EB Friday Hotlist: Postling

I get asked frequently how I manage to update my various social media accounts with fresh content on a regular basis.  While life does get in the way sometimes, I am able to minimize disruptions by scheduling things in advance and working hard to get as much done as possible when I do find a few free moments.  One of the tools that helps me do this more efficiently is Postling.

Postling is a scheduling website that lets you post things to your various social media sites from their portal.  You can add a variety of social media accounts to your "brand," including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn and Blogger.  Once you've added the social media account, you can use Postling to update it, either by an immediate post or a scheduled one.  You're also able to check your "stream" or the feed of posts that come from those you follow on a particular network.

I prefer to update my Facebook and Flickr accounts manually, and I use TwitterFeed and Hootsuite to schedule my Twitter posts.  I signed up for Postling primarily to deal with a problem I've encountered with Tumblr.  Tumblr can be a great marketing tool and I'm currently using my micro-photo blog there to promote my brand name, the indie community, and Zibbet.  However, I have had a problem with Tumblr's internal scheduling feature.  I would set a few photos to be posted over the course of the coming week and check in a few days to find that they hadn't posted.  Ack!

Postling eliminates my need for concern.  I simply create posts in much the same way I would in Tumblr.  I add tags and set the date and time I want my posts to appear.  I can confirm that the posts are set up the way I want them to be by checking the "Drafts and Scheduled" section (pictured below).  I typically set up about two weeks worth of posts at once, and it takes me about 30 minutes or so from start to finish (depending on how long it takes me to find the pictures I want).  I then set a Google Calendar alert to remind me when my posts are running out so that I can redo the process when necessary.

My understanding is that Postling has a variety of other features for paid members.  As I only utilize their free service, I can't recommend those features.  I will say that Postling has helped me keep my Tumblr consistently updated and for that reason I recommend checking out their free service if you're looking for a post scheduling service.

Have you used Postling?  What are your thoughts on it?  Have any other schedulers you use?  Let us know which ones so we can check those out too!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Microblogging and How to Keep a Positive Brand Reputation Online, Part 2

This is the second part of a two-part article on Twitter mistakes for handmade businesses to avoid.  You can read the first half here.
 
Continuing on with our discussion, it is important not just to control your own content but also to control what content written by others you publicly share.

Be mindful of what you favorite and retweet.  

In other words, pay attention what other people say and make a determination on whether or not passing the tweet along has the potential to hurt your business and/or your credibility.  Twitter has some concrete ways that you can show your stamp of approval and disseminate content to others.  Making use of these tools can make you a more interesting person to follow, but they need to be used carefully and thoughtfully.

This is an example of a retweet.

Lets define our terms first.  Retweeting can be done in two ways - by using the retweet button or by typing RT, the person's @ name, and the text of their tweet.  It basically allows you to take someone else's content and share it with your followers, while still giving credit to the original speaker.  People appreciate when you share their content and may return the favor when you post something cool or interesting about your business.  Your followers will appreciate seeing what you retweet because they may benefit from the information or simply find it interesting, and may even have a new contact to follow thanks to you.  Retweeting and being retweeted can increase your status in the Twitterverse because people will find following you worthwhile.

Favoriting tweets on Twitter is quite different.  If someone tweets something you like, find funny or interesting, or for any other reason you want to keep it bookmarked, you can click a clear star that appears next to the tweet which will then turn gold.  You can go to your favorites list via the Twitter website or a third-party application and it's just like clicking the drop-down menu on your browser that lists all of your bookmarked webpages - all of your favorite tweets are right there.  While these two features are obviously very different, the advice is pretty much the same for both of them:

• Never recommend a tweet you haven't read.  For all intents and purposes, retweeting a link means you recommend your followers take a look at it.  If you're going to share content with your followers you need to make sure that it's legit.  Check the original poster out (if that information is still with the tweet) to make sure they aren't a scammer or sending people viruses.  If you don't trust that you can click on the link without causing harm to your computer, don't share it with anyone else, please!  (We all thank you in advance.)  If you trust the link, click it and read the web page, article, photo caption, or whatever is being shared.  Make sure you're really okay with sharing the content.  Not clicking just because you trust the original twitter can cause you to spread false or misleading information, information that isn't really relevant (titles can be misleading), or just offensive material.  Here's an extra tip I read recently - show your followers that you're intelligent, well-versed in your subject matter, and interesting enough to continue following by adding your opinion in as well.  Don't just link drop.  Instead tell your followers why you cared enough to RT and why they should care enough to click (most people don't).  Can't do it in 140 characters?  Try this.

• Never favorite something you haven't read and aren't prepared to justify.  I will qualify this by stating that until writing this post last Saturday, I didn't even know my favorites were available for the public to see.  I actually got the inspiration for this blog post after seeing this controversy surrounding Sarah Palin hit the blogosphere.  (skip down to Update 3 - the information before that is irrelevant to this discussion).  Anyway, I'm not suggesting that the news media is going to report what you favorite on Twitter, because you're probably not as famous as Gov. Palin if you're reading my blog.  Remember, I'm showing extreme real life examples to show you that it's always crucial to think then act, even though it's "just" the internet.  

  

  See the star?

  Now I also totally get that it's possible that you would want to bookmark something you disliked, disagreed with, or found offensive so that you could reference it later.  Be aware though that the word "favorite" is generally associated with "like."  Your potential customers might be offended by that adult-themed cartoon you found hilarious or turned off by your seeming interest in controversial social movements, regardless of whether or not you sympathize with said cause.  If you want to favorite something that might make a customer second guess supporting your business, just bookmark it in your web browser or on a site like Google Bookmarks.  Do the same thing if you don't have time to check out a link from a tweet now, but you want to later.  If your customer checks out your favorite tweets and gets a virus from a link you seemingly like, they might not ever go back to your Twitter again...or your store.  By the way, you can bookmark tweets in your browser too.  Find the link to an individual tweet by clicking on the date/time stamp (i.e. "24 seconds ago" or "4:21 PM Nov 5th"). 

