July 19, 2011

are you making it hard for people to connect with you online?

image by MWoodham – click image for more info

I’ve been a bit startled lately.

I love the Scoutie Girl community, and every week I check out a few websites of people who comment on the articles here. I like to know about folk’s projects, and a learn a bit about who is who.

But I gotta tell you, some people are making it really hard to connect with them online.

It should be easy easy easy for browsers like me to find what they’re looking for on their first visit to your site. If your visitors’ most desired info is hard to find, they will likely leave before they can give you and your product a chance. A confused visitor means you lose traffic and sales.

Use this check-list to make sure you are making things clear and easy for your visitors. I’ll walk you through what I, and I guarantee other visitors, are hoping to find.

1. Your real name
It’s essential that people be able to find your real name quickly. They don’t just want to read all about “Sweet Pea Quilts;” they want to know the name of the person whose hands are sewing the quilts. I may like a quilt, but I can trust a person. I want to know that “Susan” is the person behind “Sweet Pea Quilts.”

2. A photo of you
Now that I’ve discovered Susan, I want to see what she looks like! On a good day. In a good mood. When I can see Susan’s quilts and her picture, I can envision her as a person, not just a seller. I start to like her. And I buy from people I like.

3. An easily found link to Twitter
I’d like to keep up with what Susan’s doing, and my favorite way to do that is Twitter. It’s best to have this link near the top of the page or sidebar; some people won’t scroll through a page of widgets and badges to find this one piece of info.

4. An easily found link to Facebook
Some people prefer to stay connected with Facebook. They might even just think you and your project are cool and want to support you by giving you a “Like.” Make it easy for them to do so.

5. Clearly labeled contact info
I might want to ask Susan about a product, to guest post on my blog, or to introduce her to someone via email. If her email address is hard to find…well, you get the trend. People don’t like to hunt around for stuff. They move on.

6. A way for me to give you money
If you sell a product or offer a service on your site, make sure I know about it. Having a link in your navigation menu that says “shop,” “store,” “products,” “resources,” “services,” or “work with me” lets me know where to click so I can invest in what you’re offering.

BONUS ROUND: What about your Etsy profile?

Same same same same!

Some of the info is built into Etsy, but you still want to make sure your name is easy to find. Links to your website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook can be great as well. If people are interested enough to hop over to your blog, that’s a good thing. You aren’t likely to lose a sale because someone wants to know more about you — just make sure your blog or website has a prominent link back to your Etsy shop.

So…will you make any changes so people can connect with you more easliy? Let us know in the comments what actions you’ll take.

Gathering light,

Filed Under: action, Buy You, For You Tagged With: , , , , , , , 26 Comments
April 19, 2011

debunking your social media myths: the whys, hows, and whats of creative living on social media

Image by Karen Hallion - click for more info.

As a self-confessed social media fan-girl, I’m still surprised when I meet an indie biz owner who’s not tweeting, facebooking, or blogging.

It got me thinking, and so I put the question out there – “if you’re not on social media – why?”

The responses were really interesting – and not only that, but I kept seeing the same reasons over and over again. Today, I want to address some of these common misconceptions about why people avoid social media.

I don’t have the time

Yes, you do. Saying you don’t have the time for social media is like saying you don’t have the time to exercise, or do your taxes, or meditate – or any one of those other things that you know would be good for you.

The truth is, the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse is simply that – an excuse. When we use this excuse, what we’re really saying is ‘I don’t want to – because I don’t value this enough to give up something else I’m doing instead’ – even if this ‘something else’ is just watching TV (or, in my case, having my head stuck in the novel I’m currently addicted to).

Social media does not have to be time-consuming. Of course, if you let it, it can take over your life – but that’s within your control. You can schedule it in, just like any other meeting or activity, and set boundaries that way.

For example – to maintain an active Facebook Page, you really only have to visit once a day! Spend 10 minutes writing an update, responding to comments, and maybe networking on other people’s pages.

