An place for creative entrepreneurs/ creative business owners seeking resources on creative business solutions, how to promote a blog, and social media marketing for creatives.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
Starting an art and craft business can be an isolating career at times. You work from home, usually on solo projects, and except for the occasional Skype or Facebook participation, you don't have the opportunity to interact with others much.
Some newbie creative entrepreneurs take the isolating career to extreme levels. They are never interested in branding their name, they are watching blog posts from the sidelines, they are just too scared to put themselves out there for judgment in the marketplace.
My art and craft business advice is to network.Networking will help you make big gains as a creative entrepreneur. First and foremost, it helps you brand your name in the marketplace. You'll always want to participate in your marketing niche, even if it's not the niche you're making money with. So converse with other creative people, share interesting resources or just advice about working in a creative field.
The reason for this connection is because you can find potential Joint Venture (JV) partners who are in the same or similar niche as you. These relationships and bonds you build with other creative entrepreneurs could serve you well in the future.
Always put your sights on someone who's a step above you on the ladder of success. This will help you build your own business because you're catapulting your momentum forward rather than taking a step backward as an unknown.
If at all possible, try to attend seminars within your creative niche. You'll meet people and gain valuable insight that isn't sold on the internet - secrets shared as good friends rather than sold to a general public.
Seminars can help you bounce ideas off of others and generate some new ideas based on what you learn. It can also help you locate products and services that will help your business.
You might meet graphic designers, freelance writers, who could give your product or site a mention on his or her blog. If you attend a seminar, have some business cards ready to hand out to people that include your name, email address, and website.
Get cards from others, too and then follow up on those contacts to remind people of who you are - thanking them if they provided you with any information that helps you on your journey to becoming a successful creative entrepreneur.
After you attend enough seminars, you may even be asked to be a speaker at one, which is when you'll be the main focus of the networking party and everyone will be competing for your time and attention.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
Reinforced efforts means- extra customer service. Customers want to know that you care, and to ensure they feel that way- you gotta go the extra mile. Below are 10 ways to reinforce your customer service efforts.
1. Anticipate any issues or problems your customers may have about your products or services. Do a little more research your target audience's needs and wants.
2. Don't use unbelievable claims in your ads. The typical online shopper is too savvy and won't believe a word of your hype.
3. Pick a good name for your creative business and product. Product and business names should be memorable and describe the kind of product/service your offering.
4. Solve any customer complaints quick and friendly. The faster you respond, the more your customers feel you care about them.
5. Never think your customers are going to always be satisfied with their products. You should be constantly finding new ways to better your products and services.
6. Market yourself, as well as your product. Write articles, ebooks, do free consulting, do speaking engagements, etc. Get yourself out there and let your customer see you and your products.
7. Always be on the look out for a new target audience for your products or services. For example, if you're selling art at craft fairs try to also sell your art at a gift shop or local gallery.
8. Use the phrase "invest in our product" instead of the words buy or purchase. This makes customers feel they're investing in their future if they buy.
9. Create offline marketing events to promote your product and services.
10. Use logos and slogans for your business. They make it easier for people to remember and identify your business.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
Alright if you have been steady reading my blogging tipsfor beginners, you've at least should have a few articles written. So now you need people to read it. A great way to do this is through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Now social networking is not something you do some of the time.You can't just join Facebook or Twitter and do nothing but post links to your own stuff and expect the traffic to come. If you want to reap the benefits of social networking you actually have to interact with the social networking community.
When you join Twitter and Facebook you want to give your followers a reason to actual pay attention to what you have to say. Spend time getting to know your followers, spend time chatting with them on non-business related stuff. Be friendly and informative first. Let them get to know you and they'll be more receptive when you do send them links to visit your blog.
If you're already a member of Twitter or Facebook head over and post a few links to your article. If you haven't joined any social networking sites like these yet, pick one and get started today. Remember give informative information and get to know people before throwing your links out there.
The more people you have talking about you and your brand, the better it looks. So showcase your knowledge through helpful information and they will start talking for you. Word of mouth marketing is one of the best forms of traffic generation.
A client of mine asked me a few days ago what is branding? And I really thought this was a great question. There are many good answers to what's branding, but there is also really unclear answers to branding.
Below are several videos I believe are very clear on explaning personal branding and how to use personal branding in your creative business.
Video 1 - "William Arruda - Personal Branding Guru"
Video 2- "Kaplan Mobray - The 10ks of Personal Branding"
Video 3 - "Personal Branding - Social Networking in a Hour Per Day"
The creative entrepreneur needs to understand personal branding and how it effects their creative business. I hope these personal branding videos help clarify the importance of developing and maintaining a personal brand.
Question?
What effects has personal branding played in your creative business?
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
Online businesses really aren't much different than offline businesses. Things like a professional storefront , networking with the right people, hard work, and having a passion for what you do are key success ingredients no matter what business you decide to start
Below are 5 Easy Creative Internet Business ideas you can start today:
Creative Internet Business Idea #1: Blogging
You can use a blog as a launch pad for creating and/or publicizing products to sell to your readers - Books, eBooks, seminars and conferences, workshops, and retail products can all be sold on a greater scale than you could without a blog. The most important skills needed to be a successful blogger are copywriting, social networking, affiliate marketing, and web marketing.
Creative Internet Business Idea #2: Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products and/or services from other companies on your website or blog. There are companies that will pay commissions to website owners when products or services are sold through their blog or website. Skills needed to earn significant revenue from affiliate marketing are PPC (Pay Per Click marketing), sales copywriting, and web marketing. Check out clickbank.com for affiliate products to sell.
Creative Internet Business Idea #3: Selling or Reselling Products
You can produce significant revenue in selling or reselling products via online marketplaces, like eBay, Amazon Auctions, or Craig's List. Find the right products, whether you buy locally or find a reputable drop-shipping company, finding the right products at the right price can make or break you. To be successful with selling or reselling are merchandising, sales copywriting, and customer service skills.
Creative Internet Business Idea #4: E-Products
E-product development is a growing internet business because it eliminates much of the inefficiency of traditional product development. Although one could build a business just around selling e-products, they are more commonly used to compliment existing online businesses, such as coaching or consulting services. Some products are sold well through e-product affiliate marketplaces, like clickbank, others sell better via a blog or website, and others might sell better via a strong email marketing campaign.
Creative Internet Business Idea #5: Workshops & Teleseminars
Like selling e-products, most businesses sell workshops and seminars as a compliment to an existing business. But you can make a business of selling online and virtual education. While creating quality courses is of the utmost importance in this business model, what is important to understand is that this business is really just a variation of an ecommerce business. You have to sell enrollments in order to be successful.
Alright, those were 5 creative internet business you can start today. I only covered them briefly, if any caught your attention, do more research, and find out which creative internet business is best suited for you.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons.
Looking for more solid tips on business ideas, internet & social marketing, and personal branding? Check out the School of Creative Business free email newsletter, Creative Business Ideas. It jumps off with a Social Marketing Tips E-course. Sign up here. If you know anyone who might like this post- pass it along to other creative entrepreneurs by clicking below on Tweet This or Facebook Like buttons
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