What I hope you'll take away from this post is a goal to make sure you're not ostracizing your current or future clients by acting considerately and thoughtfully in your use of social media.  Stop and think about the implications of a message before you hit the tweet button.  Social media should boost your business, not hurt it.

Until next time,

Elle

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Microblogging and How to Keep a Positive Brand Reputation Online, Part 1

This is the first half of a two-part article about how average users' mistakes on Twitter can be learning tools for handmade businesses looking to establish their social media presence.  I encourage you to check out each linked article and to check back on November 19, 2010 for the second part of this story.

Check out HautTotes on Twitter.

I've written about Twitter before and it still remains my favorite social media tool.  Since I'm currently on a semi-vacation from my jewelry business, my Twitter has definitely become more of a personal and less of a business account.  I comment back and forth almost daily with fellow fans of my favorite TV shows as they air, read hundreds of tips and tweets about the LSAT (December 11 is fast approaching!), and react to current events (midterm elections, anyone?)...all more often than I get to talk about handmade.  My Twitter started as a personal account anyway and really only developed into a business tool after starting Elle's Beads.  I really wanted to start a new account to match the all of my other branding, but the name @ellesbeads was already taken and Twitter won't let users snatch up inactive names.  I decided to stick with the commonly given advice that primarily talking about things other than your shop can actually drive business to your shop, so my @ellexmarie Twitter became a part of my marketing strategy.  Time will tell if that was a good idea for me.  I think Haut Totes is truly the master of "Twitter for handmade businesses" with almost 30,000 followers to date.  From what I notice in my timeline, she seems to have a nice mix of work and personal life, with the bulk of her tweets focused on encouraging followers to engage with her brand.  It goes to show that what some social media experts say and what actually works for each individual business doesn't always mesh.

If you're like me (i.e. not really at the 10,000+ follower level or even in shouting distance) and don't already have a strong customer base or online following to funnel into Twitter, you're probably reading forum posts, blog articles, and e-newsletters written from these aforementioned social media experts about how to navigate Twitter and increase your followers.  There are tons of them out there - and by them I mean both articles and self-declared experts.  For this blog article, I'm taking a different approach than I did last time.  While I still stand by my advice that using hashtags effectively and filling out your profile information can increase your following, not doing those things will probably not keep people from buying from you.  The things that will are the focus of this post.  I want to talk about how you can keep the followers you already have and avoid damaging your business with your tweets.  This is based on what the experts say, actual real life situations, and my personal experience using Twitter both primarily for business and primarily for social interaction.
 

Be careful with what you say.  

Obvious, right?  I didn't say these tips would be rocket science. :) Whether you're running a business or just chatting for fun, what you say on Twitter can really come back to bite you in the butt.  Don't think so?  Remember when Facebook started and then slowly expanded and became more popular?  Remember when law enforcement, employers, and school officials started accessing it and then started holding people

Photo by edvvc

accountable for what they posted (text, pictures, video...even outright confessions to crimes) by arresting them, firing them, or not accepting them into their universities?  If you weren't around when this all developed, that's okay.  Technology has progressed significantly over the past few years - I'm pretty young but I remember using pay phones at school because personal cell phones (the small ones that could now fit in a purse) were a luxury.  Forget the iTouch - I was so unbelievably excited to get my first portable CD player because it didn't require cassette tape rewinding like the Walkman.  And yes, if I wanted to keep a recording of a song I either had to wait for it all day on the radio and hit the record button on my radio-cassette player (aka "boom box") at just the right moment or I had to get my mom to take me to the store and purchase the tape or (by the time I got to middle school) the CD.

Anyway, now I'm digressing and feeling nostalgic.  If you don't remember the advent of the home computer, the internet, and the subsequent social media explosion dominated by MySpace and Facebook, here's a recent (as in this month) story for you to relate to: Check out what happened to this student who posted a comment on Facebook that landed him in jail, barred him from finishing college, and is basically killing his dreams for the foreseeable future.  While I doubt you or the average Facebook user will ever have these kind of consequences for what you post, it's important to bring up because there are more common, lesser consequences for less egregious behavior as well.  There are tons of personal problems you could encounter, but for the purposes of this discussion we'll focus on the repercussions for your business.

Alex Payne's tweet caused considerable backlash.

Twitter is a social media tool just like Facebook and, just like Facebook, text and photos (think TwitPic for example) as well as links to anything and everything are posted all the time.  It's easy to get complacent in the midst of all that information sharing, especially considering the fact that a very small percentage of tweets are replied to or shared by other users.  However, if you're running a business you're likely including your Twitter link on things like your mailing list emails, your Facebook fan page, your blog, and your shop.  If you want it to be a useful tool for business, you need new people to follow you and share your content.  To facilitate this, your timeline is probably "unprotected," which basically means that all of your tweets are public and users don't need your approval to view them or to follow you.  What this all means practically is that potential, current, and former customers as well as fellow artisans and competitors are following you or finding links to your tweets through your shop, mutual contacts, or even search engines like Google.  Yeah that's right - public tweets are indexed, included in searches, and sometimes show on the search page in real time via a scrolling widget (see screenshot below).  Here's what you don't want to have them see:

• Anything absolutely stupid.  Again, if it has the potential to get you in trouble with law enforcement, your boss, or your school, just don't mention it on Twitter.  Go old school and do what I did before Xanga and Live Journal became cool - write it down with a pen in a real-life paper journal and keep it off the internet.  Remember too, it's not always the case that an offending tweet is inherently stupid and it may even be something you'd say out loud to a friend in real life.  Just take a few seconds to think

  

  Did you know that your tweets are in Google and Bing?

  ahead about how people may react to it or take your statement personally.  And most importantly, just like anywhere else on the internet, people can take screenshots of comments they see online, access search engine caches (i.e. images of your deleted tweet) for days and sometimes weeks, and even get around your password protections if they're really savvy.  Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that having a protected account is the same thing as privacy or that deleting an offending tweet will erase all traces of it instantly.  The internet doesn't work that way.  Think before you tweet.

