Isa Maria Seminega « oh my! handmade goodness

Isa Maria Seminega

Clarify Your Values To Help Your Business Grow

Monday, May 14, 2012

When I started my business I wanted to show that marketing could be done differently. That it could be authentic, relationship centred, based on engagement and interaction. I wanted to be transparent and for the business to be full of who I was.

Those are my values, an internal barometer to which I measure all business decisions. When I was deciding whether to delete my Pinterest boards, I went back to my values. Diversifying into teaching online classes? I went back to my values to create a course that I knew in my heart was the right thing, instead of what was expected of me. Whatever the business decision, I want it to be in line with what I personally believe to be right for me at that time.

Knowing what my values are have meant that I’m not swayed by what my competitors are doing. I can use my own voice and put my heart into my business without feeling pressure to be or do something different.

Customers will seek out people that have similar values to them. It’s becoming increasingly common to connect with a business first before making a purchase. The ‘about’ page on a website is one of the most visited pages for a reason. People want to know what you and your business stands for. The words you use and your brand messaging should communicate this consistently and authentically.

Your business values are not something you can copy from someone else or follow from a blueprint. The values must mean something to you personally, deep down, or it will come across as contrived or artificial.

A great example of a business using values to guide them is The Green Gables. Owner, Gabrielle Treanor has strong ethical and green values which she highlights on her website. She says it was natural to build a business on her personal values. It has also helped her to diversify into other products whilst keeping it authentic to her brand.

“Strong values can definitely be a driving force. I don’t just want to make and sell pretty looking stationery, I want to give consumers the option to buy responsibly produced stationery that shows there’s a market for recycling paper and gives them a great looking product without them compromising on quality or price. This ‘mission’ spurs me on and keeps me motivated.” - Gabrielle, The Green Gables.

So how can you identify your brand values?

Start with you.

What personal values do you hold at your core? What is important to you? Use these core values to build the foundation of your brand.

What is your personal mission for your business?

Why do you want to do what you do? Who are you trying to help and why?

How do you want your audience to perceive your business?

What are the most important parts of your story that you want to share with them? Show them that you fit into their lives and that you have a similar value system.

Wherever you decide to grow your business, these values should stay at the center of everything you do.

Do you have values that guide your business? How do you communicate them to your customers?

4 ways to put more heart into your business

Monday, February 6, 2012

Yellow Heart Graffiti print by Nichole Robertson, Little Brown Pen

It’s the month of love and in between the fluffy hearts, chocolate gifts and pretty flowers I want you to consider injecting more of your heart and soul into your business.

When I started my communications agency I looked to my competitors to guide how I should price my services and market myself. I had just been made redundant and lost a baby; my confidence was at an all-time low. I didn’t trust my own judgment so I did what others were doing even though it wasn’t right for me. My business took off but I wasn’t satisfied. My prices were too low for the amount of energy and heart I was putting into it, leaving me resentful instead of how I should have been, full of joy at being able to do what I love.

Finally I realized I needed to take a chance. I took a risk by going against the crowd and started putting more of myself into my business and being proud of my differences. It was the best decision I ever made. My business is thriving and I feel comfortable with how I market myself. I’m charging what I am worth and I’m using a voice that is all mine.

Here are four ways you can put more of your heart into your business:

Be honest- always.

Never ever lie to others or yourself. If you are not happy with something say so, if you have made a mistake put your hands up and admit it. Honesty is always the best policy.

Be authentic.

Who you are is what makes you and your business special. Each and every one of us brings a different truth into this world. Be proud of who you are and stay true to yourself. As Sarah Ban Breathnach said “the authentic self is the soul made visible”. Allowing your soul to shine will help your business stand out from your competitors.

Always use your own voice.

Before when I’d try to write really “clever” posts on marketing and branding I’d attempt to write in what I thought was a professional manner. The problem was that tone didn’t come naturally to me and it didn’t show my personality. As soon as I started writing posts as though I was talking to a dear friend (which of course you all are!), it became easier to distinguish myself from others. Your voice is important, use it.

Be transparent.

Let people see you. The real you. Don’t try to hide the little things that make you, YOU. Putting it all out there is scary but it’s the only way to connect with people on a real and personal level. If you are a closet geek, why hide it? If you secretly hate something that people are calling “the next big thing”- it’s fine! You don’t have to hide who you are to succeed.

