A few weeks ago a gallery located over 2000 miles from here received an Internet order for a Kidney Shaped Desk from a client located over 600 miles away. Although neither the gallery nor the client has ever seen or touched this actual desk, it seems that the client has been researching it online for more than 3 years and has fallen in love with it - so much so that she has now decided to invest in a purchase. This commission is currently in the process of being made and it will be the subject of an upcoming series of blog posts. Last night I received word that another Internet order for a custom desk is also coming my way, although in this case the design will be a modification of my 1927 Console/Desk design.
With this commission the client was doing a tremendous amount of online research to find a writing desk that could be customized both to the size and aesthetic he was trying to achieve. Thanks to Google he came across several examples of my custom furniture work, and decided to make an inquiry.
Subsequent emails were exchanged, including digital renderings of suggested designs. Once the design parameters were established it was possible to determine actual pricing. The process behind the making of this custom desk will also be the subject of some upcoming blog posts.
Although I don't know specifically how much of a role my website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Linkedin page and/or Blog has played in either of these commissions, it is clear that the Internet and Social Media are both playing ever increasing roles in the marketing and sale of my work.
I am pleasantly astounded at how a small, rural custom furniture shop such as mine can now use digital technology to carve a niche in a global marketplace that is becoming ever more fluid and dynamic.
John, Thank you for this post. As a business owner it is often a struggle of my own to find where I fit in the Social Media world. It's important to be present, but it's also good to know your strengths. We can sometimes spread ourselves too thin keeping up with the website, FB, Tweeter, blogs, and LinkedIn's of the world. Cheers to you and your success!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah. For what it's worth I too feel challenged at times to reconcile all the effort that goes into the social media side of the equation. But given the degree to which it's expanding it seems that a decision not to participate would be foolish. 25 years ago hardly anyone used a fax machine, but within a couple years you were in the proverbial Stone Ages not to have a fax. Today, from a technology standpoint, fax machines are obsolete and behind the times.
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