• Criticism directed towards a customer.  This is dangerous for two reasons.  The first should be obvious.  That person could come across your rant and decide to do everything they can to oppose you if they haven't already - from leaving scathing feedback to starting an active online campaign against you (I've seen it done).  Alternatively, if they are a reasonable person and would have accepted your genuine attempts to correct their dissatisfaction, you pretty much end all chance of that working out when you attack them on Twitter.  At best, you've just lost a customer and lost any business that customer might have referred to you.  The second reason is also pretty easy to figure out.  People are generally turned off by that kind of negativity.  A potential customer is going to think "Gee, look at the way she's talking about Customer X.  I don't want someone talking about me like that!  I bet she has poor customer service if that is how she treats people!"

• Controversial topics.  Now this is going to be different for different people.  While I originally stayed away from tweets like these, I do now post about my support for LGBT issues, women's rights, and progressive political causes.  I've probably lost a few followers for that, but I don't mind.  My support
  
  
  for different issues, especially those affecting LGBT persons, is clearly reflected in both some of my work and in some of the charitable causes I'm involved in through Etsy.  If you are someone that has a problem buying from someone that holds these types of convictions, you're not going to purchase from me whether or not I'm tweeting.  And for the record, I seem to have a diverse group of Twitter followers who have all types of different belief systems.  So there is nothing wrong in theory with voicing your personal opinions on your business twitter, but keep it calm.  Don't attack other users for their views, don't bully, and try not to alienate large portions of your potential customer base.

The rest of this article is scheduled to post next Friday.  After that, the Hotlist will be on hiatus as I will be enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday studying like a mad woman for the December LSAT.  I will likely spend all of December finalizing law school applications and waiting impatiently for my test score.  Weekly BEST features will still be posted each week, but they will be scheduled in advance.  I still encourage you to post your comments!  Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to learning from and with you in the new year.  Have a safe, happy, and super profitable holiday season.

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: It's Not Too Late to Advertise for the (Handmade) Holidays

September and October came and went pretty quickly this year.  Lots of the handmade gift guides finish accepting submissions during those months, but that doesn't mean you're totally out of luck if you didn't already act.  I have a few ideas for my crafty but procrastinating readers to make a last minute effort to promote yourselves during the biggest shopping season of the year:

If you've got something handmade, unique, and beautifully photographed, you can submit to the Handmade Gift Guide at any time for free.  If selected, your only "cost" is adding the Handmade Gift Guide button to your blog and promoting your feature - gee, shouldn't you want to do that anyway?  Go ahead and submit now and you just might have your item featured in time for the shopping season.

Are you a member of an Etsy team?  Get your fellow members involved with Handmade Spark's Handmade Holiday Gift Guide.  Sure they've already featured tons of teams, but since they stated that there was no deadline for submissions, you should hurry up and talk to your team leader about this opportunity.   Don't wait - you don't know how many teams may already have posts lined up!

Also, if you're a premium (paid) member on Zibbet, you can put the items of your choice into any of several gift guides.  The problem?  Customers can't actually view them yet.  When you click the front page graphic advertising the gift guides, it takes you to a "Coming Soon" page at the time of this post.  I have no idea why they already have a link up for a feature shoppers can't access with no apparent ETA, but hopefully they will post them ASAP.  And by ASAP, I'm hoping within the next week or it won't be worth much this season.  I don't recommend upgrading to access this feature because I don't know what it will look like or if it will even be ready in enough time to matter this year, but if you're already premium it costs nothing to add a few items.

Some other ways to get noticed this holiday season include:

• Submitting your craft project ideas to blogs and indie sites that are posting tutorial collections for Thanksgiving or one of the religious holidays this winter
• Posting and promoting your own holiday gift guide on your blog or website
• Guest blog for someone who is taking time off this holiday season and help keep their content interesting for readers
• Consider investing in paid advertising on websites featuring holiday gift guides that are already full, because quite frankly, that's where the handmade-minded shoppers will be
• Consider running a Black Friday or after-Christmas sale.  Participate in the sales promotion opportunities provided by your selling venues.

Do you know of any other last minute places to submit your work this handmade holiday season?  Any suggestions for next year?  Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: How to Maximize Returns After You Make the Sale

*I'm in VA for the weekend, so I apologize that this is a little late.  I promise it's worth it. :)

There was an interesting thread on the Etsy forums that I discovered through the most recent Etsy Success email.  I only click on those links every now and then but the title of this particular thread caught my eye: "10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Every Sale."  Think about that for a minute.  Once you've already gotten the sale, there are definitely some things that you can do to try and maximize the situation - namely in gaining a repeat customer and/or referral.  The artisan who authored the thread is Lori of  Risky Beads (who just so happens to be from my town).  She was kind enough to let me repost her 10 Ways here on the EB Blog.  Check out the "Cliffs Notes" version below, complete with comments from yours truly, and be sure to visit the original thread for more details on how Lori implements her own suggestions:

1. Send a freebie along with each order.

This can be an effective technique.  I've seen it work for bath and body sellers who include a tiny soap sample or candle makers who include a mini tea light in a complimentary fragrance.  Risky Beads emphasizes that the freebie should be something that people want.  It can sometimes be hard to guess what that might be.  Easy to use samples like the ones I mentioned are a pretty safe bet.  


For jewelry sellers like me, it can be a little trickier.  Her suggestion to use sustainable marketing items is probably the best idea.  Some people will throw away a magnet or keychain or business card, but it never really hurts to include one, as long as it's cost effective (read: include the cost of the promotional item into your pricing calculation).  

