Final?

I'm a little confused about this part. There aren't really any guidelines and I may be totally blind but I swear the only place I saw it on the website was at the bottom of the syllabus saying write an essay. I'm assuming I'm supposed to turn it in through the blog.

Beginning this semester I had briefly been using Facebook Pages to connect with an audience and share my work. The page was linked to twitter and I was keeping it very simple. The business has thus far been evolving at a very organic and slow pace. I wanted to learn what more I could do to advertise in a more cost-effective manner.

Through the course of the semester I became more aware of the social media tools available to me. I had previously considered pinterest, linkedIn or youtube to be difficult platforms to maintain that would not greatly benefit my business. I am now seeing that they can lend a very organic, close contact to a market. People enjoy the interaction and the quick, visual information they can gain from these platforms. I still see them as being a lot of extra work because a visual means of communication requires quality photography, which I simply do not have.

Even though I studied marketing in college, I failed to apply some very basic principles that I learned. Considering my target marketing and demographic at the beginning of the semester was extremely helpful. As the business unfolds and becomes more mature, I am learning what areas to push and what to pull away from. The business began as a hodgepodge of things I love and enjoy. I have a collection of used books and clothing. What I am seeing though is that I want to target a more affluent market. While they enjoy finding second hand items that fit their home, the books and clothing are unnecessary. I hope to focus my efforts on cuter, one of a kind items that would complement someone's home. Posting images of my finds on facebook will encourage people to visit my store.

Additionally, the above question of demographics led me down a path of exploring my brand. While this doesn't directly apply to social media, the question of who I was targeting and how made me realize that I need to create some separations in my business. I have decided to remove my store name (ReNew) from the bath and body products and create a separate identity for them. In this way I can begin to market the items separately and as a wholesale product. This brand would benefit through business to business marketing and contacts found through LinkedIn.

I am now posting quite regularly. I used to be a bit afraid to post too often, that I might bother my followers. What I realize is that I may lose one or two, but having a strong presence and repeating my message is important.

I hope to incorporate blogging and a newsletter in the near future. I am somewhat intimidated by the upkeep that a successful blog needs, but feel that with scheduling, I would be able to maintain it at least once per week.

I feel much more open to social media now. I feel confident that I can connect and share information with consumers on many platforms and really grow my business in a cost effective manner. What I really enjoy is that the projects I am working on are involving real people who are buying my artwork. So long as I connect with them socially, I should be able to expand my world steadily.

This summer I am expanding my business into a working studio space for my artwork. I am struggling with separating my store (ReNew) with my art identity. I wonder if they should remain the same or if I should divide them into two distinct concepts, twitter accounts, facebook pages, etc. I don't feel the need to because they are both a reflection of my work and personality. I want this business to remain personal. I think that people enjoy watching my progress, struggle and victories!

Ultimately I received a great education on the use of social media, alternate platforms I had never considered and look forward to incorporating this information into my marketing strategy. I feel up to date on current information and hope to maintain my knowledge as social media continues to evolve.