Yesterday, I was asked by an artist friend of mine about setting up a website to get commissions. I told her the story of how a dear old friend of mine put a couple of images of her paintings of our old village up on Plaxo. I saw them and commented how much I liked them. I told my wife how much I liked them and later that year she contacted our friend and bought a print of the picture I liked for my birthday. I was so delighted with the present.
This interaction is a lovely example of how social media marketing can support selling. Simply by letting her friends know that she had created something of value, my friend ended up selling a print to me (and hopefully others).
I think the interesting thing about this example is that she created something of value. Imagine if you you had found the cure for cancer. Wouldn’t you just want to tell the world? Now I appreciate that’s a bit of an inflated example, but it illustrates my point. Create something of value and then tell the world about it.
Anyway, my artist friend is off to learn about Twitter and Facebook before she goes through the work of setting up a site.
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Simon has written 53 posts on Oxford Digital Marketing.
Simon Wallace-Jones started his Digital Marketing work in the late 80's implementing solutions for companies like DEC, Sun and Tektronix. In 1996 he co-founded the pioneering company Relayware.com which developed one of the world's first web marketing automation solutions which is still in use today by leading brands like Sony, Lexmark and Lenovo. In 2008 he co-founded Oxford Digital Marketing to help smaller businesses take their use of Digital Marketing to a higher level.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much. That is a good post.
Hi Simon – yes, it’s true, readers, that is what happened! I have now sold over £500 worth of greeting cards and prints, thanks to first putting them on the ‘Plaxo’ networking site and people responding saying ‘Do you have any for sale?’. I hadn’t thought seriously of reproducing my work before then. I’m in the middle of setting up a ‘proper’ website now for art and garden design, with Simon’s help.
(Thanks for putting up my painting, Simon.)
Jane