Yep, if you want to make money, freebies that you send out with every order shouldn't really be "free" - the money has to come from somewhere.  Giving people items that you would have just thrown out in the trash is not a good way to encourage repeat business.  That means supply sellers - don't dump your misshapen, crazy drilled, beat up beads in a plastic baggie and write freebie on it.  And non-supply sellers, never send your customer unsolicited "supplies."  9 times out of 10 they are going in the trash.  If the person wanted to make a similar item they would buy the supplies from a supplier not the finished product from you.

2. Invite customers to join your mailing list.

Okay, so I'm really bad about doing this.  I really need to push my mailing list more and I also really need to write a newsletter again.  It's been a couple of months.  I blame the LSAT.

It takes time and effort to build up a mailing list, but you definitely should suggest it to people that have already demonstrated an interest in your shop by buying something.  If you offer exclusive discounts, first access to new items, and other information that benefits the customer, they'll actually read the newsletter too.

3. Send a coupon for their next purchase.

I do this each time I make a sale.  So far, no one has taken me up on the discount BUT I do not have an expiration date for the offer.  At first, I included information about the discount in my thank-you notes.  Now I use my little mini Moo card collection with different pictures of my items.  On the back of the card is my "Customer Appreciation Discount" complete with the important information: shop URL, shop name, discount %, and secret coupon code.  Sometimes I drop in two in the hopes that one will be shared with a friend.  However you decide to offer a repeat customer incentive, I think it's important to remember to include your shop URL with the message about your offer.  I've gotten some before that just say "10% off your next purchase" and two months later I've forgotten who sent me that piece of paper.  I can't use your discount if I don't know which store it's for!

4. Send a brochure with FANTASTIC pictures of other products you sell.

This is a great idea for beauty products, as Lori describes in her thread.  I've decided against this idea for my jewelry business for the time being, but I have given some thought to developing a brochure with information about booking me for home parties.

What you should take away from this, regardless of whether or not you decide to try a brochure, is that pictures sell.  I choose to put pictures of my products on my regular Moo business cards and my mini-Moo cards.  Give your customer something they'll want to keep on their fridge or give to a friend.  Visual appeal is important.
 
5. Invite your customer to a future secret sale--not too far in the future, say 2-3 weeks max AND/OR unveil a secret product and offer it early to your existing custom base.

This is another interesting idea.  You might leverage this idea into more newsletter sign-ups - i.e. "sign up for my newsletter and receive exclusive information about my upcoming secret sale."




6. Send along your Twitter and Facebook links...either on a card or via a convo/email when notifying about shipping.

I think it's always good to encourage customers to sign up for your social media outlets.  I personally choose to put other contact information on my business cards (phone, address, email) and this info simply wouldn't fit.  Instead, I have my one URL listed there: http://elles-beads.com.  Once a customer goes to that site, they can find my Twitter, Facebook, and more links than they'd ever be able to keep up with.  I also use Mad Mimi for my newsletters and they have a great setup for you to add clickable icons in your newsletters to take customers to these social networks.  However you go about doing it, definitely encourage people to follow you - as long as you're providing them with worthwhile content, of course!

7. If you have a significant customer base, send out a customer service/product survey and offer a nice coupon for customers that complete it.
  
This is an interesting idea and wouldn't cost you anything but the time it takes to set up a free online survey.  I imagine the feedback gained would be more than beneficial for you as a seller.

8. Send samples of a new product and ask for feedback. This can be a great way to try out a new scent/flavor/color of something.

Great idea for those who make candles, bath and body, and other similar products.  I'm not sure I could send out a sample of a necklace I'm making (mail customers one of the beads? lol).  No, instead, for other sellers this is a great way to make use of the Facebook fan page.  Make the new item and introduce it on Facebook so that people can comment on it and give constructive feedback.  This will not only improve your product line, but will also get people checking back with your shop to find out when the new item becomes available.

9. Offer an instant entry into a giveaway for their purchase.

Giveaways are a nice way to boost sales when they're done properly.  I'll defer to someone with more experience with them, but this is a nice incentive and may get someone to buy an item if they already like it and just need an extra push.

10. Network with other Etsy sellers who sell complimentary products to yours, not direct competition.

This is an excellent strategy that I highly recommend.  Make use of other people's customer base and offer yours in return.  Business card exchanges are an easy way to do this.  Trading advertising space on each others' blogs could work too.

I truly enjoyed going through the Risky Beads suggestions and appreciated the reminders of things I could be doing better.  For more information about running a successful handmade business directly from Lori herself (who, by the way, is almost at her 2,000th sale on Etsy), you can purchase an inexpensive e-book called How to Make it Small When You're Trying to Make It Big.  You know I'm all about low cost and free - this book will only set you back about $9 and comes with free updates.

Let me know in the comments what you do to capitalize on the sales you make!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Entrecard

This week, I want to talk to you about advertising opportunities through Entrecard.  Please scroll down to the bottom of this post and read the disclaimer.  When you're finished, join me back up here for the discussion.

Entrecard is a website that allows users to get free advertising.  Since I'm all about low cost and free, I signed up for this site quite a while ago.  You may have even noticed the little Entrecard widget on the side of my blog.  After seeing a widget on someone else's blog, I decided to look up the site and find out more.  In order to participate in the advertising network, you are required to install the widget on your blog.  Then Entrecard staff view your site and decide whether or not to approve you.  Non-English and sexually explicit websites are always rejected.

Once you have installed the widget and are approved, you'll notice that you have credits in your account.  These credits are like currency that you can use to buy advertising in the widgets on other people's blogs.  Use the Campaign search to find blogs that cater to readers in your target market.  For example, if you're a jewelry seller like me, you may want to advertise on women's fashion blogs.  Each blog or site has a credit price associated with it depending on a popularity calculation.  Your ad will be displayed for 24 hours at the price displayed.  You have the option of allowing people to purchase ads on your site too through your widget.  It works the same way except that instead of spending them, you receive credits which you can in turn spend on other websites - without ever opening your wallet.

