Artist As An Entrepreneur

Artists As An Entrepreneur

You are an artist and you are trying to make a living with your talent, but no one takes you seriously.How can you convince everyone that you are a serious artist?  You can accomplish this by presenting yourself in a professional manner, and by objectifying yourself to your potential "clients".  Yes, you are trying to secure clients when you are trying to convince someone to allow you to showcase your talent, and your talent is the product which you are trying to sell.  Most artists have to make "cold calls" when trying to gain new clients, and you must have a professional looking proposal to present when seeking out these potential clients.  What should be in your proposal?

One: Professional Head Shots.
As an artist your main product is You.  If you were selling computers, you would provide a picture of the computer, as well as, a description of the computer and what it could do.  You would not send a Polaroid of the computer, so you shouldn't send a Polaroid of yourself.  Hire a professional photographer to take several different head shots so that you can adjust your proposal based on the purpose of the proposal.  You need a "corporate" image shot for the times when you are trying to gain print clients, such as magazines and newspaper editors.  You need a "fun" shot for your book cover if you are an author or CD cover if you're a singer or musician.  You also, need a "sexy" shot for purposes of advertising on posters or television.

Two: Professional Bio.
Again, when making a "cold call", you need to present your potential clients with a description of the product you are selling - You!  Using the example given above, you would not provide a description of the computer handwritten on notebook paper or with spelling and grammatical errors.  Misspelled words and missing punctuation may be necessary to get your point across if you are an author; however, it appears unprofessional when present in your bio.  Your bio is often times the first look a potential client has of our product, You.  Your bio should appear professionally written and should provide a complete description of you, your talent, and how long you have been pursuing your talent professionally.  However, you should treat your bio the same as you do your resume and limit it to no more than two (2) pages.

Three: Press Kit
Your press kit serves as your business proposal to your potential clients.  Your press kit should be just that, a kit.  It should be in a professional looking "case which, in most cases, will be a folder of some type.  It should include a head shot, your bio, a few professionally written press releases announcing a live performance or the release of your "product" (CD, Book, Painting, Sculpture, etc.), a "sample" of your work (CD, pictures of artwork, a portion of your book/screenplay/etc) and some actual newspaper/magazine "clippings".  You can use resume folders that contain pockets, as well as a built in business card slot  in which to place all of these items.  You can also use report covers which are typically made of plastic, and contain clear sleeves in which you place your head shot, bio, releases, and clippings.

You are bound to be viewed as a professional artist if you employ the three techniques above before venturing out into the entertainment business, and seeking potential clients.

Note1:  The material presented above was originally composed in 2005 before everything became electronic, however, that doesn't mean that it is outdated or obsolete.  It just means there are alternative ways to distribute your information which I will outline in notes below.

Polaroid was a type of picture that was popular back in the late 80's early 90's as the picture could be viewed instantly, and it was rather bulky and very unprofessional looking.

Note2: Current day press kits are referred to as EPKs - Electronic Press Kit, however, these kits should contain the same information listed above.  If you have had a story printed by the media, you should ask the reporter/journalist for an electronic copy of the story that appeared in their publication so that you can still include "clippings" in your kit.

While it may be tempting to include as much as you possibly can in an EPK, keep in mind that large amounts of data travel slowly over the internet and if too large won't arrive at their designated destination.  So limit your EPK to what you would include in an actual "hard copy" press kit.

Note3: It can be beneficial to have two (2) bios prepared and ready to distribute at all times.  The short bio should be no more than two (2) paragraphs, 500 words or less, and should include awards/accomplishments/etc..  This bio would be used to introduce you at seminars, conferences, etc., and also for promotional publication for example on a web site or electronic announcement for an event at which you will appear.  The long bio is what I described above, and would be sent to reporters/journalist prior to being interviewed so that they have a base from which to formulate questions to ask you during the interview.

Hope you found the information in this post (and the whole blog) helpful as this is the last entry in this blog!  Yes, it's over!  I've given you all the information I can under this title!  However, don't fret, I will begin a new blog later this week or early next week for those seeking careers behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.  And if you're an author, you can check out my other blog "So you want to be an author" at GStylfire.blogspot.com.

