IndieSmiles.com » marketing

Xmas in July – Part II

July 23, 2010 :: Posted by - rebecca :: Category - Artfire Studios, Etsy Spotlight, Headline, New Columnists, Zibbet Spotlight, showboat features

xmasnJulyweb

Part II by Contributing columnist Rebecca aka Raige Creations

Slide photo courtesy of All About The Buttons

Normally I am the type who embraces summer with no thoughts of the winter, cold, snow, or holiday shopping. Christmas is the last thing on my mind. I usually don’t even think of buying Christmas gifts until after Thanksgiving. Even then it is just a ’something I should think about doing soon’ sort of thought. Before I know it, Christmas is 2 weeks away and I NEED to start shopping. Those days are full of grasping, arguing about what to get, and quick! Needless to say, stress and desperation are the feelings that prevail until December 26th. Inevitably, I end up with generic, meaningless gifts that are relegated to the ‘donate’ bag by Easter. Year after year, I make a vow not to repeat these actions again. Yet while soaking up the sun and wasting away the lazy days of summer, I came to the realization that I was on the path to make the same mistake again this year. The rays of the sun and the sounds of nature reassured me there was still plenty of time. But then there was talk of Christmas in July by retailers. “Christmas? Now?” I thought. “Too soon!”, the sun tried to convince me. But after some contemplation, maybe this wasn’t a bad idea. Perhaps, just perhaps, the seasonal spell which had seemingly been cast, had falsely assured this weather would last. Logic crept in and started eating away at my summer fantasies. Not willing to completely surrender to reality, I managed to make my way to the house for the laptop to casually surf the web as I returned to worship the sun.

I found that Christmas in July celebrations can be traced back to 1933 in North Carolina. It didn’t take long after for the retail world to take advantage of this marketing opportunity in a time of generally slow sales. The first mention of Christmas in July in advertising was back in 1950, specifically “It’s Christmas in July at Browning King” (advertisement), The New York Times, July 20, 1950, p. 16. (Thank you Wikipedia) Since then, various retailers have used this campaign to stimulate sales, and the community of Handmade sellers are no different.

browningking

Sellers of Handmade and vintage items through most venues have completely embraced this tool, and you will be happy to find wonderful deals on all kinds of treasures. Off one wave, onto another as I surf some of my favorite sites and found a few unexpected discoveries.

To get in the Christmas spirit, perhaps some Nostalgic Victorian Childrens Christmas Gift Tags, by Southern Ladys Vintage. Gift tags are one of the things which we all need but never remember to buy until the last minute – or is that just me?

Vintage Christmas Tags

Let’s not forget the necessities for entertaining family and friends that is usually ’slim pickings’ in the weeks before Christmas. Green plastic plates usually adorn my table by default as festive serving dishes are always a last minute thought. But not this year. Resetar Glass Art Studio has a great solution, a White Christmas Tree Fused Glass Plate. Perfect for the hors d’oeuvres to go with the wine or the pastries and eggnog.

White Glass Christmas Tree Plate

Speaking of wine, it would be nice to have an accessory to go with that too. These Wine Sock Bags by Catfluff, are also on sale for Christmas in July. The beauty of these is they can be used all fall, winter, or whenever, or even make great gifts for someone on your list.

Recycled Sweater Wine Sock Bags in Autumn Colors

Gift giving is a part of Christmas that we should look forward to, but for some, the mass produced commercial bombardment of options have left us dreading the shopping experience. For me, it has been particularly discouraging as I normally scramble to find something at the last minute at the nearest Super Center that the recipient would even want. I have discovered the Christmas in July sales provide the means to shop without the normal stressors of shopping in December. I can casually browse online and buy beautiful, handmade items made with care and full of meaning, without the crowded lines, the inevitble panic and grasping – and get a great deal!

Herb Gardening Planter

I like to give gifts with significance to an individual that can be used year round. This Herb Gardening Planter, by AndrewsReclaimed on Etsy, is perfect for those people that love fresh herbs. Just pick up this set (BOGO sale!), either plant their favorite herbs or include a few packs of seeds, and it’s a gift that gives well past Christmas. That’s 2 gifts done in a single purchase.

