by Linda | Jul 21, 2011 | my creative journal
Google Chrome, Boomerang and Gmail… yes they go together like magic! I’ve made a cool discovery and definitely wanted to share with all creative entrepreneurs out there. One thing about the handmade business and really, business in general these days…is the connection and relationships we form with our customers. It’s so important to be available, to get feedback and keep updated with how our lovely customers are feeling.
So I’ve been brushing up my Etsy shop process, formulating a checklist for processing orders and revamping every little detail. Have you put some thought into your buyer’s message for example, the email that everyone gets when placing an order? No matter what shop you have, there’s always an order confirmation email. I decided to add some spice to mine, just for kicks. I know not everyone reads them, but when they do – I’m sure they will be amused and hopefully smile a bit! I also thought about follow-up emails to ensure that my customer received the package after shipping. Since I’m located in Italy, packages might take a while to arrive, so it’s really important for me to be able to schedule emails while processing the order…rather than to have a running list of emails to write at a later date. That can get really confusing and time consuming.
Enter Boomerang. It’s a plug-in for Gmail that lets you schedule emails – eureka! Talk about cool. After using it a few times to schedule future emails (and I tested it on myself, pretty sweet!) I realized there’s more functionality as well. You can set it to remind you of emails you have sent out where the person hasn’t responded after x amoutn of days, as well as move messages back to your inbox after a certain amount of time…to keep your emails tidy but functional. No one likes the overflowing inbox! Pretty techy cool, eh? I just love tools that help me get things done more efficiently.
I feel as if now I’ve opened up a new way of communicating with customers directly, opening up the gates for more feedback so that I can improve things moving forward. It’s also a nice way to get you back onto the customer’s mind a few weeks after they’ve purchased a product. I have to admit, I always find those messages a nice surprise and reminder when I receive them! Whether you choose to use this nifty plugin or do it old school, remember the importance of follow-up emails. People are busy and you do need to remind them of things in a non-spammy fashion every now and again. Try it! Hope you’ve enjoyed this marketing tip this week…now back to work 🙂
by Linda | Jul 20, 2011 | my creative journal
If you would like to learn about the Notes to Myself project from the beginning, check out the introduction post here.
I believe that oftentimes we don’t celebrate enough. I don’t just mean big parties for certain milestone events though…I mean all the little things too. A little success here, a lovely family dinner together. Why not break out the wine? As a family, we often break out a nice bottle of wine or special beer and just make it an occasion. Sometimes we experiment and cook a special dish for a Sunday lunch…to have some fun and just celebrate a lovely time together.
Everyone gets really busy and we often feel pressured to throw those big parties for birthdays and big events. But it doesn’t have to be so complicated. You can celebrate with a nice dessert one night or a little something different to make it a special day. We need to celebrate the life we live…all the time. I have had to learn over time that it’s okay to indulge.
For this page, I printed out an array of photos from our little experiments, parties and get togethers. From formal events to just family dinners and lunches…celebrate life! I even kept some of the petal confetti from a recent BBQ we had…my brother-in-law just decided to buy fireworks and confetti poppers. Now that’s the way to have fun 🙂
Are you celebrating life…enough?
by Linda | Jul 19, 2011 | my creative journal
I am an Artist. That is how the chapter begins and it’s a huge statement… especially since so many creative people have a hard time saying that statement with full confidence and pride. It is definitely a journey to self-acceptance and I don’t know if it’s something you can teach someone or help someone with. It is a wholly personal journey.
Reading through The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon) and in this chapter, what really hit me is when Cameron wrote, “we need to move out of the head and into a body of work..” because “Most blocked creatives are cerebral beings.” That really stopped me in my tracks.
I’ve always been the brainy, goody, practical, by the rules, the reason behind it kind of person. Decisions based on the pros and cons and planning things out. Jeepers. I’m too cerebral… in a negative sense, I think. There I go over analyzing again. Definitely something I need to work on.
I was inspired to create this design after reading the chapter. My first step to autonomy, acceptance and declaration. Here’s a little design I created…
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by Linda | Jul 14, 2011 | my creative journal
For those of us into social media, blogging and all the latest online marketing buzz…it can sometimes overshadow the importance of offline marketing. In fact, the best way to get quality business leads is through word of mouth. So I think it’s supremely important to cultivate your marketing efforts both online and offline.
Granted, I live in a little rural Italian town. Are they really going to need web design or illustration…a cute drawing of little girls anytime soon?! Turns out even the local meat shop is interested in some design work. When I finally opened up, letting people know what I was capable of…requests starting coming in. “So and so said you do design work…would it be possible…” and so it begins. It really got me started thinking about more offline marketing ideas.
- Do you include your business info on all communications? You know how important it is to have an email signature with your business information…but what about on snail mail? Something to consider because that mail goes through a lot of hands…hence lots of eyes.
