Brand (new) People

At the start of the year I was working on my business as a whole entity rather than just a way of selling and found a great website called Copyblogger and a series about branding your business there. Since then I have been working my way through all of the steps he suggests and I’m putting the step-by-step online. It’s a very useful site. Have a look if you’re interested/involved in small business marketing. This is the fourth part, the first is over here and the second is here and the third is here.
I’m still getting really lovely emails etc. from people about this series so I’m going to carry on for a bit longer.

In other news I am cold. Really cold. I’m down two radiators at the moment and a lot of our house doesn’t have double glazing. Send gloves. Please. To make up for the weather I am cooking even more than ever and playing around with a lot of new recipes while I still have the kitchen to myself. Unsurprisingly none of them are particularly healthy. I don’t care.

26. What gender is your audience?

I think most of my audience is probably female – from seeing the gender spread at both craft fairs and also on Etsy. My art is certainly not designed just to appeal to women but the demographics of the places that I sell is certainly skewed to female rather than male. I think that starting out in jewellery making means that my base audience is also more inclined to be women. Hopefully as I find more places to sell my artwork and cards as well as my jewellery I will get a more even mixture of men and women.

27. How old are they?

The audience for my art seems to be older than for the jewellery which is generally bought by a much wider age range. I am hoping after a few more craft fairs I will have a clear idea of my age-range as well as other social identifiers and should be better able to target my marketing after that.

28. What generational values do they have?I have no idea. When describing individual works, especially in my collages, it amazed me how different the styles were once I sat down and thought about it. I have some very traditional pieces which while still different as is the nature of collage work they are also quite conventional! I definitely have some more wacky pieces of art and definitely some much more modern bracelets.

29. What is their household income level?

Because the business is based on selling people something that they do not ‘need’ it is reasonable to think that most of my products are bought with extra income after necessities have been paid. I guess that means that my audience has enough to cover their means and then a little extra.

30. Where do they live?

One of the wonderful things about Etsy is that it’s worldwide and I ship anywhere. At the same time the best part of craft fairs is that you get to meet and talk to your local buyers. I like both aspects but I think that the majority of my audience would be local because I do much more business through craft fairs and the local shops that I sell in.

31. What are their hobbies and interests?

I would hope art. I know that most sellers on Etsy are also buyers. Same goes for craft fairs where most people with a stall end up buying something from another stall while they are there. However, if people are interested in jewellery making and collage then it’s unlikely they would therefore buy my products rather than using their own.

32. What is their marital status?

If my jewellery or art is bought as a gift for a partner I would be thrilled. Of course I think that my collages would make the perfect gift. Ahem. Otherwise I would say it’s probably a mixture of people.

33. Do they have kids?

Yes I think many of the people buying my products are likely to have children, more so with my jewellery than with the artwork. From seeing people at craft fairs and fetes I have had a lot of customers with children and they are often included in choosing pieces (I have lots of things that sparkle!).

34. Do they have pets?

I have no idea. Certainly nothing that I make is likely to particularly attract pet owners and I don’t keep any pets so it’s not likely to be something that we connect on.

35. What kind of computer are they likely to own (if any)?
They all use Windows because I put subliminal anti-Apple messages into all of my work. I am joking, of course. Etsy has apps for most types of technology, not all of them work well, certainly the Android one has bugs but I don’t think there should be any major issues. I would hope that people looked at my site, especially the Etsy parts on something bigger than a cell phone because it is so visual and thumbnails are not all that accurate. I also love meeting people at crafts fairs who have no idea that you can sell things online (yes, it does still happen sometimes) and naturally seeing things in the flesh is better and the tactile element is brilliant.

36. Do they have any special needs or health issues?

Nope. Well, they might. I have a disclaimer for small parts on my jewellery kit but if a kid swallows a piece of art in a frame…

37. What TV shows do they prefer?

I don’t have a clue. I don’t really watch TV so, erm, Radio 4?

