face — people love buying from real humans

Example: Cedar & Fern Co. started sharing time-lapse packing reels with a “Market Day Checklist” for followers. Not only did it show her process, but it made people want to shop in person. Sales doubled over the next 3 events just from consistent visibility and storytelling.

Part Two: What to Do When Sales Are Lower Than Expected

So you promoted. You showed up. Your booth looked solid. And sales? Kinda flopped.

Welcome to the club — we meet bi-weekly, bring snacks, and remind each other that one market does not define your worth.

But let’s talk about what you can do when sales are low — besides cry into your QR code sign.

1. Focus on Conversations Over Transactions Every person who stops by is an opportunity, even if they don’t buy right away.

Try this:

• Chat like you’re planting seeds, not closing sales

• Offer a flyer, card, or QR code to follow you online

• Ask questions: “Are you shopping for yourself or gifts today?”

2. Capture Future Customers Create an easy opt-in:

• Sign up sheet for your email list with a small incentive

• QR code to a freebie (digital wallpaper, coupon, playlist)

• “Enter to Win” giveaway that runs post-market

Now you’ve created a follow-up funnel — even if sales were slow.

3. Observe What’s Working (and What’s Not) Use low-sales days as a learning lab. Ask yourself:

• Were people confused by your pricing or products?

• Was your table too crowded or too sparse?

• Did your display pull people in or feel flat?

• Did people say “I’ll come back” but not return?

Write it all down after the event. This is data, not failure.

4. Don’t Leave Empty-Handed If you’re packing up with unsold product, repurpose it immediately:

• Offer a 24-hour post-market sale on Instagram

• Bundle items into a limited-edition online drop

• Send an email: “Couldn’t make the market? Here’s what you missed!”

Real Talk Reminder:
Not every event will crush it. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means it wasn’t your crowd, your day, or your season. Don’t spiral. Get curious.

Part Three: How to Use Events to Build an Online Business

Markets are more than money makers — they’re brand builders. They give you content, customers, and clarity. And if you’re not using them to feed your online business, you’re leaving a lot on the table.

Here’s how to make your market days work harder:

1. Turn Market Content into Ongoing Social Posts Film your booth, your setup, your fave customer moments. Turn those into:

• Reels for later

• “Market Highlight” stories

• Blog posts or captions

• “Behind the Booth” emails

2. Get Testimonials & Photos Ask happy customers if you can snap a quick photo of them with their item. Or better yet — ask them to tag you on socials. Then reuse those as:

• Social proof on your website

• Testimonials in product listings

• Email content

3. Test New Products Before You Launch Online Use markets as a real-time focus group:

• Watch what people gravitate toward

• Ask what they’d love to see next

• See if pricing feels “right”

This feedback can guide what you list online, how you price it, and what products become your bread and butter.

4. Offer Market-Only Perks That Lead Online Ideas:

• Include a discount code on your thank-you card

• Send a “thank you” email with a link to shop more

• Encourage reviews after purchase with an incentive

You want people to go from booth visitor to online repeat customer — and that takes nudges.

Example: Flour & Field, a handmade ceramics brand, hands out a market-only 15% off code for online orders placed within 7 days. Nearly 1 in 4 market buyers come back to shop online within two weeks. That’s what we call a long game win.

Final Thoughts: From Pop-Up to Payoff

Markets can be magical, exhausting, frustrating, and illuminating — all in one weekend. But when you approach them with a layered strategy — promotion, presence, and post-event momentum — you create something way bigger than a sales table.

You create connection. You build a brand. You turn a one-day event into long-term visibility.

So promote with heart, show up with purpose, and walk away with more than just leftover stock. You’ve got this.

Need help designing a booth that converts casual scrolls into real sales? We’ve got modular setups, display guides, and real-life strategies made for makers who are building something that lasts — one market at a time.