What about those that are difficult to buy for? Yes, I know we all have them on our list, and it is particularly difficult because you have to get something for each one. This solution may be just the thing. A Catchall for all the little things they bring home and throw on the nearest table, or placed somewhere and forget where it was. Now they can can have a dedicated spot for such necessities or eccentricities. One can hope to achieve organization. A few family members of the male gender come to mind and would certainly benefit from more than one of these. Feltplanet is offering these great organizers in many colors and sizes of for any style and taste.

Small Felt Bowl Catchall

Rounding out the list are those teens who want everything new and trendy and cool. Those that fall into that category on our lists by far cause the most stress at Christmastime, not to mention the rest of the year. But a small token to let them know we ‘get it’ is usually appreciated. This Goth Rock Chic Skellington Cell Phone Charm, by itsmythingdesigns on Zibbet, might do the trick.

Goth Rock Skellington Cell Phone Charm

So now that I fully embrace Christmas in July and buying Handmade and Vintage, I encourage you to do the same. These are just a few examples of the variety and abundance of unique items that I stumbled upon browsing the Christmas in July Sales. Imagine what you you will be able to find. Rest assured, it will be a holiday season without the stress of frantic shopping! This year I am actually looking forward to wrapping meaningful, one of a kind gifts for those special people on my list. I never thought summer would include such pleasant thoughts of Christmas. This is definitely going to become part of my summer routine. And remember the sunscreen!

Don’t forget to check out Nikkie’s Part I on Christmas In July specials, artfire studios,Zibbet and Etsy spotlights for more great shops that may be having special summer promotions.

Edited by Barbra aka: All About The Buttons

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Finds on Happy Made Tweets!

June 12, 2010 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Artfire Studios, Biz Advice - Get Noticed!, Etsy Spotlight, Folksy Favs, Headline, Indiesmiles news, Tweetips

By Publisher Sue aka Alongcomesmary
If you haven’t found Twitter you are missing out! Because now there is a new website brought to you by Indiesmiles.com, a twitter app of sorts that provides tweets from only handmade and vintage shops! Happy Made Tweets finds those who post on twitter about Etsy, Folksy, Artifre and Zibbet!

If you haven’t had a relationship with Happy Made Tweets then you haven’t found the handmade and vintage FUN! When visiting Indiesmiles sister website this morning, some tweets stood our and caught attention! The following Tweets provide some insight as to which tweets can be eye catchers and helpful when promoting your business!

It’s amazing to watch Happy Made Tweets, because it shows that most people that are promoting on Twitter seem to be Tweeting about Etsy shops. Where are all the sellers from the various other venues? If you sell on another website, such as Zibbet, your tweets will show up on Happy Made Tweets as well, so use Twitter to your advantage and promote away!

The following Tweets are a great example of what you can do to not only get your shop and your items noticed, but how you can be a thoughtful Tweeter!

Jacksknits offered this tweet:

“JACKSKNITS 10% off all items in my folksy shop until 25/6/10 …..please message me first http://www.folksy.com/shop/jacksknits ”
What a great way to get the word out about her sale!

Jacky from Folksy indicated that custom orders are always welcomed!

This next seller tweeted about being a busy bee!:

“AnnabelBurton I have been busy! >http://www.folksy.com/shops/cherrytree”

“I love combining sewing, knitting and crochet altogether and this bag combines all three. I like the fact that the strap unties so can be adjusted and is plenty long enough to wear across the body.

Sometimes general Tweets also can grab people’s attention!

Here is an Etsy Tweet that gained attention on Happy Made Tweets, it was actually a RT

“monikadesign @demure4you TY so much! RT So Cute! RT @monikadesign: NEW! Ladybug Coasters set of 4 by MonikaDesign on #Etsy http://ow.ly/1Xsyx #handmade”

Monikadesign is a lucky gal, there were many Etsy tweets, but this one is an eye catcher!
Seems that Indiesmiles it not the only place where MonikaDesign’s is featured, seems that she was interviewed by
“Woman’s First” magazine in 2009! Congrats Monikadesign’s!

RT help others, it’s always a nice way to PIF on Twitter!

An Artfire tweet from a very grateful studio owner!

“sisterjewelry SJ’’s Pink Lemonade Watch http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1336031 ”

“I feel very honored.I’d love to be in your article.Please send me a link, and Ill make sure it gets around to others….”
Giving your item a catchy name often makes people curious!