38. What blogs do they read?

Well I guess it would be nice if they read this one. I think I tend to get a fair bit of exposure to new audiences through blogs and Etsy forums etc. and as I am trying to reach more people online through Etsy as well as local selling those people are likely to read blogs more regularly.

39. What other websites do they visit most often?

Etsy, Folksy, Craftsforum, Polyvore, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr, various online style magazines. And Google (well, it’s pretty likely isn’t it?). Again I am just guessing, I’ve never asked.

I’ve found most of this branding survey really useful but the next eleven questions really don’t seem relevant and are along the lines of “47. What is their greatest hope or dream?” Which I am sure I would just answer for myself, as we so often end up doing. So I am going to jump ahead in the next blog to question #51 which is dealing with competition. I’m looking forward to that as I sell craft products that are made my so many people. It’s a tough market and I think that looking at my competition will be really helpful.

Now I have a scarily long to-do list and a very good book to read so I must dash.
Happy weekend everyone,

Vick.

vclinde@gmail.com
www.vclinde.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vclinde
@vclinde

I Love U

Seriously, I really do love u.
Which is why I spell words: colour, honour, humour, favourite etc.
As I type this all of those words have squiggly red lines underneath them.
Blogger does not love u.
This is something I have been struggling with since I started trying to sell full time online. Especially on Etsy, it is an American site and about 70% of buyers are American (I think that's right).
Other problems come from talking about Jam/Jelly/Jello or trousers/pants and even  aluminium/aluminum.
A lot is made about SEO optimisation (optimization?) and so color and favorite are going to be searched much more than their British-English cousins. However I love spelling, I love English and I love u.
I am trying to use a mixture of British and American spelling to get as many hits on my products as possible but it would be nice to stick with one or the other. Neither is right or wrong but it does make things rather confusing both for seller and buyers.
For a witty and very clever approach to this have a look at Jasper Fforde's description of why the loveable u is less popular in America.

something else i love

Vick.
vclinde@gmail.com
www.vclinde.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vclinde
@vclinde

Brand (new) Thinking

At the start of the year I was working on my business as a whole entity rather than just a way of selling and found a great website called Copyblogger and a series about branding your business there. As an experiment I thought I would go through all of the steps he suggests and I’m putting the step-by-step online. It’s a very useful site. Have a look if you’re interested/involved in small business marketing. This is the third part, the first is over here and the second is here.
So far people have had really nice reactions and it seems to have been picked up on by other people wanting to re-brand their business.
The questions are divided into sections and these five questions are the end of one section, the next part is all about audience so I’m not doing ten here but just rounding this part off.

21. How do you describe what you do?

This is a great question and something I have struggled with since starting my business. I describe myself as an artist/jewellery designer and my work therefore as both art and design. Whether it’s family you see at a party, old friends you meet in the street or strangers, doing something creative is just plain difficult to describe. There tend to be several different reactions.

1. “Oh, that’s nice dear” (“Oh god, her poor parents must be so disappointed”)

2. “Really, how fascinating” (“Please, please don’t let her keep talking about this, it’s so dull”)

3. “Wow, that’s exciting, how did you end up doing that?” (“Why doesn’t she have a normal job? Oooh, maybe she was in prison!”)

4. "Right, yes, hmmm etc." ("I don't understand what, she's on about but I'll keep nodding")

5. “So, how do you balance your time/ where do you source materials/ what selling medium are you employing/ other detailed question” (“I’m genuinely interested, please tell me more”)
It tends to be more of the #1 and less of the #5 but the people who are interested more than make up for those who think I am a wasting my time and I do tend to waffle on about it when I find someone who will listen/can't escape me!

22. What are your goals?

I want to make a career out of my creative skills. My plans for the future are quite open ended, I don’t want to box myself in too much this early on because I’m still not certain what either myself, or other people want as yet. In practical terms I plan to make cards as well as collages, do some smaller pieces as well as much larger ones. I am enrolled in a silver-smith course at the moment and I hope to be able to bring my new skills into play when I have completed that.

