If you have been following me on my recent journeys you will know that I've been exploring the world of etsy.com. While surfing the blogs recently I noticed that a fellow artist had a gadet that I found very interesting and extremely useful as a marketing tool. To the right of her blog was a Etsy Mini, which when the viewer clicks on one of the images appearing there featuring the artist's work they are taken to the artists etsy shop. For those of us that are just getting into the tech side of things in the effort to market our wares, this is a stroke of genius!
Now we can express our views as artists and if those who read our blogs wish to support us by buying our products they have but to click on one of our images and can instantly become a patron. You will notice to the right of this blog that I have set up my own Etsy Mini and I strongly suggest if you have an etsy shop to do likewise. "How is this done ?" you may be asking well I will give you the directions on how to go about setting one up. Go to your etsy find the etsy mini tab which is located at the bottom left of your page on the sidebar. Clicking on this tab will take you to a page that will explain to you how to set up your mini and give you all the options available for setting one up. All the work is already done for you it's a simple matter of cutting and pasting code another example of how convenient and easy etsy makes it to sell art on the Internet cheers to them!
As I have mentioned in earlier posts I will continue to let you know about the ins and outs of etsy as I come across them. If you have any tips by all means drop me a line I'd love to hear from you! Until next time...
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Co-Operation a Sales Assist
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately in regard to how we sell what we make and why often times people buy our works, not just because of the quality or uniqueness of the item but because of the character of the person that created it. Character can come through the art itself sometimes the honesty of the statement being made, illuminates the person behind it, as someone who truly cares for people other than themselves. I touched briefly on the comradeship that I felt among my fellow artists and craftspeople on etsy, now having had more wonderful experiences with these Ladies and Gents I've chosen to explore from a practical and humanistic standpoint why this spirit of co-operation is so vital not only on a monetary level but also on a spiritual level.
Most of us have heard the expression "no man is an island " well it should state no human being is an island man or woman. Everyone needs to feel that they are part of something if you think back to your school days remember how important it was to fit in with your fellow students? Some of you reading this may be students at the present time and need no reminder. Friends were a means to social survival without them you were an outcast. People who moved around a lot during their school years can relate to how it felt to be the new kid in town and it wasn't always a pleasant experience. But if you were fortunate enough to befriend a person with lots of friends it wasn't long before you felt at home in your new surroundings.
Personally I have always been more than willing to share with others my techniques in the various mediums that I work in. When I talk to people about the methods I use, some of them are genuinely surprised that I am willing to share this information why? The reason is quite simple some artists think that if they tell others how they do things that the listener may steal their ideas or style of creating. My philosophy is that no two people have the same finger prints therefore even if the person does try to copy my style they can never do it exactly like I do, they don't think the same way, it's totally impossible. They may come up with something that looks similar but it isn't from my thoughts. There are many people who work in the cubist style but they are not Picasso.
It doesn't matter what you do or don't know if someone really wants to find out how to do something a way can be found, so why not help them find what is needed. When I am helped by people especially those that I don't know I am very grateful and impressed that I was assisted, in fact if he or she was selling something I would be much more likely to buy from them than a guy who just ignored or refused to help me. Perhaps I may know someone who needed their services or product wouldn't I be much more likely to recommend the person who assisted me? Simple principal but a lot of folks out there are forgetting another saying "What goes around comes around". When good feelings are created a snowball effect is produced we tend to mirror back what we experience, often in the form of helping others. Great Stuff!
The other day I received what is known as a convo on Etsy this is basically an email within Etsy it can be from a prospective client or a fellow Etsian. This particular convo was from a fellow shopkeeper who goes by the name of FabricatedFamily Lori the owner informed me that she was including me in her treasury I convoed back to thank her for her kindness and lo and behold she sent me a very helpful note explaining how treasuries work and gave me links to the pages that explain how to make your own treasuries. Apparently these treasuries are a very good way to promote yourself and others on etsy and often lead to sales for both the participants in the treasury as well as the author of the treasury. Now who's name did I just mention in this blog you just might be curious to find out more about FabricatedFamily. I'm not going to tell you anything more about Lori or her shop you have to go and find out for yourself. See what I mean, "one good deed can lead", that's a fact!
Marketing your work is more than just selling any sale should benefit both parties to the highest degree possible and I think you know by now what I mean by the highest degree possible. So folks I think it's time we all got our degrees in the right places. If you want to sell your work on a consistent basis you have to care about others and what they need. As artists we can be of great assistance to masses we can help them find their eyes, ears and hearts. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper into our own hearts before we can touch the hearts of others. Till next time ....
Thanks again Lori of FabricatedFamily!
Most of us have heard the expression "no man is an island " well it should state no human being is an island man or woman. Everyone needs to feel that they are part of something if you think back to your school days remember how important it was to fit in with your fellow students? Some of you reading this may be students at the present time and need no reminder. Friends were a means to social survival without them you were an outcast. People who moved around a lot during their school years can relate to how it felt to be the new kid in town and it wasn't always a pleasant experience. But if you were fortunate enough to befriend a person with lots of friends it wasn't long before you felt at home in your new surroundings.
