Marketing drawings, conversions and custom art

[ben de lappe]

I'm in the beginning stages of starting a web based business dealing in conversions, drawings and custom art. I've done some research about the building and maintenance of a website and still have much to learn.

All of you PlasmaSpider members have been wonderful to deal with and the effectiveness of word of mouth between members can't be overstated. Does anyone know of a way to advertise until I can get a nice website set up? I'd like to have an ad on PlasmaSpider but without a website don't see how that would work. Is a website the only way?

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Ben

[Shane Warnick]

Facebook is pretty painless. Its free to start, and you can promote the page, or certain posts fairly economically. You can also do targeted marketing. If you have a way to be contacted (phone and email) that should be enough to start. Easy to add photos run ad specials discount etc. I would shy away from google ad words, the express and standard version. We can talk on the phone if you want the whole enchilada on my opinion. You can find my Facebook page below in my Sig, take a look see what you think.

Shane

[Largemouthlou]

Agree with face book!! Lots of views and shares.. Your very talented Best of luck to ya!!

[ben de lappe]

Thanks guys for the input. I've started a FB page and have several examples of drawings and conversions I've done both past and present. It can be a challenging process deciding what to post and what not to post, just as it's challenging trying to determine what sells in one's market. I'm trying to establish a well rounded page with variety. Suggestions of what people want to see, like to see and what piques peoples interest are really needed. What sells for you? I'm wanting to tap into custom work but don't know how to represent that on FB.
Thanks all,
Ben

[acourtjester]

Nice looking page should drum up some business.

have fun
Tom

[keldanmedia]

Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, too are excellent for promoting a design business. Google+ helps a bunch with organic search. Any of your old social media accounts like Linkedin or MySpace should be updated so you and your business send a clear, consistent online message about who you are, your services and why I should do business with you. Don't be intimidated by all the social media. Facebook, for example, can be front-loaded with messages on Monday then set for time delay going out all week automatically. Traditionally, best times to for updating social are 9a and 6p ET M-F and very important > quality content, information, sales and giveaways trump quantity. Once you find what social mix works for you, look for apps that will help automate the social media effort - post to Facebook and your message can appear on all social channels.

For $50 per year (used to be free), consider registering your domain with Google Apps for Work which will give you branded @yourname.com email on one of the best email servers available at any cost; Gmail plus you get a phone number for the business at no extra charge. For now, consider having yourdomain.com re-directed at your Facebook page. For file sharing, a free Dropbox account is very useful. You'll want to grab a Twitter account, Etsy can't hurt, either. I have over 200 Twitter followers and never tweeted once on my life - its all automated.

Targeting customers on niche sites like PlasmaSpider.com is a good idea. Google Adwords is a great option to get the word out.

Companies big and small are seeking all types of design services on sites like eLance and Freelancer. Paypal is a solid option for getting paid online plus see if your bank accepts EFT payments.

Hope some of this helps and best of luck!

Steve Keller