More Marketing

Okay, so I said this crazy thing about sending press releases to bloggers.

Here's someone to tell you how to do it. [via whip up]

Marketing and Self-Promotion

It doesn’t have to be hard to market yourself. You just get out there and be. Look, Heather from Monsterbubbles does it. Sometimes though, it pays to tell people what you are up to rather than waiting for them to come looking for you.

I don’t understand why designers and others in the cross-stitch industry aren’t sending press releases to bloggers. There are lots of us with rather large readerships and, get this, it’s free. Or at least it doesn’t cost any more than writing a paragraph about what you are doing and shooting someone an e-mail. I work in communications, and we send press releases to blogs. Even a small skewering gets you publicity. And even though you might have a thin skin, it's all good.

Unfortunately, I think too many designers think of what they are doing as a hobby. Or at least they don’t seem to be taking advantage of all that is available to them to help make them more professional. (CF complaints about blurry photographs and lack of color correction on chart photos.) Sure doing these things takes away from time to create, but many of them could be quickly handled. Let's start with answering your e-mail and updating your website. Really, these are very basic business practices, and it is a business even if you do it at home in your pajamas.

Weeks Dye Works linen

Here's the thing. If you make a brand new product, I should be able to find out about it on your website. You want to know why the cross-stitch industry doesn't work? It's because they are out there acting like a bunch of hobbyists and girls.

Marketing is not hard--trust me. Trust me. TRUST ME. You just have to let people know what you are doing and why it is important to them.

If you are going to have a website, you have to--MUST--update it. Regularly. (See what I'm talking about here. Not picking on them: there are a myriad of out of date websites across the internet.) And with the important news. Designing a website might be hard, but keeping it up-to-date should be as easy as typing.