marketing.

my spanking new sparkly "moo" cards. aren't they lovely?

in my multiple daily check-ins on twitter, i came across rena tom's blog - where one of her contributors, tara swiger, posted a thought provoking article on "how to make time for marketing". marketing is something that i constantly struggle with, seeing has how having a full time job, juggling motherhood, and running a household tends to take up a good chunk of my time.  however, my little sideline jewelry making venture is something that i would love to expand and grow, and i know that marketing has a lot to do with it.

the thing that struck me most about ms. swiger's article is the fact that she emphasizes that if you don't have enough business, you have to make time for marketing.  which made me think about what i have been doing that has been effective, and that i can make time to do everyday.  also, making myself accountable to someone (other than the mini or the husband or the new baby) can help keep me on track - i know that for me, putting it out there most of the time keeps me goal focused.  while i am not the best marketing person out there, and this is definitely new territory for me, i can't afford to NOT do it, you know?

off to analyze what i do and how i waste my time... it's going to hurt, i'm sure!  but a great holiday season in sales might just be the reward i can reap...

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newsletter.

i haven't had any issue - at all - sending out the Daily Dose of Handmade newsletters a couple of times a week.  i love promoting other people and seeing the increase in traffic that they get!  after much thinking however, i thought that perhaps i should aim that newsletter theory to my own ventures and i actually sent out a newsletter to some of my most recent buyers.  promoting my inclusion in the Daily Dose Summer Wedding Gift Guide, i put together a newsletter and after hours of deliberation, sent it out.  now i'm not sure if anything will come out of it, but i had to try!

(if you are looking for a discount - the Daily Dose has my discount code for this promotion!  just sayin'.)

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two of a kind.

in with the new...

and out with the old!

i have been trying to retake some of my "old" product photos as i go since i feel that my workmanship and style has changed a little over time - plus i am loving the more "rustic" feel of the windowsill background.  the skinny stacking ring set of two is definitely done more justice in the new photo (1st one) than the original, in my opinion!   although there isn't much difference between the two products, the texture in the background of the 1st photo is definitely more interesting than in the 2nd, and also shows off the great texture of the rings. 

the secret is to have stunning photos and great product descriptions and i try my hardest to have both - but it is definitely a learning curve. 

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a picture says a thousand words. or at least enough to describe my rings.

i was having a chat with julie yesterday, lamenting the fact that i realized that some of my product photos date back to 2008.  yeah.  that long ago.  and while most of them are exactly what i want in regards to clarity and composition (in addition to great focus, awesome natural light and attention to detail), it has been nagging at me for quite a long time that my knot ring photos are not, in my opinion, up to par.  gotta keep it fresh, right?  so this week, i've been working on the knot ring photos - yesterday, i even brought my camera to the office so i could take advantage of the great light that comes through my window. 

admittedly, i am much happier with these - they show how delicate yet bright and shiny these rings are.  and yes, the knot ring is one of my best selling designs, but i wonder if the new photos will impact that statistic.  i hope so - god forbid that i get boring!

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fabulous feature. and a cool game.

the lovely julie is addicted to making treasuries. and this one is no exception - however, she has masterminded it into a great promotional tool!!! you can click on the image above to be taken to the "quit your day job" (named so because we really want to be able to quit our day jobs) treasury to get the details!!! thank goodness for her - she promotes me better than i ever could promote myself!

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trying to embrace facebook. again.

i tried twice to set up a facebook account/page for muffintopdesigns, but to this day, i cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the social networking site work for me. facebook actually kind of scares me, because, since i am a social recluse at heart, the idea of putting myself out there for people to find is frightening and makes me feel exposed.  i have found twitter to actually be fun and easy - not to mention, the brevity is refreshing - but a bajillion facebook people can't be wrong, right?  plus, i'd love to have another marketing platform for my work. 

so, with the whole name change thing, i set up a brand new account for TheLovelySmith.  you can check it out here, and my page here.  and to kick it all off, if you 'like' my page (seriously, how juvenile, it smacks of - "if you like me, check the box that says YES" or who can get the most signatures in their yearbook) you can use the facebook discount code on my page for a whopping 25% off your entire order.  and with the holidays coming up, i am sure we are all looking for a sweet deal.  and of course, my ego could use the props.  make sure you check the box that says "yes".

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treasury love!

just sharing some amazing treasuries that i've been included in! so awesome. and thank you for the love - it is so wonderful see how my work fits in with others - and what fantastic taste people have.

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changing my name.

no, not my REAL name - but my etsy shop name.  for a while now, i've been kicking around the idea of renaming my store.  while sweet and cute, "muffintopdesigns" probably fit me when i was making bright beaded jewelry and sewing sock monkeys, but, alas, i no longer do that.  (seriously, i barely ever touch my beads anymore.  sigh.)  one of the biggest reasons that i haven't done that - and honestly, probably the ONLY one - is because i didn't want to have to give up my sales stats and feedback to start a brand new shop, which was the only way i would have been able to do it before.  (and admittedly, i think it's kind of neat that people refer to me as "muffin".)

but now, etsy has made it possible for me to change my shop name, while redirecting my old URL to my storefront.  it's all outlined in this article here, and i'm kind of excited.   (sidenote - of course i just ordered 500 business cards from vistaprint, isn't that always the way it goes?) so i have about a week to think about whether or not i want to change things up, or let them remain the same. 

not that i'm a lemming, but i would love your honest feedback about whether or not a name change would be good.  i'm really torn and could use some insight.  i would be changing it to some variant of my real name or something along the lines of "solder & flux designs" (as long as it isn't taken). 

anyways.  thoughts?

