Gradient Winter 2018

The Magazine of the Association For Creative Industries

Formerly Craft Industry Today

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WINTER 2018 / Volume 8 / No. 1

CONTENTS 10

18

22

Staying Relevant in the Digital Age: Key Trends to Watch for in 2018 Web Content that Sticks: 5 Tactics to Stand Out in the Noise

4 PULSE 3 Free or Almost-Free Digital Design Tools 6 INSIDE AFCI Industry Awards, Hall of Fame Staff Profile, Featured Member Benefit, New Research and more!

8

MOVERS & MAKERS Meet Joe McClain

14 TRENDING Augmented Reality and the Craft Industry: The Future is Here

Managing an International Social Media Presence

26 DIY Tips for Supporting the DIY Bride 28 THE SHELF 30 I NDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Editorial Keri Cunningham kcunningham@afci.global Kristen Farrell kfarrell@afci.global Jason Baum jbaum@afci.global Cassandra Austin caustin@afci.global Advertising Tim Braden tbraden@fwpi.com Darlene Ryan darlene@fwpi.com

Publisher Fahy-Williams Publishing PO Box 1080, 171 Reed St. Geneva, NY 14456 800-344-0559 fwpi.com Gradient is distributed to AFCI members on a complimentary basis. Subscription fee for non-AFCI members is $25 a year. To order, contact AFCI at 201-835-1207.

Gradient is published quarterly for members of the Association For Creative Industries (AFCI). AFCI is an international non-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution, and retail sales of craft products worldwide. For more about AFCI, the value of membership, or its award-winning conference & Trade Show, please visit afci.global.

Online • afci.global • creativationshow.org • facebook.com/AFCI.Global • twitter.com/AFCI_Global • youtube.com/c/ AssociationForCreativeIndustries • pinterest.com/AFCI_Global • linkedin.com/company/ association-for-creative-industries • CRE8TIME.org

319 East 54th Street, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 Tel 201-835-1200 / Fax 201-797-0657 Copyright © 2017 AFCI. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Gradient • Winter 2018

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PULSE

3 Free or Almost-Free Digital

DESIGN TOOLS

By Kristen Farrell, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations

In the article, “Web Content that Sticks: 5 Tactics to Stand Out in the Noise” on page 18, Stuart Hochwert of Prime Publishing LLC discusses the web being a “visual medium” and how it is important for businesses to communicate in a visual way to establish credibility and engage users. You may already know this or you’ll learn more as you read this issue of Gradient. However, your business may not have the budget to invest in staffing a graphic designer or in design software.

Good news! There are free or almost-free tools on the internet that are all you need to produce high-quality, visual content that can be used on your website, in your emails, and on social media.

Here are three of the many options out there that I tried and recommend.

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

Canva canva.com Canva is an online design tool that provides everything you need to create professional-looking presentations, posters, social media graphics, web banners, infographics, and more.

Upon creating a free account, Canva asked me about my business and needs in order to suggest a design template. As the Manager of Marketing & Public Relations here at AFCI, I selected “marketing & communications” and “web banner”. Canva then quickly directed me to a Facebook cover photo layout and a 23-second interactive guide to help me design it myself. It took

three simple steps – choose, drag, and publish – for me to design the web banner below.

The Canva “Free Forever” plan includes 8,000 templates, 1GB of storage, two folders to organize your designs, and access to a selection of free stock images or the ability to upload your own.

For $12.95 a month, you can purchase the “Canva for Work” plan, which gives you additional features, including more photos and priority support.

Animoto animoto.com Animoto turns your photos and video clips into shareworthy marketing videos and slideshows.

a photo library, such as Facebook.

If you’re familiar with Adobe Photoshop, the toolbar icons should be familiar (i.e. crop, lasso, brush, gradient, text, and etc). If not, you can visit the Help menu to access tutorials and tip articles and learn how to use them.

I used Pixlr to resize, add text to, and sharpen the image on the left.

Pixlr is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. There’s also a free app available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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Here at AFCI, we use the Animoto “Professional” package for $22 per month. This plan allows you to: brand videos with your logo and colors instead of the Animoto watermark; create square videos, which tend to receive more engagement on social media and are ideal for sharing on Instagram; use prebuilt templates to help guide your story; add music tracks to your video; and so much more.

You can try Animoto for free for 14-days and see if it’s worth the price. Watch videos that we created using this tool by visiting CreativationShow.org/videos.

Pixlr pixlr.com Pixlr is a browser-based photo editor that makes it easy to edit images by cropping, rotating, and enhancing through filters.

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We’re hosting FREE “Make & Takes” each day, 10am-3pm And, meet some of our VIP designers every day!

To use Pixlr, you have to have Adobe Flash Player installed and enabled. Then, you can visit the website and launch the web application. Pixlr prompts you to select the image you want to edit from your computer file, a URL, or

Gradient • Winter 2018

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INSIDE AFCI

Industry News Andria Gibbon Featured in Facilities & Destinations Magazine Andria Gibbon, CEM (formerly LaJeunesse), who is AFCI’s Vice President of Events & Education, was featured on the cover of a recent issue of Facilities & Destinations magazine. In the magazine, Andria discusses how the Phoenix Convention Center was a great partner to help AFCI bring the new format of Creativation to life.

Facilities & Destinations is the leading news source for professional planners of conventions, meetings, entertainment and special events.

2018 Industry Awards & Hall of Fame We’re pleased to announce the honorees of our 2018 Industry Awards and Hall of Fame.

The Special Recognition Award is given to individuals or groups for their extraordinary contributions in positively showcasing the creative products industry. This year’s recipient is Jill MacKay. Inductees of the Hall of Fame are pioneers who have made extraordinary contributions leading to the growth and success of Jim Scatena their organizations and the creative arts industry.