Making sure your heart and soul come through in your marketing is the best way for people to understand your business, products and how you are unique from your competitors. Keep this in mind when you write website copy and product descriptions. Instead of trying to be someone you’re not, use your own voice and watch your business shine!

My Favourite Holiday Tradition: Magical Family Days Out

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

My most vivid holiday memories are of family days out in London visiting Santa’s Grotto in Selfridges department store, their Christmas window displays and viewing the lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street. My parents started taking my sisters and I from a young age and even when we moved out of London we’d be back every year to take in the delightful displays. Each year featured a different theme and I remember being so excited to see what it would be. These magical days out signaled the start of the holiday season for us as a family.

{Visiting Selfridges Christmas displays and Santa’s Grotto over the years- photos from the family album}

After attending the Christmas Grotto, we’d walk around outside the store looking at the themed window displays. When we were done we’d continue walking down Oxford Street taking in the lights as we went. Surrounded by the scent of chestnuts being roasted by street vendors, my younger sisters and I would look up in wonderment at the dazzling lights draped across the busy London Streets. It was such a special time, with memories I’ll forever hold dear.

{ 1. Oxford Street, London 2. 2011 Christmas Lights }

Now I have children of my own (aged 1 and 3) I’m relishing the chance to continue holiday traditions concentrating on family activities and days out. When they are older we’ll take them to Selfridges and the Regent Street lights, continuing on the tradition. For now, even our homemade advent calendar focuses on a different activity for us to do each day, together as a family. The tasks are simple but fun, like making paper snowflakes, baking and decorating cookies and going for winter walks.

Another activity in our advent calender is to attend Winter Wonderland, an event held in Hyde Park every winter. We attended for the first time last year. Joseph and Lily got to visit with Santa and take in the sights and sounds of the magical season. We’ve planned to go again this year and I can see it becoming another family favorite. With craft stalls, rides and ice skating, Winter Wonderland is the perfect family outing to lead us into the holidays.

Six ways to add value for your customers without holding a sale

Friday, November 18, 2011

{Vintage type from The Cupcake Kid }

As a consumer part of me loves sales. Who doesn’t want to grab a bargain every now and again? It’s partly why I shop at thrift shops and second hand markets. As a cheerleader for creative businesses though I find it hard to see talented business owners under value their work by offering sales.

While offering a discount can be a great way of showing your thanks to loyal customers, constant price cuts can actually undermine your original price.

Drastically cutting your prices for a flash sale will only serve to make your customers wonder why you can’t keep them that low all the time. You will struggle to turn these shoppers into repeat customers as those buyers will only value your products for the price they paid. Also while a sale might bring you more income in the short term at what cost? If you are selling the same product but for 30%, 40% even 50% off you won’t make any profit.

Despite consumers wanting a bargain we also want value. Value is not based on cost but on what it provides the consumers. People often pay more because they believe they are getting more. The trick is to make it clear from the outset what benefits and value added attributes your products have.

Instead of cutting prices, consider ways to add value to your products so that your customers will choose you over the competition even if your price is more expensive.

Here are my top six value adding ideas:

PRODUCT INNOVATION
People do not mind paying more than your competitors if they think they are getting something extra for that cash. If your products are innovative, creative and scarce they will pay the price it is worth. You product will therefore be seen more valuable. If your products are similar to others and lack innovation then it might be hard to use a value based strategy. Plough your energy into creating the best product you can and consider all the little details that will make your products unique.

PACKAGING
Using packaging to add value is nothing new but something to consider this holiday season. You can decide to offer gift wrap for time-pressed folks and even if you don’t you can present your items in a striking way that ties in with your branding. Well presented packaging makes your brand appear more professional therefore worth paying that bit extra for. Put a photo of your product packaging in your item listing so customers can see what they are going to get.

ADD SOMETHING EXTRA
Adding freebies is a lovely idea but if you are not careful the cost can add up to higher postal rates not to mention the outlay for the extra item. Giving a freebie is not essential but it can be a nice touch for regular customers or to offer instead of a sale. Some lightweight items are stickers, postcards, pin badges, or wrapping the item in a reusable ribbon. Be inventive. Jessica Swift’s rain boots feature a secret message inside!

