How to Promote Your Business Without Sounding Like a Commercial

We know as artists that we’re business people, too. We need to sell in order to continue creating and thriving as entrepreneurs. Art school never really gives us the tools to do it properly so we rely on reason and technique to get us through to the next project -rarely do we know how to do this successfully.

This week, I’ve invited Lisa Braithwaite, a Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Coach, to guide us on how we can move through our own awkwardness and embrace self-promotion with aplomb.

http://ow.ly/3a1xJ

Here’s to Cultivating Your Creative Independence

Do You Know the Difference Between Brand & Branding?

After many years of learning how branding affects my business, I’ve written an article comparing brand to branding for artists & galleries. This will demystify the marketing jargon and show you how to cultivate affection from your customers and manage your brand.

http://ow.ly/33S2A

Here’s to Cultivating Your Creative Independence

INDIECreatives: I vs We

Are you still struggling with “I” vs “We” when it comes to identifying yourself as an INDIECreative? Do you think your customers won’t take you seriously when you tell them that it’s just you who makes your product? You’ll be surprised. In this article, Lisa shows sole-proprietors how to embrace being small. Read more on I vs We

Published: 2010 Graphic Designer & Artist Market

Announcement!!

I have two (2) articles published in FW Publications’ auspicious annual: 2010 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market

1. The Changing Marketing Landscape: Leveraging Social Media as a Creative, and 2. Leveraging Multiple Opportunities with One Image Purchase your copy of 2010 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market on Amazon. With this push, I will be launching a new blog dedicated to coaching and strategy for the creative entrepreneur. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: I have launched INDIECreatives, a coaching and strategy site for the creative entrepreneur. As an artist and design entrepreneur with 25 years of design experience, I’m here to help fine artists navigate the new economy and leverage unactualized opportunities for their small business brand.

Here’s to Cultivating Your Creative Independence

IndieCreatives

I’m officially launching a new endeavor of ECStewart Designs: IndieCreatives

IndieCreatives will provide tips and strategies for strengthening your small business endeavors as well as providing new media marketing consulting to creative entrepreneurs. This will support the efforts of artists and galleries who need to develop and cultivate online brand awareness on any level as they learn to strengthen their traditional broadcast promotional materials.

IndieCreatives Community

Stay tuned for articles on this site that will help you launch your business as a creative entrepreneur! As an IndieCreative, please remember to sign up for email notifications. I’ve watched galleries and artists struggle with marketing on the whole over the past several years. Now that the market has essentially turned upside down, I see talented artists and their small business crumble because they feel they don’t have the funds to promote their products and services.

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Marketing doesn’t have to be alchemy.
The landscape of traditional marketing is rapidly changing. Traditional publishing, like radio, newspapers, and other broadcast tools, is evaporating due to the flood of social media (also called Web 2.0 and new media) and new, online competition. As a small business owner, embracing this change and establishing a presence in the growing world of online business is a must.

As an artist and small business owner, I’ve been using social media tools for several years to help build my empire. Because I don’t have an open-studio, I have to be inventive on attracting customers. I am not represented by any gallery but sell my work thru several galleries. In addition to sales through boutiques, galleries, mail-order catalogs, tradeshows, local shows, and my robust Web site. Most recently, I have enlisted a number of popular social media tools including Facebook, Twitter, & Video as a key component of my marketing program and to augment my business’ Web and blogs. One outcome of this is that I’ve become a nationally recognized blogger and social media (SM) expert and have recently begun speaking to other creative professionals about how they can use these tools to help support their businesses.

Within the past 8 months alone I have been afforded a number of opportunities as a result of my social media activities including:

• Create business logos
• Consult on Web site & blog development
• Formed art licensing partnership with garden art manufacturer
• Invited to participate in art gallery shows in major metropolitan cities (NYC)
• Invited to get art published in multi-artist coffee table book.
• Learned about another major Women Entrepreneur Online Boutique
• Featured member in Women Entrepreneur Online Boutique within first week of membership
• Invited to write articles & guest blog on my area of expertise
• Invited to talk about marketing & social media influence
• Fine Art & Gifts featured on major blog
• Invited to partner in a social media start-up
• Participate in a guerilla marketing event for major department store
• Submit art for movie productions

As a fellow artist and designer, I’d like to empower you through theoretical and practical means that will show you within a short time frame, how your collateral and marketing efforts are making an impact on your business. Guiding you through the variety of topics that include building your business as an IndieCreative, I will continue to provide you with practical knowledge that allows you to DIY your own business endeavors as well as private sessions that will empower you with step-by-step action items.

~Lisa, CREATIVEGoddess