If you’re a beginner trying to market your creative work but feeling a little overwhelmed by all the different strategies out there, you’re not alone.
In today’s episode of Creative Juggle Joy, Kaylie and I share some simple, budget-friendly marketing strategies that can help you market your creative business effectively, even on a tight budget.
Marketing your work doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, these strategies can help you build a solid foundation for your creative business and reach more people.
Building Your Personal Brand: Authenticity Wins
One of the key takeaways from today’s episode is the importance of building a personal brand. When you show up authentically and share your personal journey, people can connect with you on a deeper level. That trust is what ultimately leads to more customers.
As a creative, I’ve always found that my audience responds best when I’m genuine and share my true self.
Whether I’m writing a blog post, sending an email, or creating content for social media, showing up authentically has helped me build a loyal following. It’s about connecting with people on a human level, not just selling to them.
Collaborations: Growing Your Audience with Partners
Another strategy we cover is collaborations. Teaming up with other creatives, especially those whose audience aligns with yours, can help you reach new people and grow your visibility.
When I collaborated with LaserCraft Fest, I was able to gain new followers and students for my classes, and the results were amazing.
Collaborating with others can also help you build stronger relationships within your creative community, which leads to even more opportunities for growth.
Look for partners who complement your work and who share your values, and together you can expand your reach.
Giveaways: Getting Your Audience Engaged
Giveaways are a fantastic way to grow your audience and increase engagement. I’ve run several giveaways offering my digital products, like brush sets, and it’s been a great way to introduce people to my work.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to run a successful giveaway—just offer something of value that resonates with your audience.
In the episode, we discuss how Kaylie’s Instagram giveaway boosted her visibility and helped her gain new followers. The key to a successful giveaway is offering something your audience genuinely values—whether it’s a free product or access to a course.
Social Media and Low-Cost Tools: Getting Your Work Seen
You don’t need to spend a ton of money to market your work. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook are ideal for visual creators, and they’re free to use.
The key is consistency—whether you’re posting on Instagram or pinning on Pinterest, you want to show up regularly and stay consistent with your content.
I’ve focused my marketing efforts on Instagram and Pinterest, and both platforms have helped me connect with new audiences.
Pinterest, in particular, has been a great long-term strategy for me. Once my pins are out there, they continue to drive traffic for years to come.
Final Thoughts: Simple Marketing Strategies for All Creatives
The bottom line is that marketing your creative work doesn’t have to be a huge, expensive undertaking.
By building your personal brand, collaborating with others, running giveaways, and using free platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, you can effectively market your business without breaking the bank.
Remember, consistency and authenticity are key.
Start small, stay consistent, and focus on what works best for you. Marketing doesn’t have to be stressful—it can be a fun and rewarding part of growing your business.
Resources:
-
Ready to level up your creative business?
If you're looking for a space to gain support, marketing strategies, and resources to help you grow your creative business, Kaylie's Beta Membership at Spellweaver Creative Hub is exactly what you need.With expert guidance, practical tools, and a built-in platform community, this membership will help you tackle marketing challenges and scale your business with confidence. Don’t miss out – join today and take your creative work to the next level!
Join Kaylie's Beta Membership Here!
TRANSCRIPT:
Kaylie Edwards (00:01)
Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Creative Juggle Joy podcast. I'm Kaylie Edwards, your host for today and I'm here with my lovely co-host Delores Naskrent Today we're talking about something that every creative has to face, marketing. If you're new to marketing or just getting started with your creative business it can feel a bit overwhelming, right? I remember when I first started trying to market my handmade candles
I felt completely lost. There were so many different channels to try and so many options. Social media, email marketing, giveaways, collaborations. I had no clue where to start.
Delores Naskrent (00:43)
Yes, I totally hear you, Kaylie I mean, the word just gives me just like stress, but it can feel when you're first starting out, like such a huge challenge, especially when you're trying to juggle the actual work that you're doing, your family, you know, other commitments. Work? Yeah, for me, it was also work. It can seem like there's this...
endless list of things that you're supposed to be doing. But the truth is marketing doesn't have to be expensive or overwhelming. In fact, today we're going to focus on sharing budget friendly and simple strategies that anyone can start using to market their creative work. Whether you're just getting started or you're someone who's been at it for a while but on a tight budget, there's something here for you today I'm sure.
Kaylie Edwards (01:35)
Yes, we know how it feels to start with limited resources and that's exactly why we want to talk about strategies that work without breaking the bank. So let's dive in. Right, into some budget-friendly marketing strategies that really work without spending much. The first strategy I want to talk about is building a personal brand. Having a personal brand is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have.
People want to buy from people they trust and building a personal connection with your audience is essential. Especially when you are a small business or someone just getting started. When I started focusing on branding my business around who I truly am, what I believe in, my story and my values, that's when things really started clicking. For me, sharing more of my personal journey through the podcast, digital product, sorry.