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Marketing, Marketing, Marketing…

June 01, 2010 :: Posted by - MissBaclartDesigns :: Category - Artist Spotlight, Artists helping others, Biz Advice - Get Noticed!, Headline

Image courtesy of It’s all about the graphics

By Contributing Columnist Amy of MissBaclartdesigns

Craft sales are down, money is tight and advertising costs are high. So how do small craft businesses really survive through these tough economic times? Well, to be honest, if I knew the definitive answer to this question, I would be laughing. My little business would be booming and I would be taking over the world! So what do we do to try to answer this ever-puzzling question?

Marketing, marketing, marketing. This is truly the key as far as I can see. If we take for example my business, Miss Baclart Designs. A small business, run from home, funded by my full time job as a PA. I have many great ideas and a maze of avenues to venture down, but I am limited in what I can do, because of funding. How do we get more funding? Making sales of course! However, as we all know making sales is more difficult than ever. People are struggling to pay their bills, let alone thinking of accessorizing their houses or buying themselves little hand made delights from shops like Folksy. However, I think with a little bit of clever advertising, we can all uplift our spirits and more importantly, uplift our bank balances.

It is all about getting yourself out there. I had a stall in the craft tent at a local agricultural show recently. It cost around £50 to hire the stand for the day, which included a 6 ft table and two chairs. Not a bad price for a craft stand considering some of the other craft events I have looked into. So, I was £50 down for just requesting a stand and with stock on top of that it was nearer £150. In the end, I covered the cost of being there for the day and made a small, yet much appreciated profit. Despite the very small amount of money made from the days events, the networking opportunities that came from the day were of far greater value to my business.

Having good quality business cards and flyer available for people to take away with them is such an important element of marketing. Business stationery speaks volumes for your brand. Good quality business cards, flyers, even promotional pens, give people confidence in your brand. If you can take the time and money to design and print decent business stationery, it shows your customers that you are proud of what you do and that you believe in your brand.

If someone buys something from you, give them bag for their items with your brand on it. This does not have to cost you lots of money; I brought 125 brown handled bags for £6 from a local supplier and made my own tags to hang off the bags. Now, this took a bit of time and a lot of creative energy, but the final product was well worth it. So long as you make sure your brand name and brief description about what you sell is on there, it is a great marketing tool. Not only do people the walk around the rest of the craft fair advertising your brand, think how many bags you re-use. I know that if I get a nice bag from a shop, I keep hold of it for shopping etc. Everyone is keen on saving the environment and this is yet more advertising for your brand, because there is the chance that you may then get your buyer going home and re-using the bag, thus spreading your brand even further; this has cost you minimum amounts, but could potentially give you a maximum effect.

Speak to as many sellers as you can when you are at craft events. Find out what they do, ask if they are having a successful day, see what they are selling and make sure you take their business details, as they are then more likely to take yours. Do some market research and try to find out how other crafters are finding the day. If you find they are making a profit and you are not, stand back and look at their stand to see how they are marketing their products differently to you. You are not stealing their ideas, but just observing what is working for them and finding ways to apply the marketing style to your work.

Make sure your brand is clear and distinguished. You need to make sure that your company name is clearly visible with a snippet of what you sell detailed on it. Think about big brands like Kelloggs or Tescos, they are brands we recognise in an instant because their logos are so distinctive. Obviously those specific companies have had lots of money ploughed into their marketing, but we all have to start somewhere. Too much information can be confusing, but too little information can be misleading. Get it right, or your brand could loose out to your competitors.

Essentially, what I am trying to say here is look around, see what marketing tools work for others and use them to elevate your business to new heights. Think about your product from a consumer’s point of view and be honest with yourself; would you buy what you are selling? If the answer is yes, then that is great. Go for it full pelt and get out there! If it is a no, then I am afraid it is back to the drawing board. Get thinking and get creative. Good Luck!

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Trip The Glass Fantastic

May 31, 2010 :: Posted by - Jay :: Category - Artfire Studios, Haffina Creations, Headline

By contributing columnist aka Haffina Creations

As a jewellery maker, one of the items I love to use the most is Artisan Lampwork beads. There is a very talented Handmade Lampwork Bead Artisan who happens to have a studio on ArtFire. Her name is Jamie Rose and she is the incredible talent behind her ArtFirea> studio is always worth a visit, with new items added regularly. I wanted to know some more about workings of < so I asked Jamie some questions, which she kindly answered.

