podcast

Asheville Marketing Maven Sarah Benoit on Mastering Digital Strategies

In today’s episode, marketing wunderkind Sarah Benoit joins us to discuss the practical tools artists need to grow their businesses in the digital era.

Louise Glickman

Jul 22, 2024 • 3 min read

Ask any artist what they need to succeed; nine times out of 10, they’ll say “marketing.” In today’s podcast episode, marketing wunderkind Sarah Benoit joins us to discuss the practical tools artists and creative entrepreneurs need to grow their businesses in the digital era.

As co-founder and lead instructor for the Asheville-based marketing agency JB Media Institute, Sarah leverages her experience as a digital marketing strategist to create training courses for small businesses and creative professionals. Founded in 2010, the Institute empowers students through cutting-edge education, coaching, and positive reinforcement. Their virtual and in-person workshops provide in-depth strategies, resources, and tools to generate growth. To get started, see their free resources page, where you can sign up for free monthly webinars or download a digital marketing toolkit.

Sarah’s second entrepreneurial venture, Creative Original, provides web design, optimization, digital training, and consulting services for small businesses and nonprofits. Founded in 2009, Creative Original creates affordable, responsive, user-friendly websites for various industries. With backgrounds in creative writing, social media, PR, and advertising, their core team launches websites that achieve goals, expand reach, and grow businesses over time.

Today, Sarah shares her extensive knowledge of social media, the ethics of AI, and optimizing websites for selling art more easily. She also dives into using SEO effectively and the benefits of planning a “content strategy roadmap.” Tune into our conversation with Asheville marketing maven Sarah Benoit for the marketing tips, tricks, and strategies to send your creative career into the stratosphere.

Key Points From This Episode:

How Sarah got into the marketing business as an “appreciator of the creators”
Reframing marketing for artists by zooming in on relationships
Tips for choosing marketing tools wisely and creating a digital strategy that works for you
Why Sarah recommends starting with one platform and building from there
Challenging certain misconceptions about emerging technology
Ethical considerations for artists regarding AI and social media
Practical advice for buying and selling artwork online
Where to learn more about digital marketing and content strategy for artists

Quotes:

“The short version of how I got started in this business and especially why I love working with artists is because I consider myself a very creative person, but I don't consider myself an artist.” — @SarahDBenoit [0:08:36]

“In the beginning, don't try to just go out and learn everything [about digital marketing]. Listen, look at the options, and then look for the thing that got you excited.” — @SarahDBenoit [0:16:08]

“Even though there are technical skills you're going to build, just remember that at the core of those skills, the only thing that motivates you to learn is your passion for what you do.” — @SarahDBenoit [0:31:08]

Longer Quotes:

“If you hate doing marketing, what you're saying is you hate cultivating the relationships you have with your collectors, your potential customers, [and] the people who've already supported what you do. I’d like us to reframe that because the number one thing you can do to make marketing fun is to realize that it's about those connections. That's the center of it. There are a lot of other strategies and technology, but at the end of the day, when you're connecting with the people who are going to buy your art, who are going to follow you online, who are going to tell other people about what you do, that should be something that brings you joy. That should be something that gets you excited.” — Sarah Benoit [0:10:17]

“For anybody who's feeling exhausted by technology or overwhelmed by what's happening, when you feel that way, go back to that core root of why you are so passionate, why you have to do the work, why it matters, because that's what's going to help you bring back that motivation to learn something new and to connect with more people that love your work.” — Sarah Benoit [0:31:18]