tooling around: customers can be such tools

By plainjane on January 20, 2012

It started with an e-mail from Handmadeology inviting me to jump start my sales in the New Year. That e-mail had a link about making things happen for my small business, which prompted me to check out yet another link (regarding my brand). And this is where the story begins.

You should probably NEVER refer to your customers as tools.

It just doesn’t sound very nice. However, defining your ideal or target customer is a great tool for focusing your business. I decided the best way to find my customer was by finding photos of women I related to and who represented the attributes I want my garters to embody.

Identifying the ideal Never a Plain Jane Designs customer

And then I had a horrible, nasty revelation: I would be so embarrassed if anyone stumbled upon my collage because almost all of the women are slender and white.  The sociologist in me is squirming madly. Even the “full figured” women I included in my collage are decidedly thinner than the average female population.

Where are the curves?

What do I do!?

Since I got all my photos from common women’s magazines I decided perhaps the media I chose was too limiting. I attempted to search the ‘net for a wider variety of photos, but that just left me confused.  It felt forced – like I was over-analyzing every photo to make sure I wasn’t excluding a certain demographic, but I no longer had any idea if these were women that represented my customers.

After a lot of worrying and some self loathing, I decided to move forward with what I have. After all, this profile is my tool for identifying my customer. I wouldn’t just buy a different sewing machine because some other sewist told me my machine didn’t give me enough variety.

The customer I created, the one I connected to, is a lot like me – and I know me.

Selling is a lot like writing- write what you know, sell what you know. It is also a lot like writing in that you start with a small skill set, say vocabulary, and you grow from there. You add synonyms, sentence structure, maybe a foreign word or two for a little flavor.

True, right now I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of potential customers because of my ignorance (disconnect?). On the other hand, there’s quite a bit I do know about one specific segment within a vast population. The trick, I think, is to get comfortable with my “ideal customer” and use the experience I have there to grow my understanding of other potential customers; even if part of me is abashed at presenting the world such a narrow customer profile.

Oh, did you want to see my customer rap sheet? Fine.

Target Customer for Never a Plain Jane Designs

There she is.  She’s a pretty fine lady and I totally get her. Now, I just have to see where designing for her takes me.

Do you use a customer profile to focus your product line and marketing?  How is that working out for you?

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About the Author

Janice Bear designs unique garters (for offbeat brides, burlesque, Tuesdays…) because she believes everything you wear should be a reflection of you – right down to your underpinnings. To learn more about what she does and why she does it, please visit her blog.

the art of memorability

By Carrie Keplinger on January 19, 2012

This is a guest post by Stephanie Peterson.

"Memory Harvest" by Sadee Schilling Studio

Would you rather be the best, or be remembered?

Of course these are not mutually exclusive, in fact they often come hand in hand, but just being great at what you do does not guarantee that you will be memorable as well.

In fact, I see creative people all the time who are phenomenally talented, but who struggle to make money from their work. They haven’t figured out how to engage people enough to go from admiring their work, to thinking about it, to deciding to buy. (And then buying again and again.)

Truth is, memorability wins out over skill in commerce.

What’s most frustrating of all is the conventional advice that’s continually passed around doesn’t present any clear action to follow.

“Be different!” “Stand out from the crowd!” What does that mean? I could wear a hat with flashing lights on it, give my business some bizarro name, and only design using the color pink, but these are not likely to do me much good.

That’s why I decided to break this concept down.

So what specific things DO make a business memorable?

1. A unique selling proposition (Or, USP)
Your unique selling proposition is the answer to, “Why should I choose you over another designer?” or, “Why should I buy your product over someone else’s?” It’s the “spin” on your business that sets you apart.

Maybe you offer something that no one similar to you does. For instance, a luxury gift wrap service that’s featured on your site with clear images of exactly what the wrap-job options look like.

Maybe you combine your work with a cause or belief that you feel strongly about. For instance, you make faux leather purses and donate a percentage of each sale to help mistreated animals.

Maybe you have an electric personal brand, and you are extremely open about your everyday experiences. In this case, people may want to buy from you just because they feel connected, like they can reach out to you if they want, like you’re their friend, and they want to support you.

2. Easy peasy describability
Can you sum up your business (including your USP) in one single sentence? Is this sentence plastered all over your website, Twitter profile, Facebook about section?

If the quality that makes your business unique and worthwhile is hard to explain, people are less likely to talk about it.

Feed them the words!

3. Consistency
Does your business have a distinct look/feel? The more people see you, the more they remember you… unless every time they see you, you look completely different.

If you are constantly changing up the look of your website, your color scheme, your web copy, etc., you’re not giving people the opportunity to really get to know and become comfortable with your brand.

