Using Internet Marketing and Social Media To Promote your Art and Craft

Are you an artist or crafter in Massachusetts or Rhode Island looking to increase your online exposure and sales?

Then join me on Tuesday, May 19 for "Online Marketing & Social Networking for The Artist" at the Duxbury Art Association in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The DAA is located 30 minutes south of Boston and only 1 hour from Providence, RI.

You will learn how to effectively use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote your art or craft. We'll discuss how and when blog.

E-commerce sales are growing at a rate of 18% annually. Want your share of online orders? I'll share with you how I drive traffic to my website, turn leads into sales, the importance of linking to websites and put business toward the top of Google rankings.

This is an exciting time. Catch this wave of social media and it will keep you ahead of your competition. Wait another six months, and you are going to be way behind...or possibly out of business.

Don't worry if you don't have a website! With a blog and use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube you can create a successful online presence and following. Come learn how a free blog brings in business, what it takes to design and write an effective e-mail newsletter campaign, and how to create a media buzz.

Come join other artisans in this fast-paced, information-loaded class! Bring a pen and notebook, and a laptop if you have one.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

6:00pm -9:00pm

Members $65

Non-members $85

Register Now!

Or call the Duxbury Art Association at (781) 934-2731, ext 4 from 9:00am until 5:00pm Monday through Friday. They can register students for classes over the phone and complete the process with payment by either MasterCard or Visa.

Live out of state or can't make this class? Subscribe to my newsletter and let me know that you are interested in my online class.

*******************************************************************
A bit about me: I've created incredible results for my clients - through SEO (search engine optimization), social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more), blogging, and inbound and outbound marketing. I'm also a small business entrepreneur, having owned Back Porch Soap Co. for 12 years. I've put these tips and tricks to work for myself. These are proven results that you will love.

My background: Passionate about Internet Marketing, 21 Years Experience in Market Research, Marketing & PR

Consultant - Educating your company on how to implement its internet marketing strategy.

Freelancer - For hire on project basis or personalize monthly marketing plan.

Speaker - For your group or company: "Knocking it out of the Ballpark with Twitter, Facebook and Google."

Questions? Contact me at 781.934.8100 or at marla@backporchsoap.com

Local Vendor Day at Whole Foods, Hingham, Massachusetts This Saturday!

Join Back Porch Soap Company as we celebrate another Local Vendor Day with Whole Foods on Saturday, March 28th! Whole Foods carries our organic soaps, organic shea butters and all-natural gift sets.

We'll be handing out organic soap goodies and samples of our moisturizing 100% organic shea butter in the Hingham, Massachusetts store.

Our celebration takes place on Taste Local Day, which celebrates local vendors throughout Massachusetts. There will be free goodies from us from noon-3 p.m., so get there early, as the freebies go quickly.

Come meet me, Marla Bosworth, founder and owner of Back Porch Soap Co. I'm in my 12th year of making soap and bath and body products on the South Shore of Boston. Looking to become an entrepreneur? Come visit with me and I'll share tips on how you can build your dream into a business.

In addition to trying some terrific, wholesome products, I'll be handing out information on my soap making classes in Boston and around New England as well as online. Email me at marla@backporchsoap.com for more information.

Hope to see you there!

New! Cold Process Soap Making Class Added For April 18. Register Now!

Want to learn how to make soap from scratch? Curious about the cold process process? Then this is the perfect class for you!

You will learn safety guidelines and reach a level of comfort so that you can finally make soap by hand at home! We'll discuss how to properly use and store lye, mixing lye and water, oils for soap making, fragrance oils, essential oils, superfatting, additives and exfoliants, coloring, molding and curing. Students will receive soap recipes and a list of my favorite places to buy soap making supplies and equipment.

We will make two batches of soap as a class. Each student will take home 10 handmade bars of soap.

Saturday, April 18: 9 a.m.- noon

Course: $65 + $20 materials fee

Class is held in my Duxbury, Massachusetts studio.
Back Porch Soap Company is located just 30 minutes south of Boston.

Students must prepay to register. Sign up now!

Check out my other classes while you're there. Can't make it to this class? Stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter.

Travelling from out of state? Simply email me at marla@backporchsoap.com and I will gladly assist you with travel plans, including accommodations and local areas of interest. With Plymouth Rock and Plimoth Plantation only 20 minutes away, this is a perfect family destination!

