Determining ring sizes. And unsolicited emails!

I must get over a dozen unsolicited business to business emails or phonecalls every day.  Some from far flung shores offering to sell me cheap knock off products, some offering me website design or SEO services, some asking to buy advertising space on my websites and plenty from magazines, blogs, online directories and exhibition organisers trying to get me to buy advertising with them.  To be honest, its got to the point where I rarely even bother to read the email or listen to the message, I read or hear who its from and instantly hit delete.

But this evening an email landed in my inbox from a sender who's name I vaguely recognised.  They had sent me an unsolicited email not long ago which I had read and deleted along with all the others that had poured in that day.  For some reason, this second email caught my eye, and the first paragraph made me smile and raise my eyebrows in confusion all at once.  The style was quite unlike the normal emails I get, and so I carried on reading.  In fact, I even opened the attachment! (Don't tell my husband - i'll get a severe telling off for opening something from an unknown sender!).

Inside I found this:

Well, it made me laugh.  It might be a bit of fun, but hey - we could all do with a little of that now and again.  And you never know, it might be useful to someone who is trying to work out what size of ring to buy.  I wore my engagement ring on a chain around my neck for for a few days after we got engaged as it was so huge it didn't fit any of my fingers!

In their email, Simply Bridal mention that I can sign up to receive their infographics automatically as soon as they are released.  I think I might - I quite like this one, and am now wondering what I missed when I deleted their first email.

Food for thought

Today I read a really inspiring article by Laura at Laptops and Lullabies, about what a blog should be about. And my heart sank.

Point 3 made it very clear that I should identify my target readers, and write for them. That I should work out who they are, what they like to read, and write every single thing for their benefit.

 

Uh oh.

My blog is kind of for me. I mean, i'm happy for anyone to read it, and really, what is the point of a blog if not to be read by others? But my website is for my business, and my Facebook page is for mini updates about my business, and Twitter is for.....well, i'm actually not sure what that is for, other than wasting millions of hours of my life... But my blog is the point where personal me and business me merge. I blog about my work, but I do it from a personal point of view. 

On the Starstruck Designs website you will find the final, edited shots from a photo shoot of my work. But on my blog, is where you will find the "behind the scenes" breakdown of what happened on the day, and my dreadful nerves beforehand. On my website you will be able to order whichever of my designs you fancy, but on my blog you will find out what inspired the piece, who named it, and why I think it is fab.

And sometimes on my blog you will hear about my husband, and my children. Because as much as I love my work, I love them more. And sometimes they need me more, and no work gets done until they are tucked up in bed. And sometimes, as much as I go ga-ga over some sparkles, I melt into a big old messy puddle of love for my gorgeous babies and have to tell the world about them.

So who do I write for? 

Brides? Hmmm...only those that love my kiddies. And sparkles. And weddingy things. But definitely those who are happy with my babies putting in an appearance, sometimes wearing said sparkly accessories.

Mums? Hmmm...nope, unless they are getting married, which they might be. But its not a mummy website, or a "useful for mummies" website. And although I do promise to delight those "I need some sparkle in my life" mummies, its unlikely that I will ever post anything that enables them to create a 5 minute, 5-a-day rich, "look! my children are perfect and my make-up is perfect and I have not a hair out of place" dinner every single day of the week.

Me? Uh oh. I've identified my target market! Its ME!

If you fall into the "Me" category, please let me know i'm not just talking to myself!