Cynjon Noah

Back in October, we published a list of a few "best practices" to get the most out of your membership here. I'd like to offer a few more.

Use your marketing blurb. Ok, the first item isn't a new item, but it's probably THE best thing you can do to help you connect with buyers via the search engines. In your marketing tools, there is an option called "marketing blurb." If you aren't using it, we challenge you to add something ASAP! This feature literally changes the title of your profile page in the search engines. So, instead of "Joe Artist" you can actually have it say "Joe Artist: ephemera & found material recycled art assemblages" which obviously says a lot more about who you are, what you do, and gets those important keywords right in the title of your page and hopefully to the top of the search engines!

Write an article. EBSQ is currently looking for "howto" articles to add to its archives. Do you have a project or skill you'd like to share? It doesn't even have to be a fine art project. It could be marketing related, such as how to write a good curriculum vitae, or how to approach a gallery. We've found that many of our how-to articles are regularly in our top ten most visited pages on the site from the search engines. Plus your article may appear in our zine or as a post in our blog. And of course, these articles link back to you, your portfolio, and get your name out there for sharing something cool. Interested? Drop us a line!

Share where you sell. Have you linked to all of your online sales venues? We currently have an easy-to-use form to add links to your eBay auctions, eBay store, Etsy, and Imagekind(and given all of the press they have been getting lately, now would probably be a really good time to get involved there if you haven't already. Want a discount on premium membership? Let us know and we'll hook you up!) Also, if you have a blog (particularly one where you're sharing your art) have you linked to it? We have a space for this as well!

Conversely, have you linked to your EBSQ portfolio? If you want people to find you, give them the address! Your unique url will always be based on your username: "http://yourusernamehere.ebsqart.com"  Put this on your business card. In your blog. On your web page. In your signatures for your outgoing emails and on the forums you frequent, even if they're not art related. We've become a socially networked world and people you interact with online love to follow breadcrumbs to see what else you're up to! (plus linking to EBSQ helps EBSQ help you in a big ole Google love fest kind of way).

And of course, get involved! Say hello in the forums. Enter shows. Check out some other member's blogs. Take advantage of the vast pool of knowledge that is unique to this community. Interested in learning a new medium? There's probably someone here you can tell you how to get started and recommend the best place to grab supplies online. Want to show at a certain gallery outside of your local area? Chances are, there's a member living not far away that can check things out. Think you got a suspicious offer via email? Check our section on Art Scams and Fraud Alert in the EBSQ forums to compare notes and critique the poor grammar. Get out of the vacuum!

Do you have some great marketing ideas you'd like to share? Let us know; you could see your idea posted later this month in our blog, along with a link back to your portfolio!