better attention

My Etsy shop has been so busy for the last couple of weeks that I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to my traffic and stuff like that. (Or this blog...ugh!)

Well tonight I hop over to Google Analytics to check things out. I find out I've had two blog mentions this month!!!

VERY COOL!!!!

Here & here.

The firt blog, what's funny about that one is that *I* use a Russell and Hazel binder too and use MY planner pages the same way she is using them. Neat, huh?? I love it!

Both of these blogs look really interesting for an organization freak like me. I'm excited that I went and checked my analytics out! I gotta pay better attention to that! Turns out you can find out a lot of valuable and really cool information over there! Ha!!!

Know your buyer

There is so much valuable information in this article.

One of the most important things in marketing is to know who you're selling to. Know their incomes, where they shop, how they shop, what they buy, when they buy it...etc.

You can go through this article and find relevant information. Or maybe information that will inspire you to start a new business. Knowing what buyers, as a whole, are thinking, feeling and doing gives you a little head start....take this general knowledge, do a little more research on your specific target market and use it!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/17-Ways-Consumers-Are-usnews-1596280352.html?x=0&.v=1

typography quote

My blog posts are definitely going to go in the direction of marketing tips, advice and ideas from now on but the fact remains, I am a graphic designer and offer my services so I do want to keep posting new designs, too.

Here is something I worked on this morning....I've always loved this quote and have been wanting to design it as a print. I did an ad with this same design concept and I really liked it so I wanted to try it with this quote. I love how it came out. It'll be a really nice addition for my portfolio...and I think I might even offer it for sale. It would be a really uplifting quote to have beside a mirror....especially fitting for a young woman.

Headlines that work!

Now is the time of year you are going to have to really step up your marketing. After the Christmas season, when a ton of shoppers are no longer looking for what you are selling, you need to step up and put yourself in front of them.....

If you are placing ads (which you should be!) here is a link to an article that has a list of headlines that work really well to get a reader's attention....

http://www.zachgraeve.com/2009/11/29/the-top-five-headlines-that-grab-readers/#more-1894

Get writing and happy sales to you!!!

Watch your words.....

In my marketing I always encourage shop owners to try to stay away from the words "sale" and "discount". When you use these words, you lessen the perceived value of your items. Now, some shops cater to a customer base that will be motivated by this type of wording and it won't lessen the perceived value of the items that shop sells, however if you are a higher end shop or want to be perceived as a higher end shop, use wording that will make people see you that way!

Wording such as "Exclusive Pricing" or "Special Pricing" will acheive the same results as "sale" and "discount" but without lessening your perceived value. And to take it even a step further, if you use wording such as "Exclusive Pricing for a limited time" that will help drive customers to act and buy.

Here is an article from a website I frequent www.marketingprofs.com that talks more about pricing and perceived value.

Worth Every Penny

Why would anyone drive a BMW or shop at Nordstrom when, for a fraction of the price, they could drive a Volkswagen or shop at JC Penney? "People make trade-offs in their spending," writes Dale Furtwengler in his book Pricing for Profit. "They'll pay as little as possible for things they need, but don't want. Conversely, they'll pay extraordinary premiums for things they want, but don't need."

Because of this, he frowns on budget pricing for the high-quality products and services many customers want. Instead of cutting prices, he argues, you should consider raising prices by as much as 10 percent. Say what?

But he addresses four reasons businesses like yours often resist premium pricing.

Here are two:

We don't have the name awareness of our rivals.

Although an introductory, limited-time offer can expand a new company's client base, Furtwengler advises against permanent discounts. "Whenever you feel tempted to lower your price because you don't have a well-established reputation," he notes, "ask yourself the following question: Would I rather have the prospect walk away saying 'I wish I could afford his offerings' or 'His price is so low; I wonder if his offerings are any good?'"

Low price points matter most. Were that the case, he counters, General Motors would be crushing Honda and Toyota. "If it appears that your customers only care about price, revisit your sales and marketing messages. You're probably not doing a very good job of communicating the advantages your offerings provide or reflecting that in the prices your charge."

The Po!nt: Price your product or service to reflect its true value, then show your customers why it's worth every penny.

Etsy Organizing

One thing you see suggested frequently in the forums is to renew constantly so you that you stay fresh in searches.

It's only 20 cents a listing--cheap!

But that friggn' ADDS UP, let me tell you!!!

While it IS good to do and smart advice, you need to make sure you keep TRACK of when you relist and if it was a good time or not. You want to try to figure out what time of day gets you the best views for your items.

I designed a form to help you track of your renewing efforts....here is a picture of it. The chart you see is an example of how you can draw a chart with your data, if you are a more visual person. Some people like looking at numbers, some people like looking at pictures, this form allows for both!

You can purchase it in my etsy shop, so worth it to be able to track and anaylze!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36572675

Where I'm going with this......

I've been sitting on this for a few weeks, trying to decide where or what I want to do with this blog/website...just what direction I want to go in with it.

And I've got it figured out....I want to start talking about marketing and posting links/articles/ideas and things like that. I want to definitely focus more on the marketing aspect of my work. It's what truly gets me excited. It's where my mind goes when it wanders.....it's what I want to do, what I LOVE to do. All these "one person shops" that just need a little push or nudge or just some great ideas, I want to help. When I talk to my friends about this, I get passionate and really excited. And I just cannot wait to help people with my ideas and creativity.

Here's to the new direction! Whoo-hooo!!!