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  • Episode 13: Interview with Homemade by Mils & Mum

    Episode 13: Interview with Homemade by Mils & Mum
    2022/10/05

    Episode 13: Interview with Homemade by Mils & Mum

    Find them here:

    https://homemadebymilsandmum.com/

    and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/homemade_by_mils_and_mum/

    and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083012546417
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    39 分
  • Episode 12: The importance of setting goals in your creative business

    Episode 12: The importance of setting goals in your creative business
    2022/07/28

    How to launch a creative business: Episode 12: The importance of setting goals in your creative business

    Further help and support:

    https://www.katecullen.co.uk/book
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    13 分
  • Episode 11: You don’t need Instagram to run a successful creative business

    Episode 11: You don’t need Instagram to run a successful creative business
    2022/07/12

    How to launch a creative business: Episode 11: You don’t need Instagram to run a successful creative business

     

    There I said it. You really don’t need Instagram to run a successful creative business. Can it be one tool in your sales and marketing arsenal? Absolutely, but it doesn’t have to be.

    If you spend any time on any social media channel lately (not just Instagram), then you will have almost certainly seen the complaints of engagement and reach being strangled for small businesses, the obsession with faster, louder and the move away from the things that made Instagram so popular in the beginning – fun and often beautiful photography, and ways to connect with your friends and family in an uncomplicated, easy-to-use space. Since then it’s become a flagship of small business marketing and things have changed irrevocably – whether we like it or not. It has become exhausting and anxiety-inducing. It has led to a noticeable number of creative entrepreneurs saying ‘no, I’m not doing this anymore’ and leaving to somewhere that feels more connective like Patreon. Or building their own forums and membership spaces. Smaller numbers yes. But more engaged and like-minded.

    Recommended Reading:

    https://www.katecullen.co.uk/journal/passive-income-ideas-for-your-creative-business

    https://www.katecullen.co.uk/journal/patreon-or-facebook-group-for-your-creative-business
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    16 分
  • Episode 10: How to launch a new product

    Episode 10: How to launch a new product
    2022/06/16
    How to launch a creative business: Episode 10: How to launch a new productHi and welcome again. Today I’m going to be covering how to launch a new product – this might be a physical item or a new service, course or workshop – it doesn’t matter which, the processes are still the same.Now, if you’ve read my book (available in my website shop by the way!) then really you can apply all the same principles I teach there relating to an entire business, to this new product or offering.Firstly, you need an audience of people that are ready to buy – I think we can all agree on that. And hopefully if your brand voice and messaging have been on point up until now with an existing business, then you know what they want and how they want it delivered. If your audience is still very small and new (eg a handful of social media followers, a hundred or so email subscribers etc) then you will almost certainly want to consider an ad launch budget to be able to reach more people that are not yet currently aware of your business.And this brings me to a little aside – if you truly want your business to be successful, then building your audience is absolutely vital, and to do this you will almost certainly need to invest in some sort of advertising or PR strategy. It comes down to numbers at the end of the day. Now if your core messaging and brand identity (including your voice – how you relate to your potential customers) is really on point then you will no doubt get a higher conversion rate and sell more with a small audience. However, it often takes us a little while to get there, to truly understand and speak to our niche (see my blog post from last week for more info on that), so setting aside some budget for advertising (be it Facebook, Google, or placements on blogs or in magazines or podcasts) will be something you will need to invest in.And nearly all successful businesses will have relied on advertising in some form somewhere along the way – recognised that they need to reach more people and invested appropriately. And this is where understanding your ideal client profile is so important. So you can set the parameters of your ad to maximise your spend. Correctly identifying who to sell to and what their interests are.But let’s assume you know your audience, know what they want, you’ve tested it with a small number of people, know it works for them, what now?Now you need to have a solid marketing plan in place that will convert your lookers into buyers.1.       A good, well-thought-out sales pageYou sales page might be a page on your website, or a specific landing page you’ve created in your email marketing system, whatever and wherever it is it needs to contain these key points:What is the outcome from buying this product or offering, how does it make the buyer feel once they have it? For example with my book my customers are relieved because they don’t have a clue where to start with launching a business, they’re happy because they know it’ll take less time for them to get everything in place rather than having to google it all for themselves. They’re more committed because they have a structure to follow which means they’re more likely to reach their launch date goal. The value I’m giving them is their time and energy back and ultimately that they will be making money (and more money) sooner with my book than if they were to go it alone.You absolutely want to make the outcomes and benefits clear first and foremost.You may also want to include then why they should buy from you over anyone else who may have similar products or offerings. Ie your experience, what sets you apart from others that is relevant to this particular item. Eg for me I’ve run my own successful businesses for over a decade, and I’ve helped many businesses launch and thrive over the last few years. I have the experience that people can trust.How much information you provide often depends on the price of the item in question – low cost offerings will need less information than say a high-priced course or product. So what else do you need to address – any reasons why someone might NOT buy, eg cost, time, suitability – speak to all the objections someone might put up to stop from buying and counteract them, eg you’ll make your money back in weeks that you’ve spent because you’ll learn how to avoid pitfalls, in the long run you’ll save time by doing this course because you won’t make mistakes, this product might be more expensive but that’s because it has sound sustainability credentials or supports the artist or local community. This product or offering is exactly right for this specific industry or person or character. Use your FAQs to counteract any reasons why someone might not be ready to checkout.For smaller cost items don’t waffle on too much - people often just want to hit purchase and have it straight away, they don’t want to go through endless salesly pages of info when ...
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    28 分
  • Episode 9: Meditation & Manifesting with Emily from Luna Circle

