When I
first started this project my goal was to determine what the best social media
platforms and tools were for me to use in promoting my new business. Previously I operated a traditional street
front retail business, and my on-line presence was through my website. With the change to a studio format, I knew
that I would need a different approach to marketing my business. Why is such a change necessary? Because I’m no longer selling a broad range
of products and services; I’m selling ME, my ideas, my creativity. I still need a website, primarily to promote
my classes and the products I use; with a change to a more personal focus, I
need to use social media tools. But what
an assortment of options – where do you start?
First,
I’m making a list and checking it twice but it doesn’t tell me what’s naughty
or nice. The choices are unlimited and
for an ADDer that means trouble. I can
wander with Google for hours, or for ever, and keep finding new and wonderful
things. To help me keep all of this
information organized I have started to use ‘Ever Note’. I like this much better than bookmarking as
I can create groupings based on topics/ideas and it’s easily accessible.
HOW CAN BLOGGING HELP ME CREATE A
PRESENCE?
I have enjoyed
blogging as part of our class assignments, but how does it fit into my business
plan? To begin with I’ve had to consider
what kind of person I am, what my skills are, what message do I want to get out
to my customers and what do I want my business to look like. Thanks to an article written by Darren Rowse
of Pro Blogger (Rowse, D., 2013), I was
able to identify and address the skills needed to be a successful blogger.
And there is no doubt that a blog is an essential tool for me. Since I started my first company and website,
social media has changed; it has become social and interactive, requiring new
ways to communicate and engage with your audience. In making the decision to create a business
blog, I have also come to realize that it is essential to establish a routine
for maintaining my blog in order for it to produce the results I am after
(Kumar, A.J., 2013). I once attended a
Social Media presentation and one of the presenters said he checked his Facebook
and LinkedIn accounts daily. At the time
I thought this was overkill but have now learned how important this is. Regular updating, responding to posts, and
following other blogs are all ways to keep traffic coming to your site.
CAN A BLOG CREATE INCOME?
Surprisingly,
the answer to this is “yes”. Like I said
earlier, though, this doesn’t happen by chance but by working my blog daily,
along with other tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. In doing my research I came across an article
about become an Affiliate. Many
publishers and distributors such as amazon.com offer an Affiliate Program. By promoting a book on your blog and sending
buyers to their web-site, you earn money for each referral. Why did I forget about this? Probably because I view a static website
differently than a blog. But as a
bookaholic I am often making book recommendations, and if this earns me money,
then I will make a concerted effort to do so.
CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION
This
exercise was very interesting. There are
several sites listing quilting blogs – and not just from North American
quilters, but from around the world. In
fact they have more than
5,500 quilt blogs from 77 countries.
The Quilting Gallery (http://quiltinggallery.com/quilting-bloggers/) is one of these sites and once it is created, I
can register my blog with them. Looking
at some of the blogs they have listed was very inspiring. I really have my work cut out for me. Interested?
Then check out some of these blogs:
http://andsew4th.blogspot.ca/ -- an Alaskan quilter living in Paris; http://karenmarchetti.blogspot.ca/ -- great quilt gallery; and http://countryquilter.wordpress.com/ -- an Aussie with a dog.
The other
group I investigated was my favorite designers.
With the exception of Vikki Pignatelli they all have blogs, as well as
being on Facebook. Most of them have
websites containing their blog, quilt galleries, class listings, shopping cart,
and more. This is the format that I have
determined is best for me.
Favourite Designers
FINAL THOUGHTS
As you can tell from the comments
I’ve made, there is a lot of work ahead for me.
Actually, there is still a lot of research to be done. I have just ordered a video recorder in order
to create step-by-step videos of some of the projects I am working on.
Other tools that I’ll be using
include YouTube and Pinterest. I am a
certified instructor with several product designers and they have YouTube
videos available, which I will link to my blog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwRvzDqKoFk Not Your Grandmother’s Log Cabin).
I have also created a Pinterest
account. Many of the quilters I know use
Pinterest all the time, which is probably why it’s one of the busiest social
media sites today. Given that the
majority of users (80%) are women and that 95% of quilters are also women; it’s
an opportunity not to be missed. Like
quilting Pinterest is a visual site – the only thing it doesn’t provide is the
ability to touch. Maybe that ability is
coming.
As many quilters are aging, it is
important to develop the next generation of quilter. The 20 and 30-year olds have totally
different shopping habits from the 55+ group.
They are internet savvy, do much of their purchasing on-line, as well as
their learning. Given that the 25 – 34
year old age bracket accounts for 30% of Pinterest users, and the 35 – 44 year
olds account for 25%, Pinterest is an essential tool for reaching and
developing young quilters.
Stay tuned for more news from
Tall Pines Quilt Studio from the shores of Stoney Lake.
References:
Rowse, D. (2006). Is a Blog Right for You? Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/is-a-blog-right-for-you/
Rowse, D.
(2012). Can You Really Make Money Blogging?
Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2012/11/28/can-you-really-make-money-blogging-7-things-i-know-about-making-money-from-blogging/
Kumar, A.J. (2013). 5 Daily
Habits for Effective Social Media Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/printthis/225609.html
Thiessen, T. (2012). Blogging
for Money . Retrieved from http://www.empowernetwork.com/tthiessen/blog/blogging-for-money/
Moth, D.
(2012) 9 Awesome Pinterest Infographics.
Retrieved from http://econsultancy.com/ca/blog/10481-nine-awesome-pinterest-infographics
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