What will people find when they drop into your studio/store? What types of items do you sell?
I sell mainly Artisan Lampwork beads. I also sell some jewelry and some stained glass pendants/necklaces.

How did you come up with your studio/ shop’s name?
I wanted something unique. Most Lampwork sellers use their names, but I wanted something different, unique and that would be remembered. Not sure it’s that easy to remember, but I think if someone knows my work and they see my name they’ll say, “yes, I remember her”. I wanted to use the word Glass and make that a one-of-a-kind name, so Glasstastic was created from Glass and fantastic. Also, since I was completely amazed by what I could do with a torch, I wanted to use the word Treasures, because to me every bead is a treasure.

How long have you been selling online?
Wow, three years now!

What lead you to join ArtFire?
I heard about Etsy on TV one day when I was home taking a vacation day. I looked it up on the internet and thought it was perfect for me. And it was, for a while. Then, simply by being online you hear of more venues to sell on, and ArtFire was brought to my attention. I waited for quite a while before I moved there and I’m so happy I did. ArtFire is my favorite selling venue.

What is your favourite feature on the ArtFire?
Everything! But if I have to choose just one thing it would be coupon codes. It is so easy to offer my customers a coupon code so they can receive their discount without waiting for a refund. I believe in making shopping easy for my customers.

What tips/advice would you give to others considering joining the site?
You can join for free and get a basic account, however, in my experience, once I moved to a Pro Seller I almost immediately because more visible on Google and other internet searches. If you can swing the monthly fee to start out you won’t be sorry.

How do you want people who visit your studio/shop to feel, what mood are you attempting to create?
I want to lift spirits and bring smiles to faces. My tagline is: Has your heart smiled today? Come see me, you’ll see what I mean.

What types of things do you do to try and create that feel/mood?
I make fun and whimsical beads. I make characters with smiley faces and love to use bright colors.

What is your favourite tool or material to use at the moment?
My favorite new glass is CIM, Creation Is Messy. The colors are bright and vivid, and very unique.

Are there any skills or techniques that you would like to learn, or materials that you would like to work with, aside from what you already do?
Right now I use soft glass which has to be kept warm so the beads don’t crack. However, I’d love to use Boro glass, a harder glass, which isn’t so temperamental outside the flame. You can get much more freedom to work with the glass without it shattering if it’s not in the flame.

Are you still selling the same kind of items as when you started selling, or has it changed with time?
Pretty much. Once I started making fun faces and whimsical character I just couldn’t stop!

Which part of being an online seller do you find the most challenging, and what do you do to deal with that?
Marketing is very challenging. It’s so time consuming, and can be costly. However, there are many website that make it easy to post listings and pictures of your newly listed items to one site, or multiple sites like Twitter, facebook, Plurk, Plaxo and other networking sites. Facebook has a great application called RSS Graffiti which will go into your websites that have an RSS feed and pick up newly posted items. Anything like that makes marketing so very easy! Ping.fm is nice because you can add a toolbar to your browser and with just a couple of clicks you can shoot out info about one of your items or your shop to multiple websites.

How do you balance your online and offline life?
Balance? LOL! Well, my kids are grown and it’s easier for me to spend my free time marketing. I love making Lampwork beads, so for me that’s easy because I run to the torch whenever I can. Marketing is something I do while I’m watching TV at night. I’ll list new items and shoot out links through all my networking sites, and chat with my friends on Plurk. My husband bought me a laptop for Christmas so I wouldn’t be stuck in the back room with my desktop all the time.

What kind of supplies do you always seem to buy, even if you do not really need them?
Glass, glass, glass and more glass!! There are many different manufacturers and so many colors to try out.

I really do recommend dropping by Glasstastic Treasures on ArtFire, it is well worth a visit.

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Blind Ambition

April 26, 2010 :: Posted by - Connie :: Category - Artists helping others, Biz Advice - Get Noticed!, Headline

Reassuring Raven By Champignons On Folksy

By contributing columnist Connie of KonnieKapow

A few years ago I read a thought provoking book called Blindness by Jose Saramego. It was made into a film in 2008 and I finally got round to watching it last night with Mr Kapow! In the film everyone apart from one person suddenly goes blind without explanation and there follows an exploration of the ‘true nature’ of man. I won’t spoil the film for you in case you haven’t seen it but it is both harrowing and uplifting. There are some characters who take advantage of the chaos for their own gain and others who form a strong group or community and it is them who ultimately triumph through helping each other and companionship.

