The list of marketing tasks never ends. You have hundreds of options to better your web presence, network or find new avenues to market your art. Everyday you’re bombarded with messages promising success if you only do “x, y, or z.”
Where do you start?
My challenge is “start where you are.” No more prep, no more study, no more planning. Begin. Start now by quit trying to figure “it” out. Pick what’s next.
What one thing can you do next to create visibility for an upcoming event or maintain visibility for your brand?
Maintain Brand Visibility From the Road
The “What can I do next?’ question forces you out of your head and into action. All manner of excuses are immediately eliminated.
One busy designer I work with discovered road trips disrupted her social media video posting schedule because studio time ceased to exist.
As we brainstormed, she re-framed her content ideas. She plans to tape a couple of customers at her booth and incorporate their comments. During her classes at a trade show, she will film a round-robin of student comments about their experiences.
Our conversation reminded her about a design inspiration scribbled on the back of a brew pub napkin. She immediately made a note to use that illustration as a share. Another post will feature a photo of her journal. Content will shift as her schedule flexes.
For this designer, the next step was to brainstorm her content and then figure out when to share it. Starting where you are forces action.
Try This Brainstorming Template for Yourself
Puzzled about how to implement this in your specific situation? Consider an upcoming show/class/event that requires promotion. Pre-plan brainstorming:
Where and when will you promote the event? (NOTE: A large show might require several weeks of promotion, with the frequency of posts getting stronger as the date approaches.) Specifically, how can I use each of these mediums?
- Newsletter
- Blog post
- Flyer
- Social media
- Facebook personal profile
- Facebook business page
- Facebook ads
- Google +
What will I say?
- List the keywords and hashtags you will incorporate
- Write the posts for each medium and locate the photos you will use
- Schedule the posts
- Organize an easy-access digital file so information – logos, photos, partners – is easily accessible
- Allocate the budget if you’re spending monies to support the event
- If you have the opportunity to promote with a partner such as a store or gallery, share your pre-planned information with them
- Email your fans/evangelists and ask them to share your event with their list
Plan on paper
I find it helpful to incorporate planning or intention setting to my morning pages. Before I set aside my Julia Cameron recommended three pages of consciousness stream writing, I list my next steps.
Once you’ve listed your ideas, prioritize them. What’s the next step? What one thing can you do now to move forward? What’s next after that?
I ask this question from experience. I can find tons of ways to procrastinate: go on Facebook without setting a timer; intend to market and then distract myself with the fact that my website gallery needs work; wonder which of my acquaintances will come to this event; realize I haven’t talked with x in some time and give her a call; head to the refrigerator, the grocery store, or some other errand. These are self-defeating behaviors. Instead of indulging in distraction, Intend to change. What one thing can you do next to market your art?
Need help with implementation?
If you need an accountability coach, I have an opening in my practice. I know first hand that it takes real courage to put your work out in the world. Let’s talk about marketing can be different for you. Contact me.