23. What is your message?

I want to make people think. I love art where you find something new each time you look at it. As much as I enjoy art as beauty I also think that it needs to be a talking point, something that can be thought about on a basic visual level but also at a much deeper cognitive level. I might be aiming for a little much there but maybe I’ll land among the stars.

24. What are you really selling?
I am selling a 5x7 inch idea. I’m giving someone a new way of looking at the world. The thing that I love most about collages is that they juxtapose ideas that you would not normally see together. Gravestone lettering with stamps from Papua New Guinea, or glittered love hearts and old Latinate text. I can’t get enough of showing people how strangely different things can be brought together to make something beautiful that will complete a room.

25. What is your level of commitment?

My level of commitment is life-long but paycheck limited. I will do this for as long as I can afford to as a business and then it may have to return to a hobby. I hope that I can manage to be successful enough to keep doing this as a career. When people ask about the long term options I will always say that the risk or failing is worth the chance of having a career I love rather than returning to a world of work I by and large hated. I believe in the brand that I am creating and I think that it is both strong and flexible enough to cope with any changes that need to be made because of the market or a shift in my priorities.

To end on a high note – I will always be creating art and jewellery even if it is not making me money or is not my primary job.

So, that’s the third part of the branding. A brief business branding blog (don’t you just love alliteration?) this time around.

Vick.
vclinde@gmail.com

www.vclinde.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vclinde
@vclinde

Stamp Acts

It started with my grandfather, then got passed on to my grandmother who in turn passed it on to me.
The terrible family secret - we're philatelists.
My mother escaped relatively unharmed, although her collection is still around somewhere I think. Grandad had a lovely old stamp collecting book and when I was about eleven I started my own collection.
I know it sounds like an excuse for a very unpopular pastime (at least for people my age) but the reflection of history, art, popular culture, music, people and socio-political events is staggering on such a small canvas. You can trace events and trends all simply by looking at stamps.
No, I'm going to stop there but I can ramble on for a long time about how much I love the tiny little things.

There was a wonderful book I owned (it always comes back to a book) which had free-ish activities and crafts for kids and from there I found a company that used to send out hundreds of stamps for little money. It was £2 for 400 when I did it. I remember being really excited about the new £2 coins because it made it easier to send off for stamps.
Told you it was a problem.

And the lovely thing is that now my little geeky secret is part of my artwork. I have started using stamps in my collages and collage cards that I am making.
The artistry that is involved in stamps can really take my breath away. There are some truly beautiful and highly creative pieces which I will never use in a collage because, hand on my heart, they are tacked up on my wall.
Needless to say this combination of art and stamp-geek is joyful and shall continue.

Oh and the boxes that hold the stamps that haven't been sorted were not originally mine. Not sure you can even buy B&H in gold boxes anymore. They belonged to my grandad, a little nod to my philatelist background.
Off now to see if I can find that mail-order stamp company again...


Vick.
vclinde@gmail.com

www.vclinde.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vclinde
@vclinde

Brand (new) Plan

About a week ago I was working on my business as a whole entity rather than just a way of selling and found a great website called Copyblogger and a series about branding your business there. As an experiment I thought I would go through all of the steps he suggests and I’m putting the step-by-step online. It’s a very useful site. Have a look if you’re interested/involved in small business marketing. This is the second part, the first is over here.

I am doing the second part because the first part had the most positive response to anything I’ve ever put up on here, which was lovely.

It’s also great timing because it coincides with something that is going on over at Etsy. There is a newsletter for sellers called Etsy Success which is run by a lovely lady called Danielle and she is currently running a Shop Makeover. I opened the email and the very first thing looking back at me was called Building Your Brand. Perfect!

So, here goes part two.

11. What do you plan to offer?

I am hoping to keep adding to my range depending on what people respond well to. I am going to sell my jewellery at craft fairs and in shops and keep online selling limited to collage work. At the moment I am working on a range of greeting cards to be sold either in bundles or individually. If that goes well I might work on prints, digital copies of my collages and then branching out into other paper goods. It would also be great if I could offer more custom designs and have that as a service providing branch of the business. I hope that my text and image collages remain as the flagship product at least for the moment.

