Name: On A Sixpence
City: London
Website: www.onasixpence.bigcartel.com
I set up my website last year. I sell personalised periodic-table art prints depicting renowned sports tournaments, teams or film genres. For example, ‘The elements of shock and fear’ print is a visual tribute to some of the greatest horror films of all-time, using the periodic table as the framework. Each cell includes information on the film title, the director and the year of release.
“If you build it, (they) will come” is one of my favourite movie lines from Phil Alden Robinson’s Fields of Dreams. However, it’s not the best advice for an online business. For the first three months after setting up the site, I received more pizza leaflets than interest in my business. I decided to use social media to ask for advice. The response was excellent. Even competitors were helpful. Journalists also helped in trying to raise the profile of my prints.
Last month, I booked my first market stall at Spitalfields market with the Designers /Makers agency. My face-to-face meetings with prospective customers showed that the stories behind my artwork were a key element to converting interest into sales.
I hope to build a narrative into my future marketing strategy and use that to grow a sustainable customer base. Hopefully this will help On A Sixpence go the distance.
Johnny Joannou is the owner of On A Sixpence
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