Consider designing a free download related to your products and having it available on your website the only give the link to customers. You can write it in a thank you note so as not to add any more weight to the package. Some ideas include a set of printable gift tags, an inspiring quote, printable recipe cards. Revisit an old design and revamp it with a change of colour or pattern. Think about what your client would love and make it happen.

BRANDING
Your branding must be unified, consistent and professional. You do not have to spend a lot of money getting a designer to do the branding for you. Not everyone can afford a designer but consider your logo, visual elements, patterns, shop header, photos and be honest with yourself. Are they really the best they can be with the resources you have available to you right now? If not, change it. If you think your site needs improving, no doubt your target customer will too.

SURPRISE THEM
I have a little saying “surprise and surpass”. Running a business can be busy and stressful but making the effort to surpass expectations can make the difference between someone becoming a repeat customer or not.

You can surprise your customers by phoning to clarify customization details rather than sending an email, hand delivering a local order or by sending out the order as soon as you can. These little things can create a wonderful brand experience which will make the transaction memorable and a point of value.

REWARD LOYALTY
I often see buy one get one free offers or coupon codes dished out like candy. Save these for your loyal customers! If someone is going to keep coming back to you or has spread the word about your shop it’s nice to give them something in return. Inflated offers don’t offer much incentive to come back and keep shopping there. If you really want to give something away free make it after they buy four or five of something.

What are you doing to add value to your transactions?

Creative approaches to marketing your business

Friday, October 28, 2011

{Do Something Creative Every Day print by Melissa Baswell of Bubby and Bean}

Do you find marketing a drag? Maybe you find it time consuming, taking away from what you’d rather be doing- creating your art.

While marketing may never be quite as exciting for you as making things, with a little imagination it can be fun and needn’t be a burden. The key is finding something that you feel comfortable with and comes naturally to you.

Be sociable.

Do you love meeting new people, making connections and chatting to like-minded people? Try joining forums, twitter chats and networking events. If you enjoy being sociable then use it to your advantage. Meeting similar people either in person or online is a great way to make new connections that will be beneficial for your business.

Throw a party!

Who doesn’t love a party? Hold an open house event and invite everyone you know. It can be as formal or informal as you want. If you have a studio you could hold it there or you can hire out a gallery space. Be as bold as feels right for you. Open house events can be a successful way of spreading the word about what you do. They also give your family and friends the opportunity to come and support you.

Start your own creative networking group.

There is nothing like bouncing ideas off of other creatives. Setting up a local networking group will not only give you the chance to share your work with more people but together you have collective klout when approaching suppliers like printers. Together you can organise local events like craft fairs and workshops with the aim of promoting your business and raising your profile in the local community.

Make a video.

Making a video is fantastic way to market your business. They allow you to connect on a different level with your target audience and search engines like Google love videos!

Your promotional video can showcase a variety of ideas, consider documenting your creative process, sharing part of your story or showing your products in use.

Once you’ve completed it, upload it to Youtube, use it on your about page and share with your social media network.

I love this video by Jessika and Chara for Heartweed. The possibilities are endless, think outside the box and above all have fun with it.

Put together a press kit.

Press kits are a great opportunity to reach the media and show them what your business is about. Rather than just sending an ordinary press release, think of unique ways you can catch an editor or journalist’s attention.

Depending on your budget you can incorporate a item from your range into your press kit for it to double as a sample. If you make stationery use a greetings card or notebook. If you print t-shirts you could print your company details on the back or sew a business card into the design.

Creative photoshoots.

Try experimenting with your product photos. If you normally shoot your products on a white background, try something different. If your product allows, use models to demonstrate how the item can be worn, enlisting friends and family to help.

Imagine how your products could be styled if they were picked for a magazine. Test out different backgrounds, settings and props to enhance the collection. Once you have some photos you like, share them with your followers on Facebook, Twitter and your blog or use them as part of a look book on your website.

How are you being creative with your marketing? Share with us in the comments!

Looking to the past for the future of marketing

Monday, August 8, 2011

As we look to the past and our handmade heritage as makers, we have more tools than ever before to share our work with others. We are selling our wares as thriving business owners and sharing our makes on our blogs for our families and friends to see. Sharing our work is natural and throughout history people have been doing the same.