If you want additional credits once you've spent them all up, you can get them.  Buying credits costs money though and you all know I'm not in favor of spending a lot of cash.  An easy way to get free credits (in addition to having other people advertise on your widget as mentioned earlier) is through dropping.  Check out other sites in the Entrecard network (there are literally 30,000+ to choose from) and "drop" your card on them by clicking the "drop" button on the widget.  You get one credit for each drop so earning credits this way can take a while.  And no you can't just drop your ad 300 times (the max allowed in one calendar day) in a row as quickly as possible or you will be penalized.  Take time to look through the website before dropping and wait a little while before you try to drop on the next site.  It makes good business sense to take your time anyway to make sure you're dropping your ad someplace it will actually have an impact.  For more information on how to drop correctly and maximize your credits, check out the FAQ.

Now, one of the things you have to consider when trying out an advertising opportunity is whether or not it is working for you.  I'm sure we can agree that an advertising opportunity is only successful if you get more publicity, clicks to your site, and (eventually) sales.  Entrecard does provide statistics for you to evaluate the success of your campaigns...but they also admit that they are unreliable.  The website makes it clear that it is possible to generate "fake" clicks, which can skew your statistics.  If someone (presumably the site owner) is clicking many times on the ad you purchased, it might make you think that ad is doing well for you (i.e. many different potential customers clicking on your ad) and cause you to continue putting your credits into that site.  Fraud is completely lame, but there's not much Entrecard is doing about it and I'm not sure they even can do anything.  The only way I can think of to combat that problem is to do your own research.  Google Analytics might be able to differentiate between the fake and legitimate visits (maybe in your bounce rate?), but I'm no expert so make sure to look into that yourself.  I also suggest considering adding a poll to your site asking people where they found your site or adding a poll to your PayPal or other ecommerce account to ask your buyers how they found your shop.  Not everyone is going to answer these polls, but at least they are less easily manipulated as most only allow one vote per IP address and no one gains anything from scamming your independent poll.  If any current Entrecard users have any other suggestions on drawing conclusive statistics, please let me know.  Otherwise, you'll just have to trust that the people you advertise with are honest.

There are other features on the site that I haven't used, such as the market or the affiliated atokens.com website.  If you're interested in joining Entrecard, check out those features when you sign up.

I'll be honest, I don't spend a lot of time monitoring my Entrecard account.  I get periodic emails from them updating me on the number of credits I have.  Once I notice that I've built up a few credits from people advertising on my widget (at least 100+), I take a few minutes and go buy some ads.  It's really that simple.  I never spend any of my own cash and the time investment is minimal.  I'm sure that the more time you spend working it, the more benefit you'll get from it.  However, I don't think you have anything to lose by giving it a try even if you don't have a lot of spare time to work out the right sites for maximizing your ad credits.

Do you use Entrecard?  Be sure to reread the disclaimer below and consider writing your own post reviewing the site.  There is a "contest" I'm entering that is open to everyone who wants to weigh in on the site.  Get more information about the contest here: http://entrecard.com/blog/?p=1593. Free credits for all! :)

Until next time,
Elle

Disclaimer: In exchange for writing this review, I am hoping to receive $15 worth of Entrecard credits through a contest.  No, I'm not selling out.  The review does not have to be positive in order for me to receive the credits.  Here are the instructions about the contest as copied and pasted from the email I received, typos and all: "Just write a review about Entrecard on your blog. Share the pro’s and the con’s (hopefully, there will be pro’s ;) ). And in your blog, please place a link back to this contest (Here’s the URL: http://entrecard.com/blog/?p=1593 Tha’ts it!"  So, as you can see they are not requiring anyone to write an unfairly biased review.  My view is strictly my own.

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Guest Blogging

 

Two weeks ago I wrote about how guest blogging can benefit your business.  If you missed the article, you can check it out here. I put my own advice to use and pitched my Tumblr article from July to Jonathan, the very approachable CEO of Zibbet, and landed the guest blog opportunity.  I reworked the article and it was published on the Zibbet blog this week.  When you check out the article, you'll notice a small blurb with my information and a link to my blog and my shop are at the top.  Remember, depending on the traffic the blog you post on gets, that little piece of web "real estate" can bring real traffic to your blog and your shop.  I hope you'll seriously consider taking advantage of this aspect of blogging.

Now, I was contacted by Ann Smarty on Creating the Hive (one of my recommended sites) as a result of my last article on guest blogging, and she shared her site with me.  It's called My Blog Guest and is dedicated to connecting guest bloggers and their articles with blogs that want to host their content.  Limited membership is free and that's the level I recommend for the average craft blogger.  The best feature is the forums where you can announce your availability to guest post or post requests for guest content.  Only one forum section is limited to premium members, so you will still be able to make great use of this area.  Definitely check this one out if you're interested in getting or sharing blog content.

And just in case you're curious, the traffic to my Zibbet shop this week is up 190%.  It does work!  Happy blogging!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Getting Exposure for Your Business By Guest Blogging

Being a guest blogger can be a lot of fun.  You have an idea, you write the post, and you pitch it to another blog.  If accepted, your post is posted on their blog with a link back to yours.  Why would something like this help your business?  First, you'll be sharing your expertise and knowledge with a whole new audience you might not otherwise reach.  Once you've piqued their interest with your information about knitting techniques, marketing strategies, or techo how-to, they'll want to check out your blog to learn more.  This drives traffic to your blog which, if your blog is interesting and fun to read, can increase the number of subscribers you have.  This might not turn into sales immediately, but if your shop is linked on your blog you might get a few new customers.  The even greater potential benefit is the opportunity to be noticed by others.  The networking you do with your readers can turn into blog features, magazine features, custom and wholesale order inquires, and more.  It won't happen every time you decide to write a guest post, but the possibilities are there.