Instagram posts and emails helped me create a more authentic connection with my audience. I'd love to hear your take on this, Delores. How has building your personal brand helped you connect with your audience?
Delores Naskrent (02:49)
Well, I think it's exactly like what you just said. I think that building a personal brand does exactly what it should. It makes you visible, know, people see you, and in a way that starts to build trust. That trust is the gold because it's what leads people to connect with you on a deeper level.
My personal audience knows they can rely on me for quality content and unique ideas, genuine support because I try to show up as my authentic self in everything I do. Whether it's a blog post, an email or a podcast episode like this one, I think people can really tell when you're being real. And I really think that authenticity makes all the difference.
Kaylie Edwards (03:38)
Exactly, and it's so true when you're being authentic and real it resonates with people. Now the next strategy that has worked really well for both me and Delores is collaborations and cross promotions. So when you team up with other creatives, especially those who already have an audience that aligns with yours, you can reach so many more people. For example, if you're a digital artist collaborating with someone in a related field,
like stationery shop or a planner maker can give you access to an entirely new group of potential customers. Have you done any collaborations or cross promotions that you think worked really well?
Delores Naskrent (04:20)
As a matter of fact, have. Collaborating with LaserCraft Fest was something that I did recently. It was a real highlight. It brought in so many new people who now follow my work. They're following me on Instagram and they've even signed up for some classes, which is really cool. I think that the key is finding partnerships that really align with your own brand and audience. In this case, it was a mixed
group of people and my specialty, one of my specialties is Adobe Illustrator and in this case I was working with someone who teaches Adobe Illustrator and the collaboration wasn't just about working with anyone, it was about making that partnership feel natural and beneficial for both sides. So the people that we were talking to could see her side and my side of it and we could work together on something like that and it was
It was really, really great. When the right collaboration happens, it just doesn't grow your visibility. It really helps to start growing your community. So that was really neat.
Kaylie Edwards (05:31)
Yes, that's so great. I loved seeing how that unfolded when you did that. was September, wasn't it? September, 2020 to April. yeah, yeah, you did.
Delores Naskrent (05:42)
I did one more.
I did the one in September and then I did the one I did most recently. I actually, you'll be so proud of me, I hooked up my iPad and I demonstrated. So it was great. Yeah, it was fun.
Kaylie Edwards (05:58)
so
great, yes. Collaborations are definitely a great way to expand your reach, especially when you're just starting out. That is the best way to do it quickly as well, is finding collaborations and leveraging other people's audiences that will help you grow faster and it will help you grow a lot faster than social media, that's for sure. And the third strategy I want to share is hosting giveaways and contests.
So giveaways can be a fantastic way to engage with your audience and grow your email list even on a super tight budget. Whether you're offering a free digital download bundle, free access to a course, physical product, or just fun shout out, giveaways can get people talking about your work. I did get... I did my first Instagram giveaway a few years ago offering a free candle bundle and the engagement I got from it was amazing.
I gain new followers, got tons of comments and increase my visibility without paying for ads.
and yeah, it happened super fast and really great. I know you've run a few giveaways in the past, Delores, how has that worked out for you?
Delores Naskrent (07:10)
Fantastic. I mean really fantastic. It's a great way to grow your audience and create buzz. I like right now am just working on my five card challenge and I love offering all the free but like digital products, brush sets, because they're valuable to my audience but they actually don't cost me too much to give away. You know, they're digital. It costs my time to have created them but
They're just great to do. And these giveaways just don't grow your numbers. They invite the right kind of people into your world. So that's the important thing is you want to get people who are interested in your products. They're a great way to lead in for converting people into students or customers because they get a taste of what you offer.
For anyone considering a giveaway, my advice is to offer something that truly resonates with your audience and ties in directly to your expertise. So with that recent collaboration I did, I had people who are Procreate users and the person I collaborated with doesn't do Procreate. So what I was demonstrating is...
creating files in Procreate and then converting them for use in vector-based programs. And so there's a whole audience of Procreate users there that I could tap into.
Kaylie Edwards (08:37)
Yes,
that is a fantastic way of doing it. if you can create something super valuable and people can see that it's valuable, then they then like, if they're giving away this for free, what's their paid stuff like? You know, and it's just, yeah, it's such a great way to bring people in. I know some people are worried that they're just gonna get free bee seekers all the time, but yes, you will get some of them.
