[TheForge] Advertising your craft

Wed Mar 5 19:22:02 2003

I realized I didn't answer all the questions.
I did all the installations until this Fall. I found someone to sub 
that work.

Ray Miller
Cincinnati

I apologize for droning on in the earlier message

On Wednesday, March 5, 2003, at 04:08 PM, John Chobrda wrote:

> Ray, just a quick, question how would a 6 mo. backlog for a part 
> timer, translate for a full time metal worker? and do you feel this 
> type of exposure would generate enough work to keep a full time shop 
> busy? Also, with railings, do you do the installations, or do you sub 
> out that work.
> John C.
>
> [email protected] wrote:
>
>> I do NO advertising, not even the yellow pages. I keep a solid 
>> backlog, as a part timer, by having a group of interior design firms 
>> that know what I can do for them, and periodically I show my face to 
>> remind them, OH, yea we have something we need for you to do.
>>
>> I have also passed on the Home and Garden shows, unless I want to be 
>> in the $20 a pop garden stake business, I have done work for builders 
>> and interior designers for the homebuilders association home show for 
>> the past several years and that has generated a ton of work year 
>> after year, but only railings, for the most part. And as I work 
>> mostly alone, and mostly "part - time" I had a 6 month backlog and 
>> way more stress than there should be in a "hobby".
>>
>> I have no plans to participate in future shows. I believe my time and 
>> money would be better spent cultivating good relationships with more 
>> interior designers and starting to work with more architects. (I have 
>> a couple of them that always specify me for railings whenever their 
>> designs call for iron).
>>
>> Ray Miller
>> Cincinnati
>>
>>>
>>> From: "R.C.Mundt" <[email protected]>
>>> Date: 2003/03/05 Wed AM 08:10:06 EST
>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Advertising your craft
>>>
>>> My whole deal started w/ an ad in a local advertising paper, I ran 
>>> an ad
>>> pretty much continually for 3-4 years.  It's pretty hard to keep 
>>> paying for
>>> an ad when you only get a ocasional call and only a small percent of 
>>> them
>>> actually buy any thing. I read somewhere that the average person 
>>> will read
>>> an ad 7 times before responding to it. I rented a booth at our local 
>>> hom and
>>> garden show 2 years in a row , first was good , second  year was a 
>>> waste of
>>> time.   The local newspaper did a story on me  about 3 years ago, 
>>> got a few
>>> calls no work, atleast not imediatly.  I ran an ad in a paper in a
>>> neighboring city for several wks. w/ no response so stopped the ad. 
>>> a yr.
>>> latter I got a job from that ad. Right now I'm in the yellow pages 
>>> and thats
>>> all  its an easy way for people to find me.  People  who want iron 
>>> seem to
>>> know I'm around now just wish more people wanted iron.  I dont have 
>>> a web
>>> page, the business's I know w/ web pages don't seem to think they 
>>> get any
>>> business from them.  I think it would be a good plkace to send 
>>> customers to
>>> view your wares once they found you some place else.
>>> What do you guys w/ web pages think , do they bring in any work?
>>> Randy Mundt
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Shannell Sugrue" <[email protected]>
>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 1:05 AM
>>> Subject: [TheForge] Advertising your craft
>>>
>>>
>>>> Just wondering how most of the professional smiths here advertise 
>>>> their
>>>> wares and abilities? Im in the yellow pages of course with a link 
>>>> to my
>>>> website but am now looking at promoting a showroom Ive just 
>>>> completed via
>>>> local media. My goal is to get people to visit my real world 
>>>> "gallery" and
>>>> see the sort of stuff I can do. Ive got a quarter page coming up in 
>>>> a
>>>> national "lifestyle" magazine, that cost a heap, but am interested 
>>>> in how
>>>> anyone else does it.
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
>>>> theforge mail list group photo site is
>>>> http://www.photoaccess.com
>>>> Login:  [email protected]
>>>> password:  anvil
>>>> ___________
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
>>> theforge mail list group photo site is
>>> http://www.photoaccess.com
>>> Login:  [email protected]
>>> password:  anvil
>>> ___________
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
>> theforge mail list group photo site is
>> http://www.photoaccess.com
>> Login:  [email protected]
>> password:  anvil
>> ___________
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  [email protected]
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>