On twitter, set aside 5-10 minutes, three times a day, to get involved. And if you’ve got a smart-phone, even better! Next time you’re stuck in a queue, a waiting room, watching the kids play sport – pull out your phone and spend a little twitter-time.

I’m worried about my privacy

Privacy is a valid concern, and something that is rapidly being eroded in this digital age. However, you really don’t have to share much of your private information to get involved in social media. The most Facebook asks for is your name, e-mail (which they keep private) your date of birth and your gender. That’s it. It’s completely up to you whether you share anything else.

Twitter is even easier – you need to give them your e-mail – the rest can be anything you want!

So, all you really need to share is your name. And, to be honest – if you don’t want to share your name online, then why are you running a business?

If you walked into a brick-and-mortar store and asked to talk to the manager or owner, but they refused on the basis that they didn’t want to tell you their name, would you not be a little confused, and possibly even upset or angry? Would you wonder what they’re trying to hide?

Being authentic – a real person – is part of doing business. If you have a serious reason to keep your identity private, then of course I’m not going to tell you to splash it all over the internet. But at least a first name – or even a nom de plume – is a good idea. And no, of course you don’t have to share your home address or phone number (two things I never make public, myself, just because I prefer to work via e-mail – and some people might think that is a mistake on my part), but you do need to be open and honest about your business.

It doesn’t work, so why bother

It doesn’t work immediately.

I think a lot of people make the mistake of trying out social media for a week or two, only to give up in despair because ‘it’s not working’. Of course not! It takes time and patience to build relationships – just like in the offline world. And relationships are the core of social media.

When I interviewed Jessica Constable here a few weeks ago, she said something that has become my own personal business mantra:

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

The same goes for social media. You need to give it time. But you need to be consistent, too.

Hopping on Facebook once a month is not going to grow your fan base. Only remembering to tweet sporadically isn’t either. It’s about creating, fostering and nurturing relationships, and that takes both time and effort.

This investment in my own business (time is money, after all) has been completely invaluable. For example, my zine, *bespoke* simply would not exist without twitter and facebook. It was created, made and sold via social media – which really, is just a fancy way of saying ‘word-of-mouth facilitated by the internet’.

It works, oh, it does.

I’m just talking to other businesses

I did an – admittedly unscientific – survey of my followers on twitter the other day, because I was curious about this.

I asked: “quick twitter survey, and I’d love a RT if you can spare it… who here is NOT on twitter for biz, but just for fun?”

I had 20 replies. 13 of those stated they were on twitter just for fun. And pretty much all of those who responded that they were there for business made the point that they were also there for fun.

You are not just talking to other business. Twitter probably has a higher proportion of business-people than facebook – but the thing about twitter is you choose who you follow and interact with. Facebook – well, think about everyone you know who’s on facebook. My guess is most of them are on there with their personal profile, and use it mostly for fun, and to keep up with their friends.

Oh, and another important point – people who run businesses buy stuff too.

Online friendships aren’t ‘real’ – why would I invest the time in them?

Wow, I have to really, really disagree with this one.

I have made some of the most wonderful friends ever through social media.

There’s a little saying that goes ‘facebook is where you keep in touch with the people you knew in high-school – twitter is where you connect with the people you wish you knew in high-school’

I talk to my online friends every day. My offline ones who aren’t on social media? Pretty rarely.

Social media allows you the freedom to make connections with your ‘right people’. The people who ‘get’ you – the people who know what it’s like to love the things you love, and to do the things you do.

In the ‘real world’, people might join clubs; they make new friends via old friends; they might randomly bump into someone one day and just hit it off.

It’s exactly the same online. The only difference is you build a relationship before meeting in person! Or, perhaps you never will – and that’s okay.

I don’t think that makes relationships any less ‘real’ or authentic. Yes, of course there is the rare person who pretends to be someone they’re not… but that happens offline too. Conmen and dishonest people have existed for millennia.