    Episode 9: Meditation & Manifesting with Emily from Luna Circle
    2022/06/02

    How to Launch a Creative Business Podcast Episode 9: Meditation & Manifesting with Emily from Luna Circle

    In this episode Kate talks to Emily from Luna Circle about the value of meditation and manifesting as a creative entrepreneur and how it can help focus, relax and inspire you. With some fantastic suggestions on daily practices, as well as an insight into how and why Emily began her own business.

    At the end of our chat, Emily also demonstrates a short meditation to bring more calm and peace to your day. A great session to repeat daily or whenever you need to rest, reset and tune out from the outside world. 

    About Emily

    Emily Aitcheson has over 17 years’ experience teaching and facilitating training in movement, meditation and personal development. She has led workshops internationally, produced sold out entertainment events for top London venues and collaborated with brands such as Lululemon, Neom Organics and Move Your Frame. With her company Luna Circle, she delivers sessions on meditation and manifestation, as well as providing intuitive soul readings. Luna Circle runs regular wellness events across the UK.


    Links:

    Website: www.thelunacircle.com

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunacirclewellness/

    Full Moon Women’s Circle Event: Thursday 14th July 2022. 7.30-9.30pm at The Mount Without, Upper Church Lane, St. Michaels Hill; Bristol, Somerset, BS2 8DT  https://www.thelunacircle.com/events

    Rose Retreats

    https://alicerosewellness.com/rose-retreats

    Little Wedding Hub

    https://www.thelittleweddinghub.co.uk/
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    53 分
  • Episode 8: Creating purposeful content for your creative business

    Episode 8: Creating purposeful content for your creative business
    2022/05/19
    How to launch a creative business: Episode 8: Creating purposeful content for your creative businessIn my blog post last week I spoke about WHY blogging is such an effective tool in marketing your business, the benefits of creating consistent, high-quality content that educates, informs and inspires your potential clients about your products or services. Expressing the benefits of your offerings in a compelling way that truly engages your readers or listeners.Today I’m going to talk in more detail about HOW you can go about this. Your content creation and posting lifecycle, from blog posts to social media and email newsletters.I follow a broad 5 step process myself which helps me to create content with ease.Step 1: is the blog post (or podcast in my case) itself – the longest, main piece of content that you are creating say on a weekly basis. The piece that will take you the biggest effort and time to research and create.I have a spreadsheet that I use and that I help my clients to use too that covers things like choosing blog post titles, blog categories, and most important of all what the PURPOSE of this point of content is. eg is it to speak about the benefits of a product or service (for example with social proof and testimonials from happy clients), is it to educate your readers about features of your products or services that they perhaps might not know, are you encouraging them to sign up for a piece of free content like an email newsletter lead magnet, are you leading them to sign up for a course or workshop, or to buy a specific product? Every piece of content you create should have a purpose. Even if it’s not a specific action as such, then it should be to build trust or to encourage relationship-building through discussion of a relevant topic.Once you know the purpose of your blog post or podcast it’s so much easier to write that piece with a beginning, middle and end – like you are telling a story. Stories are interesting, stories compel and engage.Step 2: for me is Pinterest, I’ve been an avid user since 2011 when it was new and small all the way through the huge visual search engine it has since become. For me Pinterest goes hand in hand with my blogging supporting my SEO efforts. As a photographer now and as a stylist and product creator previously, the visual search capabilities of Pinterest have been vital in helping me grow my business. I use my blog post categories as Pinterest board names, so every blog post again has a purpose and at least one place within my Pinterest boards. I always pin my blog posts, using Canva to resize images and create pins suitable for Pinterest, ie tall pins.A good Pinterest strategy alongside your blogging can really help get your organic Google traffic working better for you.Step 3: next I consider my Instagram feed and how I can break up the key takeaways from my podcast or blog post into short form for Instagram.  Using images from these for my feed (resizing for Stories and Main feed respectively).I research the most appropriate hashtags for the content and make sure I have everything uploaded into Planoly. Sometimes I manually write the actual post in the moment, or I create it in Planoly and schedule it (depending on how busy I am or if I’m away).Step 4: I include more information or talk around the blog post or podcast content in my email newsletter, explaining how it might help my readers and direct them to the blog or podcast episode. I never assume people have seen it already on another platform, we consume hundreds of pieces of content every day, so I don’t worry too much about repetition. I just try to look at different aspects of the content on each channel so it remains as fresh and interesting as possible. I also invite my readers to respond to my emails on different topics. I like to hear from my subscribers in my inbox too.Step 5: I post in my Facebook Group about the topic and create conversations around the topic. Sometimes the topic has come out of previous group members’ questions, so I always try and listen to them and what they need help with.Top Tips for Content CreationHow to come up with the ideasCreate content around your day to day activities (eg photoshoots, your products, materials, FAQs, your work life, your workspace, your home life, collaborations, workshops, events, skills you've learnt or teach, personal thoughts on your industry or niche, help posts, how to posts and idea posts).Research your intended topic by typing it into Google, see what comes out on the first page (and the suggested related search terms as you type), read them, how could your post be better, more informative, more niched into your specialism and USPs?Create each post with a specific intent – PURPOSE is everything with content, is it to get the readers to book a discovery call, understand your value and experience, buy a product, learn more about you, sign up to your email list, follow you on Instagram, take your free mini ...
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    20 分
  • Episode 7: Why you need an email list in your creative business