12. What makes you unique?

Many things I hope.  I guess I have to thank my grandmother for a lot of my quirks but experience probably has a lot to do with it as well.

This actually seems the most personal of all of these questions. I don’t think I can summarise what makes me unique and I’m not sure that I know either.

13. What hobbies or interests do you have?

I love walking. I adore the ocean and beachcombing. I don’t think travelling is particularly unusual as a hobby but I find a lot of my inspiration from places I visit. I take a lot of photographs – which obviously ties into my collages as that’s where a lot of the material comes from. I try to do as much gardening as I can but that usually depends on the weather! Most of my interests come through in my artworks.

14. What are your core beliefs?

Creativity good = ordinary life bad.

Other people may be smarter or richer but that doesn’t mean that they know best or are doing things the right way for you.

People will always surprise you, sometimes in a good way and sometimes not.

Don’t plan too far ahead, it won’t work.

The most interesting people are rarely found at swanky dinner parties or clubs but in the local shop or next to you on a train, everyone has a story.

Two very normal things in combination can be completely extraordinary.

15. What makes you uncomfortable?

I don’t like talking on the telephone – I always put it off as long as possible when I have to do it. I would rather talk to people face-to-face or email them. I’m not a fan of self-promoting, which is tough because that’s all I’m doing at the moment. I hate telling people that the things I make are good (my toes involuntarily curled just typing that). But I like my work, I just hope others do as well. Lots of other things make me uncomfortable but they have nothing at all to do with business. (Being given small children to hold, people talking loudly in libraries, walking into a pub/restaurant to meet people and not knowing where they are sitting, being set up on dates by well-meaning friends etc…)

16. If money were no object, and you could do anything you wanted for “work,” would you still do what you’re doing now?

Yes. I’d probably buy more expensive materials but otherwise this is what I would spend my time doing and then give the products to a charity to sell.

One of the new card ideas

17. What are your favorite colors?

I would love to know other people’s favourite colours. I love blue, my favourite gemstone is blue Tanzanite, I like blue clothes and blue flowers. I’m not a bit fan of yellow, mostly because it looks terrible with my skin tone but I really do like and appreciate all colours. I have been trying to work out what colours are popular with my collages but all I can see is that there is no pattern! Something that I know from Etsy is that it is useful to link specific colours with emotive descriptors to help people find what they are looking for.

18. Is there a specific design style that you really like?

I’m a traditionalist in most areas but I like mixing that with absurdist themes. I think a lot of collages can get boring if you don’t tweak things to change perceptions. Most of my materials are traditional but I mix bright colours with gravestone lettering to mess around with the genre. I don’t think traditional equates to boring but rather to a great familiar platform that is a lot of fun to play around with.

19. What emotion(s) do people associate with you?

Oh dear. Stubborn I would imagine, stroppy or maybe determined. I hope creative. I do try to be kind. I think that a lot of flaws can be forgiven if you try to be good and do good. I just hope people don’t find me boring or average that would be about the worst thing that someone could say about me. I guess this is really a question for other people rather than me.

20. What brands / designs from other companies make you jealous?

There are so many great designs that you can see all of the time. I admire people who have different talents than I have because I wish I could be like them. I admire people who have similar talents to mine because I know the work that goes into them. I tend not to get inspiration from other artists whose work is similar to mine, partly because that feels like stealing and partly because it tends to be very new ideas which inspire me the most. Andrew Zuckerman’s photography takes my breath away, Colin McCahon’s art is my favourite in the world. I tend to get a lot of inspiration from other sellers on Etsy and when I do I either add them to my favourites or plonk them in my next treasury so if you’re really interested then that’s where to look.

Part two done and dusted. I really do hope people are still interested in this, if nothing else it is great to be able to try and sort through my ideas about my business. It's also fab having this online so that I can look at it if I need reminding of what I am doing, and by writing things down hopefully I will stick to the plan more closely.

Vick.
vclinde@gmail.com

www.vclinde.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vclinde
@vclinde