It struck me this morning when I woke up (after having terrible dreams about waking up blind!) that a good comparison can be made with positive elements of the online crafting community.

First of all, we are all in a way blind. By that I mean we quite literally cannot see one another. We are all names and avatars on a computer screen and the avatars are representations of our craft and not our selves. I have 230 followers on twitter with whom I regularly exchange quips and musings however you only really learn minute details about other crafters’ lives. We don’t know each other’s names, we don’t know if someone’s an old school or new wave crafter (i.e. how old they are or how long they’ve been doing what they do) and we don’t know things that unfortunately can lead to preconceptions in the ‘real world’ such as gender, creed, ethnicity, sexuality; we’ve never seen each other, heck we don’t really know where everyone is from! When it really comes down to it we know nothing about one another apart from the fact that we share a common interest – crafting!

And yet the sense of community I feel is incredibly strong! I’m relatively new to crafting, since I was a child I made my own stationery and had an obsession with stickers and silly drawings but I’d never really had the confidence to show anyone my ‘work’ other than a couple of close friends who were the recipients of some bizarre mailings (snail mail obviously!). Then last year I went through a rough patch and had to take some time off work suffering from anxiety. Always a fidget I was unable to concentrate on knitting (my first crafting love) or reading and I was too overly sensitive to watch my favourite TV programmes (mostly crime drama) but simply had to do something so I started messing around with the leftover card blanks I had from our wedding stationery. Friends liked my slightly erratic artwork and laughed nervously at some of the ‘themes’ but for the most part the cards I made were really well received and before I knew it I was hooked!

I never dreamed I would open up an online shop and that people would actually buy from it but I did a Google search for ‘something like Etsy except for the UK’ and came up with Folksy.

It was from the Folksy forums that I learned the importance of having a decent bio, a good shop banner (I’m still working on that one!), blogging and promoting my work on social networking sites such as twitter and facebook.

It’s amazing how much you can learn once you’re up and running on twitter for example. When I first set up my account it felt very much like talking to myself except on a computer! I was intimidated by the thought of saying something which wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular and trying to make it funny or interesting… it seemed somewhat self indulgent… however once I had myself a few followers and worked up the confidence to interact I was away! You learn about really cool stuff on twitter like giveaways and it’s also a place where crafters promote each other in addition to themselves. The first time I realised that someone I didn’t know had retweeted something I had written I was stunned but it was so exciting!

The community on twitter is amazing and fiercely loyal, I happened to have a day off my full time job working for a mental health charity when Hidden Eloise Vs Paperchase started to kick off. In case you missed it independent designer Hidden Eloise accused Paperchase of ripping off one of her drawings and her evidence was really very compelling. There had been other stories circulating prior to this about independent designers having their work ‘stolen’ by larger companies and being helpless to stop it and the next thing it just, how do they say….went viral! It seemed that everyone on twitter and beyond stood up and shouted “Oh no you don’t!” and Paperchase literally crumbled under the pressure. Before you could say “they didn’t, did they?” the items in question were removed from sale and there were twitter high fives all over the planet!

Another shining example of the crafting community is the Folksy Friday blog posts which are growing in popularity every week. Folksy sellers pick a theme (mine was punk this week after the death of Malcolm McLaren) and choose work by other sellers to showcase. I particularly love this trend as it is pure unadulterated admiration for other people’s work rather than self promotion. In particular, there’s something so satisfying about featuring a shop with no sales as we’ve all been there and the feeling of your first sale is one to be cherished. I first became aware of Folksy Friday when one of my valentine’s cards was featured by fellow craft blogger Crafty Jemima and it really made my day! I do my best to do a feature every Friday now in the hope that I can bring that feeling of pride to someone else! I recently set up a Folksy Friday facebook group where anyone can post a link to their posts and even if they haven’t done one find plenty of reading! It’s also not uncommon for fellow crafters to purchase other crafters work too, particularly as a result of a forum thread or Folksy Friday!

Yet another inspiring element of online crafting is the ‘how to’ blog posts written by the more experienced crafters to help newbies (or oldies who just didn’t know!) get on their way. Sites like Indie Smiles provide endless and indispensible help and advice on topics such as blogging, SEO, social networking promotion; shop design… the list goes on! Through Folksy I discovered online magazine UK Handmade which has a really helpful ning (a bit like facebook) community and Craftblog UK which promotes crafty UK bloggers and provides endless tips for blogging success!

