Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving a happy one!

Posting early again :-) On Friday when I usually post, I will be making a salad and whipping up the cranberry ice (sorbet) in preparation for Thanksgiving - we are celebrating on Saturday so everyone can make it.

I am grateful for the connections I have made through this blog and social media and look forward to make more!

I am grateful for the wonderful advice and comments from all of you who follow this blog.

I am grateful for all of you who click on the affiliate links. This little bit of income helps support me and the time it takes to blog <3

Thank you!, all of you amazing creative people!

Social Media - Working for Me?

Happy Friday Everyone :-)

This is another topic sent in during a previous giveaway on this blog - thanks! So, "how well is social media working for me?" It depends on how you look at it.

FREE works fantastic for me! Yes it does take my time, but no printing, postage, paying for advertising space....over time I have added more social media to my plate than when I first jumped into Twitter.

It may help you to know and to take a big easy breath, that I only used Twitter when I first started to hangout and advertise through social media. I was looking to promote my CafePress store back then, profits went to my local food bank. You can start any where, I don't know that Twitter is the best place. Just start where you are interested. Take on one social media site at a time. When you are ready to, add another one. Consider what it is you want to get out of social media.

I got on Facebook a few years after Twitter. A friend kept pestering me back then. She would say "Twitter is like a cocktail party and Facebook is like a lemonade stand." She was saying I needed to be on both. Maybe a year later?, another friend said I HAD to join Pinterest so I did. I jumped into Google+ about a year and a half ago I think around the same time I started blogging. For the life of me I can't remember when I set up Linkedin... I think before all of the other's but I didn't do much with it. Now I am quite active in a few Linkedin groups.

So BY FAR the blogging gets the most activity. I promote the blog on all my social media sites. As I write this I am pushing 4,000 page visits a month. (Some visitors will visit more than one page, most don't). The blog provides a great landing place to interact with people. It is a handy place for listing useful links. I never expected the #PatternParade blog page would do as well as it does :-) BUT most discussion occurs in Linkedin groups and Facebook groups. The majority of blog traffic comes from Linkedin and facebook - I assume from the groups, especially since Facebook filters who sees your posts and who doesn't.

You should note that as I write this I only have 59 blog followers. That is quite a contrast to almost 4,000 page visits a month. Something to keep in mind if you start blogging. Low blog (or no) followers doesn't mean your blog isn't working.

Also of note, I have only gotten business from Twitter! I have picked up a few graphic design clients even though I only promote art licensing on Twitter. Pinterest (for me) has the best click through rate. I haven't seen any benefit from Google+ yet, I don't have many followers. I do like having another "plug" into the Google machine (one of the reasons I chose Blogger for my blog).

This year at Surtex, a lot more people recognized me - I assume that is from social media. I can't figure out how else they would know who I am. Also the reason I posted the current photo above a few weeks prior to Surtex. That way people could recognize me :-)

Summing up this longer than usual post! Social media works great for me! I am getting out of it what I am looking for - connecting with all of you :-D

THANK YOU for clicking on the affiliate links when you are interested in purchasing one of those products. It means so much to me when you help support the time I spend blogging.

Looking forward to your comments! Maybe if you are all interested, I could talk about blogging specifically.

You might also like "How I Pay the Rent" post.

Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Editors note: Aug. 13, 2014 - HIGH FIVE!! Just sent the $50 Amazon Gift Card via email to Kristen. Thank you everyone, this was fun! :-D Check the newsletter and follow me on social media for the next giveaway.

Editors note: you don't have to sign up for the newsletter - probably the easiest way to enter is to like my facebook page through the giveaway box above. I am using Rafflecopter's free service because it make it easy for me to notify the winner. I won't be keeping your email addresses unless you do sign up for the newsletter :-) You can also read the Terms & Conditions above.

I need your help to get my newsletter off the ground and blog post ideas!

 

Thank you all in advance! You can come back tomorrow and enter again by giving me another blog post idea. You can sign up for the newsletter and like my Facebook Fan Page only once. Each task gives you another chance to win.

Giveaway ends 12:00 a.m. Wednesday August 13th. I will email and post the winner same day (on the blog). Only US citizens can win.


I would be really grateful if you are interested in getting my monthly newsletter. Sample of what it looks like is below. Get tips, freebies and artist spotlights that I have on this blog delivered right to your email in-box! It will change as I get feed back from all of you. BIG THANKS-A-LATTE for getting it off the ground :-)

The blog stats give me a good idea of what post are popular - but I want to know your ideas for blog posts. The whole point of this is what works for you guys!

If you have already signed up for my newsletter prior to this giveaway, you are already entered to win! You can enter again by liking my fan page and/or leaving a blog post idea.

Thanks again for your time and input - I hope you win! Make my day and follow this blog :-D

Social Media and Double, Tripple.... Posting?!

Here is what I do - Tell me your thoughts?

For the last year - Oh wait! Happy Blog Anniversary to Us! - I post on this blog once a week. THEN I post a link to this blog in a couple of Linkedin groups, Twitter, Facebook, a Facebook Group, Google+, AND Pinterest.

I didn't start out doing that cuz I know that I have a lot of the same followers on all those sites. I was/am worried about the 'annoyance factor' when one of my fabulous followers comes across a repeat post. BUT after mustering up some courage, I posted in all those previously mentioned places and my traffic went up. To me that says I am reaching more people who didn't happen to catch it in the other places I posted...

NOW I have even re-Tweeted, re-Facebooked (you get the idea) about mid week to all my social media sites. Traffic goes up again. Clearly I am reaching new people.

Are any of you annoyed with this? Numbers are NOT the only reason to blog - connecting with people IS a reason to blog. I must admit that when I check out a new follower on Twitter (or any social media site), if all I see is the same tweet over and over again, I don't follow them.

I do try to mix it all up for everyone's sake.

Seriously, let me know your experiences, thoughts - I can take it! :-) Thanks in advance.

Blogging - What I Have Discovered, (so far)

Confessions of a Right Brainer

I thought about blogging for a long time. I knew it is important to post on a regular basis - at least that is what folks who are experts on blogging say. I worried (still do a bit) about how will I come up with stuff to write about that may be helpful.

Blogging is great for marketing.  - Well, I am focusing mostly on other licensed artist. I would think manufactures etc. would be the ones to purchase my art... Of course I never know who is reading my posts unless they comment.

Reading/writing and spelling were my worst subjects in school - I thank god every day for spell check! :-D

So why did I start blogging? I wanted to have a record. A way to look back at what has happened to me in the last year(s) in the world of art licensing. Yep, I was focused on me :-) I find that when I am feeling like I am getting no where fast, It is great to look back and see what I did accomplish. Sometimes I let the bad things out way the good. Crazy that we do that. (Did you notice I lumped you in with me? :-) I also thought some of my graphic design stuff might be useful to other artists.

What I discovered is that I need art friends! This blog has connected me with so many more creative people in 6 1/2 months, than I have had since my college art days. (I am pert near 50 years old). I love it! The emails, comments and social media connections are fabulous. It is great to get other points of view.

(Sorry all you tough guys out there...) This is a great BIG, fuzzy, gushy THANK YOU for your support and input.

Make my day and follow this blog! - Thanks in advance for commenting :-D