My new microphone makes a debut in this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast (hooray for improved sound quality!). I chat with Tara Swiger and Stacey Trock about marketing tools and strategies for small creative businesses.
I met Tara a few months ago when she was in Boston teaching some workshops. We went out for coffee and instantly clicked. Tara has a deep understanding of the kinds of issues that creative people run into when they’re working to turn their hobby into a full-fledged business. She’s written a book and runs several online classes, that will give you the tools you need to be both successful and happy doing what you love. I encourage you to visit Tara online to learn more.
I’ve also gotten to know Stacey in real life. Last spring she stayed with me and my family while she was in Boston teaching and we did a book signing together. Stacey is a frequent guest on the show not only because we’re good friends, but also because Stacey is full of incredible ideas for making a small business successful. Her crochet design business, FreshStitches, is an amazing thing to behold and I learn from her every time we talk.
In this episode…
Tara talks about:
Stacey talks about:
- WordPress plugins that encourage visitors to take actions, specifically What Would Seth Godin Do and Slick Social Share
- Etsy Success videos and workshops, including The Art of Pricing for Profit
- Using TweetDeck and Buffer to manage your social sharing
And I talk about:
- Tips for composing an effective email
- Email signatures
- Being polite and responsive
We also delve a bit into how to share (or not) on social media in the face of national and international disasters and tragedies. This is an interesting topic that I hope we’ll be able to flesh out more in a future show.
In the meantime, listen to the show by clicking the arrow below, or download all of the episodes for free in iTunes. Thank you!
I really enjoyed your podcast, I’m now subscribing through iTunes. While I have a self funding (ish!) hobby rather than a small business I still found it interesting, thank you for taking the time to put it together.
Excellent! I keep meaning to tune in and then putting it off – glad I made time for this one today : ) Now to go back and listen to a few more. As always, thank you for the fabulous content!
Good tip about “let me know”, Abby! I’m an offender with that one, but agree completely that a specific questions like “when can we talk next week?” or “which sample would you like me to send you?” is a lot more efficient, actionable and concise!
Great podcast episode!
That’s terrific, Sarah! Thank you for listening.
You’re very welcome!
It’s so hard to break the “let me know” habit! I’ve found myself slipping several times this week. But I think it’s better to try to use a more actionable ending to an email.
Thanks for listening, Mei!
Popped over from Freshstitches.com and really enjoyed the podcast! Thanks!
Thank you so much for listening, Aimee!