Do you or your group want to learn how to make soap, bath and body products and how to launch your own bath and body business? I am currently booking into June 2009. Available for travel in U.S., Canada, Carribean and Europe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ideal for those looking for Maine Soap Making Classes, New Hampshire Soap Making Classes, Vermont Soap Making Classes, Rhode Island Soap Making Classes, Connecticut Soap Making Classes, New York Soap Making Classes, New York City Soap Making Classes

Beyond Boston Gift Show: Taking Wholesale Soaps & Gifts on the Road!

It's a grassroots sort of year in so many ways for me and my company. After 12 years of exhibiting in Handmade of Boston Gift Show I've decided to do things a bit differently for all my retailers in New England: I've decided to take my show on the road.

In this year of change, it's imperative that we connect with each other and build on our relationships. There is so much more that exchanges between a retailer and wholesaler besides merchandise. It's networking, idea swapping, and cross-promotion. And unfortunately, this isn't conducive at trade shows. There simply isn't enough time.

If there's one thing I've learned from the past 14 months in business, it's that status quo just doesn't cut it anymore. And I'm embracing this change. Are you?

My schedule is booking quickly. Please call 781.934.8100. Now booking appointments into the week of March 30. For retailers out of New England, please call or email for sample sets or catalog. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, too.

Have you received our Summer 2009 wholesale catalog? Email me at marla@backporchsoap.com.

Many new and exciting Summer 2009 products: organic line, starfish soaps, sea glass soap in bulk, soap and lotion sets, seashell potpourri sea glass soap gift sets, private labeling, beach soaps and much more!

I look forward to connecting in person with you!

~Marla Bosworth

Founder/Owner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Massachusetts Wholesale Soap, Connecticut Wholesale Soap, Rhode Island Wholesale Soap, Maine Wholesale Soap, New Hampshire Wholesale Soap, Florida Wholesale Soap, California Wholesale Soap

All-Day Soap Making Bootcamp on March 21; Meet New Friends & Aspiring Soapmakers!

Our monthly, full-day soap making class has been a huge hit the past two years, and March is no exception! Join me for a day of making beautiful, glycerin soaps.

This month, soap making bootcamp is Saturday, March 21 from 9-4 in my Duxbury, Massachusetts studio. We are located 30 minutes south of Boston.

Class is completely hands-on; students will learn how to measure their own batches, color, scent and pour the soap into molds.

(The photo on the top is of Sandy and her top three favorite soaps from February Bootcamp. She is from Harvard Business School and ranks at the top as one of my favorite students: fearless, creative, and fun! Here she is showing her ocean sea glass embedded soap, two-layer creamsicle soap, and orange starfish with coconut soap!)

Go at your own pace, I'll be there to assist you throughout the day. We'll learn the basics: adding various exfoliants, herbs, herbal and oil fusions, superfatting with shea butter and other moisturizing oils.

(These are just some of the additives you'll use in class!)

Then we'll move on to techniques, including embedding, swirling, layering, simultaneous double-pours, and other special effects.

Some students take this class with a friend, and then swap creations at the end of the day. This soap making class is completely hands-on, which means you won't be standing around watching an instructor for the day. You'll have your own workstation. (See picture on left.)

This is the perfect class to jump in and learn everything you wanted to know about soap making in one day. It is also a great class to take if you are making wedding favors or stocking up on gifts to give.

A bit about your instructor for the day. My name is Marla Bosworth, and I'm the founder and owner of Back Porch Soap Company. I've been making soaps and teaching soapmaking for 12 years. My wholesale clients include Whole Foods and upscale boutiques around the world. I teach classes because I love sharing my passion for soap making.

Price for the full-day class is $325. Lunch is included in the fee, as are all supplies. Plan to make approximately 10 individual batches and take home around 50 bars (which retail at $6.00 each).

(The photo to the right isn't lunch, it's some of the early morning pastries that I pick up for you from world famous French Memories of Duxbury.)

Students must prepay to register. Sign up now! Check out my other classes while you're there.

Can't make it to this class? Stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter.

Travelling from out of state? Simply email me at marla@backporchsoap.com and I will gladly assist you with travel plans, including accommodations and local areas of interest. With Plymouth Rock and Plimoth Plantation only 20 minutes away, this is a perfect family destination!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ideal for those looking for Maine Soap Making Classes, New Hampshire Soap Making Classes, Vermont Soap Making Classes, Rhode Island Soap Making Classes, Connecticut Soap Making Classes, New York Soap Making Classes, New York City Soap Making Classes

Turn Your Dry Hands, Feet and Legs Beautiful: "Top 10 Ways To Remedy Dry Skin"

Today I'm sharing the information I passed around at my Whole Foods vendor day last weekend. So many of you are suffering from dry skin this winter. Here are my tips for bringing your dry skin back to life.