This year’s inductees are Jim Scatena and Robert Workman.

Jill MacKay

Jill, Jim, and Robert will be recognized during a ceremony at Creativation, taking place Saturday, January 20, 2018 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information and to register, visit www.CreativationShow.org.

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

Robert Workman

Creativation Wins Best Show Brand Design/ Development

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) recognized Creativation in its 2017 Art of the Show Competition as best Show Brand Design/Development in the net-square-footage category. The event won first place for the overall branding program and the variety of creative elements used to launch Creativation.

The competition is the only marketing competition that specifically targets the exhibitions and events industry to award excellence in promotional materials.

Creativation’s winning entry will be featured in a gallerystyle display at IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition taking place November 28-30, 2017, in San Antonio, Texas.

Industry News 2018 AFCI Board of Directors We’re pleased to announce new members to serve on the Board of Directors. The new Board members are: • Ashley Smith, Craftsy • Joe McClain, Help Heal Veterans • Frank Rizzo, elected to serve the second term The new candidates join the current Board Directors: Chuck McGonigle, Jim Thielen, Christopher DiTullio, Bradley Beck, Brigid English, Don Guidi, Roseann Kermes, Eric Sauma, Tony Sheridan and Greg Tipsord.

Leaving the Board are: Nora Abousteit, Mark Lee and David Murray. We thank Nora, Mark and David for their time and service.

New Research Available on the Size of the Creative Products Industry We’ve updated our 2016 Creative Products Size of the Industry Study from last September to now include new data on the various channels where people purchased craft products. Our initial study indicated the percentage of purchases, within a specific craft category, made in a physical store, online or both. During the Keynote Presentation at Creativation 2017, we received very helpful feedback from our members.

Much of this feedback revolved around this portion of the research study with a request to take it a step further and include the types of physical stores that these purchases were made in. We have since done so and have updated the research study accordingly on our website.

AFCI and MaritzCX will continue to research and release new findings on an ongoing basis. The full report with this update is available at research. afci.global. AFCI members will be able to access the report for free upon logging into their member account. Non-members interested in purchasing the report should contact Keri Cunningham, Senior Director of Marketing and Research, at kcunningham@afci.global.

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Referral Rewards

Our new Ambassador Program rewards members who help our membership grow through referrals. Each time you refer a member who joins AFCI, you will receive a monetary reward and your incentive to refer more businesses increases. Learn more about the reward levels and how you can become an Ambassador at rewards.afci.global.

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Gradient • Winter 2018

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MOVERS & MAKERS

MEET

Joe McClain A mentor once told me, “When you stop growing, you start dying.” He’d be thrilled to know that quote is the mantra I live by.

I’m Joe McClain, Captain U.S. Navy (Retired). To those in our industry, I am the CEO of the national nonprofit Help Heal Veterans, or Heal Vets. To my wife and kids, I’m a “warrior hippie” with passions for drawing, the martial arts and playing the guitar. But no matter my varying hats, one thing remains consistent: I am in a never-ending quest for the opportunities that challenge me to grow and to make an impact. That’s informed every step of my experiences to date, across my academic background, professional endeavors and personal aspirations.

I began my career in the U.S. Navy.

Today I feel blessed that I continue 8

Winter 2018 • Gradient

to serve. At Heal Vets, I help to play an important role in supporting America’s veterans, military members and their families through the healing power of arts and crafts.

I’m proud to say that Heal Vets has been a member of AFCI since 1990 and, come January, I’m humbled to be joining the Association’s Board, serving alongside a cohort of our industry’s remarkable leaders.

staff positions, including numerous overseas deployments flying the carrier-based S-3B Viking jet aircraft.

I was the Commanding Officer of the “Blue Wolves” of Sea Control Squadron 35 (VS-35) and the Commodore of the Sea Control Wing Atlantic, one of the Navy’s larger organizations with some 1,300 sailors in seven different squadrons and 60 combat aircraft.

My career has left me with a diverse portfolio leading large, complex, and multinational organizations, both in the Navy and across the business sector. I’ll reckon that my professional background deviates slightly from many AFCI members, but I also know that it’s the diversity of our backgrounds that creates the strength of our industry.

To set the record straight here, flying off aircraft carriers for a living is as fun as it looks.

In the Navy, I served in a variety of operational command and

After 28 years, I closed out my military service with a position working for the Secretary of the Navy at the U.S. House of Representatives. While there, I helped to develop and implement the Navy’s legislative strategy. It was a rewarding job, and one that gave me the unique ability to see our legislative process at work.

My stint on Capitol Hill opened a myriad of opportunities across the business sector. I served as the president of the Beer Institute, the trade association for brewers and importers, an organization that is similar in both mission and scope to AFCI. My friends joked that I went from one classic dream job (flying off of aircraft carriers) to another (the beer industry). They weren’t so far off.

But my desire to serve never left me, and in September 2015, I assumed the most empowering and inspiring position I’ve had yet. I joined Heal Vets as the nonprofit’s CEO. Established in 1971, Heal Vets has provided free therapeutic arts and crafts kits to hospitalized and homebound veterans for generations.

Working with clinicians, therapists and other AFCI members, we’ve developed and manufactured a range of craft kits that helps to heal the invisible wounds of war. What we can’t manufacture ourselves, we purchase or receive donations and gifts in kind from fellow AFCI members.

One of our Heal Vets Board members, Dr. Keith Stussei M.D., recently wrote this in an article.

“Craft therapy has been proven to be extremely effective in treating those with PTSD, and there is ample evidence to suggest that craft therapy has a positive overall impact on brain function. First and foremost, craft therapy helps vets take their minds off the events that may have led to their illness. Engaging in craft activities has been shown to address cognitive, neurological, and sensory-motor needs by targeting performance skills. In fact, craft therapy has been shown to help promote the use of right- and leftbrain functioning and help maintain cognitive functioning.”