My Folksy shop has improved markedly since I opened it in September 2009 and without the help and support of a whole host of complete strangers I seriously doubt I would have had anything near my current total of 58 sales! It’s life affirming isn’t it?!

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Portable Graffiti

April 07, 2010 :: Posted by - Barbra :: Category - All About The Buttons, Headline, Shops to Watch!, Zibbet Spotlight

By contributing columnist Barbra aka All About The Buttons

When I first saw this shop name I had to check it out. It is so perfect! Judy is a wonderful woman with a great product. Learn more here….

Tell us a bit about yourself…
I created Portable Graffiti back in 1979 when living in a sleepy village in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. There isn’t much work in quaint sleepy villages unless you create your own job. I took a loan to buy my first professional button machine along with paper and art markers and began designing buttons by hand. I started doing small local arts and crafts shows and the business grew until I filled a 20’ long craft tent with 1000s of buttons on display. My first State Fair was the ‘The Fair’ in Syracuse, NY and I continued there in the same location for 7 years. I traveled with the buttons and have sold them as far west as San Francisco, east as far as Boston, and south as far as Key West, Florida.

Apart from being ‘creative’ what do you do?
I’m a full-time single mother. I homeschooled my daughters until they enrolled in college. I work at home as a freelance proofreader for various book publishers and I write articles published on eHow.com. I have a nice little agricultural homestead and have raised goats, sheep, geese, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, pigs and chickens partly due to our involvement in 4-H. Currently we have a flock of hens, our 11 year old Border Collie, 2 young Blue Heelers and 1 awesome old cat.

What inspires you to do the kind of work you do?
I was originally inspired to create Portable Graffiti after helping my best friend Margie sell her dough art at craft shows. I wanted to make something, too. At the time I ran an antique store, The Odd Lot in Lodi, NY and loved the customers and the social and community aspect of selling. I was inspired to come up with something that I could make and sell. I had a 20-year background in graphic arts and designing buttons seemed to be a logical choice.

Do you look up to anyone? Who? Why?
My mother was the best salesperson I could ever ask for when I used to sell my buttons at art shows and fairs. I learned a lot from her. I restock sold items immediately because I can still “hear” her say, “If they can’t see it, they can’t buy it.”

What other passions do you have in your life?
That’s an easy question. #1 is my 2 awesome daughters who are virtual twins. They are the same age with one being adopted from Brazil as a newborn baby and one biological. #2 would definitely be my passion for recycling and reusing of everything from trash to found treasures. I have been moderating Freecycle-type recycling groups since 2004.

In the future I’d like to be…
In addition to continuing to make Portable Graffiti buttons and mirrors with my 4 button machines, I would like to start using the fabric button maker I have, paint, sew and make other creative things, especially from recycled trash.
I see myself moving out of Florida and back to the Finger Lakes in New York, opening a trash to treasures type shop selling art, vintage and antiques, right at my home, so I can sell direct to the tourists along the Finger Lakes Wine Trail in addition to selling on line here at Zibbet.

Judy can put just about anything onto a button and create a great gift or promo item…your logo, shop name, postage stamps, cereal boxes, tea bag envelopes, feathers, dried flowers…let your imagination go!

Find Judy and her buttons at Portable Graffiti

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Do you Google?

March 08, 2010 :: Posted by - Barbra :: Category - Biz Advice - Get Noticed!, Headline, how to

By Contributing columnist Susan Averello aka Fantasy Clay

Google Analytics can be one of those great tools that can give you much information about your store or website. It can let you know the number of visitors to your site on a daily basis, how they get there, even what words they use to find your site. If you have your own site or sell on a site that is integrated with Google Analytics, this is a must have tool. Knowing where your visitors arrive from can enable you to market more directly.



Your first step is setting up an account, if you haven’t already. Go to google.com/analytics. This will take you directly to the log in page. From there you can sign in using your Google account; if you have Gmail and/or a Blogspot blog, you have a Google account. If not, there is a link to set up a Google account. When you log in, you need to sign up for Google Analytics-they’ll be a box right there.

