The 101 Blog

Tips, Tools, Tutorials and Strategies for Your Creative Business

Squarespace Elizabeth MacLean Squarespace Elizabeth MacLean

Auto-publish Squarespace blog posts on Pinterest and grow your audience effortlessly

Blogging is a great way to share your ideas and expertise with the world, and with the help of social media, you can reach even more people. Pinterest is a popular visual search engine that can help you grow your blog's audience by providing a platform to showcase your content to millions of users.

In this blog post, we'll explore how to automatically publish your Squarespace blog posts to your Pinterest feed by linking your site's RSS feed.

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Marketing, Website Tips Elizabeth MacLean Marketing, Website Tips Elizabeth MacLean

Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Create a Custom "Link in Bio" Page for Instagram on Squarespace

In the ever-evolving world of social media, it's helpful to create a custom links page on your Squarespace website. A custom links page allows you to showcase multiple links in one place, making it easier for your followers to explore your artwork, content, products, or services. In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a custom links page for your Instagram profile on Squarespace.

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Squarespace Websites, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Squarespace Websites, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

How to Set Up a Pop-Up in Squarespace 7.1: Step-by-Step Guide

Pop-ups are a powerful tool for capturing visitor attention, promoting special offers, and growing your email list. If you're using Squarespace 7.1, you're in luck! Squarespace makes it easy to set up pop-ups without any coding knowledge. In this step-by-step tutorial, we'll guide you through the process of creating a pop-up within your Squarespace website.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Elevating Your Portfolio Website with Expert Insights

Are you eager to make your portfolio website the best it can be? I've got some valuable insights to share with you. In this blog post, we're going to focus on the key areas that will make your portfolio website shine and leave a lasting impression on your visitors. From design elements to content strategies, we'll explore essential aspects, in the form of tips, that can help transform your website from ordinary to extraordinary.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

Connecting with Your Audience: Visual Artists Who Lead with Authenticity

As a visual artist, the process of creating something meaningful and beautiful is what drives you. But when it comes to promoting your work, finding the right balance between self-promotion and being genuine can be a challenge. You don't want to feel like a pushy salesperson or risk turning off potential customers. So, how can you market your work to your audience in an authentic way? In this post, we'll explore inspiring examples of artists that lead with authenticity.

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Website Tips, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Website Tips, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

10 Leading Online Marketplaces for Artists: A Comparison (2023)

In this post, I provide a brief comparison of 10 leading art marketplaces, including popular platforms like Etsy, RedBubble, Saatchi Art, Artfinder, and more. We'll examine the benefits and drawbacks of each platform, as well as the associated costs and fees, to help you make an informed decision and find the best platform for your art.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

The Power of Chat GPT for Fine Artists Seeking Gallery Representation

In this blog post, I explore how the power of AI, and specifically Chat GPT, can be used to gather important information about ideal customers. To put the tool to the test, I used a simple ‘role play’ prompt and a ‘conversation’ between an artist and the head of a leading art gallery in New York or LA, to try to bring some clarity to what this ideal client might be searching for when it comes to adding an artist to the gallery roster.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

How to Customize a Free Lead Magnet Template for Visual Artists, in Canva: Step-by-Step Instructions.

As a creative business owner, I know, from first-hand experience one of the things we all struggle with at one time or another is building an email list. And, because I work with a lot of artists, I know that coming up with a lead magnet (or opt-in freebie) that is right for their particular audience can be challenging. I got to work, and created a lead magnet specifically for visual artists that is better aligned with what you do, and also addresses an audience ‘pain point’ or FAQ. In this post, I provide step-by-step instructions on how to customize the shared template inside Canva.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

Are You Using These Email Marketing Features to Powerfully Level-Up Your Newsletter?

You’re probably already using an email marketing service in your business as a way to share your new works and launch special promotions with your subscribers. However, you may not be taking advantage of some of the lesser known and newer features that are available to make your newsletter the best it can be — both in presentation and in performance. In this post, I provide three email marketing features that will help you power up your newsletter.

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Website Copy Elizabeth MacLean Website Copy Elizabeth MacLean

Should Artists Include a Hero Statement On Their Portfolio Website?

Did you know that adding a hero statement to your portfolio website can help to retain first-time visitors AND improve your site’s SEO?! Because it contains all the information a person needs in order to know if you and your work are right for them, it is a simple way to retain visitors who are discovering you, and your work, for the first time.

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Website Tips Elizabeth MacLean Website Tips Elizabeth MacLean

Seven Ways To Quickly Strengthen Your Home Page

Your website’s home page is a crucial part of your online presence. It’s usually the first thing people see when they visit your site, and it sets the tone for the rest of their experience. It’s also critical to get things right on your home page because it is the page that gets the most attention.

But what if you don't know where to start? I've got you covered with seven ways you can optimize your artist website home page.

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Website Tips, Marketing, Examples and Case Studies Elizabeth MacLean Website Tips, Marketing, Examples and Case Studies Elizabeth MacLean

Four Inspiring Visual Artist Videos, from Delightful Intros to Engaging Studio Visits

In January of 2021, Contently, an industry authority on content marketing, surveyed their community to find out what they thought their most important content format would be, based on what best aligns with consumer preferences. Survey said (in my best game show host voice): “blog posts,” followed closely by “videos.”

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Website Tips, Squarespace Websites, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Website Tips, Squarespace Websites, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

10 Common Artist Website Mistakes, And What To Do Instead

An artist’s portfolio site is so much more than a collection of artworks. It is also a business and marketing tool that is capable of attracting new business, and generating profitable, sustainable growth over time. Whether you are thinking about creating your first site, or if you've had a site for years, here are a few things to avoid, and a few things you can implement instead.

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Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

How to Add a Countdown Timer in Flodesk.

Countdown timers are a tried and true tool in email marketing. Use them to help drive online sales during periods of high sales, or during launches and special promotions. This video provides step-by-step instruction on how to set up a countdown timer in Flodesk emails.

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Squarespace Websites, Website Tips, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean Squarespace Websites, Website Tips, Marketing Elizabeth MacLean

Wix Versus Squarespace: Which is Better for Creative Businesses and Brands in 2023?

Squarespace and Wix are both great website builder platforms, but they also stack up very differently based on where you currently are in your business, and where you might want to take it in the future. In this infographic post, I’m going to share a snapshot comparison of both website builders, so you can identify some of the features that are important to you at a glance.

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A digital version of "The Art of Framing" a free customizable lead magnet for visual artists

Free Customizable Lead Magnet for Visual Artists: Framing Guide

Build your email list with this pre-written, beautifully designed 14-page editable Canva template. Give your fans and art collectors a framing guide, with expert recommendations and resources. Customize as much or as little as you want.

  • Drag and drop images of your own work into the document;

  • Modify the color palette with your brand colors;

  • Edit the text as desired.

Or, simply personalize the guide by adding your name and contact information. It’s all ready to go, so it really is THAT easy!

D O W N L O A D  ➢

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Welcome! I’m Dr. Elizabeth MacLean.

I’m a media and communications consultant, art director/designer and educator who helps visual artists and creatives launch and grow their online presence through custom Squarespace services, training and writing. I built my consulting business by helping my creative entrepreneur clients shine online - without the overwhelm.

When I’m I'm not working, I’m dedicated to my own creative projects, and to being a dog-mom to my 10-year old rescue pup. I live in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Austin, USA, and am originally from Venezuela.

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