AFCI members and the creative arts have a proven record of making a positive and life-changing impact on others’ lives. At Heal Vets, we see it every day. Through arts and crafts, we provide veterans the

innovative tools to face some of the most trying moments as we work to help our military men and women heal from the invisible wounds of war.

I am grateful to be bringing these experiences to the AFCI Board, and am eager to meet my fellow members at Creativation in Phoenix in January. As your new AFCI Board member, I commit to live by my mentor’s words to never stop growing. Our industry has a tremendous opportunity to create radical new ways of delivering hope and change. Together, we can harness the power of our trade to transform lives, and we can share in our collective journeys to uncover untapped possibilities.

I am excited for what’s in store.

To learn more about Help Heal Veterans, visit healvets.org.

Since inception, we’ve delivered more than 32 million of these arts and crafts kits to veterans and veteran facilities across America, along with active duty military overseas. Kits range in categories to include woodworking, leather, models, needlecrafts, jewelry and paint-by-numbers, among so many others. The kits help injured and recuperating veterans improve fine motor skills and cognitive functioning, manage stress and substance abuse, and cope with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. It also improves their sense of self-esteem and overall physical and mental health.

Almost daily I get letters from veterans or family members with quotes such as, “I don’t think about suicide as much anymore,” or “Completing a craft kit helps take my mind off of the pain.” Our anecdotal evidence, backed by the support of clinicians, proves our mission: the creative arts can help save the lives of those who have served.

Gradient • Winter 2018

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FEATURE

STAYING RELEVANT i n the

DIGITAL AGE

KEY TRENDS TO WATCH FOR IN 2018

By Shama Hyder Creativity is something that the craft and hobby industry and the marketing industry have in common.

It’s the lifeblood of our businesses, the key to our success, something we pride ourselves on and something we’re passionate about. And that’s great news, because in 2018, our collective creativity will be called upon more than ever when it comes to staying relevant in the digital age.

In years past, it was enough to have a website and presence on social media, do some blogging and some emailing, and maybe run some online ads. But that’s changing.

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

People have immersed themselves in the digital world; connected 24/7 via their phones. They interact with friends and family online, get their news and their entertainment online, move through the sales funnel online, and do a majority of their shopping online.

And while they love the convenience, information, and connections the online world affords them, they’re still people – people who need and want real-world experiences and connections with other people. Yes, they still want their phone in hand during those experiences. They want the best of both worlds, seamlessly integrated.

That’s where 2018 will be different.

The new reality is that, in order to get consumers’ attention – especially Millennial and Gen Z consumers – businesses need to embrace a more creative and holistic approach to marketing, one that integrates the real world and the digital in new and exciting ways.

Companies across the country are beginning to experiment with innovative approaches to marketing in this new reality. From stores with no inventory to interactive, techinfused, pop-up kiosks, businesses large and small are seeing significant success with ideas that would have

seemed unattainably futuristic just a few years ago.

So what does this mean for your business? How can companies in the craft and hobby industry flex their creative muscles and tap into this new reality? Here are some of the best places to start.

1. Video, Video, and More Video

One of the first – and easiest – ways to bring real life and the virtual world closer together is through video. While interacting with people on social media or through content on your blog or site has definite benefits, there’s just nothing like watching a video to create a feeling of authentic connection with a company.

The use of video in marketing is growing by leaps and bounds. You’ve

probably noticed in your own social media feeds that it’s becoming more prevalent. Every kind of video is becoming more popular and more common – from professionally filmed commercials and in-depth classes to quick how-to’s with captions for silent viewing and live video streams. There’s a good reason for that. Video works.

It bridges the gap between a purely digital brand experience and an inperson one. It allows consumers to get a better feel for a brand’s personality, or what a company is all about. It provides an accessible way to offer valuable content to your audience; content that will move them through the sales funnel or even make them brand advocates on your behalf.

The craft and hobby industry lends itself perfectly to this marketing tool, and many in the industry already make smart use of it with instructional videos, classes, or product demos. The key today is to expand that use and

branch out to new types of video such as live streaming.

Live video is without a doubt the best tool for building online relationships that feel more like realworld connections to consumers because it conveys the sense that they’re being granted real, authentic access to an actual person. It’s also uniquely appealing, because it’s live.

Anything could happen, and people are drawn to watch just because of that possibility.

Live video has another unique integrative benefit – it’s interactive, in real-time. Viewers can react, comment, and even ask questions of the presenter, who can then answer them right then and there. This ability to interact, coupled with the more intimate and immediate feel of a live video, makes live streaming an especially effective way to reach today’s connected consumer.

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2. Experiential Marketing Connected consumers shopping and buying online is the new norm in many industries. But there are many reasons why getting people to physically experience a brand and its products is still important. The key is to give consumers a reason to visit a physical location – a reason that goes beyond shopping or buying.

Enter experiential marketing. By providing real-world experiences designed to appeal to their target audience, companies are getting their brand messaging across, building meaningful relationships with consumers and, ultimately, moving customers through their sales funnel.

These experiences can take the form of events, classes, get-togethers, or even just the chance to check out a new product demonstration. They can take place in a store, or even in a strategically located pop-up kiosk.

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

Of course, integrating these experiences with the digital world is key as well. By encouraging selfies during an event or making Instagram pictures of a finished craft part of the process, the real-world and the digital are seamlessly integrated.

But these experiences don’t even need to be events, or a set interaction with consumers. If designed with an eye towards experiential marketing, even the simple act of visiting spaces like stores or offices themselves can become an experience.