The next page is Analytics: New Account Sign Up. It will ask you for your website’s URL. You want to use your store’s main page: i.e. http://username.artfire.com. Then just name the account and fill in the rest with your country and time zone. Click continue. The next page just asks for your name, then click accept policies. After that, you’ll be on a page with some code and some choices. Leave it on the defaults.

And finally, the last step. If you look at the code- there is a UA number; it should be in this format 00000000-0. In a site that is integrated with GA, you just need to enter this number in the stats page. I know ArtFire, 1000Markets and Etsy are and Zibbet isn’t. I don’t have experience with any other shops so you need to check. It will usually be under Stats or Analytics, depending what a site names it.

If you own your own site or a blog, you’ll have to copy and paste the code anywhere before <body> in the page’s html code. It’s easy enough to do on Blogger. Click on Edit HTML, then paste the code any where before the <body> tag. Rather than search the whole page, just paste before any other code. Then click ‘save template’.

Google Analytics stats are not in real-time. They are updated daily, so you’ll have to wait a day before seeing any data. Tomorrow you will have a few graphs, I think everyone gets hooked on the top one; this lists the number of visitors a day. However, Google Analytics will count every visit, including yours, so in the next article, I’ll tell you how to set up a filter so your views won’t be counted.

Photo courtesy of RoundWords

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One or Two?

March 04, 2010 :: Posted by - Barbra :: Category - Biz Advice - Get Noticed!, Headline

One Shop or Two?
by contributing columnist Ashley Pahl aka AshleyPahl

Having an Etsy, Artfire or Folksy shop can sometimes be a very time-consuming activity. Why would a person want to open a second shop? There are many good reasons for making the decision to have two stores, and sometimes it is the right choice. Some good reasons for opening a second shop include:

1. Introducing a new line of items or a different style.

2. Selling handmade if you own a supply shop, or vintage if you own a handmade shop, etc.

3. A shop appears cluttered and is overwhelming to shop browsers.

4. Separating the popular money-makers from the more serious art forms.

5. Dividing a wide range of prices into two so that shoppers can focus and better compare products.

Buyers may have an easier time focusing on the items they are looking for if they are separated from the additional miscellanea that you sell. For example, if you mostly make knit hats, but also have your handmade earrings peppered in your shop, it may be too distracting for shoppers who came to your shop looking for hats. Alternatively, if you have a shop that specializes in sterling silver jewelry, it may help a shopper to focus on what they really want if the more expensive pieces are separated from less expensive “silver-toned” pieces.

Having a second shop may even get you more exposure. You can be listed in directories twice, in Etsy’s search engine twice (when searching for sellers), and could be stumbled upon twice.

The downside, of course, is that a second shop is twice the work. Two shops to stock; two shops to market and promote; two shops to make listings for; two shops to answer messages for and complete feedback for. Additionally, if you decide to move items that you already have listed in one shop to a new shop, you will need to do so manually: copy and paste the titles, descriptions, and materials, re-type the tags, make new shipping profiles, and upload the photos all over again. Not only that, but you will lose all of the hearts and views you have accumulated for such items. Your shop’s feedback will be back at zero and you’ll have to find a way to bring shoppers to your second store.

For many, it may be worth adding a new product line to the original shop and see how it fairs. Additionally, it may help to organize the “clutter” of the first shop into something more manageable for browsers. The shop sections feature and Rearrange Shop feature are both great for accomplishing such a task.

If the pros outweigh the cons and you decide to go for it, here are some things to remember when opening a second store:

1. You will need a second email address. Each email address can only be linked to one account on Etsy.

2. You will need to disclose your additional shops. You must link from your first shop to your second shop and vice versa either in your shop announcement, profile, or shop policies page.

3. All listings must be manually re-listed. There is no way to just switch them to a new account, and you will have to pay listing fees again.

4. The same PayPal account can be used for multiple Etsy accounts – there is no limit.

5. If you are not using the same banner, avatar, packaging materials and business cards that you use for your first shop, you may need to get new ones, which will add additional costs.

All in all, the decision to open a second online shop is really an individual one. What works for one business may not pan out for another. It may be worth the financial risk to open a new store, or it may be more practical to better manage your first shop. Many Etsy businesses do quite well with multiple shops, and as the old adage goes, “you never know until you try”.

