your purpose and your vision when saying yes or no to an opportunity. If it doesn’t fit into your brand, purpose and vision don’t do it! 7. Engage. Initiate a two-way conversation by inviting your audience to interact with you. Ask them questions. Invite comments on your blog posts. The more engagement, the more views you get on social media. Encourage sharing to a wider audience. This expands your network and helps more people get to know you. Promote other people. Don’t expect people to share or comment your stuff if you never do it for them. Have guests on your blog and offer to write for theirs. If you write articulate, interesting, and unique guest posts for relevant blogs, you can tap into a whole new audience. It’s the quickest way to get known by more people. 8. Know your stats. Only share your stats if this fits and helps your vision and your brand. Even if it’s not appropriate to share your numbers to the public, it’s still important to know your stats. 9. IRL – in real life! When attending shows in person, make sure you have plenty of business cards to exchange with others. Have a notebook or take notes on your phone.
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Have your elevator pitch. Know how to explain your business in just a couple of sentences. Don’t just talk about yourself, talk about what they care about. Here’s my elevator pitch: “Hi, I’m Rita Barakat, artist and storyteller! I have a mixed media show every Monday night helping and encouraging others be creative and highlighting the latest products.” 10. Lastly, make a good impression and follow up. Rita Barakat is a published and licensed artist that creates whimsical, fun and inspirational art. From wall murals to itty bitty minis, she has worked on numerous art projects for hospitals, corporations, families and manufacturers. She teaches online and in person classes for consumer conventions and trade shows. She has written and illustrated a super fun paper mixed media doll book called Magical Theatre: Create and Play with Movable Dolls! She works as an independent contractor with many notable manufacturers in the creative industry. She is the AFCI Designer Section Chair. On Monday nights you can find her live on FB Mixed Media Mondays. Learn more at ritabarakat.com.
Summer 2019 • Gradient
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