One great example of this, albeit in a different industry, is Nordstrom’s most recently built store. Realizing that most of their sales are now taking place online, but also cognizant of the fact that many of their customers still love the inperson luxury shopping experience the brand provides, Nordstrom created a store with no inventory.

Visitors can grab lunch at the in-store restaurant, get a mani-pedi at the Nordstrom nail salon, and even try

on clothes with a personal shopper’s help. But any clothing purchases they make are fully online, and they leave the store empty-handed.

Building a “coffee and crochet corner” into your store, or even redesigning craft or hobby stores to be experienced as hands-on, fully participatory places, would have a huge impact. Creative design can make a store a destination.

3. Integrated Connectivity Consumers’ lives are already fully integrated with technology and the internet – from Alexa keeping track of their to-do lists and playing their music at home to the constant communication with their networks via social media apps on their phones.

They’re connected to their smart cars, thermostats, security cameras, and other appliances they rely on.

Integrating connectivity into your brand experience is the logical next step for companies looking to the

future, as consumers will soon expect to see the same level of sophistication from the brands they do business with.

What does this look like in practice?

Any opportunity to work digital elements into in-person experiences should be taken, and the more creative, the better. Think beyond the kiosks allowing you to order products online while in-store; so common in department stores.

What about tablets mounted near certain products to present videos and other content? It’s a great way to explain how to use the products and give examples and ideas of projects to be made with it. What about an app that “analyzes” a person’s photo, along with his responses to a fun quiz, in order to declare him an aspiring chef, a quilter, or a model car aficionado? By integrating connectivity into as many aspects of your brand experience as possible, you’ll appeal to the modern consumer’s sensibilities.

Technology may have had some isolating effects in its early days, but

more and more it’s becoming a tool for interaction and engagement, both online and in person. Merging those two aspects of our lives today into one seamless brand experience is key to a company’s success.

Staying relevant in the digital age entails a lot more than it did even just

a few years ago. But the strategic use of video to bridge the gap between the virtual and the in-person offers your audience real-world experiences that go beyond buying. By integrating technology and connectivity into every aspect of your brand experience, your craft and hobby business can continue to thrive in 2018 and into the future.

Shama Hyder is a visionary strategist for the digital age, a web and TV personality, a bestselling author, and the award-winning CEO of The Marketing Zen Group – a global online marketing and digital PR company. She has aptly been dubbed the “Zen Master of Marketing” by Entrepreneur Magazine and the “Millennial Master of the Universe” by FastCompany.com. Shama has also been honored at both the White House and The United Nations as one of the top 100 young entrepreneurs in the country. Learn more digital marketing trends from Shama when you attend the Keynote Presentation at Creativation, “Momentum: How to Grow Your Business and Brand in the Digital Age,” taking place on Saturday, January 20, 2018 from 8:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. A ticket is required to attend and can be purchased at the registration desk in the lobby of the Phoenix Convention Center. The session is free for AFCI members and costs $15 for non-members.

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Gradient • Winter 2018

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TRENDING

AUGMENTED

REALITY AND THE CRAFT INDUSTRY

THE FUTURE IS HERE

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

By Alex Meisel, President, Alex Meisel & Co. and SeekAR AR is a technology that allows a digital world to blend into a realworld environment on a video screen, smartphone or tablet.

Here is a quick quiz for the creative industry. When answered correctly, and understood a bit better, this question could help you create new opportunities for your business, your crafting, and many other facets of everyday life.

Q: What is Augmented Reality?

A) A tool that is app based and is used across industries: retail, branding, entertainment, education, healthcare, marketing, advertising, etc.

B) A technology projected to have more than 1 billion users by 2020.

C) A technology projected by Digi Capital to generate $120-billion by 2020.

D) A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

E) All of the above You guessed it. The answer is “E.”

And after reading this brief article, you will look around and see augmented reality (AR) everywhere.

In the coming years, the creativity in its usage will grow and grow and become a powerful tool for creative industries.

AR is a technology that allows a digital world to blend into a realworld environment on a video screen, smartphone or tablet. Have you ever seen a football game on TV? The yellow first-down line that moves with each play is an example

of “augmenting” the “real game” by placing a line across the field that you cannot see with the naked eye.

Not a football fan? In baseball, the strike-zone square you see on TV in front of the batter during the World Series augments the reality of what the umpire judges (putting more pressure on the ump to get the call right).

AR has become better known due to the phenomenal success of Pokémon Go, in which animated figures appear in the real world through the user’s mobile device while pointing a camera at a physical location programmed to have a character show on your screen. What? Okay.

You don’t play these games.

Do you shop? IKEA has long used AR to allow customers to virtually superimpose an image of their furniture into a living room to see what it looks like in their homes. They

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just activate the app, choose a couch, for instance, and point the camera toward their living space to “place” the couch virtually. IKEA also uses the technology to augment its print catalog. Certain pages will come to life on your computer screen when you point your camera at the page.

This of course, allows IKEA to become a “content provider.”

Do you like entertaining content? Many do, and Content is King. AR can deliver content and shopping opportunities.

Have you ever watched a film by scanning a wine bottle label? It is available now. Imagine scanning your logo, your photo, your product, and bringing your content to the end user. There is an app for that.

SeekAR AFCI aligned with SeekAR to bring AFCI members access to, and discounts on, AR services designed specifically for brands, retail and product development.

It is an image recognition app that makes your logo, label (programmed image) a “trigger” of content, like a video of your choosing to appear on the screen. Consider it a “teaser reel” to engage the user. Show a demo project, provide an overview of your company, or have a featured speaker deliver your message.

Also, the user gets touch-screen options (i.e. to watch more video, order product, or get a promotion – whatever

is programmed into the experience). Direct the consumer to a materials project list with the items to purchase immediately. Create social media sharing opportunities by a simple scan of your image.

