Marketing Your Creativity

It’s that time of the year . . . apple picking season.  It’s one of my favorite times of year because I have an apple tree in my yard that produces enough apples for me to not have to buy from the store for several months.  I love apples and eat one almost every day.  Occasionally, I switch it up with another fruit, but apples are mainstay in my diet.  I personally prefer sweet/tart apples like Fuji or Pink Lady and luckily I have a variety of Fuji producing an abundance of flavorful apples right outside my door.  My friend calls them “Jolly Rancher Apples” because they really do taste just like the candy.

When I moved into the house and the tree started producing, I had to learn about picking apples directly from the tree.  As they start getting larger and blushing in the autumn sun, the temptation to pick is huge; however, I learned quickly that they might not be ready.  You cannot just yank them off the tree.  You have to go in and tug slightly.  If they come off easily – they are ready to be eaten.  If they resist the gentle tug, you leave them on the tree to ripen a bit longer.

What does this have to do with marketing your creativity?  You are the tree, the branches are your marketing methods and the apples are your marketing messages.  If you focus on only one marketing method, you might have a few good apples, but your tree will be very lopsided.  You have to find a way to balance all of the marketing methods, so that all of your marketing messages become ripe for the picking.

I know that many artists are focused on the social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.); however, there are many other ways to reach your customers.  When was the last time you used direct mail?  If you use target marketing to your existing customers, direct mail is far more effective than social media or an eZine.  It’s partly because we don’t get as much direct mail as we used to and also because most people sort through their mail within a week’s time; whereas the electronic message could be missed for a variety of reasons in the social media arena.

So, I make an effort to use all media possible to advertise my upcoming arts & craft shows, exhibits and classes.  If it is a local event, I send postcards to the customers on my list.  If possible, I make an offer – bring in this postcard to receive a free gift or a percentage off.  This is a way for me to test if my marketing message is ripe.  If I get no response, I learn that I must either put more nourishment into the existing apple or grow a new branch.  I list the event on all free calendar websites – you never know where you are going to get a new lead.  I still post it on Facebook and I note it in my eZine.  The more times your customers hear the message, the more likely they are to remember.

It is work, yes.  But without putting the time into marketing, I have fewer customers.  As I do want to make money on my creativity, these are the things I must do.  And, remember, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

© 2010 Heather C. Morrow.  All rights reserved

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Heather C. Morrow, owner of Pottery Daily, helps emerging artists express their true value and get paid what they are worth.  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your art.  For your FREE audio go to www.marketandsellyourart.com.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 27th, 2010 at 2:43 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.