It's been fun chatting with you!

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Creating a Web Site for your Business

Creating a Web Site for your Business
There are three basic types of web sites: Informational, Interactive, and Merchandise Purchasing or Store Front.  Your products and/or services will determine what type of web site you should design for your business.

One: Informational.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers must meet face to face in order to complete a transaction, such as a hair salon, employment staffing agency, or business consulting services.  Your site will inform potential customers of who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and how to contact you.  The site will be very easy to maintain, and most likely won't consist of more than five pages. (Disclaimer: The previous information was originally written in 2005.)  Today, you can also provide a link to an online scheduling site such as Schedulicity.com where customers can schedule appointments for the services that you offer.

Two: Interactive.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers don't have to meet face to face in order to begin a transaction such as web design company, or a printing company.  Your sire will provide your potential customers with surveys, questionnaires, and/or fill-in forms which they will use to inform you of their needs and allow you to provide then with a bid proposal for their acceptance before any work is begun.  This site requires a little more maintenance than the informational site in terms of keeping the surveys and questionnaires updated.

Three: Merchandise Purchasing (Store Front)
You are selling pre-produced merchandise or personalized merchandise, and are wiling to accept payment electronically and willing to ship the merchandise to your customers.  You would provide your potential customers with a catalog of available items, the prices, colors, sizes, and any other pertinent information about the products you have available for sale.  You would also provide a shopping cart and a secure means of check out and payment acceptance.  This is the most detailed and most expensive of web sites, and requires a lot of maintenance as products ad inventory changes.

Your web sire can be as basic or as complex as you see fit.  You may choose to combine features of all three types of web sites, and create a unique web site for your business.  Just remember that your web site should reflect your business not your personal image.  So, you don't want to incorporate Hip-Hop music on your web sire if you're a bankruptcy attorney nor do you want to incorporate Beethoven into your web site if your company manages Hip-Hop artists.

Promoting Your Business

Promoting Your Business
Your business is registered, the business cards and letterhead are printed, you purchased office equipment, and rented a storefront to set up your office. Why don’t you have any clients/customers? Other than close family and friends and your landlord, who else knows you’re in business?

Now it’s time to promote your business, and here are some ways to accomplish your goal of gaining clients/customers.

One: Networking Groups and Events.
There are tons of networking groups all over the globe, and these groups have events where its members can meet face-to-face. Most of these groups are free to join, or have a minimal fee. The key to successful networking is to make sure you join a group that will allow you to meet potential clients/customers for the products/services you offer. You don’t want to join a group whose primary interest is cooking, when your business is computer repair. Also, you don’t want to join a group whose primary objective is to leave the business world behind, and strictly socialize. Before joining a networking group or attending an event, make sure you know the mission and purpose of the group and/or the event. When attending a networking group that meets your needs, be sure to have plenty of business cards on-hand to distribute to the other attendees. Nothing says unprofessional as an entrepreneur looking for business, who needs to write down his/her information on a cocktail napkin. Also, pre-script and practice a thirty (30) second commercial about yourself, your business, products/services you offer, and products/services that you need. Be sure to keep it to thirty seconds, especially if there are a lot of attendees. Don’t give to many personal details about yourself, and don’t recite your complete business plan to the group. It is extremely important that you present the have/need scenario at these events, so that the attendees know that you plan to utilize their products/services as well as offer your own products/services.

Two: Cold Calls to prospective clients/customers.
The nature of your business will determine if and how to make cold calls to potential clients/customers. This type of promotion works best with a service oriented business. If you are in a service oriented business, you can investigate businesses/individuals in your area to see if they currently utilize the type of service you are offering. If they are utilizing the same type of service with another company, then you investigate that company and compare its services to yours in an effort to find out if you can offer the potential client/customer more services at the same price, or the same services at a reduced price. Present your findings, including a chart outlining the differences, to the potential client/customer. Everyone loves feeling they are getting the most for their dollar. If they are not utilizing the type of service that you offer, then you put together a proposal outlining how they will save time, materials, or cost by utilizing your services. Again, everyone loves to feel they are getting the most for their dollar.