Having an event or promotion? Tech giant Cisco used SeekAR at their massive show in Las Vegas to provide animation, event navigation and social media opportunities to attendees.

In business, the job is to get customers to engage with your product or service. In today’s world, that is controlled by bits and bytes of data and information. Your message needs to engage and do so quickly. SeekAR offers an easy way to enter the world of AR and engage consumers with emerging technology. When paired with your social media and marketing campaigns, AR can increase interest and reach of your brand, product, store, or event.

So give it a try. Go to SeekAR.io. Download the app, and point your camera at the AFCI logo. See what happens.

Welcome to a whole new world.

For questions about SeekAR, Alex Meisel can be reached at Alex@alexmeisel.com

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

MAKE LIFE A HOBBY™

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Business Partner AMERICAN QUILT RETAILER provides independent retailers with tools to help you succeed.

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VOL. 23 • ISSUE 134

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Subscriptions • US 1 year (6 issues) $45 • 2 years (12 issues) $75 • Canada 1 year (6 issues) $90 • International 1 year (6 issues) $165

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RESOURCES Shop owners have busy schedules and multiple responsibilities. AQR wants to be a one-stop location for information on techniques, products, trends, and opportunities for you to run your business with ease.

BEHIND THE SCENES Every shop owner knows that many things have to happen before fabric and patterns ever reach the sales floor. Let AQR help you better understand distribution channels and help you work with your vendors.

Free coll Marcus Above: The Sarah’s fabric io 37 of

52 |

BUILDING & NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS From the quilt shop staff members, to your customers, to your family and community, there are tips and techniques for building relationships that help you run a successful business.

INSPIRATION & CREATIVITY Shop owners are required to provide inspiration to customers every day, yet they need that inspiration, too! AQR can provide that with ideas for events, classes, retreats and marketing ideas.

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BUSINESS GROWTH & SUSTAINABILITY Build your store for longterm success by learning strategies that work from experts.

Explore opportunities to generate revenue to keep business on track.

How To Subscribe: • Visit americanquiltretailer.com and subscribe online • Call 641-751-3395 • Mail check to address below.

ON THE SALES FLOOR Train your staff to learn how to handle customers, upsell products, and build your customer base. And, AQR will guide you to better visuals and displays for selling your products.

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FEATURE

WEB CONTENT THAT STICKS 5 Tactics to Stand Out in the Noise

By Stuart Hochwert In September 2017 alone, 81.2 million posts were published on the WordPress platform (https:// wordpress.com/activity/posting/).

That amounts to nearly 3 million blog posts a day on a single platform.

When it comes to blogging and content marketing, it is no longer enough to create content at a regular interval. With so much content being posted every single day on dozens of platforms, marketers need to find a way to ensure that their content stands out in all that noise. While many writers often have one-time successes with click bait titles or strive to create that one viral sensation, there is one tactic that can help you stand out every single time – authority.

What is Authority?

Authority, as it pertains to web content, is the amount of trust your readers, industry experts, and other websites have in your website. A credible website or piece of content 18

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will always earn the click or share over a less reputable source. Plus, the higher your authority, the more likely a user will come directly to your site or company the next time they’re seeking that type of content.

6 Authority Signals and How to Use Them Website Design and Navigation Creating content for the web is a visual medium. Most users surfing the web already have a preconceived notion of what a credible or trustworthy website should look like.

Before a user ever reads a word, he or she will make snap judgments about your website. With this in mind, ensure that your site is easy to navigate and has a clean design.

Cluttered sites or hard-to-operate sites will easily chase a reader off.

About Us Pages and Author Information It is also important to be transparent in who you are and what you have

to offer. The Google Quality Rater’s Guide, released every year, points out that a lack of information about the author or no evidence of authority for the site as a whole, should be a “warning sign” for a low-quality site.

With this in mind, making sure you have an up-to-date “About Us” page and author box on articles can help readers learn more about you. Be sure to mention accomplishments, where you have been published, and influencers or brands you have worked with before.

Publish Valuable Content Writing content or hiring someone to write it for you costs your company both time and money.

It does not make sense to write content that is not going to perform or rank on popular search engines.

So much content is being written every single day; it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. The best way to ensure that you are writing content that will earn clicks and leads is to make sure you are providing value to your readers. Always ask yourself continued on page 20

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FEATURE Web Content from page 18

why you are writing a particular piece and if you are the best person to write that article.

If the piece you are writing already exists in multiple variations, reconsider writing that particular

article. A quick Google search can help you figure out if that article has already been written. Ask yourself, is this the very best article on the topic of ‘ABC Widgets’ on the internet? If not, why write it since it is unlikely to rank?

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Winter 2018 • Gradient

Hire Experts Chances are that you or your team will not be an expert on every single article you are hoping to write for your site. If you cannot write an article in-house, hiring a blogger or expert to produce content for you is an excellent idea. Not only will you have new, high-quality content for your site, but you will have also linked yourself with an industry expert.

Having influencers and familiar faces on your blog can really help your site gain authority. You can find these experts by using influencer tools like Buzzsumo.com, Moz, or social media listening tools. Another option is to reach out to a local college or university who may be able to assist you with the technical expertise needed for an article.

Link Out to and Quote Trusted Sources Much like writing academic term papers, citing your sources when creating web content is an excellent way to prove to readers (and Google) that you are an authority in your field.

The best way to do this on the web is to link out to authoritative content. If, for example, you’re writing an article on creating gluten-free Playdough for Kids, linking out to an ingredients list from celiacs.org proves that you know where to find credible information. Links like this are also proof that you did your research.