I’m not about to let that stop me from the potential to make lifelong friends and invaluable connections.

I would rather spend my time making more stuff, than wasting it on the internet

If you’re a crafter, artist, photographer – or any other sort of ‘maker‘, then there’s no getting around the fact that if you’re not making, you don’t have anything to sell!

However – you can make the most amazing widget in the universe, but if only you know about it, what’s the point?

Being in business means finding the right balance between working at your business and working on your business.

Marketing should be a central part of your business, because without it, you simply won’t have a business!

Personally, I spend at least – if not more – than half my time working on my business – marketing, planning… networking.

So, my answer to this would be that either one without the other won’t lead to a successful business, and that you need to both market and make.

Have you heard another argument against the use of social media?

Filed Under: social media Tagged With: , , , 24 Comments
February 22, 2011

how to find your passion, or there is no map for this fool’s journey

actions speak out loud print by artatthespeedoflife - click image to view more

If passion is “Passion is uncomfortable. Hot and bothered.” – how do you find it? Where do you look?

Finding your life’s passion – or passions – isn’t something I can fit into a neat tutorial. There is no “how to” for finding the thing that makes your world spin.

But I can assure you finding your passion is the ultimate DIY project.

Make a Break

I found my passion when I stopped trying to make other people's passions my own. - @moxiemanda

Amanda summed it up beautifully. Before we find what is ours – distinct, individual, remarkable – we try on other hats. We play different roles, we model different behaviors, we explore.

I can remember literally wanting to BE other people while I was growing up & striking out on my own.

I dressed like them, I talked like them, I listened to the same music. I tried to make their passion my own.

Looking back, I don’t think it was a bad thing. I learned a lot and I interacted with the world in different ways. I’m not sure you can really tell an 18 year old, “just be yourself.” Who is that?

But I didn’t get any traction – none – until I made a break from playing parts and started to write my own script.

Experiment

I’m going to tell you something: you can’t actually DO anything while you’re reading blog posts, consuming “how tos,” or discussing the finer points of decoupage.

Experimenting. Doing stuff. Reassing. Doing more stuff. Experimenting --Tara Swiger


When I say you have to experiment to find your passion, I mean you literally have to give it a whirl. Does that mean you might launch 3 businesses in the course of 3 months? Sure does. Does that mean that you might start & not finish your first blog post at 4 different blogs? You bet. Does that mean you might get half way down the rabbit hole before you realize the rabbit is scurrying around on ground level? Yup.

Here’s Goddess Leonie‘s story in 3 tweets:

Ooh! I found my passion when I stepped foot inside a womens circle when I was 21. I knew it was where I belonged…

And that I’d be doing it for the rest of my life. It’s been 7 years and it’s now my whole family’s job!!! Amazing!!!

& as to how I found it? I just followed interest after interest until I found one that really stuck and sung to me!

You see, we try – and try and try and try – to get things right. It’s the employee mindset. You show up, you do most things right, you get paid.

But whether you’re an employee, an aspiring business owner, or an entrepreneur, it’s a mindset worth breaking. You can’t get it right if you don’t try it to begin with.

Just as Goddess Leonie did, you can hop from interest to interest, idea to idea, but you have to start each one. You have to initiate, actualize, execute. If you don’t get started, you’ll never know what is truly penetrating your soul and which is merely foreplay.

I’ve jumped from music teacher to musician to pastor to theologian to manager to web designer to writer. At each stage of the game, I’ve done something to try them out. I taught music while I was still in high school, I was a youth pastor, I was a worship leader, I’ve built websites, I write daily.

Now, I do something a little different than I’ve ever done before but it drives me like nothing else before it. I’m dangerously – the good kind of danger – closer than I’ve ever been to that thing we call “passion.”

Drill Down

Drill down. The meaning of that phrase had always escaped me. It just didn’t compute.

That is until I really started unearthing my passion. With every unique iteration of my personal expression, I drilled down into the layers of my own interests.