    Episode 7: Why you need an email list in your creative business
    2022/05/04
    Episode 7: Why you need an email list in your creative businessWorking on email list building and content is often one of the key things that my clients want my help with, or they haven’t considered how vital it is to creative businesses at all and we explore why, what and how to harness this amazing sales channel, without feeling icky, repetitive or boring. So why do you need an email list?A well-crafted, purposeful email is still one of the best ways to engage with your audience and create those all-important connections with your ideal clients. If you can create a relationship where you are regularly providing considered, helpful or enjoyable content that can only be accessed by being on your email list, you are much more likely to be creating future customers and clients.It’s an opportunity for you to establish your authority in your niche, to allow your potential customers to get a feel for your approach, knowledge and skills and hence how or why they might wish to buy from or book you.The key to building any part of your customer relationship is consistency. So decide when and how often you can commit to creating your email content and stick to it.An email list will also always be yours – it’s not subject to algorithm changes like social media or Google – you own and control it.How do you get sign ups?There are 3 areas you can create maximum opportunities for potential customers to see your email subscription opportunities:1.       Ads eg Facebook, Instagram, Google etc which present your ‘newsletters’ for sign up – usually by offering a freebie or lead magnet.2.       Social media – talking about it on your posts as well as adding a sign-up link in your profile bios.3.       On your website – eg with pop-ups, sign up areas on your website and so on.How do you decide what content to include?The content of your newsletters will vary based on your business model, whether you are selling products or services, and how many types of ideal clients you have.If you have different ideal client profiles you may want to consider segmenting your subscribers into different areas of interest, eg those that are interested in workshops versus those that might be interested in your products. That way you can make sure that your content is specific and useful to each demographic.Ensure that your emails are engaging and in your brand voice – think about the things that you want to learn or hear about when you’re considering a purchase or hire. What are you interested in, what engages you?The format might be relevant too – if you write beautifully and engagingly then maximise your skills there, if stunning imagery is your thing, then make sure you include plenty of photographs. Video content is also increasingly popular, and a video diary could be a really great way to engage your audience.Whatever content you include, always try and make it unique to your email list – something your audience can only access by being on your list, eg unique help, inspiration or discounts. First access to your workshops or limited product ranges for example. Encourage email responses too – if you have a question that would help you understand your audience better then ask it – this is your opportunity to give someone the opportunity to personally reply without it having to be on social media and publicly viewed.Make sure there is at least one clear call to action in every email, eg shop a sale, view a new collection, book a call, listen to a podcast, read a blog post – the premise is that you want your readers to want to go on and find out more about what you are offering. The more time they spend with you on all your channels the more you build the Know/Like/Trust factor which will ultimately lead to sales and bookings.Make it so worthwhile that your ideal clients will never want to hit that unsubscribe button.How may subscribers do you need?Numbers are not as important as engagement – you could have thousands of subscribers. but if only 10% of them are opening your emails, or only 1% are clicking through to where you’re sending them then you’re not harnessing the power of your emails. Your content is maybe not interesting enough, or not compelling enough to get them to take action.The open and click through rates are the metrics to pay attention to – if you’re not getting a good percentage of your subscribers opening or clicking then think about revamping the way you present your content to be more engaging.I’m going to leave you with a few tips:Tips1.       Choose an email platform that you feel confident using and understanding and is affordable for you – there are a great many to choose from now. My own personal current favourites are Squarespace (if of course you have a Squarespace website) and Flodesk (which is attractive and easy to use).2.       Create at least one valuable lead magnet or ‘freebie’ that your ideal customers will love that they...
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    25 分
  • Episode 6: Editorial shoots for your creative business

