It's working already!

When I first started my Etsy shop, the focus was graphic design. But the more I read the Etsy forums and the more answers I realized I had to questions being asked in the forums, the more I realized my marketing experience could be a huge help to sellers.

So little by little I added marketing work to my shop and I started getting clients and that made me realize that that is truly what I want to do. I want to help people make their shops as successful as they can be. I want to bring marketing concepts and ideas to people on their level and talk to them in their voice. So much of marketing can be overwhelming and confusing and my goal is to make it more understandable and bring it back to basics. I want to help you take those first steps...I don't want to train you for the marathon...I just want to hold your hand and give you a solid foundation to build upon.

So with this writing workbook, I was really excited to be teaching you guys how to write your descriptions better. And I got this email and I could NOT have been happier. I'm going to share it with you...




OLD LISTING

As a parent, helping your child learn to read can be scary. I hope this booklet written using "sight words", appropriate for 3 to 6 years will make this time together more fun and a little less scary!

Because children often refer to the illustrations in books to help them understand the words on the page; this booklet is designed to be illustrated by your child. Your child can use crayons, markers, paint, colored pencils, chalk, or whatever they like to draw with; to illustrate the story in their own unique way.

Having your child illustrate the booklet, does more than reinforce the understanding of the words on the page; it makes each booklet unique to that child. It also makes a wonderful keepsake for you to treasure forever!

This little booklet features 6 pages (12 front and back, including cover) of lightweight, white 8-1/2 x 11 size, cardstock paper with black text. The booklet itself measures 8-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches (21-1/2 x 14 cm).

The booklet is stitch bound; which allows the book to open flat for ease in drawing and coloring.

***all proceeds (minus shipping costs) will be donated to my daughter's college fund.....thanks for helping fund her education***

****all text is copyrighted, reproducing any portion of this book without written permission is considered stealing...please don't steal my creativity*****


NEW LISTING

Inspire the reader in your child with my original, handmade easy reader books. Discover the teacher in you - help your child learn to read in a fresh, new enjoyable way.

Each easy reader book is written using sight words for Preschool through Kindergarten. What makes them unique to the numerous other easy reader books is that the illustrations are designed by your child.

Through your guidance, your child's pictures will reinforce sight word recognition and pictures clues. You'll be amazed at the spectacular drawings your child can create. Each easy reader book will become a one of a kind, irreplaceable keepsake for you to treasury forever!

The easy reader books feature
* 16 pages (front and back)
* 100% recycled paper
* sturdy chipboard cover
* stitch bound (allows the book to open flat)
* measures 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches

************************************************************
Order 3 or more books and receive a FREE box of Crayola 24 pack Crayons.
************************************************************

***all text is copyrighted, reproducing any portion of this book without written permission is considered stealing...please don't steal my creativity****



Debra NAILED it!!!!! She used the workbook and rewrote her listing PERFECTLY!!! I am SO happy and just beyond words excited. It is thrilling to teach someone how to do something and see them do it so perfectly! And I wanted to share it with you to show you that this workbook WORKS!!! I wanted to inspire you and show you that it can be done!!

Thanks so much Debra for letting me share this!
Here is a link to her listing. It's a REALLY cool idea, check it out!

http://http://www.etsy.com/listing/48940684/easy-reader-book-original-a-cat-a-bat

Enjoy!

And it's done!!!

Okay, folks....

The writing workbook is complete!
I am VERY excited about this!

I'm about to start sending it out to all of you who filled in my survey!
Thanks again, your input was invaluable and it helped me create what I know is going to be an amazing tool for those of you who strugle with item descriptions.

Thanks for being patient...due to a minor family crisis...it took a bit longer to get done than I had planned, but I promise...you are going to LOVE it and it's going to be worth the wait!!!

I'm also going to be listing it today and will add a link to this post once I get it listed. Okay, all listed...here's the link....

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52224744/item-description-writing-workbook


Let me know what you think in the comments!!!

Step up when business is down....

Are you making this common business mistake?

Business is slow for a lot of Etsy shops right now. You may be one of them and if you are, chances are you're cutting back on expenses, as much as you can. When businesses do this, often times the advertising budget is the first cut made.
Are advertising and marketing one of the things you're cutting back on?

If it is, you are making the same mistake as everyone else.

Think about it...if all these shops are cutting back, now is when you STEP UP and get your name out there! Now is your chance to get noticed! With the competition thinned out a little, this is a fantastic opportunity to fill the empty space with your name!

Don't let yourself be a victim of this recession by doing the same thing as everyone else. Let them "play it safe"...while YOU play it smart!

Did I REALLY forget to mention....

that if you fill out my survey, you will receive a copy of the workbook for FREE, when it is complete?

OMG...I did...I really, really did, didn't I?
I can't believe that.
I had mentioned that I would post it to my blog but never told you guys that I planned on giving it to everyone that helped me out by filling in my survey.
Well, there ya go! It will be free to those who fill in my survey! LOL
:-)

I've already gotten a bunch filled in and I THANK YOU!!!