Found true passion by following a minor passion. One led to another. -- Martha Winger

I discovered that anything that is layered over what truly makes you hot is not passion. It might be easier – and that’s fine – but it’s not passion.

Taking off those last few layers, drilling down to the core, you realize there is nothing to define you but the way you define yourself. All the comfortable labels, roles, and job descriptions no longer apply – there is only your self-actualization.

What is it about what you do know that gets you excited? Which part of your project is the one you hate to put down? What do your different life paths have in common? What is beneath your current desire?

Without doing, without experimenting, you don’t have a platform from which to drill down.

Never Assume Anything – Question Everything

At many points in my own passion journey, I’ve stopped questioning and started assuming.

For instance, I assumed that if I didn’t go to grad school, I wouldn’t be able to do anything with a BA & a concentration in contemporary religious thought. I assumed that if took a job that paid a little more per hour, I would be happier. I assumed that if I did something I liked but didn’t make a lot of money, that would be okay.

I forgot to ask the questions: How could I create a job description that used my obscure academic focus daily? Why do I love/hate the job that pays less? What about not making enough money to be comfortable is appealing? Actually – those are fairly obvious questions.

Passion asks harder questions. It assumes less.

Passion is about flipping convention on its head and running towards the unknown.

You can involve mentors, guides, texts, and practice – but you are the one that makes it real. Makes it tangible. Makes it irresistible.

Your passion is unknown because it is only you who can ask the questions & do the deeds it takes to make it known.

What are you going to do about it?

If your passion is waiting to be unearthed, if you’re waiting to act on a crazy idea, I wanna know: what are you going to do about it today?

Doing, acting, executing, realizing: these are some of my favorite words. I am an artist of action. I express myself through the actions I take and the products of my creation. I would very much like to help you do the same.

If you’ve ever wondered, “how do they do it?” I’ve got answers.

Today, I’m launching The Art of Action. It’s my brand new, premiere digital program that recognizes your big ideas for what they are: opportunities to act, do, and execute.

Want to know more? Get all the details right here.

Filed Under: creating action Tagged With: , , 8 Comments
January 18, 2011

Clawing Out of Your Box: Using Twitter Effectively

pmc bird ring by chocolate and steel - click image to view more

pmc bird ring by chocolate and steel - click image to view more

I got an email this week. “Is twitter really worth it?” she asked.

My answer? Twitter is worth it if you’re ready to claw your way out of your box, open your mind, and shake virtual hands.

Human beings gravitate to people who are like them. We associate with people who have similar interests, similar thought patterns, and similar worldviews. We like to be reminded of what interests us and we don’t like to be reminded about what is different. Generally.

Twitter – possibly like nothing else before it – allows you to forget all that. Make a change. Break free from your just-like-me box. And it doesn’t cause sweaty palms or heart palpitations. Generally.

Since I know you are one of those awesome people hungry for less of the same and more of the different, Twitter is a place you want to be. In my experience, people quit Twitter because they end up following a small circle of people with very similar interests. While it’s initially exciting to have a new platform with new resources for your perusal, ultimately, it’s exhausting.

If everything you have on Twitter you had before in one way or another, why stick around? In other words, there are far more efficient ways to stay in your box than by using Twitter. When you follow people on Twitter who are pretty similar to you, you tend to also be followed by others similar to you. That means your network is pretty closed. There is little opportunity to meet people who aren’t already part of your network or who have similar ideas to those already in your network.

So how do you claw yourself out of this Twitter box?

Follow ruthlessly.

Websites of all ilks are posting Twitter handles nowadays. You can follow the reporter who wrote that interesting piece on a cultural event in your neighborhood or the congresswoman who passed a piece of legislation you support. Every time you find yourself outside of your usual web browsing rounds, look for Twitter handles.

Social media is a tool for listening, not just talking. — Sonia Simone, Marketing for Smart People

Follow those who create content of interest to you but who aren’t in your immediate ‘net circle.