A mother creating outfits for her child, the young woman knitting herself a scarf, a child creating in woodworking class. The cabinet maker producing beautiful work of art to sell in his shop, the artist painting and drawing for homes, the local farmer cultivating his crops to sell down the market.

Making is in our blood, in our history.

So is marketing.

It might be easy to look to the latest technologies to promote your business. Google +, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Quora, Klout, QR codes and so on but we can also learn a lot from the past.

1. Basket maker 2. Fabric Shop 3. Women crocheting

Our ancestors made things with their hands. Mostly out of necessity, sometimes out of enjoyment and love, sometimes for business. These artifacts can now be seen in museums all over the world yet at the time, these creations were the results of people’s livelihoods.

Without the sophisticated technology of today, craftsmen, tailors and seamstresses were able to grow successful businesses by simply connecting with others.

The focus was on providing fantastic customer service, cultivating relationships with consumers and being able to provide that extra knowledge about the products that the big box stores couldn’t provide. Contrast that to billboards and blog ads that we are inundated with everyday and you will see why the former was so successful.

We often talk about having conversations, and engaging customer service as if they are new concepts. Of course, they are not new, they have been around for years.

With the advent of social media technology like Twitter and Facebook, the tools for having these conversations and sharing or work has changed but the reasons for doing so have stayed the same. We want to feel connected to what we buy. Instead of being one of millions with the same item, we want to have something different, something meaningful or that we can pass down through generations.

Vintage coffee shop

That’s why we are seeking out independent retailers again. Small shops like in the old times where we can have a relationship with the person who makes and sells the goods.

Marketing has come full circle.

Back in the old days people did business with shops that remembered them, provided a great service or experience, went out of their way to add value to the sale through personalization.

Social media has brought us back to this place. It’s easier than ever before to seek out information directly from businesses. We are tired of being a faceless transaction and seek more from who we buy from.

After years of businesses hiding behind brands and throwing money at advertising, hiding away just won’t cut it anymore. Customers want to know who they are doing business with and they will quickly turn away from a brand without substance.

Even with the proliferation of new online social media tools it can be easy to forget that people haven’t really changed that much over the years and the same things that were important to them then, are as important to us now.

As Bridgett from Perideau Designs wrote in the last #omhg twitter chat:

“Even more big name companies and artists are coming from behind the logo and their identity is becoming their brand. #omhg”

Even companies like Coca Cola and Starbucks have realised the importance of going back to ground level and interacting with the very people who use their products. Your identity is your brand.

5 Ways you can use old school marketing in the modern age:

1. Personal Service

Remember your customers name and use it when emailing, talking on the phone or on social networks. Offer a personalized service and custom options. Remember past interactions and orders.

2. Customer Experience

Turn every contact into a memorable experience. People are often looking for more than a basic transaction. People remember when an experience is pleasurable or ghastly. Make it the former by being friendly,approachable and doing something unexpected.

3. Connect Emotionally

Use storytelling to connect emotionally with the customer. Stories help to bring your products to life, making them stand out from the competition. What were you inspired by? Why did you choose that fabric? You were taught needlework as a child by your Grandma? These vignettes are like gold dust to a consumer. You’re saying my product is special and here is why.

4. Exceed Customer Expectations

Go above and beyond what your customer expects from you. Try to add that little bit extra into the mix whether by being prompt with shipping their items out or going one step further to create the product of their dreams.

5. Product knowledge

Share how each product was made with your customers. Put up a video of your creative process or write FAQs on your website delving into your methods. Consumers are more likely to buy from you the more they know about the product. What is it for? Who is if for? How was it crafted? What features make it unique? It’s not just about handing over money in a faceless transaction (even online). Sharing product knowledge can create engagement between you and your customers.

N.B All photographs are vintage and found via Flickr’s Vintage Occupational Photographs group. Photographs are copyright of respective owners. Be sure to check out the group, there are some great photos!

Celebrating your business success

Sunday, July 10, 2011

by Isa Maria Seminega of Noisette Marketing

{celebrate print by bunny dee}

When you are running a small business it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of it and the never ending daily tasks. If you are also juggling parenting, housework, hobbies, friendships it can be hard to find time to take a step back to see what you have achieved. It is important to recognise when you have accomplished something great or reached one of your goals. Marking special moments in your business journey can give you extra motivation to succeed and can help lift you into a positive mindset.