But I guarantee you, you will find people that want to carry on with you if they resonate with you and what you do. Let's talk about how low cost digital marketing tools can help streamline your efforts. These tools don't need to cost a fortune and some are even free to start with. Leveraging free social media platforms. So social media doesn't have to be expensive to be effective. Platforms like
Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook are perfect for creative businesses. Even the newer platforms like Threads is becoming popular with creatives. I've seen a lot of growth for some creatives on there and it's just because they're consistently on there and they're consistently providing value. The key is to focus on one or two platforms that make the most sense for your product and where your audience hangs out.
What's your take on choosing the right platform, Delores? How do you figure out where to focus your marketing efforts?
Delores Naskrent (10:07)
For me, it's about meeting my audience where they already are so if you're trying to sell highly visual work like digital art or Crafts or anything creative I think for me anyways Instagram and Pinterest are no-brainers because they spotlight your visuals so well
I love to use email marketing, especially now that you're doing it, Kaylie, because it gives me a direct channel to connect with those people who've already shown interest. The key is really not to spread yourself thin. Choose one or two platforms and focus on those two and build from there. It took me, honestly, years to realize I don't have to try to do everything to build this particular type of business and to thrive.
For me, it was narrowing down my focus. That was everything. I just really needed to focus on the two programs that I or the two platforms that I use which are Instagram and Pinterest. So that's mainly where I advertise as you know.
Kaylie Edwards (11:16)
Yeah, great points. Yeah, you've got to focus your energy in areas that you know are gonna work. There's no point jumping on like the likes of TikTok if you're not gonna work it properly. If you're trying to do Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest and you want to do threads as well because it's a new platform, then you are going to spread yourself too thin and it's not...
it's not good for you and it's not good for your audience because you can't be consistent on it. For me, I really believe in the power of platforms like Instagram and Pinterest for visual products because Reels and carousels, Pinterest pins can help you get your products in front of new non-following audiences for free. I know Instagram at the moment is pushing a lot for carousels and especially for Reels as well because that was kind of their goal is to get Reels in front of new people.
And they're doing the same now with carousels. And what you want to do is for your stories, that's where you want to connect with the audience that you already have, the followers that you already have. And you can then sell within your stories. That's a good way to connect with your followers are already there and selling to them that way. You can also do it in reels, obviously, and in carousels, but that's where you kind of want to do your main focus.
Now, if you want to start building a more direct relationship with your audience, obviously email marketing, low cost tools. So email marketing can be one of the most cost effective ways to build a lasting connection with your audience. Platforms like MailerLite, Email Octopus offer free plans and they're perfect for starting an email list without spending a penny. We've done a lot with email marketing, Delores. Yes. What's one tip you would give someone just starting with email lists?
Delores Naskrent (12:48)
Great.
You know, this has been a topic of conversation a lot in the groups that I'm with and
I think it really just boils down to starting simple, as simple as possible. And think of your emails like a conversation with your audience. You don't need to have a fancy setup or a huge subscriber list to begin. Most of the people I've been talking to are really just starting out. My biggest tip is to try to work on your consistency. So if you decide it's weekly or bi-weekly, make sure you show up all the time, regularly.
You can choose to do it once a month, but just be there. Also, I think providing value before you ask for anything is really important. And actually, that's something you taught me, Kaylie. I love giving away free digital downloads or sharing behind the scenes tips because it shows I care about their success, not just their sales. mean, really, the bottom line as a teacher is I want them to be successful.
Over time, that builds trust and trust converts. Gosh, I never thought I'd ever hear myself say those words. Conversion.
Kaylie Edwards (14:25)
it must be sinking in for me. Yes! It's like when I got an email from you about what your conversion rate for something and I was like... she's actually asked me that. But I didn't to do that. yes. yeah, email marketing is great and if you are just starting off, I have resources and things for doing for email marketing. I have a free challenge for getting started with your email marketing.
So please go find my website and find my everything page and the link will be on there. And if you want further support, have a new membership which has all my email marketing stuff. I actually have a new workshop coming out next month for email marketing 101. So if you want to join that. All right, now that let's dive into some more budget friendly marketing tactics that really work. Even for beginners, blogging, YouTube or podcasting.
And these are core ones that you can use and repurpose everywhere else. So starting a blog, YouTube channel or podcast is a fantastic way to promote your work without spending a lot of money. It's a great way to share your story, talk about your process, promote your products naturally, talk about relevant topics to your audience and show how you do your creating. We've used our podcast to talk about everything from our comp-
creative journeys to marketing tips and it's helped us both connect with our audience on a deeper level. Delores, you have YouTube channel and use Instagram and Pinterest. How has that worked for you in the terms of marketing your business?
Delores Naskrent (16:04)
It's been incredible for building a broader reach for my work. YouTube has been great for connecting with people who are visual learners, like I am, especially those who appreciate techniques and tutorials. I know I could and should do more there, and I just, you know, it's just for lack of time that I don't.
