All Things Metal Clay
An Expert Guide to Making & Selling Jewelry

Today’s post is a guest post from Barbara Rozgonyi.

Butterflies used to be my visual brand. Why? Because I like photographing them and with the tagline “Marketing Transformations,” I though they were a natural fit. So I posted a series on my site: one for every page. But, did the images fit the brand?

Here’s a replay of an article about branding methods, updated to merge with today’s contemporary takes.

Ten Branding Methods: Butterflies and Rainbows Optional
by Barbara Rozgonyi, founder of CoryWest Media, LLC

Do your customers see you as the company or person you think you are? You can define your business and personal branding style with values, messaging and images that match the perception you want to project. In this article, you’ll take a look at the variety in the ways you can brand yourself and your company. Being consistent across the board builds brand equity and makes it easier for your customers to recruit new prospects for you.

1. Identity Design – logos, layouts, look must match your brand

00While you may be a fashion plate, your business doesn’t have to be. Are your
customers conservative? Then go with a strong, yet neutral image. If you’re confused about your look, your prospects will pick up on that. Interview a few graphic designers and don’t think about cost – at least at first. Investing thousands in an image pays off as your look becomes well-known. Or, you can outsource your image project to a company like CrowdSpring who has 45,000 designers ready to work on your project.

2. Virtual – Search results, Social Networking Sites

What’s your virtual branding profile? It’s easy to find out. Search for your name or company in several search engines. Click on news and images to see what’s out there. If you’re on LinkedIn , Facebook or flickr, your crowd is your brand. Be careful about who you associate with and always check profiles before you accept invitation.

3. Multimedia – videos, audios, podcasts, radio shows
If you’re a speaker or want to be interviewed as an expert, you need at least one
video. Recording audios is less intimidating than shooting a video, but seeing is
believing. Podcast short interview or tips to build up an audio library. Offering
multimedia products positions you as being ahead of the game.

4. Word of Mouth – what’s your reputation?
What do people say about you or your company? If you ask your best customers, they’ll tell you what you want to hear. Search in forums to see who’s talking about you. Set up a survey to get anonymous feedback.

5. Awareness – do people know about you?
Some businesses and organizations think everybody knows who they are and what they do. Probably not. Employees may not even have the story straight. Think about how much awareness you need versus what you want. It’s okay if your major clients know who you are and what you do, but your neighbor only knows you grow roses.

6. Personality – what are your traits?
Do you tolerate change or fight it? What do you champion? Realize that your
personality won’t click with everyone. That’s good. You want to attract people who like you. The ones who don’t will naturally go away and find someone who suits them.

7. People- who represents you – board members, staff, partners?
Cloning the perfect employee won’t work, but you can teach everyone who represents you to model the same public image with messaging, language and ethics training so that anyone who comes in contact with one of your representatives will recognize your company right away.

8. Experience – what is your customer experience, could it be better, different,
more impactful?
Everyone’s customer experience is part of their brand. Don’t be fabulous one day and mediocre the next. Aim for a level experience that’s set to high standards and be ready to react right away if something goes awry.

9. Community – who carries out your message????
Grow your own community and communicate with them frequently. If you do it right, you’ll know what’s on their mind and how you can better serve them.

10. Word of Mouth
The trickiest to manage and the most powerful branding of all, word of mouth is how your customers and prospects talk about you to their own community. Strategic public relations campaigns can fuel word of mouth and energize a company.

Barbara Rozgonyi is an entrepreneur, consultant, speaker and trainer who shows businesses how to wire marketing, social media, public relations and storytelling together to grow business, build brands and connect with communities. For more information, visit www.wiredPRworks.com.

At least twice a week, someone says to me, “I just don’t get twitter.” Do you get it? Are you on?

Barbara Rozgonyi of Wired PR Works has put together a guide to twitter, here: http://thetwitterguide.com

You can follow me on twitter at @ElaineLuther

Image is by Sparky Firepants.

Tags: social media, twitter

This post began as a post on the Orchid forum, in a thread called the Myth of Talent. Visit Orchid at ganoksin.com

by Michael Johnson

Now, on the question of somebody doing something very creative and extraordinarily unique for years and then someone new person comes along and does these same things and taking the credit of “ART” –

Art is merely marketing. You can be as creative as you want, but if you sell your work to the laymen for pennies you will never attain the level of “ART” within the greater scope of civilization. It’s sad but true. There is no governing body of the fine art world. It is merely a branding usually given by self-imposed authorities within the educated. No one is out there scouting out new talent for the fine arts. And, if one was out selling to art and craft market trade days on the streets, I promice you that the art world will never give you a second glance. There are levels within the level of “ART.”

As a once professor of fine art at a major college, I can tell you that academic artists are not encouraged to sell at all. Most people written about within the world of art are not making things to sell.

They live off of grants given by benefactors, universities, and some governments. They are encouraged to show their works to provide stuff for other collegiate types to write about. Oh yeah, some sell their works. But, it is understood within the academics that true academic art is not a commodity.

Then there is a level of art that a commodity. But, like I said earlier it is in the marketing. Why does Valentino dress sell for more than a Wal-Mart dress? Would someone who would buy a Valentino dress ever buy a Wal- Mart dress, even if it was better quality or creativity? Absolutely NOT.

