As part of my general marketing strategy, I have been trying out various forums and places to get involved. Up until recently I have been keeping this more-or-less confined to jewelry and arts-related sites. I have accounts with Wire Wrapped Jewelry (a Yahoo group) and it's sister groups, Lampworkers Etc., the Guild of Wire Jewelry Artists, Art Jewelry Magazine, Step-by-Step Wire, the Orchid Forum (by Ganoksin), JewelryLessons.com, JewelryGeeks.com, etsy, MN Artists, Creative Wire Jewelry, Sunshine Artist, Twitter, LinkedIn, and possibly a few more. Not surprisingly, it is not possible to keep up with every outlet. I am active in some forums, a regular lurker in others, an occasional visitor to a few, and the rest, well, I just don't have time for everything!
Now enter Facebook. I have been reluctant to join, but finally did so a few weeks ago, almost on a whim. The first weeks were frustrating because Facebook is complex and rich, but there isn't really a user-guide, per se, and for something that complicated, I need a guide! There is a "Help" section, but it is only vaguely helpful. I finally discovered that books written by third parties DO exist, such as Facebook for Dummies and The Missing Manual. I haven't looked at those, but I did get a copy of I'm on Facebook - Now What?. This is a slim volume, and I had to grit my teeth through a few grammatical and editing errors on the first page, but overall, this is a useful little book if you want some input into promoting your business on Facebook.
I found that not only is Facebook a great way to stay in touch with friends near and far, but it might be a useful way to increase my own exposure in ways I hadn't imagined. Today I put together a Page for my business, JanRa Jewelry Designs. I will be exploring how to promote this page in the coming weeks. My hope is that increased exposure will result in increased sales through my website, or people searching me out when I travel to art shows over the summer. This year promises to be more challenging than last year, in terms of sales, and I am determined to do everything I can to make sure my business survives.
If you are on Facebook, visit my Page and write on my Wall! Send me links to your Page as well!
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About Me
- Jan-Ra
- My journey here has been a bit convoluted. I have a B.A. in Biology (Carleton College) and an M.S. in Wildlife Conservation (U. of MN). I used neither degree professionally, however, and spent 13 years as a licensed remodeling contractor. I have more power tools than most men! My need to work with my hands, however, has grown stronger over the years, and making jewelry is the current manifestation of that need. This blog is primarily about sharing my explorations in creating , marketing, and selling my work, with a dose of personal life thrown in for good measure!
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