We recently connected with Emma Reum and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

Social media, specifically Instagram, has been so pivotal for my business. I started my business Instagram in 2015 and have been the only one to ever run it. (Besides having some occasional help answering direct messages, as those can get overwhelming). Social media has always been easy for me to navigate and that’s why I chose to market myself that way. Instagram stories launched in 2016 and ever since then, I’ve been using them as a way to show my followers behind the scenes of creating wedding & event signage. I also gained the courage to talk on stories after a year or so and being a small business owner, it’s so important to have clients connect with you on a “face to face” level. To me, it makes everything seem more personal! I even went viral in 2019 for posting instagram reels and those gave me 10k new followers and faces that would’ve never seen my brand. In fact, because I share so much on my Instagram, I’ll have clients meet me for the first time that say “I feel like I know you because I follow you!”. And I just love that because it makes me feel like I’m personally able to touch each followers life. Sharing behind the scenes of my business & life gives my followers more knowledge to be able to trust me and purchase from me! I would advise any business looking to connect with more clients, to market and share their story via social media! I recently listened to a podcast from Jenna Kutcher (entrepreneur and business coach) regarding showing up on social media and something she said stuck with me. “Share the things that make you different. They don’t make you weird, they make you interesting! They are memorable, they are the things people are going to cling to in a world where everyone is starting to look like everyone else.” THIS is what I would say to anyone wanting to use social media for their business. Whether you want to keep social media “in house” because it comes naturally to you, or outsource because it’s more worth your business time, start showing up on socials today!

Emma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Emma and my business is “Etchings by Emma”. It started in 2015 when I taught myself how to Hand Letter. At that same time I started college to pursue a degree in Digital Design. I decided I wanted to start my own business doing Hand lettering and so in 2017, I realized my style fit well in the Wedding Industry. I reached out to venues/companies asking if they needed help with writing signage and a local floral & decor company called L&B wedding designs took me up on it! I wrote seating charts, welcome signs, and bar signs all by hand on mirrors & chalkboards. The wedding signage trend quickly took off and evolved into acrylic signage and larger scale displays. My business grew as this niche industry did. Wedding & event signage adds a unique decor piece to every party! And helps with directions, whether it’s telling guests where to park upon arriving or directing them to their seat at the reception. I created signage for over 350+ weddings in 2021 but quickly developed hand pain. I pivoted and got a UV printer so I could digitally create my designs and design for more couples! We are so grateful and honored to anyone that chooses us to create for their most special events. We strive to have great customer service and easy ordering to make the process as smooth as possible. Signs for events should be the fun part!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I briefly mentioned this before, but I wrote SO much with my right hand in 2020-2021 during the “wedding boom” that I got tendonitis. They called it an overuse injury. I had two choices, dissolve my business and stop using my hand. OR find a better way to create my products. I decided I could digitally print my signage instead of hand lettering. I still hand letter digitally on my iPad but I purchased a UV printer in 2022 that allows me to print on all types of materials (acrylic, wood, linen, etc.). It has completely changed the trajectory of my business and I’m so grateful for this pivot to keep doing what I love!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I’m so grateful for this, but referrals have been the best source of new clients for us. In the wedding industry, everyone knows each other and if you consistently provide quality work, you can get on a lot of “preferred vendor” lists. Another positive to this is that local wedding signage isn’t insanely popular, as opposed to photographers where there are way more of those! So I tend to get a lot of business sent my way which I’m so grateful for! Also, our past clients refer us to their friends getting married which is so kind of them! Referrals and social media are how we get clients!

Contact Info:

• Website: etchingsbyemma.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etchingsbyemma/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/etchingsbyemma

Image Credits
@suzygoodrick, @katieewhitee, @carmelajoyphotography, @thehardins, @theshepardsphoto, @kaivphoto