Three: Distribution of Announcements/Advertising.
The old fashion flyer/door hanger/postcard, and today the pop-up, on-line banner, or e-mail. The key to successful promotion in this fashion is to make the announcement eye-catching without being overwhelming, informational but not read like a book, and simple but not boring. Here to, the nature of your business will determine the type of announcement you create, and how you distribute them. If you are a clown you don’t want your announcements to be created in black and white. If you’re offering an exclusive type of service, you don’t want to distribute your announcements at the local swimming pool.

All three of these promotional techniques can work effectively for any business as long as you keep in the forefront of your mind the type of product/service you offer, and the type of client/customer you are trying to attract.

Promoting Your Business in the Social Media Age

Promoting Your Business in the Social Media Age

In this day and age Social Media presence is critical to any business, however, if not utilized properly can be detrimental to your business.

One of my previous blogs talked about Designing The Image Of Your Business, well your Social Media Image is just as important as "Your Company Image".

One: Separate Your Business Account from Your Personal Account
You don't want potential/existing investors/clients to have to wade through your vacation posts, posts your friends have made in order to see what you have been up to professionally,  so create a separate Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ account.   LinkedIn shouldn't be an issue since it is strictly a business site.  While it may seem overwhelming to maintain two separate accounts, it is in the best interest of your business that you do so. 

Be sure to create a Username with your business name in mind, as well as, the products and services your offer.  For example my company name is G Sty Productions Incorporated and I'm a Spoken Word Artist, so my Username on both Twitter and Instagram is GStylFire - GStyl for the name of my company and my stage name, and spoken word artists are known to "Spit Fire" when performing.  It is both unique and thought provoking, so whether someone was searching for me or not, the name gives them pause and makes them curious so they look at my posts in depth to get a handle on who I am and what I do.

If you have the ability to give a "description" on the Social Media site, make it as descriptive as possible and be sure to include the URL to your company website.  You want the description to intrigue the reader enough that they will click on the link to your company website which will give them a complete picture of what products and/or services you provide, how long you've been in business, and any investor/client reviews/feedback you've received.

When posting  to your business account be sure to use full, non-abbreviated words. correct spelling and punctuation, and proper sentence structure.  Treat each post as though they are a company memo and that they have legal ramifications, for they do.  Anything that can be "printed" can be used as evidence against you in case of a dispute or law suit, also you don't want your investors/clients to have to figure out what you're trying to say before they can receive your message.

Two:  Keep Postings Clear and Concise
While Twitter is the only Social Media site that limits you to 140 characters per post, you might want to use this as a guideline for all posts.  Create flyers/textgrams/flipgrams/etc which contain the bulk of your message.  Not only will these visuals help you keep your messages short and sweet, they will also help to hold the attention of investors and clients especially if they are vibrant with color but not to busy and have a nice flow to them.

You want to use your 140 characters like the title of a book or essay, give the reader just enough to make them want to know more and draw them into reading/viewing the graphical attachment that accompanies your posting.

You want to use your company colors, if possible, when creating Textgrams, Flipgrams, and flyers.  Also be sure to include your company logo, and motto.  Also, when using Flipgram, if you use music, be sure to choose a track that is universal and would be widely accepted by all who hear be they investor or client.

Three: Use the Appropriate Hashtags
Hashtags are to Social Media what Metatags are to Websites, they draw in people who might not necessarily be looking for you or your business.  Some people simply watch Hashtags that they believe will draw them to people/places/things n which they have an interest.

One of the best Hashtags to use is the city and state where your business is located.  When people are searching for places of interests they tend to enter the city and state where they are live or to which they are planning to travel.  #ClevelandOhio #Cleveland #Ohio are examples of Hashtags that will draw the attention of those accessing these Social Media sites.

Investors looking for a specific type of business to invest in might search for the Hashtags #SmallBusiness #WomanOwnedBusiness #MinorityOwnedBusiness.  Literary Agents might search for the Hashtags #IndependentAuthor #Author #Self-Published #Self-Pubishing.  I'm sure you are beginning to see the benefits of Hashtags.

All of three of these posting guidelines can effectively help you promote your company on the World Wide Web via all available Social Media sites.