Personally I have always been more than willing to share with others my techniques in the various mediums that I work in. When I talk to people about the methods I use, some of them are genuinely surprised that I am willing to share this information why? The reason is quite simple some artists think that if they tell others how they do things that the listener may steal their ideas or style of creating. My philosophy is that no two people have the same finger prints therefore even if the person does try to copy my style they can never do it exactly like I do, they don't think the same way, it's totally impossible. They may come up with something that looks similar but it isn't from my thoughts. There are many people who work in the cubist style but they are not Picasso.
It doesn't matter what you do or don't know if someone really wants to find out how to do something a way can be found, so why not help them find what is needed. When I am helped by people especially those that I don't know I am very grateful and impressed that I was assisted, in fact if he or she was selling something I would be much more likely to buy from them than a guy who just ignored or refused to help me. Perhaps I may know someone who needed their services or product wouldn't I be much more likely to recommend the person who assisted me? Simple principal but a lot of folks out there are forgetting another saying "What goes around comes around". When good feelings are created a snowball effect is produced we tend to mirror back what we experience, often in the form of helping others. Great Stuff!
The other day I received what is known as a convo on Etsy this is basically an email within Etsy it can be from a prospective client or a fellow Etsian. This particular convo was from a fellow shopkeeper who goes by the name of FabricatedFamily Lori the owner informed me that she was including me in her treasury I convoed back to thank her for her kindness and lo and behold she sent me a very helpful note explaining how treasuries work and gave me links to the pages that explain how to make your own treasuries. Apparently these treasuries are a very good way to promote yourself and others on etsy and often lead to sales for both the participants in the treasury as well as the author of the treasury. Now who's name did I just mention in this blog you just might be curious to find out more about FabricatedFamily. I'm not going to tell you anything more about Lori or her shop you have to go and find out for yourself. See what I mean, "one good deed can lead", that's a fact!
Marketing your work is more than just selling any sale should benefit both parties to the highest degree possible and I think you know by now what I mean by the highest degree possible. So folks I think it's time we all got our degrees in the right places. If you want to sell your work on a consistent basis you have to care about others and what they need. As artists we can be of great assistance to masses we can help them find their eyes, ears and hearts. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper into our own hearts before we can touch the hearts of others. Till next time ....
Thanks again Lori of FabricatedFamily!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Etsy Excursions
Well as I said I would be setting up my shop on etsy, that's my excuse for not doing any blogs for so long. Etsy has so far been a great experience for me I'm learning a lot from fellow etsy artists and craftspeople and am very greatful for the assistance. My shop is now linked to my facebook page which makes it very convenient for anyone wishing to take a look at my shop another brilliant idea from the etsy team! I've also signed up on twitter but I'm still getting the hang of that, it takes us older dudes a bit longer to get into the swing of things.
The how to blogs have been very helpful to me with things like meta tags which you are allowed fourteen of. These tags help describe the item you are trying to get people to look at and must be chosen with a lot of thought. My advice is to try and put yourself into the head of a person who is trying to find something and imagine what they might put into the search engine.
There was a great blog on designing a banner for your sight which I have now completed and I don't think it's too bad for a first try, my photoshop skills are minimal. Your banner is one of the first things a prospective client sees when they hit your shop page it should tell the viewer something about what you do. If you are wise when you choose your user name it should give the reader an idea of what it is that you specialize in.
Generally I learn from looking at other sites that sell similar things to my own, that have been around for a while and seem to get a lot of views on their items in a short time. I look at their meta words the descriptions of their products as well as their profiles, all these things are what make for success.
I also feel that the more pieces you add to your shop, the better chance you have of being looked at. My strategy so far is to add items daily or at least as often as I can manage. Another thing I feel might be helpful is to vary the content of the works that are added such as photography, abstract, realism, surrealism etc. The reason I do this is because the more varied your product line the greater amount of search terms put into the search engines will apply to your shop.
As I said at the beginning of this post I'm finding my experience on etsy to be very enjoyable and look forward to many years of displaying and selling my work. Just in case anyone from etsy is reading this post I'd like once again to thank you for all your help. Cheers
The how to blogs have been very helpful to me with things like meta tags which you are allowed fourteen of. These tags help describe the item you are trying to get people to look at and must be chosen with a lot of thought. My advice is to try and put yourself into the head of a person who is trying to find something and imagine what they might put into the search engine.
There was a great blog on designing a banner for your sight which I have now completed and I don't think it's too bad for a first try, my photoshop skills are minimal. Your banner is one of the first things a prospective client sees when they hit your shop page it should tell the viewer something about what you do. If you are wise when you choose your user name it should give the reader an idea of what it is that you specialize in.
Generally I learn from looking at other sites that sell similar things to my own, that have been around for a while and seem to get a lot of views on their items in a short time. I look at their meta words the descriptions of their products as well as their profiles, all these things are what make for success.
I also feel that the more pieces you add to your shop, the better chance you have of being looked at. My strategy so far is to add items daily or at least as often as I can manage. Another thing I feel might be helpful is to vary the content of the works that are added such as photography, abstract, realism, surrealism etc. The reason I do this is because the more varied your product line the greater amount of search terms put into the search engines will apply to your shop.
As I said at the beginning of this post I'm finding my experience on etsy to be very enjoyable and look forward to many years of displaying and selling my work. Just in case anyone from etsy is reading this post I'd like once again to thank you for all your help. Cheers
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