It's going to help me tons to have your feedback...it'll help me write the perfect workbook because it'll be EXACLTY what you guys tell me you need!

Just go over to the pages section in the sidebar and click the "Help me help YOU" link and there is the survey!

:-)

Did you notice?

Under "Pages" in the side bar of this blog is a page titled "Help Me Help You Survey"
Check it out!

I'm excited!

Would love to hear what you guys think, though!

People don't want a quarter inch drill....

They want a quarter inch hole.

This is a super simple but profound observation made by Harvard Marketing professor Ted Levitt and it is one of the keys to writing that will help get you results.

Ask yourself this question before you send a Tweet about a new listing, update your Facebook status about a new listing, write your item description or an ad….are you addressing what need or want your item is fulfilling for your customer? If not, ask yourself why your customers are buying your item, what need is it fulfilling, what want is it satisfying, or how is it going to make them feel. Once you answer those questions, write to that! It’s a simple exercise that could make all the difference!

Let’s practice for a little bit. I posted this in the Etsy forums and I can't promise to get to every one, but I'll do a few, at least! Link me to your latest item in the comment section and tell me how you’d tweet for it or give me the first line of the description. Then I’ll critique it and show you how you could’ve tweeted it or wrote it, using this philosophy.


Customer Appreciation

I LOVE this article and I know you will too.

I especially like the point it makes that people are somehow forgetting that traditional marketing methods work and are going crazy with internet marketing and social media marketing. Which, there are results to be gotten through those methods but I am a big believer in the traditional, get out and talk to your local community methods. In fact, I am finishing up another QuickTip sheet today and this one focuses on how to get local businesses to help market YOU. This was the perfect timing to see this article…it got me so motivated to finish up that QuickTip sheet and get it listed for you guys!

And of course, I'm a huge believer in customer referrals and rewards. The biggest and best marketing is always and always will be word of mouth and rewarding referrals is one of the best ways to encourage that!

So check the article out and I’d love to hear your thoughts…
http://www.dailynewstribune.com/business/x1609349325/Marketing-through-customer-appreciation

And yes, I emailed him for the customer appreciation report. VERY excited to get it….another QuickTip sheet idea I have is inexpensive or free “freebies” for Etsy shops. I’m hoping this report has some good ideas that I haven’t thought of.

Media Leads..time sensitive!!!!

This post will be "void" by lunchtime (noonish Eastern Time) so if you are interested email me before then, please!

*Introverted Entrepreneaur....

*Big Kid Rain Gear (pre-school/gradeschool/NO teens)*Fancy Dress Clothes We Love (pre-school/gradeschool/NO teens)

If either of these fit you, email me asap for the contact info.
:-)

A lot of you are going back to work today....have a great first day back!

New Ebook!

I am SOOO excited to get this finished!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50848723/how-to-blog-guideebook-on-simple-tips-to"

Here's the description....

A blog is one of the best marketing tools you can have and it can make a huge difference in your shop’s success.

From someone who has never blogged before and doesn’t have a clue how to people that already blog and have a ton of followers…this guide WILL help.

This is a BASIC and SIMPLE guide. It’s easy to read at 9 pages and it’s so small because it is BASIC. It is all about keeping it simple. My goal is to teach you how to take those first baby steps….once you’ve got those down, THEN you can go train to run a marathon and start looking around for more advanced blog writing tutorials. But my goal was to keep it simple and write an Ebook that will help you take and master those first steps!

And for those that already have a ton of followers…this guide has things for you, too. First of all, it never hurts to reinforce the basics. (Which if you have a successful blog, you probably already know this and live by it!) But it also has tips on how to blog more effectively and a section on ways to keep your readers hooked!

Sooo..what do you think? Tempting? Would YOU buy it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you wouldn't..why not? If you would...why? I am crossing my fingers and hoping a few people will buy it because I just KNOW people are going to love it!! This is not bragging, FYI...I am just THAT excited. I've said before...I truly LOVE helping "one man shops" become more successful and this is just one more tool I offer that will help. And it makes me happy....plus, it's MY blog and I can brag if I want to! ha!!! Just kidding....I just really am THAT excited and know this ebook has huge potentional if the right people read it!!

How good does THAT feel, too....to finish something?!?! Whoo-hoooo!!!!!

Art + Business = Creating Cash

I came across an article this morning that I am posting here because it is a MUST READ. An absolute must.

There are two points to this article....the first one being expanding your product line to include what actually sells versus just selling what you enjoy creating. The second point and the one I want to talk more about is the fact that you are running a business and there are certain inevitable truths that come with that.

So many times I have seen threads in the Etsy forums that start something like this..."I've blogged, I've tweeted, I've facebooked and still no sales." These threads makes me cringe inside. I'm sorry to tell you folks, but the internet is NOT a God...pretty darn close, I know....but not quite. The internet is not a magic carpet ride to your successful business. We are lucky to be doing business in this day and age and having the internet means a lot more of us are able to pursue our passions and make a living at it...but the fact remains, it ain't easy running a business and it still takes work and a lot of it. Just because you don't have to have a brick and mortar shop doesn't mean your shop doesn't have to still look good and inviting. Just because we have easier ways to reach more people because of things like Twitter and Facebook doesn't mean you shouldn't pound the pavement and market in the "real" world!