Celebrating your business successes can be as simple as taking time out to reflect on what you have achieved or treating yourself to something small, like fresh cut flowers in your studio or a cupcake from that new bakery down the road.

Reasons to celebrate include winning a new client, your first wholesale order or gaining a great press feature. Maybe you have launched a new project, collaborated with a colleague or won an award?

Whatever the milestone you can celebrate in a number of ways!

Share your success with your customers:

You customers are your biggest fans! They have loved what you do enough to pay for it. Customers like to hear you are doing well; it validates their decision to choose you and your products over those from your competitors. It also helps to engage them in conversation, establishing a deeper relationship with them.

You can share your news in your e-newsletter, on your website and across your social networks. You’ll be surprised how happy people will be for you.

{celebrate every day print by tenderbeasts}

Share your success with the press:

The press love a great success story, so share your achievements with them! Write a press release and distribute it to local papers, magazines and blogs making sure to highlight your triumphs. You can also consider sharing your news in an interview or editorial feature.

Share with family and friends:

If your family and friends are anything like mine, they may not entirely understand what you do. They know you have a business, you work on the computer a lot and you make things but sometimes there is the misconception that what you are doing is a hobby rather than a business.Share your success with them! Be proud of what you have achieved. Let them know you’ve reached an important milestone. 1 year of blogging? That’s amazing! 200 sales on Etsy? Brilliant! Use your successes and milestones to open up conversations with your loved ones who may not fully understand this creative online world you are thriving within.

Think you don’t have anything to celebrate?

Of course you do! Even if you don’t feel like you have achieved much you have. You have started a business, you make beautiful things with your own hands, you help others, raise a family, are good at what you do. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that are the most important and deserve a celebration.

Meeting the Makers & Telling Our Stories: Isa’s Story of Hope

Monday, June 13, 2011

by Isa Maria Seminega of Noisette Marketing & Noisette Kids

{Happy Turtle print by Noisette Kids for Ganbare Nippon Japan relief fundraiser}

I hadn’t planned to tell my full story. It’s still quite raw and very personal. I never thought I’d be ready to tell the world what brought me here but Jessika’s story made me realise that I owe her and you, the real me. As someone who tells stories for a living through marketing and PR for small businesses, I advocate telling your story to connect with others. I write stories for my clients, expressing them in a way that gains attention from potential customers and the press. Yet I struggle to tell mine.

I have always told stories. As a child used to write books in the school holidays and used to come up with elaborate ideas that I was sure would be the next big seller. I found it easy to tell stories verbally, to get people enthralled and hooked but would struggle to write it down. Eventually, as an adult, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. After all those years no-one had guessed I had a problem and my perfectionist nature meant I struggled on without asking for help. My academic success masked the daily difficulty I faced.

My journey into self-employment started with redundancy. A week before I was due to go back to work after a years maternity leave, I was told they didn’t need me back. I was devastated by despite the upset I had a seed of an idea in my head. Maybe I could work for myself? As the reality of needing to start work fast hit, I pushed the idea aside and I started applying for marketing and administration jobs.

Then I discovered I was pregnant. It was a lovely surprise and I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to be a stay at home mother for a little longer.

At the 13 week sonogram they identified a problem. Almost instantly they noticed the baby looked small for dates, measuring only 10 weeks. The nuchal fold measurement was high and we were told it was likely Edward’s syndrome (Trisomy 18). Trisomy 18 is a chromosome problem and they said our baby was“not compatible with life”. The hospital booked us for further tests but told us I’d likely miscarry before then. From that moment nothing mattered to me more than my family, all thoughts of looking for work firmly pushed aside.

{lyrics from I Will Carry You by Selah}

I spent a week grieving for my unborn child who at this point was still alive inside me. That week felt like a thousand weeks, most definitely the longest of my life. When Joseph napped, I searched online for everything I could find about Trisomy 18 and families that had been touched by it. Crying for hours, reading their stories, scared at what was in store for us. When Joseph woke from his naps I’d pull myself together again and get on with being a Mum to him leaving the grieving behind.

I was praying for a miracle. For me that meant that I would get to hold our baby and say goodbye. I am a believer that everything happens for a reason. Rightly or wrongly, I never once prayed that our baby would not be sick. In my heart I believe that our baby was perfect. He was how he was meant to be and instead I focused on getting the chance to say goodbye and praying he would feel no pain.