Another easy way to add authority to a page is to add quotes from authoritative bloggers and influencers in your field. Simply reach out to these bloggers while you are writing your article and ask for a quote. It often helps to ask a direct question and offer to link out to their chosen URL or social-media page.

People are more likely to offer their input when they’re getting something back. A great way to find these influencers if they are not already in your network is through tools like Buzzsumo.com or simply scanning popular hashtags on social media platforms.

Gain Links Back to Your Content Hitting the “post” or “publish” button should never be where your content calendar ends. Once you

have completed creating stellar, authoritative content, you need to make sure people get a chance to see it. Reach out to any and all influencers or websites you linked to in your article, letting them know your article is live and politely ask them if they would be interested in sharing or linking back to your article. Try emailing them some drafts of social media posts that they can edit themselves.

Submitting your content to thirdparty websites is a great way to get some attention for your posts, as well.

Sites like CraftGawker.com, Medium. com, and FaveCrafts.com allow you to submit your article or a portion of it to be republished on their websites.

This is a great way to not only help people find your new article, but also help audience members who may not have found you otherwise connect with your website.

Stuart Hochwert is the president of Prime Publishing LLC, which publishes more than 30 cooking and crafting websites covering various niches. The popular websites have grown to be some of the most trusted sources for cooking and crafting content over the past eight years.

Niche-specific sites like AllFreeCrochet. com, AllFreeKnitting.com, AllFreeSewing. com, and FaveCrafts.com are some of the preeminent crafting sites on the web.

Discover more tips on writing for the digital age at Stuart’s session with Creativation University 2018.

Join him for Writing for the Web: Tips for Making Your Content Internet/SEO Friendly from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in S307. He will be joined by his colleague Kaylee Pope who heads up the Prime Publishing audience development team.

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FEATURE

Managing an International

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE You may think you’re just a small designer, DIYer, or supplier of crafting tools. But due to the magic of social media, your Instagram account, Pinterest boards and Facebook fan page, you have followers from all over the world. You probably have customers from a variety of countries visiting your Etsy shop or e-commerce site. Social media networks have flattened the world, and craft brands need to consider the whole world as their marketplace, not just the USA. If you’re ready to cultivate a global market for your brand, you should take the time to make your social media presence deliberately internationally friendly. We have some big-picture ideas as well as some micro-managing tips that will help you take your brand to the world.

Determine Your Channels

The first thing to do when taking your brand global is find out which social media channels the customers you want to reach use the most. While Facebook reached 2 billion users worldwide in June 2017, it’s blocked in China, along with its subsidiaries Messenger and Instagram, as well as Twitter.

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QZone is the dominant social network there. China’s most popular chat apps combined, WeChat and QQ, have more users in China than Facebook Messenger has around the world.

In Russia, it’s VKontakte (VK) and Odnoklassniki (OK).

For an overview of the dominant networks worldwide, see Vicenzo Cosenza’s annual World Map of Social Networks; his analysis of secondplace platforms throughout the world is enlightening. So your first step is determining which networks are carrying the traffic you want to be part of in the regions you want to reach.

Just as in the U.S., different social networks have different audiences and uses within countries and regions.

Not only do you have to identify the right networks in a new market, you also have to determine whether those networks are appropriate for your brand. LinkedIn may be popular in sub-Saharan Africa, but if you’re a craft brand trying to reach end consumers, it’s probably not your best channel.

Instagram is gaining momentum, and Facebook is also extending its reach.

Both are better suited to marketing to the retail consumer.

Our main piece of advice is to not try to be everything to everyone all at once.

Start by targeting one region at a time, on a single social media network, in a country where you have either an e-commerce presence or a physical presence. Once you have established that, you can expand to different regions on the same network or take your campaigns to different platforms within the same region. You can control the rate and direction of your growth based on the strategy you use to manage your international social media presence: global, local, or a hybrid.

Global, Local, or Something In Between?

As you build your brand across an international marketplace, you can take a top-down approach by developing a centralized marketing message that is then tailored for specific countries or regions. Or if you’d rather, you can work from the bottom up, creating or hiring local teams that craft a brand strategy specifically for their local markets.

The first approach is generally more cost-effective, but you run the risk of having your message misunderstood

in different countries. Iconic brands like Coca-Cola or Nike, whose logos and products are instantly recognized around the world, can deliver a single unified message effectively. A small craft brand whose products may be used in entirely different ways in different regions may find a centralized strategy less effective.

A hybrid global-local approach to social media might take a unified central brand message and employ local translators to post it to the most important local social media Gradient • Winter 2018

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FEATURE

networks to amplify your brand’s voice in a culturally responsive manner. The people doing that work for your brand need to know your products intimately, and know the local culture well enough to be able to translate your marketing messages in a way that will engage the local customer base. They are a human bridge between your brand and your potential new market. For a craft business, this might be a more effective approach than the unified global strategy.

Translating Your Brand Message

Let’s use knitting as an example of how a particular craft unites people with similar interests into a global community, but also has significant regional and ethnic variation. Effective social media marketing has to take both of these ideas into account. Not only do you have “English” or “throwing” style versus “Continental” or “picking” style, there’s “Portuguese” knitting which is also very common in Greece, Turkey and other areas of the former Ottoman Empire. Add Eastern “crossed” and “uncrossed” styles, and any other regional differences in the ways a yarn crafter can produce knitted fabric, and you begin to get the idea that a series of technique videos featuring a set of interchangeable needles could be potentially confusing to different segments of its intended audience. If your intended audience is distracted by the knitting style they see on the video, they are not engaging with the product.

We’ll break down the ways in which that single marketing idea, offering knitting tips and tricks that feature the company’s knitting needles, needs to be modified in order for it to be relevant in different global markets.

The breakdown should give you an idea of what you should consider as you take your message international.