4. Contact
If you don’t have an e-mail list or social media profiles, if you have no way of reaching out and re-connecting with people who’ve shown interest in you, you will probably be forgotten.

This is not to say TOTALLY forgotten. In fact, they may wrack their brains thinking, “What was the name of that business with the faux leather bags who gave a percentage of each sale to charity?” I’ve been there on more than one occasion.

Whereas, if you are in touch regularly, you aren’t likely to have this problem.

I hope you will put these principles into action today to make sure your business “sticks.” If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below!

- – -

Stephanie Peterson is the founder of Fairground Media, where she helps passionate entrepreneurs sell better through intentional e-commerce web design and ethical sales strategy. Her debut product offering, Love Potion:
Creating Wild Customer Attraction + Loyalty, is a fun, interactive e-book filled with branding and sales psychology wisdom and includes a supporting online mastermind community for continual feedback and support.

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About the Author

Carrie is Scoutie Girl’s advertising manager & assistant editor. She owns a graphic design & ebook editing biz and also runs a nifty crochet pattern shop for discriminating ladies, likeclochework.

Creative Biz Success ~ Rebecca Peragine

By jessvanden on January 18, 2012

Rebecca

Can you take us on the journey of your creative career path so far? Was art always your calling?

I grew up in a creative environment, but I never thought art would be my calling. To be honest, I haven’t taken an art class since I was in middle school. I can’t exactly put my finger on where my technique comes from, I can only say that it’s fueled by what I feel I need to teach my own children.

When I have an important message, the design just kind of creates itself. It wasn’t until I became a mother that my art in its current form appeared. Before that, I owned a coffee shop in Mexico, which is where my entrepreneurial spirit and interest in global education came out. And that’s where I met my husband and started my family.

Could you ever see yourself having a ‘normal’ 9-5 job? Why/why not?

No, not anymore. I went from college graduate to business owner to stay at home mom to business owner once again. There were times that the challenges of being absolutely responsible would feel overwhelming, but in the end, the experience I’ve had raising my children and working from home outweigh the doubts and fears. It’s kind of what propelled me forward.

My husband is an entrepreneur too, and we’re both able to see our boys off to school and here when they come home. At this point in our lives, being available for our kids is what it’s all about.

When did you start focusing on making art for children, and why?

I started when my second child was born. My husband is Italian, I’m American, and we were living in Mexico, and I felt there was a real need for multi-cultural/multi-lingual art for children. So I started creating alphabet and number posters and selling them on Etsy. That’s where by hobby turned into a business.

Children Inspire Design ~ click for more info

Other parents expressed their need to help foster global and environmental education to their children, so my art kind of became a way to express that. Parents today really understand the importance of teaching their children compassion for the earth and all who inhabit it. Teaching through art is a great way to start.

How did you get involved in making art for philanthropic purposes?

I actually started with the giving before I began the art. When I lived in Mexico, we used my coffee shop as a place for local artists to sell their art. We lived in an area that didn’t offer anything like that at the time. When we saw that giving artisans exposure worked, we started hosting fundraisers.

That’s when it really clicked for me- I realized that using art to help the greater good was an easy, natural fit.

Do you believe that a person needs to have a certain set of characteristics – or a certain way of looking at the world – to become a successful creative entrepreneur?

I don’t think there’s a specific skill set to be an entrepreneur, but adaptability is certainly something that I’ve seen makes the difference. It’s important to be light and agile when starting up.

I’ve seen lots of people have great ideas, but start out investing too much money. I know this sounds crazy, but starting CID in a rough economy actually helped me. I had to do everything on my own with no financial help. It taught me the ins and outs of every part of my business. Those lessons are what helped me make it. Now, I’m grateful every time I get to pass off my accounting or inventory or customer service to someone else. It lets me focus on what I’m good at.

Children Inspire Design ~ Click for more info

Do you ever have doubts as to your future creative direction? Are there things you yearn to achieve, but haven’t yet found the time for?

Time? I never have enough time. I’m constantly coming up with ideas, too many sometimes. That’s probably my biggest weakness. My challenge is sticking with one idea and following through to the finish before I start something else up. I’m currently running 2 online shops, Children Inspire Design and more recently, Fresh Words Market.

The second line just launched 6 months ago and I’m already planning my next project, a brick and mortar children’s art studio/indie boutique. A place that fosters creativity in children through art AND a place to support mom indie artists.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to give fellow makers about running a successful indie business?

Plant little seeds – everyday. I’m not a very patient person and it took me a while to really understand the benefit of fostering all relationships and opportunities, no matter how small they seem. It’s the small blogs, the small retailers, the individual customers who can carry your brand the farthest.

