Top 3 Tools to Market Your Business (when you’d rather be creating)

Myth: Professional storytellers spend all their time researching and sharing stories.

Truth: Storytellers spend most of their time marketing themselves.

Lesson: Just about every small business owner, regardless of discipline, is also a full-time marketer.

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After attending a recent puppet show and chatting with storyteller and professional puppeteer Penny Walter, I did a bit of digging into the business-side of storytelling. I wondered, for people who spend so much time creating, isn’t it hard to find time to market yourself?

In the most recent issue of The National Storytelling Network, I loved what guest editor K. Sean Buvala had to say on the subject of building a successful small business as a creative person. We just missed out on highlighting his “Storytelling Boot Camp” that took place last week in Arizona (read his recap here). So, to tide us over until next year, here are some quick tips about how to make your business a success!

Note: While the following quick tips were originally written for storytellers, they seem to be sage advice for any any teacher or educator who is building a businesses around selling their craft — be that soap-making, singing or anything in between.

Top 3 Tools to Market Your Biz:

1. Get great business cards
   
2. Develop an awesome online presence
3. Postcards, postcards, postcards

Art from the cover of NSN’s “Storytelling Magazine” by illustrator Gina Perry

Ok, so… in case you need a bit more detail, here’s some expanded thoughts on the tools above:

1. Business Cards - Get them.

• These are often your client or student’s first impression, so spend some time on them; make them shine. They should be full-color (but try to keep the text to one or two colors max, otherwise it tends to be hard to read.)
• Always, always, always include your pertinent info: Name, Phone, E-mail, Web site, and Title (titles can sassy if you like: “Professional Puppeteer and Ambassador to the Woodland Fairies”).
• Also, please don’t print business cards at home. Yes, it’s cheap… but they look that way too.

A few places to get biz cards:

• Fedex Kinko’s actually does a pretty good job, especially if you “absolutely MUST have a new set of cards in the next 3 hours”, but can sometimes be pricey.
• Moo.com is great for unique cards with lots of different fronts/backs. Especially good option for folks with lots of pics already on Flickr.
• 4 over 4 printing (TeachStreet got our biz cards printed here and they turned out pretty swell!)
• Go local. You might find a local crafts person or letterpress whiz who does screen printing or embossing. Maybe they’ll give you business cards in trade for a show or two?

MiniCards from Moo are adorable.

2. Getting yourself on the web = Great idea!

• Remember, even if making the leap into the world of technology seems beyond your creative talents, I will guarantee that the internet is where your potential customers will be looking to find performers and educators. Business cards are great, but you can only reach “hundreds” of people that way. The internet will expose you and your talents to thousands!
• List yourself on directories. Recommended directories for storytellers are: www.storynet.org and www.storyteller.net.
• Get yourself a web site. Of course (prepare for shameless plug for TeachStreet), even if you’re not ready to commit time, energy and $$$ it takes to build your own site, creating a profile on a site like www.teachstreet.com is a great place to start. It’ll help make sure that people find you when they search for your name online or even when they search for “storytelling” or “puppeteering” in your area. Best of all, it’s free. Contact us if you need help getting started.

3. The Power of the Postcard

• A postcard mailing is the cheapest and easiest way to do physical mailings to your clients or students (both past and present). Interestingly, the creator of the lovely art above, Gina Perry, agrees.
• Use postcards to update your fans and followers (and the newbies in your neighborhood) about upcoming classes or events, to invite them to a show, to provide them with a discount (i.e. “20% off if you remind me you got this post-card”) or just to stay “top of mind”.
• Again, you could print these at home, but you’ll probably be better off with something like this: My PostCard Printing, Uprinting, or Modern Postcard.

One final thought to wrap things up… The “business” side of your business doesn’t have to be bothersome, boring or tedious. Find a bit of joy in remembering that that you’re earning money doing what you love!

If you have other great tips about how you’ve marketed yourself or grown your business, we’d love to hear about it! Add comments to this post or just contact us directly.