Regional knitting style: Have the knitters in your videos knit in the dominant style of the knitters of the intended market. You can apply this advice to most handwork and textile crafts.

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Regional knitting terminology: How are stitches, rows, increases, decreases and patterning expressed here?

Are patterns written out or done in charts? Is that garment a “sweater” or a “jumper”? In other words, what is the language of knitting (or your specific craft) in the target market?

Local/regional language: colloquialisms, idioms, and slang, as well as grammar, vary regionally even within a single language.

Canadian English and U.S. English are not the same, particularly in matters of knitting. How you spell fibre/fiber in your hashtags will affect who finds your message. The French you use to reach French-speaking Canadian markets is different from the French you would use to reach Frenchspeaking European markets (which differ amongst themselves as well).

Units of measurement: Are the units of length and weight metric or Imperial (meters versus yards, grams versus ounces)? Are knitting needles assigned sizes in numbers or millimeters? A North American size 8 needle has a 5mm diameter, but a knitter from Europe might read that “size 8” and assume 8mm, which will produce a very different and probably undesired result.

Factoring in all these variations can seem daunting. That’s why social media marketing specialists encourage you to start small as you try to extend your social media presence internationally. Look at where your competitors are both in terms of geography and social media platforms, then pick a single market in which to focus your social media efforts. Bring your original ideas, certainly, but adapt your style of presentation as you account for the factors outlined here, so that your social media posts fit the culture of the customers you are trying to reach.

Place your message strategically on the appropriate social media networks in your targeted market. Then assess your results. If customers are engaging with the posts in a natural,

responsive manner and not making fun of them or asking for clarifications, then you’re reaching them. Now you can take that message to another network, or modify that campaign for another market.

Culture, Custom, and Policy Once you have crafted a campaign and had it translated for your social media networks in your targeted markets, you also have to make sure that it meets local customs, policies, and laws for advertising and e-commerce. If your social media posts direct customers to an e-commerce site, is the site translated into the local language?

Can it handle currency conversion?

Are you charging required taxes, fees and appropriate shipping costs?

Is your product priced appropriately for your different markets to account for these different overhead costs?

What sorts of labeling and customs declarations are required in the country to which you are marketing?

Eucalan, a Canadian company, must label their products in both French and English. Are there countryspecific limitations placed on the type and amount of information you can retain from visits to your website and how or whether you can follow up those digital leads? Electronic privacy requirements vary around the world, and other countries take violations more seriously and with stiffer penalties than the U.S. does.

Again, this is where local experts are worth your marketing budget to make sure that you are in compliance with local regulations.

You can see it’s not enough to load your Tweets into Google Translator and send out the results and consider that an international social-media marketing campaign.

It’s not impossible, though, to launch your brand into new global markets thoughtfully and sensitively. With careful research in preparation and informed input from on-the-ground local experts in implementation, your craft brand can engage with new customer audiences and grow into a global leader in your craft sector.

Ready to improve your own social media marketing? Get a free social media checklist at bit.ly/ stitchcraftchecklist.

This article is provided courtesy of Stitchcraft Marketing, a niche agency specializing in craft-centric small businesses. If you’d like more information about anything contained in this article, feel free to contact the owner of Stitchcraft Marketing, Leanne Pressly at 719-539-3110 or email Leanne@stitchcraftmarketing.com.

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Gradient • Winter 2018

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DIY

Tips for Supporting the

DIY Bride

Local craft stores

By Camille Wooding, Bsc., MBA DIY weddings are all the rage now.

They open up a whole new set of opportunities for manufacturers and craft stores.

For manufacturers, brides are looking for lines that provide the theme or color they are looking for. Sometimes they may start with an idea they have seen and sometimes they have a full view of everything they need.

For local craft stores, this may be the opportunity to provide individual service and attract a new segment of customers. What can you do? Here’s a list.

•

•

•

Manufacturers • Pinterest is your friend! Many brides will look on Pinterest for inspiration. You should set up an inspiration board for brides 26

Winter 2018 • Gradient

•

and how your products can be used. Better yet – show how your product has been used by others in the past.

Provide Pantone colors – brides have to match colors of ribbons, paper, etc. If you provide the Pantone colors, it makes it easier for them.

Go outside your products. If you do not provide the full range of products, identify a manufacturer you are willing to have a relationship with and use their products (i.e. if all you provide is paper, find a manufacturer who provides ribbon and flowers.

This way, is easier to identify the products used.)

Use the network – local craft stores can attract wedding planners and decorators. Give them the ideas and tools to service this group.

A list of local craft stores by area can help identify where to purchase your products.

• Develop a database of names and seek to develop a relationship with the planners and decorators.

Perhaps a special discount and individual service can boost sales. Planners and decorators are looking for reliable support and access to the products.

Relationships with manufacturers and trade associations like AFCI give craft stores access to catalogues and new products that may not be in the store.

• Be a one-stop shop. You may not have everything in the store, but you can order different items.

Weddings usually represent bulk purchases so it’s good business for you. Check your pricing against larger online stores because your customers will.

• Develop relationships with printers. Whether local or online, printers are usually needed. That relationship can work both ways.

• Train your staff to recognize opportunities and market your services.

• Be in the know – do your own research on trendy and common themes (like the current trend on watercolors or the use of burlap and lace). This way you are prepared to provide advice.

• Host special events for your group and showcase some of the products. Manufacturers can make this easy if they provide the inspiration boards and how-to’s.

• Pictures! Remember – Pinterest is your friend. Encourage wedding planners and decorators to give you pictures to post on your boards and to provide the manufacturers for their use (and don’t forget to get permission for the use of pictures). If you can obtain them, keep samples.

• Facebook can also be your friend.