    Episode 6: Editorial shoots for your creative business
    2022/04/21
    Episode 6: Editorial shoots for your creative businessHi, today I’m talking about styled shoots, or editorials – what they are, why you should do them and how to go about organising or participating in one should you be invited.First things first, I want to be clear what we’re talking about today:So the difference between a Brand shoot and a Collaborative Styled Shoot – a brand shoot is for YOU, you should expect to pay for it – from photographer to stylist, make up artists, models and hiring of other elements like furniture or location. This is solely to promote you and your business, the images might be used in blogs and magazines as well as on your own website and social media for PR purposes. Collaborative shoots are usually organised by one or two people, but everyone gives their time in exchange for the images and share costs. The end goal is usually to have the images published on a blog or in a magazine that is suitable for all the brands involved, with later on the ability to use the images on each of the participants websites and blogs and social media. Today I’m focussing on collaborative styled shoots (or editorials). I’ve been styling and managing these (from concept to mood boards and on the day styling and direction) for over a decade now (with close to 100 shoots featured on blogs and in magazines around the world). And of course, I’ve been photographing them more recently too alongside my creative direction skills. I also used to run online courses and live workshops on this topic (I’m pondering on a new one soon too – watch this space).But anyway today I’m sharing some of my top tips for getting the most out of collaborative editorial shoots, whether you’re the one organising it or you’ve been invited to take part in one. The First questions to ask are always: WHERE will it be published This is core to understanding the PURPOSE of the shoot – (which is always ultimately to attract your attract IDEAL clients – what do they want to see and where are they likely to look for it? WHO else is involved – do their businesses align with your look, style and ethosThis is all about the right TEAM building  - you all need to be on the same page – no one person gets the limelight. The aesthetics and client base must be the same or very similar to be effective – so that everyone will get the exposure they desire and the shoot has a consistency of approach look and feel. Please don’t post in Facebook Groups for team members for collaborative shoots unless you are VERY specific about who you are looking for in terms of style and content – you will be very unlikely to find your dream team this way. Instead research and find your prefect team members – don’t be afraid to reach out to people – if you have a strong brief with a story that resonates and a clear direction and idea for publication you are much more likely to get a ‘yes’, than if you just reach out saying you are doing a ‘pink themed shoot’ – what is special about what you’re doing? Why should that supplier want to be involved?Does the shoot have a message that will resonate with your perfect clients – for example inclusivity, sustainability or a way of showing off what can be done that’s innovative and different. This is where Pinterest is not always your friend – when building a mood board try Not to choose imagery directly related to the shoot concept or theme – try to be more inventive with your inspiration and ideas. Instead focus on emotions, texture, colour and overall feel of what you are trying to create. The end goal must always be to get PUBLISHED – otherwise what’s the point? Bear in mind that it is increasingly difficult to get published anywhere unless one of the team is a featured vendor/advertiser on the intended publication. RESEARCH – look at the blog posts or magazine articles carefully – what are common themes and types of content that get published in the outlets you are aiming for? Think about BUDGET  - every good shoot costs money – it should always be viewed as an investment – be up front with the team if you expect them to share costs for models, set design or venue fees. But be aware that not everyone’s input might be equal, for example florists might have to spend hundreds of pounds to design the look you want, and they can’t be reused after the shoot. Organisation is vital, everyone needs to know exactly when they’re needed – do a call sheet, create a mood board so everyone is on the same page and detail every element in your design.Ahead of the day make sure everyone knows how to get to the shoot location, provide emergency numbers to call in case of delays or problems. Devise a full itinerary to ensure everyone’s contribution gets the shots required and that nothing is overlooked, as well as keep you on schedule. A shoot day goes past in the blink of an eye, and running out of time and/or daylight are really ...
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    19 分