A Future for Deb’s Accidental Art

The City of Fort St. John is located in Northeastern British Columbia in the Peace Country.  The scenery is quite picturesque here and the northern lights are stunning.  Take a look at Darcy Shawchek photos on his Facebook page. These photos will give you a glimpse of Northeastern British Columbia.  Our winters here can be extremely long and one does get cabin fever.  I have seen snow as early as September and been horrified with snow Canada Day long weekend. Mindfulness is talked about quite a bit these days and many companies are incorporating it into their wellness programs.

In 2011, I was introduced to Zentangle® as a method of practicing mindfulness.  The tools I required were a tile, pencil and a fine tipped marker, most of which I picked up at the dollar store at the time.  It wasn’t until I went on the internet to search for Zentangle® patterns that I came across their website.  This is where I ordered a few more supplies which has kept me busy ever since. The thought of taking formal training in Zentangle® interested me but you know where I live. What is the possibility of that ever happening? LOL, well it did happen. Fort St. John is fortunate to have Deb Bowyer, CZT (Certified Zentangle® Teacher) of Deb’s Accidental Art or on Instagram. She took the training to become a CZT and I couldn’t be happier.

Zentangle® is described as yoga for the brain.  You do not need to be an artist to do Zentangle®.  It is affordable and can be done almost anywhere.  I have taken many classes including a private one for my family.  I have also done a couple of drop-in sessions which have been very pleasurable.  Working with numbers all day has me craving some artsy moments.  I get lost in the tangle and time just passes by.

Deb teaches classes and her clientele range from employers holding a team building event, grade school students, and private groups.  It is interesting to see how Zentangle® can bring a group together as the tile itself is done individually and they are all unique however when the entire class puts their tiles together the piece is stunning.  The metaphor is that although we are one, we become a community together.

Deb’s Accidental Art currently uses video on their Facebook page to introduce potential clients to Zentangle®.  It is expected that the current social media trend of live video and story options to increase conversions is on the rise and more than likely will double in 2019.  Many people are using smartphones and tablets therefore can watch video any where and any time.  It is interesting that professionally produced video are not the trend and since most smartphones have great video recording this is the preference for video production and live video.  It is expected that video streaming will overtake the television market in 2019.

On average you have a potential customer’s attention for 8 seconds so you want to be sure that you have something catchy for your Instagram post.  The consumer is smart and wants to see transparency and reviews of the product or service to make up their minds.  Deb’s Accidental Art does of great job of being transparent and real.  These are excellent attributes and she will have no problem maintaining her current customer base and making some conversions.

Another trend that is quite popular is being able to make purchases on Instagram.  Anastasia Beverly Hills post customer videos using their products.  It is the most economical advertising campaign as the customers are doing all of the work.  Customers are liking the truthful advertising and this become an instant conversion on Instagram.  One recommendation is to do a quick story or video of an actual Zentangle®.  It is so unique I am sure it would draw attention to your Instagram following.

Until this evening I have never heard of Chatbots.  It is my understanding that they are an easily programmed method of response to possible customer.  Millennials like to have quick responses and apparently the Chatbot gives the customer a feeling of being acknowledge because of the faster customer service.  It will be possible in the future to place orders with the Chatbot.

Lessons for Others

In conclusion, given the changes expected to social media in the coming year some adapting will be required to stay on top with social media marketing.  My recommendation is to review other live videos to get an idea of how they are done.   There are also some great examples of how stories are posted.  Stay true to yourself.  You have a wonderful presence and authenticity that is appreciated from your customers and this has really established some long-term relationships with them.  Your honesty and positive outlook on life certainly bring the best energy for all your classes and drop ins.

Thank you to Zentangle® for agreeing to post this case study on Deb’s Accidental Art on their social media pages.  Special thank you to the lovely Deb Bowyer for all her help with this assignment.  At the time of posting a communication went out to Darcy Shawchek Photography and Becky Grimsrud, Council Woman for the City of Fort St. John.  I have not heard back officially if they will post the link to their Facebook pages or not.  This has been an incredible project near and dear to my heart.

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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