The full programme consists of a mix of online and face-to-face sessions. The following is a brief overview of each session and what you will achieve in each session. The workshops are designed to be highly experiential and interactive so you will be working on your own business/practice in the sessions. We know your time is precious, but this is time spent on your business not away from your business.

Workshop 1 & 2 - Communicating your practice 

You will work with a copywriter to create a ‘script’ for an ‘About Us/Me’ section for your website or artist statement. This will be combined with an ‘Introduction to Video’ workshop to help you increase your self-confidence with using video to promote your work.

Mini professional portrait image shoot

Our brand photographer will work with you to unlock your personality through images. Many makers lack the confidence to put themselves out there. However, people buy from people and having professional portraiture will help you overcome this barrier and enable you to engage more effectively with your audiences.

Workshops 3 - Getting started with social media and flyers using Canva

Equipped with copywriting and video skills, you will move on to a workshop looking at social media strategy. You’ll create a mission and vision for your brand; considering social media content and strategy; and use Canva to create posts and flyers.

Workshop 4 - Five-star visual marketing success and Pop-up shop solutions 

Visual marketing is the cost-effective, silent salesperson all the big brands use. In this workshop, you will learn the fundamental visual marketing principles based on traditional visual merchandising techniques. You will be taken on a visual journey from table-top to pop-up shop, by presenting real life examples, success stories and creative solutions. This will equip you to maximise the benefits of opportunities to trade at fairs, markets, and collective pop-up spaces.

Workshop 5 - Product photography 

Photography of your products may well be the first introduction that prospective customers see, so it needs to make the right impression. Through this workshop you will obtain, and put into practice, a host of ideas and tips for creating better imagery for promoting your business.

Workshop 6 - Selling online

Your online shop gives 24 hour, 7 days a week, access to your work. This workshop will look at the mechanics and options for maximising the effectiveness of online shops such as Etsy and Shopify. You will explore how to create effective listings and how to optimise your imagery for use online.

Workshop 7 - Creating a sales and marketing plan 

During this final workshop you will explore the benefits of creating a 6–12-month sales and marketing plan. This workshop will cover how to preschedule and produce marketing content, thereby maximising the time you have to spend on your creative practice. You will consider key holidays/selling opportunities and get to grips with time management, workflow, and the creative production of new products/services.

If you have any questions, please contact Jo.Singh@ncl.ac.uk