I learned the hard way in the beginning; spent too much money on marketing that yielded no results and paid sales reps who didn’t perform. Individuals who appreciate indie businesses are very powerful advocates, especially mothers. Let their voices help you spread the word and soon enough you’ll see how powerful word of mouth can be.

And second (I know you said 1, but this is IMPORTANT), know exactly who you are – and who you aren’t. Know what you stand for. What you believe in. When you understand those things, you can communicate clearly. You’ll stand out or the crowd and make your mark.

Find Rebecca online ~ Children Inspire Design ~ Fresh Words Market

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About the Author

jess van denJess Van Den is extremely passionate and passionately extreme about crafting a creative life, and all things handmade and vintage! When not blogging at Epheriell Designs, she’s making jewellery, editing *bespoke* zine, hanging out on twitter – or possibly doing all of these things at once.

Unwrapping delight: packaging for customer connection

By laurasimms on January 17, 2012

Imagine my delight at Christmas when I received about seven gifts from Etsy! All treasures I had marked as favorites and shown to Santy. Of course, the items I received were beautiful and high quality. But most of them were also presented in thoughtful and unique ways. A little card here, a little yarn there.

For me, and I imagine for many Esty buyers, part of the fun is knowing that what I bought was made by a real person. And that my purchase means something. Sure, I’m paying for a treat (or Santy is), but I’m getting to participate in a more sacred commerce than boppin’ over to the sale bin at Target.

A couple months ago we discussed the experience you can create for your customer and the real value of your transaction. In this video, I’ll set the stage for us to specifically talk about packaging to create connection with your customers.

In the comments, let us know what you’re doing with your packaging that’s already working, or any ideas for how you might change things.

Gathering light,

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About the Author


A career coach for creatives armed with the super power of hearing between the lines, Laura Simms helps passionate creatives discover and cultivate the work meant just for them. Once called a “momentum swashbuckler,” Laura puts the giddy-up in career transition and career strategy. Learn more at createasfolk.com.

the agony and the irony…

By gwyn-michael on January 16, 2012

X Marks the Spots - Gwyn Michael

…and the transformational power of a bad diagnosis.

Happy New Year, readers! Seems like eons since I last wrote here, and certainly much has happened for me. All over the blogosphere folks are making lists and setting intentions for 2012. That includes me, yet it is not what I could have imagined a few months ago. Since I began writing here last spring, you have followed my artistic journey through several iterations, as I struggled to find more meaning and purpose in my work. I ended the year with the notion of starting to offer services (not my passion) to bring in dollars, while I continued searching for the elusive purpose I am meant to serve. I imagined my new year would begin with me advertising and selling these services while I geared up for some tent shows (also not my passion). It had become all about making a living.

Then I started having back pain, which I wrote about. I was pondering the idea that if I were to lose an aspect of my physical or mental self that I need to do what I love, what would I do. I asked the question:

If you were robbed of the very thing you think defines you, be it physical, intellectual, or other, how would you persevere?

How would you find a way to be an artist with no eyes, a singer with no voice, a writer with no pen?

What I have decided for myself is I will always find a way.

The responses were enlightening, and made me feel a bit ashamed as I heard from some readers facing far more serious problems than back pain. This is where the irony comes in. I guess the powers that be had a laugh at my naivete and decided to test me with a real problem in the form of metastatic breast cancer. The cancer has spread to my bones causing fractures, aka agony, and I am strangely relieved with this news.

There are no more questions about what is mine to do.

I am here to make art and heal. I am here to help others do the same. Why was it so hard to see?

I will be getting some training that qualifies me to work with patients using creative expression to heal, and I will be using my journey through cancer to create my own best work. My lesson to you in this is:

Do not wait for misfortune to strike before allowing yourself to be brilliant!

Now, what am I actually doing, you may ask? Well, here it is. I started a new blog at Art.Hope.Truth which has been my off and on tag line for some time. I am creating artwork out of my experience in the theme of The Ugly Duckling. You know, the homely baby bird transformed to an ethereal beauty of a bird.

Virtues 2012 - Gwyn Michael

The words are my focus virtues for 2012 gifted to me by a Facebook friend. I think they are perfect. There is more on my mind, and I am strangely, or perhaps not, motivated given my situation. It seems I was correct when I said:

What I have decided for myself is I will always find a way.

Till next time, I’d love to hear from you:

In what ways has creative expression helped you heal, or overcome serious obstacles?

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About the Author

Gwyn Michael is an artist armed with a camera, Photoshop, some painting supplies, and a discerning eye. She is passionate about creating images that teach us to view the world differently or more deeply. To learn more about Gwyn, her inspirational art, and her passion for creative living, visit her website and blog. Gwyn frequently gives mini tutorials on Photoshop and offers creative challenges on her blog.

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