- How about working with partner stores, leaving business card sand/or flyers inside the shopping bags of customers perhaps. If you are able to connect with a store that compliments your services or products…it would really be a win-win. Perhaps your service goes hand in hand, so you would be referring clients to each other. You might have to think a bit creatively, but randomly I thought about illustrators and tattoo parlors. A lot of people would like custom tattoo designs… or am I dreaming? Maybe yarn themed illustrations at your local yarn shop – you probably have the same target demographic. Stationery and graphic designers can partner up with bridal salons or wedding planners. The list goes on…
- Are you providing your services and products to family and friends? I know at times it might seem odd, because getting a similar gift every year might not seem so cool for family…(how many journals can I give to a person?) But to a certain extent it really is great advertising. When you offer something as a gift, there’s no pressure for them to do anything about it. But naturally if they like it or someone mentions a need, your info will be shared to other friends, neighbors or colleagues at work in an organic fashion.
- Do you advertise locally and list yourself in business directories? The newsletter or bulletins, community booklets and journals, sport team flyers, local business listings and kids team fundraisers sponsor lists. There are so many options that are FREE or reasonable priced when it boils down to a local area.
- Consider donating your services or products at charity events. It’s a great way to do good and get some advertising at the same time, whether it be family festival raffles or contest drawings.
- Leaving flyers at events that might relate to your business or general information locations, such as career centers, public libraries, post offices or continuing education centers. Of course you have to get permission, but you’ll be surprised how supportive the community is. The secret is finding a good match and giving them a good reason to provide the information. I started thinking about designers hooking up with print shops, where people might want someone to design a photo book or cover to be printed…
- For those targeting the mom demographic, would day care centers be a perfect place to advertise? Everyone takes a look at those bulletin boards or table of flyers. Maybe even the pediatricians office or similar locations. Or at the hospital new born section…new moms have a lot of needs and would be happy to find useful information on services that pertain to them.
- Networking events. I know, sounds super scary and a bit fake to many people. But honesty, they have been created to get business people together and these events have started the careers of many budding entrepreneurs. This is something I want to try for myself…to get to know the business people in the community and get over the fear of putting myself out there.
- How about offering giveaways to local shops in your community? In the online world there is often talk about guest posting and giveaways…why not do them in real life? When this idea popped up in my brainstorming, I started to think about how all the online tactics could be translated into real life marketing tactics… A whole new world, huh?
Do you have ideas to contribute? The idea is to spread the news about you and your work…to the communities and groups of people you have all around you. I’ve been realizing how odd it is that many folks do business remotely with people all over the world…yet not with their own neighborhood! There are cases where it makes sense, but oftentimes we are simply overlooking good opportunities.
Feel free comment below and share your experiences! I will definitely be trying a few of my ideas, but just pick one if you are feeling shy. Let’s see where it takes us!
by Linda | Jul 13, 2011 | my creative journal
With the rush of events in life, I was very tempted to just let my weekly routine die out. It’s already mid-week and I’m behind… but thankfully I was able to gather up some sense of self-control and get through another chapter in The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon), so I can keep to my plan of finishing the book before I head off on vacation and really get lost in other things!
This chapter touches on understanding ourselves and all the possible blocks that stops us from creating. I noticed an interesting topic topic when first diving into reading though. We have all heard it said before…that many are afraid of success, that somehow they sabotage themselves…this big fear of succeeding. Is that really true? For me…I find it hard to wrap my brain around the idea…I want success and would run out and kiss it on both cheeks like every other Italian here! Or is it in disguise in my life, so I can’t make it out?
I have learned over time…that often not understanding something could just be a perspective issue. I will get it, if I can just look at the situation differently or if I discuss with a friend and turn the topic on it’s side. I like that part of analyzing and mulling over things…maybe that’s what I need to do on that particular topic. I read through each section and certainly agree that the issues stop many of us…
In the section about workaholism, I gained a new perspective on the term. Before I used to think…it means people who work too hard and don’t know how to take a vacation. I certainly know how to take time off, so I don’t think that’s a problem. However, in the quiz questions you are asked about when you do your work and if you postpone outings or do the job off hours or during family time. Even talking about work and work issues elsewhere. Has your family ever lamented, “oh you are working…” kind of thing? Hmm. Didn’t really think that all that little stuff could be considered a workaholic issue… sometimes you want to follow a spark of intuition before it dies out. Does that choice in the way of working, naturally put you into a chaotic way of life though?
Another section about the drought really hit me as well. Maybe it’s the heat again (an excuse, I know), but I’ve been experiencing those dry seasons in creativity and I feel like it’s all coming to an end or horrible crash of failure… boo hoo. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when it’s just a rough patch…or if perhaps it’s not meant to be. But I’ve always been an optimist at heart. I’ve always believe that you CAN do it… it might take a long time…but you can if you are persistent. I don’t like crushing dreams… what is life without that excitement and joy. That ambition and the something from nothing miracle of creating things from scratch? You know what I mean, right?
Another takeaway that is definitely sort of scary…when Cameron writes about unhealthy envy and how magazines and journals can do that to people. I started thinking about blogs and how many of us surf around and sometimes… get intimidated and crushed from the overwhelm of other peoples’ success. That is scary…and it is such a new thing if you think about it. Generations before didn’t have information overload…today, it is a reality that sometimes seems as if we have no control over…
So I’m going to spend the rest of this week working on the exercises and tasks… getting myself one more step along the journey of an artist 🙂 thanks for reading as always.
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