We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Menjivar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
A couple of years ago I attended a marketing conference called Funnel Hacking Live. The company that runs the conference always looks for new ways to keep customers engaged. As a way of launching their next conference, they announced that anyone who attended one of their events would receive a commemorative NFT with artwork specific to the event and early access to tickets for their next conference. As a customer/attendee of the conference I thought this was a really cool idea and loved being part of such an innovative project.
And when one of my artists completes my coaching program, I love sending them a handwritten card congratulating them on their success. It’s important to keep them motivated and let them know that I have their back. We spend so much time in the digital world, so receiving something handwritten with a personal message shows my clients that I truly care about their success. I’ve had clients tell me that they have my card pinned on their fridges and studio walls as a reminder of what they can achieve.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Of course! I’m Stephanie Menjivar a.k.a Menji, a marketer, art business mentor, and all around creative based in Miami. At a young age, I was introduced to the Contemporary Art world and my outlook of art changed forever. I was completely hooked by the way artists could alter people’s emotions, bring new ideas, and challenge people to see the world differently. My obsession for the Contemporary Art world eventually led me to pursue an art degree and it landed me many jobs in the industry, but then my life took a turn…
The world of marketing came knocking on my door. Suddenly, I found myself working as the Head of Marketing for a company that licenses artwork for textiles. Business and creativity collided in my mind. I intensively learned about sales, social media, email marketing, advertising, you name it! I constantly thought to myself “Why don’t they teach this stuff in art school?! Why isn’t anyone teaching artists anything about business?”
And so, after years of working in marketing and a lot of brainstorming, planning, and soul searching, I took the leap into entrepreneurship. And BAM… Menji Media was born!
Menji Media is a creative marketing and business development consultancy pushing artists and creatives to reach their highest potential. As an Art Business Mentor I help fine artists build confidence in selling their art independently through deep introspection, digital marketing, and storytelling to build an audience of supportive customers and fans. My artists learn these concepts and more through personalized online training programs, coaching, and consulting calls.
Some of the things I do unlike other business consultants are: pulling proven but often ignored concepts from other industries and adapting them to the arts, doing a deep analysis of what motivates each individual student at their core, finding the student’s source of productivity, teaching how to create consistent demand for their work that leads to buyers, and creating simple systems for creating balance between the studio and their business.
This might sound a bit cheesy, but I’m the most proud of the milestones my clients reach when they implement the things I teach them. It’s so fulfilling to hear my clients share news about selling artwork, landing partnerships, or even being invited to give talks at museums. I always tell them – when you succeed, I succeed!
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
After years in the art industry and marketing, I decided to start fresh in 2019 with Menji Media. As I was exploring art groups on Facebook, I noticed a group organizer asking if anyone wants to host an online workshop. Since building my brand was at the top of my list, I jumped on a call with her and proposed a social media workshop for artists. The organizer loved the idea so we set a date. But there was a problem… I was terrified of public speaking (even on Zoom), had never hosted a workshop and much less taught social media concepts even though it was a big aspect of my marketing career!
I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone! So, I put together a presentation with everything I knew about social media and just went for it. The day of the workshop arrived and everyone loved the tips I shared for improving their social media presence. Although this project was filled with ambiguity and it was really nerve-racking, it showed me the importance of taking chances even when the path isn’t clear.
This was my first workshop as an Art Business Mentor and it helped me reach my first 100 subscribers in my email list and some of the viewers ended up becoming my top clients.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
A big aspect of how I build brand loyalty is through the personal connections I have with my clients. I love keeping in touch with them by commenting on their social media, sending them check-in emails, and sharing new opportunities that fit their work.
On a broader scale I also keep in touch with potential clients by offering free resources like my free social media guide and through my email list. Subscribers to my list receive a range of art business tips, stories about the creative industry, and any updates that might be relevant to their careers/businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: menji.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menji.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/artistsbuildingempires/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmenji/
- Youtube: https://l.menji.co/youtube
- Other: https://www.menji.co/casestudy https://www.menji.co/socialmediaguide
Image Credits
Deniss Jacenko Art by Susan Washington