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hammering away.

i have been off for the last little while from the day job, and have been mulling (more like hammering out) over ideas on how to expand the whole jewelry design business.  i've been cleaning out my workspace (yes, i still have much of my crafting stuff in boxes.  i'm slow, eh?)  and sorting and seeing what i have in stock, hoping it will inspire me to make some new things. 

i have had the opportunity to participate in three marketing ventures, and i am hoping it will help gain some needed publicity.  the first is a project by the fabulous sugarchills called 10xNine.  you have to check it out - i am featured in this wonderful collection.  we are tempting entrants with a $90 gift card to any of the shops included in this treasury!  there is also a discount code while the feature runs - if you use the coupon code 10xNine, you can get 10% off anything you purchase from the shops featured!

etsy has also rolled out an ad project - it's still in its infancy but of course i had to jump on the bandwagon.  you can check out the write up/explanation here.  similar to google ads or the ads on facebook, shops can choose to purchase "impressions" for a minimal cost.  i started with their $5 for 5000 impressions, and am hoping that it will bring some more traffic to my shop.  any attention is good attention, right?  mine starts today, so let's see what happens.  i haven't had much luck with the showcase ads, but perhaps this is a better way to invest my advertising dollars.

last but definitely not least, my second heartsy deal will be going live next thursday (next wednesday for VIPs!)  i am not going to disclose the discount this time, but let's just say it's bigger and better.  *wink*.  so go sign up!!!!

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a picture says a thousand words.

i've been working on my product photography lately - any online shopper will tell you that photos of your items are crucial.  for me, the pictures speak volumes and i would like to think that my photos give an idea of what my creations look like.  it's hard for me to want to purchase something that has been taken on a bedspread with a flash (and sometimes the time and date stamp, no less!) no matter how wonderful the item is. 

i have had to get used to our new house and new lighting conditions, since natural light is my favorite and this house is oriented oppositely (yeah, i don't know if that's a real word, but this is my blog so who cares?) than our old one.  the paint the previous owners had in the living room was a creamy, buttery yellow (did somebody say that 70's show?) that cast a horrible reddish tone on every jewelry photo i took.  now that we've gone with a more neutral taupe, it's totally changed for the better.  who knew it would make such a big difference! 

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Adventures in Advertising (and Marketing) - Part Three - TAKING PHOTOS!

You might have the most awesome handmade items in your shop, but unless people can SEE how gorgeous they are, you won't sell them. Photos are the key to selling items over the internet, whether that be on Etsy, ebay, lov.li or any of the other amazing sites out there.

You only need three things to take great photos of your products. Seriously.

1. A relatively okay digital camera - I use a Kodak EasyShare C653

2. Basic photo editing software - where you can crop, adjust the size of your image, brightness and contrast

3. A source of bright light, preferably sunlight


Having a basic knowledge of composition also helps a little, but if you are an avid reader of fashion magazines, you'll have it too.

Make sure your item is clean, pristine and ready for it's 15 minutes of fame! There is nothing worse than a good picture of a dirty item! I've taken photos of items and then realized once I had edited it that there is wire sticking out, or dust on a gemstone.

Take your item and set it up in a location that is brightly lit, but not necessarily in direct sunlight. I usually use a window sill. I set the item up on a pillow or a book or a piece of paper that has some texture on it and take several shots, from different angles. The light is the most important thing, next to your item!

Then upload your photos onto your hard drive and open up your photo editing software. I'm a Photoshop girl myself, but all you really need in an editing program is the ability to adjust brightness, contrast, and size. Open up your photos.

Create a "new" document, and make sure it is about 20% of your original photo. Go back to the photo of your item, and select a square selection of that photo, including your item. Drag the selection to your new document - it should be much closer and detailed than your original. Adjust the contrast and brightness and save this new photo! I find that saving photos with a description of the item helps me to find them for easier uploading, especially if I'm taking a whole batch of pictures. (i.e. beach glass pendant1.jpg)

Etsy requires that photos be less than 1000 pixels x 1000 pixels. I usually make my photos 400 x 400, it takes less time to upload to Etsy or other sites, and the quality is still great.

Photos are your tools to generate traffic to your site and to generate sales! Experiment a little, and it will pay off in the long run!!!

xoxoox muffin

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Adventures in Advertising (and Marketing!) - Part One

Somehow, brooklynthings (http://brooklynthings.etsy.com/) and maryvsmith (http://maryvsmith.etsy.com/) and I ended up chatting separately about different advertising/marketing strategies... so I decided to blog a little about what has worked for me, and what has totally blown up in my face. For someone who really only sells on etsy, my experience is quite limited, but I feel that it's only fair to pay forward what I have learned... when I started here, a couple of etsy gurus took me under their wing and I wouldn't be here without them.

