In addition to all of the great art and craft blogs that I like to read, I also subscribe to a variety of business-related blogs as well. While not everything I read will translate to running a handmade business, there is a lot that artists and crafters can apply to themselves. After, if you’re selling your craft or artwork…you’re in business. Here are some of the post links that I’ve collected in the past few weeks. Enjoy!
1,000 True Fans- This post by Kevin Kelly at The Technium has really made the rounds around the blogosphere…and for good reason. In this post Kevin Kelly theorizes that one of the best ways for individual artists, musicians, and inventors to make a living is to acquire 1,000 “true fans”…that is, 1,000 people that adore you and will purchase anything and everything that you make. A long, but very interesting post!
Are you acting like a celebrity sheep with your marketing plans?- Pamela Slim of Cubicle Nation wrote this very cool post about marketing copycat marketing and the 14 proven marketing techniques that do work.
10 Ways to Reverse the Momentum of an Overly Aggressive or Hostile Person- This post is by Scott Ginsberg from his blog HELLO, my name is BLOG! Scott’s claim to fame is that he wears one of those “HELLO, my name is”…nametags every single day. This is a great link for those of you that have to deal directly with customers…whether it be in your studio, over the phone, or at a craft show. Plus Scott also has a really cool video site where he gives some interesting marketing and sales tips through neat 2 to 3 minute videos…you can check that out at Nametag.tv.
How to Use the Web to Build a Powerful Reputation in Any Industry- This post is by Maki at his blog Dosh Dosh, and it’s about how to leverage the internet to make yourself into a superstar in your own little industry. Ironically, the example he uses to illustrate his point is what he would do if was in the art field. He writes some really great detailed posts…so be sure to check this one out.
The next couple of posts are from one of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin. I’ve referred to him several times in past posts and wrote about his book the Purple Cow. I especially love the way he takes the common and conventional wisdom and turns them upside down, here are some bits of wisdom from his blog…
Marketing in a recession- We artists especially hate to hear the “R” word because discretionary items like ours are usually the first thing that people cut out of their budgets. In this short post by Seth (most of his posts are usually short), he gives some advice on how look at things differently.
No user servicable parts inside- Are you one of those types of people that think the world is too complicated to learn about…please read this post. I think that my new phrase for my clients will be when they tell me that they couldn’t possibly understand the internet is, “The world is not a black box!”
The problem with perfect- This post is for you perfectionist artists out there. You all know who you are.
Happy Reading!
