Market Art With Courage
Marketing takes courage, especially for a maker, artisan, or business artist. The word courage derives from cor, the Latin word for heart. Author and vulnerability expert Brenée Brown explains an early meaning in which the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” We’re vulnerable when we open our hearts.
A maker myself, I bridge the language of marketing to creative thinkers.
As founder of Merrigan Group LLC, I mentor women in their 50s (and beyond) to market their talents. I advise and assist with strategic planning, social media and other choices to re-frame your status quo.
Beading, the art that brought me alive and focused me on “the place of no pattern” gives me impetus to share raw courage with you.
Services: Marketing Speak for Creative Thinkers
Marketing JumpStart
In a comfortable introductory conversation we explore a path that will fit you and your business. My focus on progressive communications lets me approach each situation differently. Using intuition and spontaneity, I guide conversations to ‘light bulb moments’ and solutions that work. Traditionalists call this strategic but I like to think of it as aligning business objectives with heart/soul values.
Some of the elements we’ll consider include your goals, your concerns, where you are now and where you want to go. Our web meeting room will let me share screens, demo solutions and give us the opportunity to interact. The resulting recording gives you the flexibility to listen again and again and use the material we cover as a resource.
Our first meeting is a get-acquainted session during which we assess your needs, talents and strengths. (And you assess me at the same time!). The follow up meeting includes recommendations for strategic direction and a written bullet-point plan. You can then elect to implement on your own or, in conjunction with my Marketing Catalyst plan.
Marketing JumpStart: $499.00
Once we complete our initial call, I draft a three-step recommendation which you may choose to implement yourself or, we follow through together. What happens next?
Marketing Catalyst
My Marketing Catalyst program is a 90-day program during which we tackle your number one priority. Of course, this also includes the Marketing JumpStart as our beginning touchpoint. Together we set weekly benchmarks and tasks. I hold you accountable and cheer your progress every step of the way. We meet every other week and keep specific communications in-between.
The beauty of plan agreement: I’m with you every step of the way for 90 days. Using an every-other-week Zoom meeting, we assess progress and set next steps.
Not sure if this is an opportunity for you? Try my marketing JumpStart program. It begins with an easy conversation and assessment. $499.00
$1350.00/$450/month, 3-month commitment
Marketing Mentor
When you add a mentor on your team, you install consistency, continuity and credibility. You add someone to your side of the desk. Do-it-Together is a powerful antidote to the burden of making decisions on your own. (Read More Below)
$2,400/$400.00/month, 6-month commitment
For example, if your goal is to be more active on social media, we will begin with some practical social media work: guidance on posting, exploring posting routines, reviewing profiles, practicing with channels, adding keywords and management tools. Your process will be easier because I’ve helped dozens of others take the guesswork out of social media. Not only will you learn to make marketing a habit, the techniques we practice will help you achieve greater visibility for your art Examples of tangible benefits other mentees have achieved:
- Narrow focus
- Prioritize next important steps
- Develop clear ways to describe yourself and your business
- Find a next step in major social channels
- Leverage messages instead of re-inventing the wheel
- Discover a posting rhythm that works for you
- Expand, using best practices you identify
- Explore editorial calendars and practice using one
- Systematize social efforts
- Identify publicity opportunities
- Develop and implement short-term publicity plans
- Complete and submit a press release or media query
- Initialize and complete a short-term project
- Track your success
Conclusion
No question. Marketing takes courage. I’ll help you find yours. This collaborative plan works with you and for you IF you’re ready to do the work. Experience fast focus and incredible success. I understand (and have likely experienced) everything in between. This is so personal. I’m ready to get on your side of the desk/studio and go forward. Are you ready?
Maker, Artist and Business Artist Testimonials
Empowering creative people to see their value
It’s been about three months since I first had a strategy conversation with you. The first few sessions were intense as I had many things to consider in my approach to art. Your email follow-ups to me after our conversations listed down the most important things which I needed to think about and resolve. Your lists were such a huge help. I kept notes from our talk, but without your clear, insightful bullet lists of things to pay attention to, I would have fallen back into confusion. I found your advice and outlines so useful and encouraging.
Later, as a follow-up to my having an exhibition, you helped me to turn around a negative situation. Once again your advice and guidance completely shifted my perspective. You helped me identify how I could turn a disappointing situation into a positive and productive experience. You advised me to leverage an opportunity out of the closing day of my exhibit! Upon that advice I created an event with ads in local media and newspapers.. Instead of a sad experience it became a celebration. Thank you so much!
Since March, I have continued to be more involved in using social media for self-promotion. In the past, it has taken me up to a year to secure another solo exhibition, but with your encouraging advice and my using social media more wisely, I already have an exhibition underway right now with another solo exhibition booked for next May 2018.
I am so grateful for your advice. I believe that because you are a working artist and astute business woman, you intuit many of the problems and hesitations artists feel regarding their work. Your understanding of how to use social media intelligently as an artist has been a special gift. Thank you so much.
You have my permission to use any of my comments to clients who would need your services should they wish to hear from a previous client. I unreservedly recommend Mary Ellen’s service. If you follow through with your “homework” , the results will be more than worth the efforts. Mary Ellen has a true gift for empowering creative people to see their value and experience tangible rewards for their uniqueness.
Caroline Garrett Hardy|www.carolineghardy.com
Mary Ellen is fun and informative! Her love of beading reflects in her work.
Very interesting, informative class.
Success
Your class was a success. Mary Ellen’s instructions are excellent and she keeps it light and fun. I always learn new techniques and problem-solving techniques.
Fun
I had so much fun in Saturday’s class!
Speculative Fiction Author
Mary Ellen put her finger on how frightened I was of marketing in meeting number one. Her coaching allowed me to organize my thoughts about social media, define solutions for my business and then tweak the approach based on what was/wasn’t working.