Use lists.

Once you’ve been following ruthlessly for a bit, your Twitter stream will be overwhelming. You’ll feel like you’re missing stuff. You are.

Instead of just looking for your friends names as they scroll down the page, look for interesting tweets. Then systematically add the Twitter user to an appropriate list: journalists, business thinkers, philosophers, gurus, geeks, literary agents, hip chicks. Your lists will become little invitations to yourself to learn new things and meet new people. You might even facilitate those users getting to know each other. Or you can use the paper.li service to turn your lists into resources for others.

Take advantage of direct messages and @replies.

Once you’ve used Twitter to find people outside your usual internet circles and utilized lists to expose yourself to what they have to say, make sure you make things personal. Use @replies and direct messages to create a conversation with people you wouldn’t have imagined “talking” to before the age of social media.

Answer questions, offer your opinion, provide help. Twitter is pretty useless if you don’t actually socialize on
it.

If this is where the sweaty palms & heart palpitations of analog socializing return, I understand. Allow yourself to recognize it and then move on past the fear. You are thrilled when new people talk to you whether on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. Don’t assume that it ever gets old. It doesn’t.

Once you take your Twitter time to a more personal level, you might find opportunities for creative collaboration landing in your lap. Or you might get a chance to contribute to someone else’s project. Or that idea you’ve been mulling over in the shower might find a life of it’s own once you tweet about it and solicit feedback.

Just for fun, use the search box.

Justine Smith, of Create Hype, suggests using the search box to find conversations on topics you care about outside of your normal circle of tweeple.

Using the search bar is a fantastic way to meet and laugh with new people who are not in your social circle.

Just last week I was watching The Bachelor and kept thinking “does anyone else notice how much this girl talks with her hands?” So I went on Twitter, popped in a few keywords and bam! I was laughing my butt off with several other
Tweeters who noticed it too.

Twitter is fun! So find people who make the experience fun for you.

Twitter’s bigger picture

In the end, what people tout as a social media fad or the ultimate business promotion machine is only as revolutionary a platform as you choose to make it. If you choose to only use it for business, socialize with your current friends, reinforce your current opinions, it won’t be much good to you.

Today it’s Twitter. Tomorrow, it will be something new. And shortly after that, there will be another new gadget. The important thing is that as technology evolves and our relationships with it become more intimate, we use new networks to learn more about ourselves, those around us, and the world we live in. If we continue to reinforce the conventions we’ve grown accustom to, we have wasted a great opportunity.

The power of Twitter comes in it’s ability to empower you to claw out of your own box.

Still, you are the one who has to choose to use it for that purpose. You can waste hours staring mindlessly in front of the endless stream of links & witty hashtags, clicking on things that you already know about or sharing a laugh with a friend you could have easily picked up the phone to talk to. Or you can try something different, talk to someone new, and create a connection that hold infinite possibilities.

Your
choice.

Filed Under: creativity, social media Tagged With: , , 59 Comments
December 15, 2010

we’re having a party! #craftin

We’re having a party!

When: Thursday, December 16, 12:30pm EST (click to see the time in your zone)
Where: Twitter – use this TweetGrid or search #craftin to find us!
Who: You! And my co-host, @larkcrafts!

What: We’re crafting a set of pocketbook journals to show off favorite books, music, & movies. Show up for the party and you’ll get the FREE pdf instructions. You’ll want to grab some blank notebooks (like these from EcoSystem), some paint, markers, and colored pencils. Or just show up to talk craft, books, music, & movies and make the project on your own time!

Bonus!

One lucky party goer will get a copy of Craft-in: 12 Project Booklets for Your Own Crafty Gatherings! And first come, first served, Lark Crafts will be sending out Ecosystem Pocketbook 3-packs to those in attendance!

I hope you’ll join us!

Filed Under: events, giveaway Tagged With: , 4 Comments