My advice is to stay out of Etsy and the street fairs if you ever want a better return on your goods. Will you starve while waiting for someone to buy one of your creations for top dollar? Maybe. But, this might just be where the term starving artist came from, LOL. You can hate the game all you want. You can dis it. You can put it down, but the beauty is in the truth. You can never bring this system down, despite how much you hate it. People with money buy overpriced stuff everyday, just to have that label or name on their over priced stuff.

Don’t hate the playa, hate the game. But, this is why I do not sell my work at fairs, cheapy galleries, or Etsy. You can do what you want, but I’d rather wait and sell a few pieces of semi-precious rocks for the price of a diamond. I may not sell as much, but I don’t have to bust my butt for dimes and nickels. And, mind how you sell as much as you mind what you sell. It can make a huge difference.

Peace

Visit Michael online:
">http://cosmicfolklore.com
http://cosmicfolklore.ganoksin.com/blogs

Update: Michael adds in the comments:

Oh wow, I didn’t realize that it was going to be a direct quote, but that’s OK. I am honored )

First, this was a quick reply in a forum, so there are big gaps that have really got to be filled in for a layman to really get a grasp of what exactly I was talking about.

Part of this was addressing some people who were stating things related to stereotypes, “artists are eccentric, artists are those who are the best in their field, and why is it that someone selling something at a flea market can be better than someone with mediocre techniques who has a gallery.”

Before some of this can be really addressed well, you would first have to understand a little about “aesthetics.” Aesthetics is a word that has several different definitions, but the one that I am talking about is the philosophical inquiry into what is art and what is beauty. The main thing that would separate an artist from a craftsman is that a craftsman is someone who just focuses on the techniques of creation. An artist is one who has studied art and the meaning of art. They define it within self imposed perimeters they would call a personal aesthetic. And, the technique would just be the vehicle of expression of this aesthetic. Therefore a craftsman is one who is more concerned with the techniques, and an artist is one who is just using the technique to express, define, or relate an idea. It gets tricky. But I have other articles that may help:

http://news.deviantart.com/article/68106
and http://news.deviantart.com/article/70594

As to my statement about selling the work. If you want to be carried by a gallery, first learn what a gallery expects. Many complain about galleries doubling or tripling the initial asking price that an artist wants. You can whine all you want, but if a gallery is moving your work, and you are getting your asking price, let them take whatever fee they want. Otherwise, sell it yourself. Marketing is expensive, and some of that money is going back into promoting you.

Galleries are also not going to want you to compete against them. There are a range of types and levels of galleries. Some are craft galleries, and some art, but either way, think about how silly it would be to carry the work of someone who is going to sell their work for less somewhere else. Why would I buy the work of “so-and-so” for three thousand at the gallery, when I can go online and get it for a thousand, or the craft fair, or the home studio? It would be a better deal for a gallery to go with someone who is not marketing their own work at all.

“But, but, but Mr. Johnson, I just want to sell some of this stuff to keep making more stuff…” Hey, don’t hate me, hate the game. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with selling your own work. If your goal is to simply make money, then do so. It is perfectly respectable to set up at fairs and use Etsy.com to sell you work. Just keep in mind that doing so excludes most galleries from ever carrying your work. But, many great craftsmen market their own works very successfully. Once you are in the gallery scene, you can market for yourself, but just never undercut the galleries. Use the same mark-up as the gallery when doing so.

“Ahhhh, but Mr. Johnson, if the price is too high no one will buy it…” If selling is the main goal, if you feel as though making as many sells as possible is what it takes for you, then don’t fret. Just do what you are going to do anyway. An artist doesn’t see his or her work as just a commodity. To me the goal is not just to make a sale. Sells are great. I love having my work worn, but ultimately I want to be able to express something greater than just making a thing to be worn. I want to express something greater than the materials that I am using. A craftsman makes things to sell. An artist has a desire to express, inspire, and relate something greater. One is not better than the other.

Thanks for using my post. I hope that this helps clarify a bit )
Happy Making!!!

Visit Michael online:
">http://cosmicfolklore.com
http://cosmicfolklore.ganoksin.com/blogs

Paper Quilling from Ann Martin on Vimeo.

Have you ever wanted to try quilling with metal clay paper type? Here’s a video on how to quill with paper. Here’s a link to the artist’s supply list and instructions at her blog, All Things Paper: http://allthingspaper-annmartin.blogspot.com.

Don’t have that website up yet? How’s the chance to win $100,000 sound as a motivator?

Shopify is having a contest, details here: http://www.storecontest.com.

Merry Christmas Eve, and visit Healthy-family.org for the tale of the battle of the egg nogs!

Deadline: January 12, 2010

Fire Mountain writes:

Art Clay®, Metal Beads, Wirework & Chain
Be the next Grand Prize Winner and Internationally Published Designer-Artist in the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads Art Clay®, Metal Beads, Wirework & Chain Contest. Push the design envelope with metal creations, including Art Clay®, jumprings, metal beads, wirework and chain.

Details here: http://www.firemountaingems.com

via Jewelry and Beading at Blisstree.com

Here’s a how-to video on CopprClay from RioGrande.

Once you’ve tried it out and have some pictures to share, add them to the CopprClay group on Flickr.

Thanks for Patrick Kusek for the video, seen on his site – www.patriksstudio.com.