This episode is all about the risks of building your creative business on the backs of other businesses - namely social media platforms and marketplaces - like Etsy. These are platforms where the customers and users are not yours, where you can be removed at any time and where algorithms are created to support the platform's goals - not yours. So, what can you do instead?
Read MoreYou’ve made or created the thing. You’ve put it on social media and your website or Etsy. But nobody has bought it. So how the heck are you supposed to find your customers?? Melissa and Heather do a deep dive into how to find your people - and how to sell to them without it being weird or uncomfortable - even if you’re an introvert or shy (or both).
Read MoreWith so many of this season's guests asking me off air whether or not they should start a podcast and how to get started, I thought it might be time to do an episode on the ins and outs of podcasting for a creative business. So today, with 140+ episodes in the can, I take a deep dive into the pros and cons of podcasting for creatives, and how to get started in 2024!
Read MoreAs working creatives, giving our audience, clients and supporters the opportunity to connect with us on a deeper level is so important to building a healthy business. But equally important, as women, we need to get past our fear of taking up space and instead, embrace being seen. Intimate portrait and personal branding photographer Michele Matues shares her journey as a photographer who empowers women and shows us how much getting out from behind our work and in front of the camera can mean to our business... and to ourselves.
Read MoreTired of struggling to get traffic to your website or Etsy shop? Unleash the power of blogging. It can help you build traffic and SEO for your creative business as well as improve brand awareness, visibility and customer and client engagement.
Read MoreHow do you manage inventory and demand in your creative business? Do you use and market a scarcity model? An urgency model? Or an always available model? We walk you through each of these and outline the pros and cons of each as well as showing you how you can use a mix of all three in your creative business!
Read MoreThis week, Toronto based podcaster and c+p digital co-founder, Susan Diaz joins Melissa to talk about how creatives, artists and makers can get smarter and more efficient about making social media work for them - without wanting to pull their hair out or needing to be digital content creators.
The secret? Repurposing content. Susan breaks it down for us this very practical and sanity saving episode!
You don't need to be a writer or a blogger to grow your creative business with ebooks. Melissa and guest Kristen Raney discuss how having an ebook strategy for your business can create new revenue streams, grow your community, your brand and establish you as a thought leader! We walk you through the whole process.
Read MoreAs a creative entrepreneur, when your personal values and your business values don't align, it can leave you feeling out of whack and a little bit icky. Melissa and regular guest host Heather Travis get into why it's important to get them into alignment and how to tackle this really big task!
Read MoreAfter sharing 20 Email Newsletter Ideas for Your Creative Business a few weeks ago, one question kept coming in... what the heck is a Forever Series? So this week, I'm sharing what it is, why you need one and why this might be the hardest working tool in your creative business toolbox (and one of the easiest to set up and keep going!).
Read MoreYou have an email list. You know you should be talking to your subscribers but... you have NO IDEA what to send them! Melissa & Heather give you 20 email newsletter ideas to help you engage with your subscribers, build a community around your work and... make money! You don't have to be sales-y all the time - the first four letters in newsletter are NEWS. But, remember, you can always ask for the sale. It just doesn't always have to be the prime focus of every newsletter!
Read MoreQ4 is less than 3 months away and there's a lot to do. In this episode Melissa & Heather give you loads of tips & strategies to get the heavy lifting done now so you can focus on selling and shipping this fall and winter. We're talking about designing products, building up stock, getting systems in place, planning your promotions, developing and communicating your shipping and refund policies, evaluating if you need help and lots more!
Read MoreCopywriter Natalie Gates turned her childhood love of writing into a career and now she uses those skills to help other creatives communicate with their customers and clients through great copy. This week she shares her best tips so you can do the same for your creative business.
Read MoreThis week LinkedIn expert Louise Brogan joins the podcast to talk about why artists and creative small business owners need to be on LinkedIn, the opportunities you're missing out on if you're not on the platform and her best LinkedIn tips to get started.
Read MoreMaking the thing is only the first step in selling your work. As fabulous as it would be, nobody will knock on your door asking if you have something to sell. In this episode Melissa & Heather talk about what you need to do to get your work out there, whether you write, design, compose, film, make, paint, or craft. This episode is for anyone who struggles to get their work seen, who struggles to make sales or who struggles with self-promotion (yes - there's some mindset work in here!)
Read MoreMelissa and Ayngelina Brogan talk about how to set goals in work and life as your creative business enters a new year that's shrouded in uncertainty.
Read MoreIn Episode 36 of the podcast, Melissa and Heather Travis pool their 20+ years of combined experience in the influencer marketing space to tell you everything you need to know before hiring bloggers, instagrammers and other digital content creators to help grow your creative small business's brand. We share our tips on what to do, what not do to and the big red flags you need to watch out for!
Read MoreThis week, Melissa talks with Puneeta Chhitwal Varma about how she has grown her exposure and her creative business by appearing on local and national TV programs like The Social, CBC, and Global. She shares tips for connecting with producers, pitching your ideas, prepping for your segments, connecting with the anchors and hosts and going live!
Read MoreMedia Kits are not just for digital content creators. Whether you're an artist, a maker or a creative, if you have a creative small business you need a media kit as part of your marketing toolbox. Melissa and Heather Travis talk about what media kits are, what they can do for you and your creative business and how they're different from Press Kits, Rate Cards and Sell Sheets.
Read MoreIn Episode 22 we talk about how to promote yourself and your work without relying so much on social media. Heather Travis puts on her PR hat and we give you tons of tips and tricks to DIY your own press and marketing and have success with it! This episode is jam packed with all kind of grass roots marketing ideas to help you move your business forward in your community - even if you're a digital content creator.
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