There are tons of articles online about how to successfully become a guest blogger.  Everyone will tell you that you should read the blog prior to submission.  You should know whether or not what you want to pitch to the blogger:

A. fits with what their blog is about
B. isn't something they've written about themselves recently

You want to make sure your style will mesh with theirs and that you'll both benefit from the relationship.  Definitely check out this article from Daily Blog Tips linked on the Handmade Spark Small Business Success Reading List from July.  They'll give you some concrete steps to take on writing and submitting a guest blog post.

What I'm going to do with the Hotlist today is give you some places where you might wish to submit a guest blog post.  Most of these sites will require you to pitch your post to an editor and a couple will allow you to simply post whatever content you like and have the community decide whether or not it's valuable.  This is certainly NOT an exhaustive list - never forget to consider popular blogs in whatever niche your work falls in!

Creating the Hive


Handmade Spark


IndieFixx


Indie Icing


IndiePublic

 Indie Smiles


Indie Spotting


Modish

My Modern Met

Try Handmade

Do you know of any great blogs that accept guest posts?  Any tips for aspiring guest bloggers?  Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: How to Increase Followers and Traffic to Your Business Blog

Having a blog isn't for everyone.  You can't just set it up and leave it and expect it to do much for you.  However, it can be a great tool for marketing if you can generate traffic and gain loyal readers.  Here are some of my suggestions for getting people on your blog and bringing them back time after time.

1. Content is key.  If your content is not interesting, it doesn't matter how much traffic you generate - they won't stay long.  Most, if not all, successful blogs are not one big shop advertisement.  It's not that exciting to read post after post peddling your wares.  Instead, try writing about your creative process.  Are you an expert on soap making?  Tell your readers how soap is made and show pictures of the process.  If you're trying out a new fragrance, explain how that works.  If you sell jewelry or accessories, consider giving fashion tips.  Let people know what's trendy and why you have certain things offered in your shop.  Other great content ideas are posting tutorials, tips on how and where to buy handmade/vintage, and (non-controversial) personal life stories.  Everyone is an expert on something - write about your expertise and your passion.  Keep this in mind:  If people will benefit from your content in some way, they will be more likely to read it.

2. Set a schedule so that you post regularly. People that read my blog know to expect at least one post per week featuring another artisan, at least one post per week reviewing a site for handmade sellers or giving business tips I've found that week on the web, and at least one post per week of a treasury, Kaboodle list, or some other collection of handmade and vintage/eco-friendly items. Since they know what to expect, they know whether or not they want to come back.  You never want to leave people guessing whether or not you're going to post again.  If you're going on vacation, let your readers know.  It's even better to have content scheduled to post once or twice a week while you're out and let people know you'll respond to comments when you return.  Blogger, the platform I use, allows you to schedule posts in advance.  If you come up with a good idea (or more) and write up a few non time-sensitive posts, you'll always have something to share.

3. Spice things up visually.  No one wants to read long blocks of text down an entire page. Use photos and video content to diversify your blog and make it appealing to the eyes.  Just make sure the images and video you use are royalty free, yours, or purchased by you.  Respect other people's intellectual property.

4. Make it super easy for someone to bookmark your blog. Make sure they can subscribe to your RSS feed, use Google Friend Connect to follow you, sign up through Feed Burner to get notifications of your posts via email, or something similar, or all of the above. Don't count on people bookmarking you in their browser and remembering to come back. Personally, I have 100s of bookmarks and I'm probably not sorting through them all just to find your site again.

5. Promote your blog.  Add yourself to directories like Blog Catalog.  Some sites like Creating the Hive and Handmade Spark allow you to import your blog RSS feed.  Do this.  Put the link to your blog on your existing social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter if you have them.  Turn your existing fans into loyal readers.  They might share your content with their friends and help your blog go viral.

6. Just like you optimize your shop, make sure your blog titles are optimized for Google searches.  I'm not about to try and teach you SEO like I know it, but there are plenty of bloggers out there who do.  Use Google to find articles on the subject.

7. Offer to guest post on other blogs.  They will provide a link back to your blog with a little info when the post is published.  A good tutorial on this can be found here.

8. My last tip is to follow other blogs and make relevant comments on them.  The blogger and their readers may just decide to check you out.  You can try this now by leaving a comment for me! ;)

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: How to Promote Your Business with a Facebook Fan Page

It's often suggested for artist entrepreneurs to set up a Facebook fan page, now generally known as business pages or "like" pages.  This is a great suggestion and social media can definitely be used to boost a business.  However, the next question for a lot of people is: "I've set up my page.  Now what do I do with it?"  If you've used Facebook prior to setting up your fan page, you're probably familiar with other brand pages.  Check out some of the more popular pages and then look back at your own.  You'll probably see a huge difference.  While you're probably not going to get hundreds of thousands of fans for your small business, you can move in the direction of some of the bigger names.  Here are my tips for increasing the popularity and success of your Facebook business page:


1. Design a Facebook landing page.  The landing page is what is going to entice people to click the like button at the top of their screen.  I designed mine using a free template and the FBML (Facebook markup language) application.  I got mine here but there are tons of other ones out there.  My landing page gives people a little information about my business, me as an artisan, and gives visitors access to my social networking links and newsletter signup.  You can see it here (if you're already a fan, just click the >> button on the tab bar and select "Home").  If you're not able to customize your own, another free way to have a great landing page is to put your shop as your landing page.  How to do that is in my next point.


2. Add a tab with your shop.  If you use Etsy or are a pro member on ArtFire, you've got access to applications that will put your shop right on your Facebook page.  If you don't already have a landing page, you can set your settings on your wall page to make the default landing page for non-fans to be the shop tab.