By 16 weeks a scan showed our baby had died. As silent tears fell down my face I was strangely calm. We knew it was coming. It was our second miscarriage so I knew we’d get through it and we thought we knew what to expect. The hospital booked me to come back in 48 hours so they could induce me for labour but less than 24 hours later it started on its own. I hadn’t realised it would happen that fast and before the medical induction. Unexpectedly, I ended up delivering our tiny son in our bathroom.

At the hospital I got the chance to hold our son and kiss him goodbye. My prayers to hold him had been answered and I vowed that I was going to do something great with my life. I didn’t want to waste anymore time in a job I hated. If my life plan was to lose a child in this way I didn’t want it to be for nothing.

Two months later post mortem results confirmed Trisomy 18 and that our baby was a boy. We named him Michael and the hospital arranged a beautifully touching funeral for us. Seeing our tiny son’s white coffin is the most painful thing I have ever experienced.

In November 2009 a month after our son’s funeral, I listed my first marketing plans on Etsy.

I’d been researching handmade businesses for years and I knew I could make a difference and help other women grow their creative businesses. Less than two weeks later I had my first clients as Noisette Marketing. Finally I was doing what I loved, combining my love for handmade with my skill, knowledge and experience of marketing and PR. My huge loss was the catalyst for me to start a business helping others.

I worked around Joseph’s naps and by January I found I was pregnant again. My pregnancy with Lily exhausted me! I felt the need to draw and started using Illustrator to doodle little designs for children. Eight weeks after she was born I launched Noisette Illustration (now Noisette Kids). It’s another project close to my heart. I make happy things for children and I hope to grow the business in the future.

For now most of my time is spent on Noisette Marketing. I’ve also launched The Academy blog to share business advice with even more people. Helping creative s achieve their dreams of making a living doing what they love is my passion. I want everyone to realise that anything is possible. Life sometimes sends us challenges big and small but it’s up to us to use our will to create opportunities. I’m constantly inspired by the creative community and love that I can be involved from both sides as a marketer and a maker.

Editors note: I want to take a moment for us all to give Isa a standing ovation for her courage, her strong beautiful heart and feeling safe enough to share her story here. I am so honored by her generosity in letting us into her life and loss. Her compassion and genuine love for helping others succeed radiates and is what makes her such a force for good in the handmade community. Knowing this piece of her story only makes me adore and admire her more. You are amazing Isa-thank you.

I also hope you’ll join in with us as part of the What’s Your Story campaign over at The Academy. Telling our stories is hard but so much easier when we do it together!

A Manifesto For Motherhood

Saturday, May 7, 2011

by Isa Maria Seminega of Noisette Marketing

a manifesto for motherhood, noisette marketing, motherhood and business, mompreneur stories

I have been astounded by the response to Motherhood Month so far. The comments have been so touching, full of honesty and willingness to share your motherhood joys and struggles. It is clear that many of us are experiencing the same conflict, trying our best to juggle housework, children and business/work.

I have two beautiful, funny, clever children. Joseph is almost 3 and Lily is 8 months. I look after them full-time whilst working from home. When they sleep, I work on my two businesses, Noisette Marketing and Noisette Kids. It’s challenging especially as my husband works crazy shifts which means I can’t rely on set hours each week to work. Despite this, I love it, the benefits of working from home far outweigh the negatives but it has taken me a while to get to the point where I don’t beat myself up over things I’m not able to do.

As mothers we are notoriously hard on ourselves. We sometimes focus too much on other people’s expectations and outward appearances. We want to have it all and really why shouldn’t we? We work hard, we raise our children and deserve to be successful in whatever we put our minds to. So let’s not feel bad about wanting more for the future, instead let’s let go of the negatives so we can focus on growing our businesses in a way we can manage, right now.

A while back I wrote a blog post on how it’s ‘ok to grow your business organically’ . I wanted to share the message that we don’t always have to be the fastest growing company in the world or make a million pounds (or dollars!) in the first year of trading. Like many entrepreneurs I have dreams of growing my Empire to epic proportions. We all want to succeed but it is ok to do it slowly. As Aesop’s writes in the fable The Tortoise and the Hare, slow and steady wins the race.

