You’ve got to market and promote your business. I know you’ve heard that, right?

Do you make it a regular practice? Or, do you shy away from promoting your business, because you don’t want to come off looking like a tacky used car salesman? If you fall into the latter group or want some creative, real life examples of creative entrepreneurs who market their businesses really well, keep reading.

1. Use colorful, creative language that speaks to your audience like Mayi Carles.

In your product descriptions and on your sales pages, you want to use language that provokes emotion in your target market. You want your audience to connect with what you’re saying. If they do, they won’t feel “sold to.”

Instead, they’ll feel like you’re talking directly to them. Don’t copy what everyone else in your niche is saying. Be original and you’ll stand out. Here’s an example of how Mayi Carles from heartmade does this extremely well on her consulting sales page.

“Think of me as your personal pocket-size creative biz fairy with ruthless outside-the-box solutions for your one of a kind dilemmas + off-the-hook cheerleading skills that help you find + exploit + unleash your inner supernova. Pragmatism + poeticism in a bottle baby. Pow!”

2. Use story to show potential customers how your products are unique like Danielle Spurge.

Do you know what makes your products different from other products in your niche? Do you communicate this with your customers? If you don’t, let’s start with the fact that you made it. You conceptualized it. Something inspired you to make it.

There’s a story with almost all handmade products, and your customers want to know that story. They want to be able to tell others the story, so share it. Danielle Spurge from The Merriweather Council is a pro at using bits and pieces of story in her product descriptions.

Here’s an example from one of her embroidered hoop art product descriptions:

“Wishbone stitch circles are little explorations in color, based on memories, and travels both near and far. They are abstractions, objects to provoke nostalgia, and the warm and fuzzies. They are sort of like poems; simple but meaningful.

I stitched this while sitting outside this summer – it was a wonderfully sunny day but a hurricane was in the forecast. This is what that day felt like to me.”

3. Get your customers and fans involved with your business on Facebook like Lisa Lehmann.

Promoting your biz on social media must be balanced with interaction and conversation. If you’re only out to promote yourself, social media won’t work for you. People will tune you out and stop following you. That’s why it’s important to interact with your fans on Facebook.

Ask them questions. Respond to them. Make them feel appreciated and as if they’re a part of your business. Lisa Lehmann from Studio Jewel has over 2,200 people following her on Facebook, and she does an amazing job of getting her fans involved in the conversation. Here are a few recent posts from her Facebook wall:

“Hello friends! I hope your first day of November was excellent!”

“So, have you started Christmas shopping yet? Or are you one of “those” that waits until the last minute?”

“Are you ready for a spooktacular Monday? So…are you dressing up? If so…what’s your costume?”

“Good Morning! Received this note last night…made my heart happy.

Love, love, love it! Thank you so much! …and when I gave it to my LOVE it brought tears to his eyes. He loves it!! And it still makes me want to cry when I think of the look on his face.

(she bought a love token and customized the message)”

That last one was a clever way to include a testimonial right on her Facebook wall. She sells jewelry, but she engages her followers by talking about lots of stuff other than jewelry.

4. Be yourself and engage in conversation on Twitter more than you promote your biz like Jessica Van Den.

I definitely can’t write a post like this and not include you, Jess. You know what I hate more than anything on Twitter? When someone asks me why I’m not following them and I take a look at their Twitter page and it’s just filled with links to the person’s Etsy shop. Of course, I’m not following.

You’ve got to make interaction and conversation your number one priority on Twitter. If you do, success will follow. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t promote your stuff—it just means that promotional tweets shouldn’t make up the majority of your Twitter page. Take a minute to look at Jess’s Twitter page. It’s all about engagement, right? That’s why she’s got over 4,000 followers.

{Note from Jess… aww, thanks April!!}

5. Promote your products and services with creative, fun-filled videos like Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift.

These ladies know how to have fun with a launch. They sing, play ukuleles, say things like “almost nudie,” and have a host that they’ve created, Pierre. If you haven’t seen the video on this page for The Declaration of You, I highly recommend you check it out to get
inspired by their creativity. Make your videos entertaining to watch and your audience will beg you for more—and they’ll promote your videos for you.

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April Bowles-Olin helps creative entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality through her website, Blacksburg Belle, where she writes about marketing, blogging, and increasing business success. Want more information on marketing your creative biz? Check out
April’s digital guide, Marketing for Creatives: How to Spread Your Message and Boost Your Sales.

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Image by The Merriweather Council

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