So, here we go. Let's start with your corporate identity and your etsy shop.

1. Choose a shop name, and design - or get someone to design for you - a fabulous logo. The first thing that people do is identify you by your shop name and your avatar in the etsy forums. I find that when people have a shop name that reflects what they sell, it is so effective! When people use their own name, I think it says "classy and artsy"! I like it when sellers use their products as their avatar because it gives me a little window into their shop. I tell you, I actually think that some people look like their avatar in real life, that's how linked your identity becomes to it. Think about the image that you would like to portray, what your target demographic is, what you want to have in your shop. For instance, if you sell high end jewelry, you don't want to pick a cartoon or something that you would find in a kindergarten classroom - you want your logo and avatar to say "elegance, flair, timelessness... you're worth it!" I feel that my little "muffin" avatar has a combination of funky, sweet and creative, which is exactly what I want to convey. When you sell jewelry AND sock monkeys, you have to choose something that spans both sections, LOL!

When I designed my little "muffin", I drew several drafts on paper and test drove them on the husband, and a few friends. They voted, and the rest is Muffin Top history! I even went and got a rubber stamp of my design at Staples (it cost me about $40 CDN and took three days), and I use it to stamp on EVERYTHING!

I do have to admit though, that even though I LOVE the name muffintopdesigns, I feel that it's a little misleading about what I sell. People actually thought I sold muffins. So not true. I should have thought about it a little more, but oh well. I've worked hard to promote myself, so I would hope that muffintop now reflects me, my jewelry and my sock monkeys. And plus, I really love the new nickname, "muffin" that I have in the forums - and in real life!

2. Invest in some primo promotional materials. See the business card above and to the left? That's mine! There are some really great people on etsy who have the skills to help you with this, if you can't do it yourself. My cards and mailing labels were created by etsy's own KJPatino, who not only does promo stuff, but also has fantastic crocheted items! (http://kjpatino.etsy.com/) My cards are printed on high quality, glossy photo paper and I include one in every package I send.

To the right are my mailing labels. They are obviously designed to match my business cards, which helps reinforce my "corporate" identity (okay, I had to laugh uproariously here, I am sooooo not a corporation!!!!!!!) I used to just write the addresses on the envelopes and boxes I sent out, but I find that these not only save a crapload of time, but they also give a really nice finishing touch.

Now, this is probably not a required promo item to have, but PurpleHug (http://purplehug.etsy.com/) makes these kick-ass receipt pads. She did a wicked job working with my logo to create these and prints them out on her laser printer. They also come with carbon paper so that you can have a copy of every order that goes out! I don't regret for one second investing in these and have had people comment on how professional their packages have been when they open them!

magymai711 is a jewel hidden under collage sheets and supplies... she also makes amazing paper goods! (http://magymai711.etsy.com/) She made me some tags with really nice beige cord with my muffin logo on them to tie onto the sock monkeys. I also think that this was a nice touch! You can see the tag here (sort of) on Woodrow the sock monkey. They're lovely and rustic and she made them for me in two sizes!

(the baby here isn't mine - she belongs to another fantastic etsy artist, Tiffany - who can be found at http://tiffanyteske.etsy.com/! and i don't think she's for sale, LOL!)

so, how's that for a first installment? next time I'll talk about setting up shop and PAID advertising, and how I'm not sure it's worked for me, :)

xoxoox muffin

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Adding Insult to Injury...

I've pulled my shoulder. And I didn't even DO anything strenous!!!! I had a good run the day before, and the day before that I had a great back workout... all I did was light a candle, turn to hear the husband talk and BANG!!!! Pop goes the weasel. It hurts to sleep, it hurts to sit, it hurts to do anything - much less crafting!!!!!! Oh well. It forces me to relax, I suppose - the husband thinks that it was because I spent so much time on the computer over the last few days that it happened... and I suppose it could be true.

I was able to make a couple of things to put up in the shop though, which made me feel marginally better:

Now if I could only sell something, that would make me feel a LOT better!!!!!!!! I'm thinking that perhaps I have too much in my shop, that maybe thinning things out might help - and maybe separating things into a high end line and a lower priced line may generate sales... but maybe I should wait until the pain goes away to do anything drastic!!!!!!!!!

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First Foray into Paid Advertising

Okay, I'm talking a lot today. But I made my first foray into paid advertising - not including my two (un)successful showcase spots! Everyone knows etsytools, right? well, they have a pretty great and non-threatening advertising program where you pay for the number of times your ad appears on their pages, NOT for just a block of time! Pretty great, huh? AND you get to design your own itty bitty ad!

Don't know yet if it will pay off - I would assume that most of the traffic is from fellow etsy sellers - but at least they know to hit the Paypal button to complete the transaction!!! LOL!!!!!! Plus I spend enough time addicted to the heart-o-matic, which is up and running over there, so I figure I owe them anyhow!

http://www.etsytools.com/ - check it out - or at the very least, check out my ad!

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