3. If you had a personal Facebook account before you set up a page, you probably have some people as your friends.  If you didn't, make some.  Use the email search feature to friend your email address book.  Join a couple of groups related to your interests or where you went to school and accept the friend requests of people you know and don't mind contacting you again.  Why?  The business pages have a feature called "Suggest to Friends."  Use that (once - do not spam them!) to get your friends to fan your page, even the ones that already know about your business.  While some of them may end up being your customers, they're not really the end goal.  What you want is for your friends to like and then suggest that their friends like your page.  If you're lucky, this will help your page go viral.


4. Now that you have some fans, the next step is posting content.  Ideal content will be interesting, informative, connect people with you and your brand, and make people want to comment. Some ideas for content are new or soon to be released items (in order to build anticipation and drive traffic to your shop), questions about what your fans are interested in, exclusive sales and promotions, and aspects of your craft that the general public might not know about.  If someone interacts with your post, acknowledge it.  Respond to all fan comments professionally and graciously.

5. Consider doing additional promotion to other sellers.  Etsy has a promotions forum.  Participate in the threads that let you post your Facebook link.  Participate in Link Love in fan page discussion forums which will allow you to post your links.  Others will fan you.  The downside to Link Love is that some people will spam their links on your wall.  You can either delete these posts or do what I do and make them less obvious.  In the setting section on your wall, you can set the default view to be just posts from the page owner.  That way your fans just get your awesome content by default and not ads for other people's pages.  Why should you promote to other sellers at all?  Well sellers are also buyers.  In addition to that, the more fans you have the closer you are to getting your custom Facebook URL.


6. Set your custom Facebook URL.  Once you reach 25 fans (technically 24 as you can and should fan your own page), you'll be eligible for a custom URL.  Go to http://facebook.com/username to set it up.  BE CAREFUL, SLOW DOWN, AND READ.  Do not get over excited.  When you go to that page, you'll see an option to set the username for your profile.  This is your personal profile NOT your business page.  The option for your business page is lower and smaller and specifically says "Set username for your pages."  That is the option you want to select and follow the instructions.  Be aware that if you screw this up and set the username for your profile instead, you will not be able to undo it.  So just pay attention.


7. So now you have great content, fans, and a custom URL.  If your page still isn't as popular as you'd like, it's probably time to advertise.  I'm not a fan of Facebook ads as I've managed to have them automatically extended to overcharge me every single time, but if you stay on top of them and cancel when you've spent what you want, you may find success with them.  They are targeted, so do some research on your target market before setting one up.  Another alternative I've used is a service like Fiverr.  Fiverr users sell services for $5 a piece.  I've purchased a couple of $5 gigs where my page was suggested to several thousand people.  My fans have doubled and now seem to be slowly but surely growing in number on their own.


8.  Remember the ultimate goal is to have the fan page growing on its own and driving traffic to your shop. It's not just about getting them to Facebook, it's about funneling them off too - or at least to the shop tab on your page.  Take only the suggestions here that you think will help you get to that goal.


Go ahead and put your Facebook fan page link in the comments so readers can fan you!


Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Using Tumblr as a Marketing Tool for your Online Shop

Tumblr is a social media website that is sort of the middle ground between Twitter and a blog.  While it doesn't limit users to 140 characters of text or links, it's not really designed for a full blog post like this one.  Tumblr is for posting short paragraphs of text, quotes, chats, videos, links, or photos.  I started a Tumblr blog a couple of days ago to get a feel for it:

Here are some suggestions on how to use Tumblr to market your shop:

1. Customize your page to fit your brand.  Tumblr has both paid and free themes you can try until you find what fits best.  I decided to go with a simple theme and use my logo as my avatar.  If you're using Tumblr as your blog though, you might want to spring for something that reflects your shop more.

2. Be diverse and interesting.  Like Twitter, Tumblr is a microblogging platform.  You'll pull followers from more interest areas (and not be dismissed as a spammer) if you do more than just post links to items from your shop.  Try posting some of your favorite quotes, recipes, YouTube videos, or pictures of other people's items.  Make use of the tag feature so that people searching for a specific topic can find you.

3. Follow other people.  Comment on their posts and make use of the heart and reblog features to mark items as favorites and/or share them on your page.  Since Tumblr is a social media site, the Golden Rule of Social Media applies - you've got to listen to others and interact with them if you want them to listen to you.

4. Keep it fresh.  Tumblr has a scheduling feature that allows you to set items to post in the future.  Take advantage of this and spread out some of your posting to achieve maximum exposure without flooding your followers' dashboard feeds with post after post from you.

5. Utilize the directories.  You can either get yourself in the inspiration directory by asking your followers to support you or you can pay for inclusion in one of the other directories starting at $9 plus some unspecified eligibility requirements.  Don't feel like paying?  (Yeah, me neither.  I love free things.)  Then simply follow some of the people in directories that interest you.  It's a great way to target who you follow so that you make friends with similar interests and always find cool things to reblog.

As you can see, promoting with Tumblr isn't much different than promoting with any other social media tool - it just uses a different platform.  I highly recommend Tumblr for people who want to share text and media but don't want the rather daunting task of updating a regular blog.  If you already use both a blog and Twitter, it might not be the best investment of your time.  I don't discourage setting up an account though - it's good to have your name out there in as many places as possible and it's very easy to update a Tumblr blog.

Do you have Tumblr blog?  Know any good tips for using Tumblr?  Post your blog link and/or your tip in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: 7 Easy Steps for Getting Local Traffic to Your Business Website

One of the tried and true ways to get traffic to your online shop is to tap into the resources of your local community.  Here is some advice on how to best utilize what's right outside your door:

1. Check out your local Chamber of Commerce for networking opportunities.  They can let you know about local resources specifically for small businesses.  Also, be sure to get information on how to legally operate your business in your state.