So I’ve decided to focus on building relationships, not on making money. As Jessika wrote, People over Profit. My aim with Noisette Marketing is to help people make a living doing what they love, so I focus on that. When you hone in on the true purpose of your business, you become free. Because money is not my focus, I can provide the best services I can without undervaluing what I do. I have less clients, but provide more for them. I try out new things without fear. I can grow my business in a manageable way which in the long term will be more sustainable. I am building networks, community and relationships so when my children are older I can move forward with new opportunities.

So let’s change our mindset! Let’s make a promise to ourselves to follow this Motherhood Manifesto (or Womanhood/Sisterhood Manifesto!). We are amazing women whatever challenges that come our way and it’s time for us to realise that.

Download my Motherhood Manifesto here!

Spring clean your blog + a free planner

Saturday, April 23, 2011

by Isa Maria Seminega of Noisette Marketing

As we finally get to Spring I’ve been gearing up to relaunch the Noisette Marketing blog. I launched the Noisette Marketing website in January after previously selling on Etsy. I realised it was time to get self-hosted on WordPress and it made sense to relaunch the blog too, changing it’s name from Creativity Speaks to The Academy and freshening up the look. The Academy aims to provide a learning community for independent business owners, covering relevant topics on marketing, PR, branding, packaging, photography and creativity. The visual look of the blog is fresh and simple so I can let the great content do the talking!

So how can you freshen up your blog for Spring?

Whether you blog to promote your small business or to share snippets of your daily life in a more personal blog you can benefit from streamlining your content and simplifying the design. Freshening up your blog needn’t be a major overhaul. In the same way that a fresh coat of paint can change the look of a room, just a few small changes can help you feel more motivated and focused about what you are writing and enable your blog visitors feel comfortable enough to hang around bit longer.

Things to think about:

Before you start, consider the main aim of your blog? Is it to promote your business, to showcase other people’s work, to show your photography, share your family life? Whatever the aim make sure you keep this in mind when it comes to a revamp.

VISUAL

Experiment with colour and pattern.
If your blog is personal you may have more room to be flexible but you can still experiment with a business blog just keep in mind your branding so it still ties in with your overall look of shop or website. Sometimes all it takes is going one or two shades lighter in a colour scheme to make a design pop or adding a patterned background that is unique to you.

Less is more
Try to use white space to your advantage. I find that I’m drawn to clean designs that use a lot of white space whilst mainly focusing on colour and texture in the images and photographs that are used. White space is not just about leaving things blank though, you can also use white shapes to create a patterned background that doesn’t distract readers from the content of the blog.

Layout
What do you want your blog readers to focus on, your images or your writing? Depending on your main focus different layouts may be suitable. Adjust the column sizes to find something that meets your needs or try taking a column away to see how that looks. The more columns you have the less space you have for the middle column which features the content. As an avid blog reader it is the photos that draw me in, I want to be able to see what I’m looking at which is difficult if the photos are tiny!

Get rid of clutter
Simplify the sidebar. Make it easy for your reader to find what they need with helpful headings and categories. Check links are still relevant and that you favourite blog links are still working. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I click through a blog roll only to find half the links are wrong or no longer working.

CONTENT

Simplify topics.
Think about narrowing down the amount of topics you cover. If you have a focus on a handful of main topics your readers will know what to expect from your blog and it will be easier to get them to keep coming back for more.

Update your pages.
This one is important to stay on top of all year round. Check your About page is still relevant. Are you still a Mum of a 6 month old or is your child now starting school? What can you add or take away to give the reader a better idea of who you are? If you have them also check and update your contact page and FAQs.

Try a different angle.
If you want to share what’s new in your shop, instead of just putting a photo and linking to your shop, tell us about it. Show us your creative process, how did you get from A to B? Why did you choose that fabric or colour? Why do you do what you do, what is your reason for creating, writing, taking photographs or baking?

PLAN AHEAD

Planning out your content can be helpful no matter what the main focus of your blog is. Even if it is a personal blog having a simple plan can help to keep you on topic and motivate you to think ahead to what you want to share.

To get you inspired to think about your blog content I’ve designed a weekly blog planner where you can plan out daily blog posts, add a reminder of what your main blog topics are and space for some to-dos an easy place to remind yourself to get permission for copyrighted photos or find the original source for a link you will be sharing.