Make. Do. Study/Dane County, WI Artists

        Welcome to JNS Creative Vision...

                social media solutions for creative business 

I work with artists and other creative business  as a marketing consultant.

 

Fall Still Life © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

 

I'm also a working artist, a fine art  photographer. 

To view my photographs please visit: Studio Notes .

 Because I 've lived in Madison, Wisconsin since 1981 and have known and worked with many others involved in the creative sector, the need for affordable studio space is an old story. Much to my delight, it appears that this story may finally have someone listening to it. 

 

Three days ago I received an email from the Dane County Department of Planning and Development. Included was a four page White Paper: Make. Do. Space for Creative Endeavors, that had quotes from artists and creative workers surveyed in 2010 for the City of Madison Cultural Plan.  Respondents

 

"were most dissatisfied with the sufficiency of Affordable Space including spaces for production, studio, storage, rehearsal, administration, experimentation, growing, or display spaces, with over half (55.6%) of all respondents choosing the descriptors 'poor' or 'weak.'"

 

The Madison Cultural Plan goes on to conclude:

"In fact the preeminent finding of the Madison Cultural Plan 2011 is this: Madison is a community rich with creative characteristics, energy, and activity of nearly every sort, but it is bereft of an infrastructure to sustain and grow those riches and to capture their value."

Madison lies within Dane County. The County, opening it's doors wide for economic and community development, is now very interested in facilitating the matching of artists with art patrons and property owners to identify problems or needed resources to encourage a successful creative economy.

  Make. Do. Space for Creative Endeavors.

To quote from the project overview on the Dane County Department of Planning and Development webpage :

 "Artists living in Dane County have identified the access to affordable work and rehearsal space as their most critical need. Meanwhile, many vacant and underutilized commercial, industrial and other nonresidential buildings go unrented, sitting on the market for months or even years. Why aren’t these two groups getting together? A new study from the Dane County Department of Planning and Development hopes to find the answer to that question."

Brian Standing, Senior Planner at Dane County Planning & Development, has given me permission to post the Make. Do. Survey Results presentation that he gave last week at a workshop for artists. He also mentioned in his email:

"We hope to schedule more events soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more information.  In the meantime, feel free to send me (standing@countyofdane.com) 

or 

Pam Andros ( andros@countyofdane.com) 

any questions, comments or thoughts."

 

 This is a wonderful opportunity to make your voices heard. If you need working space, now is the time to speak up!

p.s. Please visit  JNS Creative Vision on Facebook.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/114176264
Make. Do. Survey Results Presentation

Building an Artist Brand on Twitter

Welcome to JNS Creative Vision...

        social media solutions for creative business

Autumn Afternoon © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

Building an Artist Brand on Twitter

Twitter is one of the quickest ways to build brand recognition for your art business.

 What does brand mean in relation to your art?

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”

A strong brand communicates credibility to your prospective customers and business associates. You want your brand, your work, to find a place in the hearts and minds of your clients, collectors and prospective customers.

Twitter is the perfect site to begin branding your art business online. Remember to use it wisely. The world doesn't need to know, or even care about, your breakfast menu. You'll find many intelligent people sharing links, news, photos, websites, blog posts, videos, podcasts and more.

Finding and networking with these individuals is very important for the artist/business owner.

My short list of suggestions on building your brand on Twitter:

    Create a "brand" name when you pick your Twitter name. Your name, represented by the @ symbol in front of it, is the first thing people will see on Twitter. You want people to associate it with your business. I picked "JanJava" when I opened my Twitter account, because our coffee maker had just broken and I was finding it difficult to think coherently without "java". [Do as I suggest, not as I do.]

    Write a catchy, keyword rich, profile and bio. Choose your profile statement carefully. Use this great opportunity to brand yourself and your business  and tell the world about who and what you are. Make your statement "catchy" and memorable to help people quickly decide if they want to follow you.

    Upload a friendly, professional headshot for your profile photo. People relate to other people. If you're totally uncomfortable with using an image of yourself, pick a quality photo of your artwork that represents you and grabs attention.

    Link to your website/blog from your profile page. Twitter will drive traffic to your site if you add your website/blog address to your profile. Make sure your portfolio is easily accessible on your website.

    Choose the best time of day to tweet. Research when your target market is using Twitter [I suggest: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Twitter-Use-2012.aspx] and schedule your tweets for those days and hours. Both HootSuite: http://hootsuite.com/ and Buffer: http://bufferapp.com/ allow you to schedule your tweets.

    Follow people and organizations that could help your career as an artist and are of value to your business. Valuable connections could be galleries, museums, curators, collectors, art coaches, fellow artists, art critics and others you would like to be seen by.

    Post helpful information.  Re-tweet or tweet high quality, relevant content that adds value for your followers. Remember that people are looking for information of value to read and share/re-tweet with their followers. Share a favorite quote,  mention a recent gallery opening, provide registration information on art workshops. You can add personal promotional information, but a little goes a very long way. Approximately ninety percent of your tweets should contain educational/informational content. Social media is not meant to be used solely for broadcasting and blowing your own horn. Remember to be consistent with tweeting. Relevant messages scheduled two to four times a day will not be overwhelming. Your goal is to build a small community of followers with similar interests who will recognize your name and your brand.

 

   Don't forget to re-tweet and credit others for ideas and quotes. Re-tweeting is the act of tweeting someone's original tweet because you think it would be valuable information for your followers. Re-tweets begin with "RT@so-and-so" and then contain the original tweet. They're a great way to capture the attention of an art organization, gallery or someone you would like to have follow you.

    Be polite and follow the rules of social media etiquette. Thank people for re-tweeting and replying to your tweets. Don't worry if you lose a follower or two once in a while. It happens every day and isn't a big deal. Be a human being, not a marketing bot. Constantly direct messaging people to visit your website, blog or artwork is the quickest way to being labeled a spammer.

    Honor the golden rule, it applies to Twitter and all of the other elements of life. Be kind, don't tweet if you have nothing of value to say and respect the intelligence of your followers.

 

I work with artists, creative business owners and nonprofits interested in entering or expanding their social media marketing presence. 

 

 

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