Instagram is where I share snippets of my creative process and lots of finished work which helps me to draw in more kind of immediate visual audiences. And of course I talk about my classes and products that I create. And then Pinterest, you know, it's great because it's a long-term thing. That's where I focus lots of those things that I want to have, you know, available for people but they can...
see them at any time five years from now five years ago it doesn't matter those pins are there for forever so there's been a lot of connection through that i focus a lot on it honestly i've actually just hired someone on contract to really build that out for me and she even says you know it's it's a long process but if you're consistent that all of the things you put together
you know, including your Instagram and your maybe YouTube channel or your membership or whatever it is that you're working on. All those things together will create that solid sort of ecosystem for people to discover me in different ways, me or you. It's a way for people to find you. You know, that's the important thing, right? It's being found.
Kaylie Edwards (17:40)
Yes it
is and I know a couple of people that have Pinterest from like pretty much the beginning and are still getting sales from pins that they created years and years ago and like they're still getting traffic from that and it is yes it's a long game but it really does work and sometimes the longer game strategies are the ones that you see more return from and will
bring in passive people, it's passive, it's there, it's working for you, driving traffic for you, and you didn't have to create much to do it. So another great strategy is creating shareable content. So shareable content is exactly what it sounds like. Content others want to share with their followers. It could be inspirational quotes, success stories, behind the scenes sneak peeks, or helpful tips.
The more your audience feels like they can connect with your content, the more likely they are to share it or save it. The kind of content can go viral or gain a ton of engagement. So have you had any content go viral or get shared more than you expected, Delores?
Delores Naskrent (18:55)
Yeah, I'm not sure about viral, but definitely I've had a lot of pins that were shared way more than I expected. It's funny because the content that often takes off is really simple and personal. Years ago, I shared a quick tip about organizing digital files and it resonated with so many people. It got shared everywhere on Pinterest. I have some pins that
have been looked at hundreds of thousands of times. Like crazy. Because I was one of those early adopters of the platform. I was like pitting for hours at times. I have lots of great boards and I refer to them in all my classes all the time too. So that drives people to my Pinterest site. And I think that if your content is clear and helpful and helps people solve a problem,
that they didn't even know they had maybe. I think all of that works together and it's bound to get shared. My top pin is on how to make perfect stripes in Procreate. And it's had 183,000 views. I mean, that's crazy. 183,000. That's awesome.
Kaylie Edwards (20:11)
It just shows the magic of using sites like Pinterest because it's basically a search engine. It's like Google, just visual. it's like, I still go for Pinterest all the time. I kind of stay off it for personal use because otherwise I'd be on it all the time. I used to be on it all the time when it first come out. Me too. I think I have like two different personal accounts as well.
Okay, so to wrap things up, we've covered a lot of great strategies today and I want to remind you that the most effective marketing often doesn't require a huge budget. What would you say is the most important thing to remember when it comes to marketing on a budget, Delores?
Delores Naskrent (20:55)
Well, those two things that we talked about, definitely the consistency and I think the creativity. mean, I always tie that in. Consistency is what will help build the trust and the relationships. Whether it's showing up on social media or regularly emailing your list or keeping up with a blog or podcast, all of that helps. Just be consistent with it.
And creativity is what keeps things fresh. So how you present your work, the stories that you tell, and even how you talk about your journey. If you combine those two things, even with a very small budget, it's surprising. You can make huge strides in building your audience. I've been doing this for over 40 years, Kaylie, and I've seen firsthand how staying true to your craft
while connecting consistently attracts the right people. And, you know, I didn't have social media back then. I know what a difference it can make because I know what it was like before that.
Kaylie Edwards (22:00)
Yeah, absolutely. The key is to start small, stay consistent and be authentic. Pick a few strategies that resonate with you and make sure you're implementing them regularly. Marketing doesn't have to be stressful, it can actually be fun.
Delores Naskrent (22:14)
And please be sure to share this episode with someone who might find these tips helpful. We'd love for you to follow the podcast so you don't miss any future episodes.
Kaylie Edwards (22:26)
Yeah. In one of our upcoming episodes, we have a special guest, Sandy Cruz, a hobby artist and graphic designer coming on as a special guest. We haven't quite put a date in yet because she's having some moving and doing, yeah, moving and doing a launch. So we have to push that back a bit, but we will get a episode with her on soon. She's bought a successful business selling digital planners and she'll be sharing her journey and insights with us. You won't want to miss it.
Delores Naskrent (22:56)
Yeah, I'm really excited for that one. She's been such a great member of my community and she always shows up. She shows up for everything. So, please, when you see that episode is coming up, make sure you watch it. And thanks again so much for listening. And I guess we'll catch up in the next episode.
Kaylie Edwards (23:16)
And yeah, until then, keep creating, keep juggling, and most importantly keep finding joy in the proces