For many entrepreneurs and small businesses, social media can be an absolute game-changer! All it takes is one viral post and a business can suddenly take off.
At Like A Voss Social Media, we’re highlighting local businesses and entrepreneurs who are killing the online game. This week’s spotlight is on Beckoche!
Betina is a Brazilian graphic designer and illustrator that moved to Canada in 2018. She found her passion in the art of drawing letters – aka lettering -, and she loves to create watercolor pieces. She has been exploring more ways to express her creativity using different mediums.
Our CEO Mandi interviewed Betina about her secret to success in business and in life. We also got some awesome insights into what they think makes social media such an effective tool in business.
A Little Bit About Being a Female Entrepreneur
1: How long have you been in business?
After achieving my degree in advertising and marketing in 2015, I would do some graphic design work here and there, creating logos for friends and people I knew. It was only in 2017 I started to work with illustration selling art pieces and giving lettering workshops.
2: What inspired you to become an artist?
I always loved drawing. I took drawing and painting classes when I was a kid, and my mom was always an inspiration – she used to paint as a hobby. During my teenage years and into adulthood, I stopped drawing regularly, but I was always interested in art. It was only in 2017, after going through a rough time dealing with anxiety that I found in art a way to express my feelings and an attempt to bring more positive thoughts to my life.
3: What do you love most about being a female entrepreneur?
I think the best thing about being an entrepreneur is putting a little bit of myself into what I do and being able to express myself through my art and designs. It touches me when I see something I did out there, an art piece someone bought, or as graphic design work for a client.
4: What is the hardest thing you have had to overcome as a female entrepreneur? Something you did not foresee when you decided to start selling your art?
I think the hardest thing was moving to another country and promoting my work in a different place where people speak a different language. When I left Brazil, I was participating in fairs, working on commissions on a regular basis, giving lettering workshops, and getting inquiries for big projects. Starting my life here also meant restarting as an artist. I had to start working on getting my name out there and finding my space, what’s still something challenging.
5: What is one thing about working in the maker industry that people would be surprised to learn?
I don’t think it is necessarily something surprising, but I think it is something that we usually don’t really think about: being a maker is like any other business. Artists are driven by this passion of creating something and transforming it into an art piece. But it also requires a lot of hard work thinking about ways to monetize what you create, how to promote it, where to promote it, all the logistics we usually don’t have in mind because we are so emotionally attached to it.
And Now Onto The Social Media Questions!
6: Do you have a favorite social media platform? Why?
Definitely Instagram! It is where I started displaying my art and sharing my growth as an artist. It’s been a great tool to connect with other artists and people who love art. I also like Instagram because of the focus on images and on the moment. I love to share a little bit about my day to day and my painting processes.
7: What made you decide to start using social media as a way to promote your company?
I think it actually took me a while to see social media as a way to promote my company. For me, it’s always been a place to connect with people and share what I have been doing. It was only recently I started to use these platforms with a business mindset, to promote my services and products, to think strategically, and analyze any data gathered from each platform’s insights.
8: How has social media impacted your business? Would you say that it’s an effective marketing tool?
It has definitely impacted my business in a positive way. As I mentioned, I started using social media as a way to connect and share my thoughts with people. That allowed people to see who I really am, and I think being sincere about what I was writing and sharing had a positive return. People would find me on those platforms, see what I was doing, follow me because they were touched somehow or they would relate to what I was saying. Some of those people were potential clients that would contact me for commissioned projects.
9: What advice would you give to other businesses and entrepreneurs who want to use social media as a way to connect with customers?
Just be yourself! Yes, you want to – and should – display your products and services, but don’t make your social media all about it. Think social media as a community, as your circle of friends. Share about your day, your achievements, share about interesting things you’ve been learning or what people that inspire you are doing. Have conversations, offer value. That is how you start building your presence.
A Little More About Betina
I was born and raised in the south of Brazil, in a state called Rio Grande do Sul (that borders Uruguay). If you know me personally, you have definitely heard my accent. When I first moved to Canada in 2018, I was absolutely embarrassed about it. Nowadays, I embrace my accent and understand that it is part of who I am.
I studied advertising, but I was always passionate about graphic design and art. I grew up drawing, taking painting classes and creating things. I am also very passionate about photography and architecture, so you might see a little bit of that on my social media too.
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Do you know a female entrepreneur who loves social media as much as we do? Contact us today – we’d love to tell her story!