Poster image courtesy of   The LoveShop

“Open” image courtesy of   The Back Porch Shoppe

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The Wizard Behind Indiesmiles

February 18, 2010 :: Posted by - Linda :: Category - Favs, Headline, Indiesmiles news

LindaGJ aka LindaGJ

I have always wondered, who is that Wizard behind Indiesmiles? I’ve gotten to know her as Sue Rosen in the past couple of years, but all I really knew was that she was an extremely nice person that made me feel like I had something special as a person and as an artist. The 1st time I met her, she was a customer. Sue mentioned she had a cat that looked very similar to my Peanut. We would talk about cats and she stated that she admired my work.

Then Sue opened up Indiesmiles and wrote an article about me and my work. Before I knew it, I was writing articles for her website and now I consider her a good friend.

I finally asked her one day, “Could I write an article about you?” Well…you know I must have gotten a “yes” answer, or I wouldn’t be writing this article!

Sue is a very complex person as she is into so many different things. I think that is why I love her so much. She has been into art ever since she can remember, yet she would give anything to be able to draw, so art is a passion of hers along with being creative herself! She thrives on collecting art and would love to own an art gallery.

She also spends a great deal of time researching her family tree, which has taken her on a trip to UK, a very small town known as Bridgnorth, and found that her great grandfather had a trust fund and was extremely wealthy when he passed on!

Of course, real life sets in and she’s worked in sales, bookkeeping, and sold vacation packages where she had to get her real estate license in order to sell timeshare.

Now, let me go back in time to where she was a bookkeeper most of her career. During that time she was in a major car accident and she had to learn how to walk all over again! It was difficult for her to even sit for an extended amount of time. Good grief!

Then she literally fell into the vacation packages job where she was whisked away to Atlantic City, New Jersey working on the Atlantic City Boardwalk! She was provided with a month’s stay in a condo on the ocean. Now that is the life! She surely deserved that fabulous break after what all she had been through! Then she moved to Delaware, where she lives now in a waterfront community with her man Don. Here’s the romantic part of her story….which I personally love! Sue and Don met at work and they both sold homes in this community where they both lived. They’ve only been together slightly less than a year and life has already been an adventure for them both!

Finding Etsy was the best thing, besides Don, that has ever happened to Sue. Her cousin introduced her to Etsy and since Sue lives near the beach and loves anything handmade and Beach related Sue opened Sea Star Dreams, she is in the midst of adding a new line which will include wire wrapped Sea Glass. She also dreams of offering prints of her paintings on Etsy one day.

Sue started Indiesmiles with a partner El, one of the team members of Etsy for Animals, they both had put together a huge Birthday Bash using “Sale Coupons” as the basis for the bash. It was a huge success, hundreds of store owners participated and it brought in a great deal of revenue for all of the team stores involved; in turn those stores donated a portion of their sales to help Animal charities of their choice all across the globe. El and Sue brought their combined creative energy, together to build Indiesmiles. Owning an online website requires a great devotion and medical school took up too much time for El and she was no longer able to continue with Indiesmiles. Sue took over in October of 2009.

Funny, Sue had thought that perhaps that was the end for Indiesmiles. She even started to work for a very large competitor as a contirbuting columnist! After so much frustration with that large website coupled with a “light bulb” realization, Sue decided that this type of information sharing could work on Indiesmiles! At that point Indiesmiles was awaken from the shelf and she brought on a few contributing columnists (I was one of them)!

I help Sue in various ways, one of them is to be a team leader, of sorts, for a group of columnists. Those of you that don’t know me my Etsy shop is LindaGJ Tracy of Cinnamon Jewellery has taken on the same responsibility for the Folksy group. Barbra of Allaboutthebuttons is Indiesmiles Assistant Editor and Andy of Incredible Angels is our technical liason. To top it off we have 3 marketing agents that take on the responsbility of promoting Indiesmiles on a daily basis! They are Jamie of Shesbattydesings, Lea of Lajewelrydesigns and Nikki of Gleefulpeackock Our columnists and their story can be found on our columnists page.

Sue really wants the columnists, marketing staff and the readers to enjoy every part of the “SMILE” concept. After all, it’s important that everyone is happy or why become involved?

She loves to to help other shops become noticed. The way Sue feels about it is, if she helps one shop get a sale, then she has done her job! She also enjoys sharing the world of handmade items with her readers.

We all thank and appreciate you Sue for all you do for us handmade artists!

Oz Image courtesy of Sweetheartsinner

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