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Kara Leigh Ford | Episode 470
Originally trained as a painter, Kara Leigh Ford is a potter working from her tiny garden studio in rural Somerset, UK. Kara predominantly makes tableware and larger art pieces. Growing up next to the ocean in Devon, England – Kara’s work is inspired by the ever changing textures and colour of her beloved coast.
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How would you define a brand or branding?
Branding is telling your story. Branding is why you do what you do. So what is the root fundamental reason of why you create what you create. So whether that be a potter, whether you are a knitter, or a farmer, or whatever, everyone has a brand if they are a business. It is your story. It is your why. It is the reason you get up in the morning.
How does relationship relate to branding?
Relationship is really important. I think you have got to listen to your customers. You can’t just spout stuff at them all the time, it has to be a conversation.You have to respond to them. You have to understand their needs. It is the forefront of what you are trying to do. That is what I try to do. I try and be of service rather than just making whatever I like. Which is lucky enough if that fits as well. I try to think, what can I offer people? Especially on social media. You have to think about what you can offer people, don’t just talk at them. You have to be offering them something.
How would you define marketing?
I guess marketing is finding a need and filling it. So that is what marketing is. Identifying a need and then creating a way of fulfilling that need.
How does a potter build a brand?
Yeah, really good question. I think all potters need to understand that. They need to understand what makes them tick. So how would you build a brand? You need so many different elements to come together. You need really great photography. Well, first of all you need a great product. If your product quality is not there you are on a losing streak already. So great product that you need to believe in wholeheartedly, great photographs, you can’t sell anything to anyone if it isn’t represented well and beautifully. You need to understand your customer and what they want. I think that my customers want to be transported to the beach. And by having a cup of coffee or tea in one of my mugs, that does that for them. So you really have to understand what your customers want. You have to be really good about putting yourself out there because no one is going to do it for you.
How do you find out what people want?
I guess they kind of find you. You have to be really clear about what your products stand for. So what they mean to you and what you would like them to mean to someone else. And then you have to kind of put them out into the world. People find you if you put yourself in the right places and you describe your products well and you represent them well.
How do you balance knowing what people want and making what you want?
That is a really good questions. I say, you need to make what you want first because otherwise you just become a machine turning things out. I thin it is really important to make what you want. Then there will be someone out there that likes it. There are seven billion people in the world and there is enough people who want mugs in the colors that you make.
How do you make yourself find-able?
So you have to get yourself on the right channels. Get yourself on social media. Get yourself a really great website. Get yourself into the really great craft fairs. Etsy in another good one when you are first starting out. Just because they have the search power.
How important are things like hashtags for making yourself find-able on social media?
I would say they are really, really important. You need to get good at hashtags. You need to identify good hashtags. Don’t go for ones that have millions of posts because you will just get lost. And don’t go for ones that only have a couple of hundred posts underneath them because they are not big enough. You want to go for the middle ground. You want to go for a few which are a few thousand big and then you want to go for those that are a couple of hundred thousand. They have to be relevant to your audience. When you are posting about pottery you want to think about your customer. So who would be searching. So maybe #tablewaredesign would be a good one. Or #styleonmytable is another good one. Those are people who are looking to potentially buy pottery or looking for great potters. Yeah, they are really, really important.
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Contact:
Instagram: @karaleighceramics
Absolutely loved this episode! What I found most helpful was all the marketing info. I never know what to say on my instagram posts and find it hard to make them personal. I am now inspired to take a little more time in this area!
I am so happy that this was helpful. I get it that the posting comments can tedious. Here are the things to think about when posting: If you don’t have anything to say in the moment, postpone your post until you’ve had time the think about it. It might be good to write and re-write a post first. Try to post in s away that inspires a response like asking a question. Those are two little tips that I hope helps.
Thanks for taking time to respond to me, totally not expected!! I was thinking that very thing today after listening to a different podcast, lol, one of your first ones. Your podcast has tremendous value in my life!!