The Ultimate Marketing Move for Creatives
I have the secret to marketing for creatives and it is a lot simpler than you might think.
Before you can fully understand the importance of this marketing move, you have to understand what message you are trying to send and who you are trying to send it to. You need to narrow down your ideal clients and speak to them. You also want to narrow down your message. Remember that you are the expert in your field, and you should be showing this and your talent to your audience.
You also need to make sure that your content is valuable to your audience. Your marketing will always fall flat if what you are putting out there isn’t helpful for the people receiving it.
The Secret to Marketing for Creatives
Okay, before we get to the secret you have to promise that you will look at it with an open mind. It might seem like it is outdated, or not really helpful, but just trust me. This move gets down to the root of the problem instead of looking for a quick fix. This will be a sustainable move that will allow everything else to fit into place.
I’m not saying that social media marketing like Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok are not effective. They can be. But all too often I see creatives putting all of their marketing eggs into the social media basket. It might bring you viewers and those wild numbers that Reels and Tiktok sometimes brings us, but I won’t bring you long term outreach that converts.
The secret, ultimate marketing move for creatives is… the MASTER duo…. Blogging and Pinterest.
Now, hang on just a minute. Let me explain.
The Ultimate Creative Marketing Duo
Creative fields like design and photography are visual. Pinterest is essentially a visual version of Google. People search for content, and eventually, those that are looking for you will find you.
Having somewhere to link your Pinterest posts makes your posts so much more valuable. Pinterest and Blogging together is the ULTIMATE marketing move for a business, ESPECIALLY for photographers, designers, and makers.
Why a blog?
Blogging was something that got so big in the past 10 years that it has almost become a joke, right. Like, everytime you try to find a recipe on Pinterest you have to spend two minutes scrolling through the author’s story about their cousin’s best friend's sister’s fish who LOVED this recipe before you can actually see the recipe.
If we look past that part of the blogging world (which is still valuable, people will make bank from the ads on that page that you spent 2 minutes scrolling past), we can see how truly valuable it is for a business to have a blog, even if you don’t have consistent readers.
Blogging helps your “findability”
The more you update your blog, the more often it tells search engines that your website is active. The longer it is considered active, the higher it will rank in searches. Of course there are loads of other factors that weigh into this, but it definitely helps. Using words that people would use to search for you in your post titles and subtitles also plays a HUGE part in how you rank. Each time you post, it gives the internet another potential page to find you with.
Blogging boosts your credibility
If a potential client is on your website and sees you have a blog, immediately it resonates with them that your business is more credible. There is a lot of psychology that goes along with it, and it is fascinating what will make people see you as an expert (even if you don’t). You have something to say about the field. Your points are multiplied by a thousand if what you are saying on your blog is helpful to that person.
Blogging helps keep your content fresh
If you share a blog post about the Top 5 Things 2022 Brides Forget About from a Wedding Photographer Who Has Seen it All, you can turn those 5 things into a reel or use a blurb from what you wrote as an Instagram post caption. If you write a post sharing your latest branding client, you can repurpose the info into a Tiktok with a trending sound or show your Instagram Stories viewers all about it. Having a blog helps keep the rest of your content new and shiny. It keeps you posting with purpose rather than screaming into the void about anything and everything.
Why Pinterest?
Pinterest is this optimal blend of social media and search engines. There is a social element, but at its core, it is a place for people to search for what they want to see.
Your posts last longer on Pinterest
There is a lot of longevity that comes with Pinterest. Accounts are generally slow to grow at the beginning, but once you have posts out there, they can show up in searches forever. As time goes on, your posts actually do better because they are shown with posts that are like it. Once Pinterest gets a feel for what your posts are about, it shows it in more specific searches. This means that someone can be led to your website from a post that you posted months ago compared to an Instagram post that is only shown in your followers feeds for 10 minutes to a few days. It is steady, long term movement that gains intensity rather than the short bursts of intensity that burn off almost immediately.
Pinterest is made for inspiration and information
Sharing your messaging on Pinterest is optimal, especially for creatives. People most often go to Pinterest for inspiration. They have a project in mind and want to see what will inspire them, what they want from their own project. If your post is the one to do that, it will work wonders for your business. They see your post, the head to your blog, they explore your website. You get booked.
People also go to Pinterest to find experts and their information. You need to throw yourself in the mix. It will do wonders for people finding you. The huge and immediate numbers from Tiktok and Reels are great, but Pinterest will bring you slow and steady growth. It will convert people from finding you to booking you.
Why both Pinterest and a blog???
Think of Pinterest and Blogs like the 1950’s family ideals. Pinterest is the “breadwinner” that is going out and bringing home the money (or in this case, leads). You put out posts that over time get shown to more and more people who are looking for what you provide (or inspiration...which could just as easily become a lead). Your Blog is the “homemaker” that takes care of the home (or in this case your business’ credibility and online presence). It strengthens your website and your brand. It maintains your credibility and provides content for your audience to get to know you. They work in perfect harmony to build your business and allow new clients to find you.
Obviously it is still important to be visible on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook to strengthen your credibility and foster a community—but a blog can make those things easier.
What makes this the ultimate marketing move?
Blogging is kind of like the trunk of the marketing tree. Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Ads, Giveaways, and all those types of things are like the branches. Those things get your content out to another audience. Your blog keeps your business and your brand firmly planted and gives the rest of your content a sound foundation and room to grow.
Keeping up with a blog means fresh content. Fresh content can be spread across platforms. You can talk about the same things on Instagram and Facebook that you talk about on your blog.
When you have valuable, fresh content that is aimed towards your ideal market, you are golden. Your people will find you. Of course there are factors like hashtags and SEO and followers and reels and stories and lives, and on and on the list goes. But none of those things will work as well as knowing who you are talking to and bringing them valuable content that speaks to them. Keeping up with a blog and sharing on Pinterest are the tools you need to create that content and push it out into the world.
Blogging and Pinterest are the ultimate team, but not everyone is made to be a blogger or handle all of the tasks that come with preparing optimal pins. Try it out for yourself, but know that if those things aren’t your favorite or you aren’t ready to spend the hours figuring out how to do them correctly, you have options. Outsourcing these things can be a great way to have an expert in your corner. Check out my services page to view pricing and get in touch to figure out what is best for you. OR if you are looking to get started on Pinterest, try my ready to edit Canva templates for Pinterest posts.
