Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral - Founder's Winter Meeting

A wonderful floral arrangement by Ron Shake and items
From Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral welcomed the Guild

Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral hosted the first Guild meeting in McLean VA on Wednesday March 2. Thus called the Founder's Meeting. Winter weather precluded the group from meeting in January and February, a bright March day provided the spring energy that everyone was ready for to help develop better marketing for their business.

In attendance, our host, Ron from Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral, Ali, who represented the interior design consumer, providing insight into what today's professional woman, mother of teenagers is looking for when consuming interior design products and services. Jacky, a floral artist of Wildflower, who is working out of the Mosaic District in Fairfax; Marilyn of Cherishables Antiques, a purveyor of American Antiques, William of WWH Restoration, an art and furniture installer, and Vicky of the The Mummy Cronicles, a lifestyle blogging Mom and interior design consumer.

Vicky and Ron discuss Asian Antiques

After a very lively and interactive introduction session where everyone spoke about why they joined the group. The discussion focused on each member's digital marketing, or lack of. Talking about, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Eatsy, eBay, OfferUP, Houzz, Tumbler, SnapChat, as well as blogging as a way to promote your business.

Jacky spoke of how photos on her Instagram account wildfloweratmosaic brings her customers due to the visual nature of her work. This began a session of connecting guild member's Instagram Accounts. Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral, The Mummy Chronicles. Several posts on  William's Instagram, ended up getting local McLean business attention and likes for posts of the event. A discussion on how important it is rely on social media accounts of businesses you like and admire to develop your own social media followers.

Ali spoke as a consumer, that she shops online and how important an internet presence is to her as a consumer. Vicky spoke of  how her career in the defense industry led her to be a lifestyle blogger and how she as a consumer is frustrated by the lack of return communication from the designer service and product providers, especially on Houzz. Ron and Marilyn both professed computer illiteracy, while they have great creative skills, building websites, remembering passwords and using apps and online sites eludes them.

Poor digital marketing says this!

Everyone used their phones to look up each other's social media accounts and websites, looking at design projects, products, and finding out the meaning of pop-culture terms like SteamPunk. also discussing how important it is for websites be compatible with all formats, especially mobile in today's handheld digital world. If your business is not online visitors will think you are no longer in business.

Jacky talks about how Silver Linings
Have a SteamPunk energy.

How to promote two unique lines, that are only available through two guild members prompted a lengthy conversation about being knocked off for your original ideas. Marilyn spoke of Lord & Taylor blatantly knocking off her laser cut, hand painted Cherishables Christmas Ornaments, after a major magazine featured them. Ron shared the same concern about his Silver Linings, a unique decor element designed to remind you as you go about your day, to go and find your joy of life, and look for the silver linings in every experience.

A collection of Asian Antiques from
Beyond Asian Antiques & Floral

A general discussion was held to plan future Potomac Design Guild meetings, and membership. It was decided that members must come at the introduction from the founders, and be there to to support all guild members. Two meeting would be held between now and May, when a team from Houzz corporate, the home design promotion website would come to the Guild and teach a course on how service and product providers can benefit from their site.

A discussion of how simple stools
have personality.

We discussed growing the group from the initial invitees, some of whom were unable to attend, but will be invited to attend the next meeting, and who to invite to the limited seating opportunity for the Houzz training in May.

The next Guild meeting will be hosted by Cherishables Antiques in Bethesda Maryland, a number of options for the location for the Houzz training was discussed and will be announced at the next meeting.

Thank you to Ron for hosting, and for all those who persisted after the weather delay of previous meeting for attending.

                       -  William West Hopper