how sharing your authentic story will increase your customers

If you're a maker, creative or artist, people want to know about what you do and how you do it. They want to be part of your creative story - to enjoy the passion that you feel while doing what you do.

Social media, Instagram and blogs particularly, are an excellent way to share your authentic story -

what, why and how you do what you do. 

While you share your story, you increase your audience and followings. Being true and authentic to you, and to your story, brings an audience that connects with you.

When someone connects with you as an artist or creative, they are more likely to buy from you, rather than from someone they haven't connected with.

One of the ways to build a strong loyal following, your own audience, is to share yourself with them in a real way. Not give away all your secrets or piles of dirty laundry. But to let them sneak inside your studio, to see works in progress and ideas that are coming to fruition. People love to be part of your journey - that way they feel they've helped it along the way, and are more likely to support and buy from you.

Are you writing a book? Share small details of the writing process, where you write and how.
Are you a painter? Show us your tools and your studio 'mess', as well as the pieces you're working on.
Are you a designer? We love to see the new drawings and designs you've come up with, and your sketchbook with ideas and scribbles along the way.

What you do and why you do it are appealing to your audience. They want to share in your story. So please share your story with us!

We will share the ins and outs of Instagram, blogging and online story sharing through our creative talks; starting with our Instagram session on 19th September. Bookings are essential for this talk.

 * these images are from Jo's Instagram feed. There's even a video of her beautiful Heidelberg printing press magic. What a beautiful way to see a glimpse into Olive and the Volcano studio days.

Instagram for Creative Business with Leah Deighton

Since it’s launch in October 2010, Instagram has fast become one of the top social media platforms to share and connect with like-minded creatives, as well as being a space for businesses of all sizes to promote and sell their brand/story.

With over 100million users worldwide, Instagram is not something to ignore as a silly app for your phone. This is big business that can create success for small business!

Our guest speaker for this, our first of the new Creative Business Talks, is Leah Deighton. A local to the Northern Rivers region, Leah runs an online store (sangthebird) selling beautifully curated handcrafted products, and is a full time mum to her little ones. Through her magical Instagram feed, Leah shares her days with the world. Her images show the love of her home, of handcrafted items and joy in making, and of the simple moments of spending time with her children and loved ones. With her humble yet heartfelt images, Leah has gained interest world-wide through her Instagram pictures and been featured on The Times blog, ‘Flow’ print magazine and many other features on Instagram and online sites, as well as made life-long connections.

This session will run you through the basics of how to use Instagram, what apps to use to edit your images, and most importantly how to make Instagram become one of the biggest marketing tools for your small business. Using tips and techniques that Leah has learned through her own Instagram journey, you’ll find how to discover your audience and make connections, as well as see the beauty in your everyday story. We’ll even have a little photo session for you to practice your own Instragram image-making!

We have designed this talk to be suitable for beginners, and also to help the more experienced Instagrammers take their feeds to a new level. In our experience, Instagram can make a difference to your creative business in more ways than you might have imagined.

Both of us at Creative Business Talks (Ellie and Jo) use our Instagram accounts to share the story of our brand (which is our lifestyle), and connect with customers, both new and existing, as well as media and promotion opportunities. We gather daily inspiration through the meaningful connections we’ve made through this smart-phone app. 

*images used with thanks from Leah, from her Instagram feed.