Social media "chicken and the egg". Which comes first?

I liked this post as it reminds us all that social media is fun and it is work. I get a lot of complaints that folks don't have the time or interest to get a twitter account. Well, you don't have to...unless you don't want an audience. Then there is that thing about saying something that someone actually wants to hear. That is where the real work (or the egg) comes in. Thirsty fish thoughts? Let's hear them.

Amplify’d from www.convinceandconvert.com

There are many ways social media differs from traditional marketing. It’s approachable and human. It’s a two-way dialog, rather than unilateral declarations. It treats the customer as a teammate, rather than a target.

But there’s another big difference. In social media, the audience comes after the message, not before.

Thus, there are really no shortcuts in social media

Nobody ever promised social media was easy, just that it was fun, and effective.Read more at www.convinceandconvert.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ahce

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Can artist benefit from social media?

In other words, can you make any sales of your artwork using social media? The answer is YES...

Amplify’d from www.artprintissues.com

There is undeniable demonstrable value in social media for artists and other entrepreneurs.

Social media is far more than the ubiquitous Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn mentions. It includes blogging, publishing. networking, commenting, photo sharing, and more.

Working smarter is far more effective than working harder

Here are a few art marketing / social media suggestions

Look for groups and people where you might find potential collectors. Being in a bunch of groups with other artists may help you gain career or business insights, but not collectors. Limit the amount of time you spend posting to family, friends and old high school chums. When you do, find creative ways to remind them your art is for sale.

Get a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck that will allow you to write a bunch posts that are set to publish at different times. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Don't sit there with it on all day long. It will suck your time and deplete your energy.

Don't try to work too many social media venues at one time

Make sure you do everything you can to get the email address of every potential collector you encounterRead more at www.artprintissues.com

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Have you flipped? Well, it is time...

clipped from blog.hubspot.com The days of controlling your marketing message and interrupting your prospects to tell it are over. Today, your message is what your customers and prospects say it is. And the marketers who win are those who listen to and empower their customer base to evangelize their brand. That's exactly what Joseph Jaffe talks about in his new book, Flip the Funnel. I had a chance to sit down with him at the MarketingSherpa Email Summit last month and talk about the ideas in his book. Below is the full interview, along with a few highlights. Customer retention is the new acquisition. Empower your customers to become evangelists. Flip the funnel. Embrace new media in order to communicate with customers.

Noble Goals

Do you have noble goals for your marketing efforts? If not, listen in as I share some of my thoughts on how you can start them today.




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Mission Statement: Why Thirsty Fish?

A persian poet by the name of Kabir wrote: “The fish in the water that is thirsty needs professional counseling.” I love this poem! It has a lot of meaning for me on a spiritual level as well as a professional one which leads me to the mission of this blog:

“…to help professionals in the mental health field market themselves and their business, both online and offline. Professionals are not trained in marketing or business management principles but they should be! Although they want to focus on the development of their craft, they cannot be successful in using their craft unless they use simple marketing methods and programs.”

There is an “ocean” of marketing ideas available for mental health professionals. Granted, there are many sharks in this ocean too but that does not eliminate the availability to find and use marketing principles in ones private practice or non-profit agency.

I see too many therapists and social workers floating in the ocean crying out for a “drink of water”. Obviously a fish doesn’t need to drink water. It lives and breathes it. The irony, pointed out by Kabir, is that what we need is all around us. My job and the purpose of this blog is to help all of us mental health fish make sense of
marketing principles in a way that is understandable and systemic to our daily lives/craft.