I received the following email a few days, about a virtual Christmas Market.

A friendly reminder to my fellow artists: no one can own a hashtag. You cannot be charged for using a hashtag.

1/?

I queried their plan. Their answer was... not satisfactory.

2/?

I didn't bother responding after that. There is absolutely no reason to waste my time on them.

It's kind of disgusting that a pair of people decided that they would target people for a market like this, with no proof of concept, no mailing list figures, no marketing plan.

3/?

This is a bit of a mess of a year.

People are desperate. And I don't mean the people that sent me this, who are coming across as a different sort of desperate.

4/?

Since word of mouth is their plan, here's a tip from someone who's been in the market and convention scene for a few years:

Find people who are like you, who you like, and support each other. Bonus points if your stock isn't identical but there's a crossover in your niche.

5/?

Do NOT fall for what effectively amounts to a scam.

Do NOT pay for a hashtag on Instagram.

There are plenty of people out there who are looking to support local businesses that you don't need to charge someone for the pleasure of posting on your own social media.

6/?

Be vigilant, my friends.

And do not fall for this sort of nonsense.

Paid advertising takes time to work.

Email open rates are NOT high generally speaking.

Build a community and go from there.

7/7

I need a cuppa to calm down.