DIRECTORY WALKTHROUGH & BEST PRACTICES
How to make a really good listing to help the right people find your work
Quick Tips
Select the MOST applicable category in “Role in the Maker Community”. See below in the Walkthrough for details.
A photo is required - make it a good one! A clear image of your work or your logo is your best bet to show people exactly who you are and what you do. If you are a space consider using picture of your building or workshop, but remember it’s a thumbnail and small details will be hard to see.
Include a website and contact info! The goal of your listing is to help people discover your work and contact you directly. Your website link will appear in your main directory listing preview.
Keep your elevator pitch concise - use one or two complete sentences to introduce yourself. Emphasize your strongest skills and what makes your business unique.
Select only the Specialties and Materials that you are an expert in. All of your selections will be displayed as part of your main directory listing preview, so spamming the system by selecting everything you’ve ever touched will only make your listing cluttered and spammy-looking.
Make good use of Additional Keywords - this section is one of your best tools to specify exactly what you do in a highly searchable format. Think like your customer - what would they search for to find you? These will also all appear in your main directory listing preview.
Walkthrough
What is your role in the maker community?
Select only one of these categories except in very exceptional cases. We recommend people and businesses that occupy two of these roles to make two separate listings. This is a quick-filter field: users can pre-sort their search by these terms.
If you've wound up here, then most likely you are a Maker! If you are a creative person that makes something with your hands (and brain) then you should select this category.
Maker
The other categories are for people and organizations that support or are useful to Makers. Things such as material suppliers, accountants, art galleries, etc. You should only check these other categories if you own or operate a business whose primary focus is not making.
Maker Spaces and Studios: you own or operate a place where people can make stuff
Markets, Festivals, and Shows: you run or organize events where makers show or sell
Materials, Parts, or Supplies: you sell or provide things to make stuff with
Pro Services Supporting Makers: you offer non-maker services to help makers (lawyer, accountant, designer, mentor, etc)
Retail Stores and Art Galleries: you own or operate a venue where makers show or sell
What do you do? (Elevator Pitch)
Be brief and legible! Use one or two complete sentences to introduce yourself. This will be one of the first places people look to understand who you are and what you do. Emphasize your strongest skills and what makes your business unique. This is a searchable field.
Ex: We handmake an endless variety of your favorite chocolates and confections in our in house candy factory and soda fountain. Come cool off and take class, enjoy some fine drinking chocolate, or let us create a custom chocolate with your logo on it!
Ex: We jury & host two shows each year, bringing great indie craft from our region (and beyond!) to Richmond shoppers.
What kind of work are you available for?
If you take on custom work, what range of job sizes do you prefer? Do you sell direct to consumers (retail), or do you sell products in bulk to someone else who then sells to consumers (wholesale)? Select all applicable levels.
Other Listings
Most other listings will select “Not interested in jobs” however you may adapt this question to fit your listing type - perhaps you rent studios to artists in the $500-$5000 range, maybe your market or show features a majority of work in the <$100 range.
What are your Specialties?
What are your areas of professional focus? These are broad categories that help users refine their searches. Please do not list hobbies or casual interests in this section - we have another spot for that! This is a quick-filter field: users can pre-sort their search by these terms.
Makers
Select only the specialties that you are an expert or highly skilled at, which are relevant to your business - and select as many of those as you like!
Other Listings
If you’ve designated your listing as a space, seller, or service, please use this section to show which kinds of makers you want to connect with or offer resources to. If your service or resource is not listed, never fear - you can include those terms in the Keyword section below or the Elevator Pitch section above, which are both searchable fields.
What Materials and products do you work with?
These are specific examples of materials, products, and processes that help users discover different kinds of makers. This is a quick-filter field: users can pre-sort their search by these terms.
Makers
Select only materials that you are an expert or highly-skilled at working with, which are relevant to your business. Use this field as a jumping-off point to list what you work with, and then go into more detail or add what we left out in your Keyword section below, which is a searchable field.
Other listings
If you’ve designated your listing as a space, seller, or service, this section may not apply to you. Feel free to leave it blank, select relevant materials or processes, and/or include more applicable terms in the Keyword section below, which is a searchable field.
Additional Keywords
Though this section appears small, this is one of your biggest tools! This is the spot to include everything you may not have found in our pre-listed Specialties and Materials. This is a searchable field.
Makers
Here is where you should list any specialized materials, processes, machinery, and products. As makers, we love the technical details! Include single words and short phrases that you expect customers will use to search for your business, separated by commas.
Ex: Large Format Printing, Vinyl Lettering, Decals, Stickers, Signage, Banners, Tablecloths, Sandwich Boards, Apparel, Wallpaper, Graphic Design, Exhibition Design, Gallery, Mounting, Laminating
Other Listings
This space is important to you as well - since the materials and specialties listing is intended mostly for Maker use, this a great place to list specialty services or qualities of your business that you expect users to search for. Include single words and short phrases separated by commas.
Ex: Tutorials, webinars, classes
Ex: Branding, Logo, Identity, Website, Poster, Label, Packaging, Print, Digital, Print Collateral, Apparel
Hobbies and Interests
Do you love knitting, but just on the side? Do you take a lot of interest in the entrepreneurial side of things, but just for your own business dealings? Were you a master woodworker in a former life but focus on graphic design now?
This is the spot to include all the other hats you wear. This section will not be searched by the main search bar, but users can do an advanced search of this field to find like-minded hobbyists. Additionally, it shows a little character on your full listing - we’re all 4-dimensional beings, yes? - and helps users get a taste of who they’ll meet if they end up working with you!
Use single words and short phrases for easiest searchability, or full sentences if you prefer.
All set? Time to put this knowledge to work! You can sign up for our directory here:
Create a listing in the RVA Find-A-Maker Directory
Overview:
We do not review listings before they are added to the site.
RVA Makers reserves the right to remove listings for any reason we see fit.
We reserve the right to modify listings that we feel are inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete.
The user affirms that all images and content are original to them and that RVA Makers, Inc is not responsible for their misuse.
Information contained in the directory is copyright RVA, Makers Inc.
Unauthorized use or reproduction is strictly prohibited.RVA Makers is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Richmond, VA.
We do not have members, and creating a listing in the "Find a Maker” Directory does not constitute a membership with RVA Makers.
Full Terms & Conditions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q9t3tMA