Back Porch Soap Company's "Top 10 Ways To Remedy Dry Skin"

1. Skip the drying soaps and shampoos. Don't use any products that have sulfates in them. It is an irritant and drying agent that literally strips your skin of its precious oils. While you're at it, throw out any products with parabens or dyes. Choose handmade soaps with high-quality ingredients.
   
   
2. Choose your moisturizer wisely. Our 100% shea butter (the pulp from Africa's karite trees) coats and protects the skin and is my first recommendation for those of you with a tendency toward super dry skin or even excema and psoriasis. Keep your ingredients simple. Toss any moisturizers that contain alcohol, sulfates or parabens.
   
   
3. Nix the long, hot shower. I know, it feels good. Especially on a cold day. But you are robbing your skin of moisture and oils. So cut it short - 5 minutes is plenty - and use warm water instead.
   
   
4. Take your Omega 3 EPA/DPA Fish Oils. In capsules, liquid, whatever it takes. Not only will it help your skin, your ligaments and joints are going to love it. Take two grams of fish oil daily. Also, flaxseed oil is a wonderful supplement for keeping skin healthy and glowing. Check with your M.D.
   
   
5. Drink plenty of water. Yes, it's true and you've heard it all before. Drink eight to 10 8 oz. glasses throughout the day. Your skin is the largest organ and needs to flush the toxins out daily.
   
   
6. Turn on the humidifier. Home heating takes the moisture out of the air during the winter months. A $30 humidifier will aid your skin and sinuses. Most come with an indicator. Try to keep it at 35%.
   
   
7. Moisturize after your shower. This is the best time, since your pores are open and ready for protection.
   
   
8. Take care of hands and feet. Remember to moisturize them as well. I recommend soaking your feet for a bit at night, then massaging them with shea butter and finishing off with a pair of cotton socks. You'll wake up with super soft feet.
   
   
9. Exfoliate twice a week with an inexpensive loofa or bristle brush. It aids circulation (start from the outer limbs and work toward your heart) and removes the surface layer of dead cells.
   
   
10. Cut down coffee consumption. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it removes water from the body. A good rule of thumb is for every cup of coffee you drink, tack on another 8 oz. of water in addition to the 8 glasses you should be drinking daily.

Sign up now to receive my monthly newsletter. Also, you'll stay up-to-date on new products, what's happening at Back Porch Soap Company, our soap making classes, and some exciting new things that are headed our way over the next few months.

Feel free to reprint this blog post with proper credit to Marla Bosworth, Back Porch Soap Company. Thank you!

Whole Foods Vendor Day: Dry Skin, Lots of Samples, and Metro Males

Thank you to everyone who came out to visit yesterday at Whole Foods in Hingham, Massachusetts. I handed out several hundred samples of our Lemongrass and Unscented organic oils bar soaps, 100% Shea Butter, Caribbean Sea Salts and information on our soap making classes.

Whole Foods truly embraces local vendors. This month marks my second anniversary with the Hingham store, and I've met so many wonderful people ~ from customers to Whole Foods employees who gladly support local businesses.

Many interesting customers yesterday stopped to chat. One couple was from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. There isn't a Whole Foods on the Vineyard, so they came to stock up. I also met two Duxbury, Massachusetts residents (where I live) - one who works at Whole Foods and one a customer. And I also had the pleasure of meeting many "metro males" and their wives.

I'm saving this for a later blog, but it is interesting how metro males shop for bath and body products. They are extremely selective, focused, and like to pamper themselves. It's also fair to say that at times their wives call them "soap obsessed." Are you a metro male who loves soap and other bath and body products? Please email me to answer a few quick questions regarding your shopping habits. If I use your feedback, you'll receive a free full-size shea butter ($18 retail value).

Back to yesterday. So as you know, spring is just around the corner. But especially here in the Northeast, so many people are still suffering from winter dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. Yesterday's most popular product was our 100% shea butter. People were amazed that how quickly it soaks into the skin. It is unlike lotion and after handwashing it stays on. It is light, rejuvenating for the skin, and non-greasy.

Yesterday I spoke with customers about overcoming dry skin. From hands to feet, they were all really frustrated. I'm going to share with you what I recommended to them.

My products can help you with two of the Top 10 Ways to Fight Dry Skin. The first is using high-quality soap that is sulfate-free. The second is finding an organic moisturizer, like our 100% organic shea butter. Check back tomorrow for a complete post on the Top 10 Ways to Remedy Dry Skin.

Afterall, it's no fun to be scaly. And sandal season is right around the corner!

Sign up for my monthly newsletter for news, discounts and more!