Use it to showcase your events and customer crafts.

• Use your crafters – local stores may have regular customers who craft. Develop relationships

and identify people who may be interested in working with bridesto-be, planners, and decorators to develop their concept.

• Host bride-to-be sessions – many of the DIY brides are not necessarily crafty. A session on what is available and the basics of crafting may help

them make better decisions (our article on “Tips for the DIY bride” may be helpful).

• Understand your customer – some choose DIY for the uniqueness and others for the hope of lowering their costs. You need to know who you are serving.

About Camille Wooding Camille Wooding, Bsc., MBA is an organizational consultant, academic and craft entrepreneur. As a business consultant she works with businesses to define strategy and implement strategic HR systems in support of the advancement of strategy and people development. As an academic, her research focuses on creativity and innovation in the workplace. As a craft entrepreneur, she believes that crafting can help reduce the stress faced by women. Her passion is to create craft spaces and opportunities for women to interact, explore their creativity and develop self-confidence. She has worked with brides to bring their ideas to life.

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THE SHELF

Distress Crayons from Ranger Ink are available in three metallic colors: Tarnished Brass, Antiqued Bronze, and Brushed Pewter.

Formulated to achieve vibrant effects on porous surfaces, the smooth water-reactive pigments are ideal for creating backgrounds, watercolor, and more. Available in a threepiece set and open stock. rangerink.com

Blush, the fashionable hue for today’s home and bridal palettes, is ready for your craft creativity. Available in Design Master COLORTOOL Spray, Blush offers you application versatility. Change the color of both delicate and durable surfaces … even fresh flowers! Choose traditional coverage, a blush of color, or use easy techniques to craft rich patinas.

800-525-2644, info@dmcolor.com

Rub-a-dub-dub, time for fun in the tub! These cute ducks are ready to make a splash in your next craft project. Stamp the duck and babies for a cute Mother’s or Father’s Day card.

Or, create a complete scene with ducks splashing in the tub! lawnfawn.com 28

Winter 2018 • Gradient

Fabric Editions Inc. introduces Needle Creations Felt Hoop Kits that make creating trendy stitchery projects fun and easy. Simply appliqué the felt pieces to the panel, then embroider the printed areas. Easy to follow instructions guarantee your success! Each kit contains an embroidery hoop, printed felt, felt pieces, floss and needle. fabriceditions.com Introducing the Gemini Jr. multimedia machine from Crafter’s Companion. All the phenomenal power of our original Gemini die-cutting and embossing machine is now available in a smaller footprint. The compact design weighs less; and cuts through heavyweight card stock like butter, layers of lightweight materials with ease, and works faster than ever all at the push of a button! crafterscompanion.com

Sakura perfected the smooth inkflow technology of Gelly Roll Classic White to offer the popular color in three nib sizes: 05 Fine, 08 Medium, and 10 Bold. The opaque white ink pops on dark and colored paper. Elevate art to another level using the range of thick and thin lines.

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Ready to shake, rattle, and roll? Lindy’s has replicated the most-popular-selling colors as Magical Shakers!

That means you’ve got the beauty and versatility of a magical, in 10 amazing new colors, that you can shake or just colorize projects to your heart’s content! All sold individually so you can mix and match the colors you want! lindysgang.com

THE SHELF

Alpaca lot of fun in these two Dare 2B Artzy stamps!

Our customers are happy when one steel die coordinates with more than one stamp set. They make for a great bundle.

Visit our website to see our new products! dare2bArtzy.com

Witzend Workshop’s Squeeze Pen dropper/dispenser was developed for the encaustic arts, but it can also be used for paint. It is made up of a rubber bulb and an aluminum pen barrel that can be heated and used to draw up hot wax. Create a thick or thin line by squeezing the bulb with varying degrees of pressure. It sells with instructions in a package of one or 10.

Made in the USA. waxmeltingtools.com

OPAL Film is our best new product this year. You’ll have to see it to believe it. tapetechnologies.com New Cre8tive Cre8tions Art Journal stamp sets feature whimsical handillustrated designs for mixed-media projects and more. Sets include a main character plus sentiment and accessory images. The largest is more than 7 inches tall! Extra-large, deep-etch rubber stamps are mounted on dense 9/32-inch foam – for a clear, crisp image over and over again. Plenty of color can be added thanks to generous line spacing. They work well on art journals, canvas, fabric, tabletop surfaces, walls, concrete, etc.

LDRSCreative.com Create the perfect project to brighten someone’s day with Avery Elle’s adorable new Party Pals clear stamp set and coordinating Elle-ments die set. With more than 300 stamp and die sets to choose from you are sure to find something you love. averyelle.com

Grafix now has Metallic Shrink Film in Gold and Silver! Now your customers can create metal-like embellishments, jewelry, mixed media, tags, decorations and more!

It’s easy: just create, cut and bake using a conventional oven, toaster oven or heat gun. Designs shrink to 20 percent of their original size and become strong plastic pieces. It works great with die-cut machines, decorative scissors, and rubber stamps. Each package includes three Gold sheets and three Silver sheets, size 8.5 by 11 inches. http://www.grafixarts.com/products/ shrink-film/grafixarts.com

Permanent Dots are now available in an easy-to-use roll format from your favorite mess-free adhesive brand, Glue Dots. With a light-blue tint, Permanent Dots are easier to see for precise placement onto materials. Permanent Dots are a great addition to any craft room or supply closet. info@gluedots.com

Testors is proud to introduce Color Shift, a true FLIP colorchanging aerosol paint. Projects take on multiple colors at once depending on the lighting or viewing angle. The durable paint offers premium coverage on a variety of surfaces. It comes in four amazing colors plus a black basecoat and a clear topcoat.

800-837-8677, testers.com

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