Running a successful business is hard work, even with all the advantages the internet brings us. If you thought it was going to be the easy road to a huge income, you've probably discovered by now, it's not. But if you invest the time and money and run your business right, it can be the most fulfilling and satisfying job you've ever had! It may be work, but it is definitely work that is worth it, in the end.

Take a look at the article and I hope it reinforces what you already know or gives you some insight on what you didn't.


July 1, 2010

Do You Want to Make Money or Create?
Filed under: Growing Your Business — Tags: creativiity, product development, profit — Meredith @ 2:35 am

Many of my readers on Smaller Box are artists/designers who are trying to become successful business owners. I see a lot of frustration from readers because sales aren’t where they’d like them to be. I relate to this because my creative business started out the same way.

Last year, things changed for my creative business and they changed dramatically. We stopped thinking like artists and we started thinking like business people. Here’s what we did differently:

1. We outsourced production and fulfillment so we could focus on product design and marketing.

2. We invested in our business — both time and money. We paid for advertising. We dedicated time to devising an organized PR strategy and executed it ourselves. We took the time to really educate ourselves about online marketing (SEO, affiliate programs, Google Products, etc.) and developed and executed a strategy for that.

3. Most importantly, we started designing what people wanted to buy. We abandoned our own notions of good taste and personal preference and started paying more attention to what was popular. We put out some work that wasn’t really our taste, but it sold and it sold well.

As a result, we went from shipping a few items each week to shipping several orders every single day. We sold over $25,000 in product last year and more than doubled sales this year. Starting next year, my partner will be leaving his day job to manage our ecommerce business full-time. Our site traffic has also more than tripled.

My point is this: you have to really ask yourself “Do I want to be in business, or do I want to create?” There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this, but the answer should dictate your direction with your venture in selling your creations online.

So you wanna be creative…
If your primary goal is to create and you hope that money will follow, be prepared to accept that there is every chance it won’t. You can make the things that you think are most innovative and most beautiful and most interesting, but there may not be a large market for it.

If you’re in it to follow a passion, don’t fret so much about sales and marketing. In fact, you probably don’t even want to read this blog. There are better blogs out there about design and art and following your passion. I’m writing this blog based on my experiences and I’m not in the “make art” camp.

This isn’t meant as a criticism of the “make art” path. I’m just trying to be up front about the differences between valuing your artistic integrity and pursing a money-making venture.

So you wanna be in business…
Hey cool, just like me; high five. If you really want to run a profitable business, forget about trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. If what you’re trying to sell isn’t selling, sell something else. Stop trying to find a market for something that isn’t selling well. Instead, find a market that buys stuff and make what they want to buy. This may mean changing your creative style, this may mean changing your product line.

Stop being cheap. If running a business was cheap or free everyone would do it. You can’t expect to grow a business with zero budget. Invest in things that can help your business grow. If you’ve got no site traffic, pay for some advertising. If your web design sucks, hire a professional designer. If you can’t make a press list or write a media pitch to save your life, pay someone to help you. Pay for good-looking business cards that don’t have the printer’s logo on them. Invest in promotional items that reinforce your branding.

Accept that you’re going to have to do some boring crap. Things like internet marketing and accounting can be very tedious. Online marketing can be extremely technical and somewhat intimidating. It’s definitely more fun to hang out on artisan forums and complain about how the universe hates you because you only sold 5 things this month. Reading about 301 redirects is much less immediately satisfying. That said, the boring stuff is what’s going to grow your business and make you money.

Finding a happy medium…
My rant above may have left you with the impression that I’m all about profit margins and soulless-ness. It’s not a totally fair representation. I’m still in a creative business and we still design 100% of our products by hand. We can’t help but infuse some of our own style into what we do because we’re the ones creating. What we try to do each day is find a happy medium between what we love and what we know sells, and sometimes we do a bit of both.

If you’re in it to make money, I’m not saying you have to abandon all of your creative integrity and spend all of your time doing boring business-y stuff. I’m saying you may have to learn to compromise with your design sense and invest the time and money in getting your truly marketable products out there.
This article is bunk, I do what I love and it’s selling like hotcakes!
First of all, congrats! That’s awesome. Second of all, be prepared for that to not always be the case. Trends change and even the most successful artists can be left in the dust when public taste changes direction. To be a successful commercial artist, it’s important to be adaptable and update your product offerings and aesthetic sense with the times.Another point is this: if you’re selling a ton of product now, and you’re not doing any marketing, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any marketing. Chances are more marketing for an already successful line will lead to a massive increase in revenue. If you’re in it to make money, this is the goal, right?

http://smallerbox.net/blog/growing-your-business/do-you-want-to-make-money-or-create/