2. Do you sell on an e-commerce site?  Check to see if they have teams.  My local Etsy team has been a valuable resource for finding craft fairs, networking, and getting information on how to promote my business.  If there is no team in your area yet, start one!

3. Advertise locally.  Leave your business cards at businesses that may have the same target market as you.  For example, if you're marketing to fashion-forward young adults, you may want to leave your cards at a nail shop or salon.  Put up flyers or business cards on community boards in places like libraries, coffee shops, restaurants, and grocery stores.

4. Add your business to the local Google and Yahoo business directories.  You don't need to have a B&M to put your website in the directory and your website information shows up front and center when doing a search.

5. Make sure to include your location when setting up your online shop.  Etsy has a Shop Local feature where people can search for a specific location for shops.  There is also an outside feature at SearchLocalEtsy.com where people can search for specific products in their local areas.  Having your location listed is crucial for people to find you.

6. Participate in craft fairs or vintage shows to increase your exposure to the local community.  You're at an advantage when you have a website because you're not limited to just the people who purchase from your booth that day, but you also reach those who aren't ready to buy yet but who will purchase from you online later.  Make sure to bring business cards with your information and let people know if you do custom orders.

7. Throw a home or office party with your wares.  Invite friends, family, and coworkers and ask them to invite people they know.  Increasing your local customer base should always include informing the people you already know about your business - they'll be able to market you for free via word-of-mouth.

Leave your own tip for driving local traffic to your online shop in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Kaboodle

So I've been curious about the site called Kaboodle for awhile, but didn't decide to take the plunge until this Storque article was published on Etsy.  To be honest, it's not the most intuitive site to use but it's got potential to be a promotional tool.  I'll go over some of the features that you can use for promotion:

1. Lists: When you sign up for a profile, you get several lists by default but you can delete them, add others, and customize them with any items you like.  Since people can search Kaboodle for items that interest them to feature in other parts of the site (you'll see what I mean later), it's a good idea to upload your own items into a list.  Kaboodle recommends you sort your items by theme to encourage friends to flip through your lists, but that's entirely up to you.  I decided to just put mine in a generic "My Creations" list so that it's not misleading.

You can also add other people's items to your lists.  As long as you have a web url, it can be added.  This site is not just for handmade items, but shops like Amazon, Target, and Victoria's Secret also have their brands represented.  However, Etsy and the handmade community have a reasonable presence and the operators of Kaboodle have expressed that they'd like to see our numbers grow - so spread the love!  Add your treasuries to Kaboodle using the promote links and add individual listings using the share button on the right sidebar of the listing page.

2. Styleboards: These are probably my favorite things on Kaboodle.  Styleboards are collages of items you either find on Kaboodle or upload to the site.  Much like treasuries, they aren't intended for self promotion but for showcasing style ideas pulled from the entire community.  Also like treasuries though, you are allowed to include one of your own items.  I've created two styleboards so far.  I picked a piece of interesting jewelry from my shop and searched for Etsy items already on Kaboodle that I think go well with the item.  Check them out:

Zesty Lemons by ellesbeads

Cherry Red... by ellesbeads

It's a great way to both showcase other people's vintage and handmade items as well as show off how my funky jewelry can be worn with style.  Styleboards can be hearted, commented on, shared via Facebook/Twitter, and embedded in blogs.  The main styleboards page features popular collages by default and can be sorted to show the most recent first.

3. Friends and Groups: Like most social networking websites, Kaboodle offers the option to add people as friends and to join groups.  In your profile, you can add tags to describe yourself to allow people with similar interests to find you.  When viewing your profile, just click one of your tags to be taken to all the people who identify with that particular tag.  There's also an option for you to search your email contacts and Facebook friends for anyone you might know who already has an account.

Groups are just like they sound.  They allow you to network with large numbers of people at once - and there are tons of them.  I'll be honest and say they aren't easy to get to.  I had to search via Google to get to the groups page that didn't just have the featured groups listed: http://www.kaboodle.com/groups.  Once you get to what should be the Groups landing page via the link I provided, you'll see categories that you can use to find interesting groups as well as a link to create your own.

Etsy Loves Kaboodle is the largest Etsy group on the site and is open for membership to any seller or buyer.  The group allows members to create new discussions as well as add their lists to the group for members to browse.

4. Blogazine: This unique feature is one I haven't tried yet.  Apparently you can host your own style blog right on the site.  You can post about fashion, decor, beauty, and other style items and recent posts may show on the Blogazine homepage.  If you already have a blog like me, another one may be too much to keep up with.  What I do recommend is checking out some of the posts, making comments, and interacting with other users just like you would here on Blogger.  That should get people clicking through to your profile and then looking at your lists and items.  Click on the image below for an example of a Blogazine:

5. Brands: Brands have their own homepages with special features.  If you have a website with your products, and you upload one or more of them to Kaboodle, a brand page is automatically (well, it takes a day) created for you which you can claim.  They want you to use an email address from your domain, which I haven't set up so I'm not sure if I'll be able to claim my own brand. Once you upload at least one of your products, you can go here to claim your brand: http://www.kaboodle.com/store/elles-beads.com (replace elles-beads.com with the URL for your website).  There are also several buttons you can add to your product listings that will allow your visitors to quickly add your items to their Kaboodle lists.

Okay, so for the downsides of Kaboodle: It's not the most intuitive site I've ever used.  Getting to the main groups hub is challenging, and when you're creating a styleboard you can't favorite products or click through to get full information (like the whole title).  It's also not just for handmade, so your products have some competition to actually be seen.  And I actually see this as an upside, but there is a limit to how much self-promotion you can do - no sending private messages to your friends about sales or spamming your links in the comments.  It's a great tool, but read the Terms of Use before starting so you don't step on any toes.

So, do you Kaboodle?  Add me as a friend!  Don't forget to put the link to your Kaboodle profile in the comments as well.

Until next time,
Elle