Yay! My needle felted flower pendants have been featured on Cuteable!

I got a little email yesterday from Lynsey at Cuteable. It was letting me know that my needle felted flower pendants were being featured in a post. I am honored and thrilled! Thanks so much to Lynsey!

If you regularly stop by my blog, you've probably seen me post a few times by now about one of my felted goodies being featured somewhere. You may be wondering how to get your lovely handcrafted items noticed and featured. There's a great article over at Modish about contacting blogs to submit your work. It is a must read in my opinion and is very well written. That is actually where I got the idea to get in touch with Cuteable about my felted goodies, and they responded which in turn became a feature for my needle felted flower pendants.

If you are trying to grow your hobby into a business or just want more sales, it is vital to get your name out there for the recognition and free exposure. This means that you may need to take the initiative and spread the word yourself so don't be shy! Go ahead - send out a polite email or two and let others know about your quality handcrafted items. The worst that can happen is no response at all which is where you started anyway. And, not all of my features have been through contacting blogs and sites. Most of them come from those blogs and sites finding me first, but this is because I have a strong online presence and good product to offer. Essentially, it is a big marketing circle. Don't be afraid to reach out to site and blogs, but also do your best to have a good brand and online presence for them to find you too.

A Promotional Tip for Artists and Crafters: Using Social Networking Sites for Your Advantage to Market Your Etsy Shop and Handmade Wares

This is the second article in my Promotional Tips series. Hopefully you found my first article on Mailing Lists and Email Newsletters to be helpful in some way. This latest article on making the most of social networking sites for marketing is yet another way for you to increase exposure of your handmade items and thus increase sales as well. I know that there are a lot of varying opinions on the true business related usefulness of belonging to a social networking site, but I obviously think that they serve their purpose for promoting since I'm writing this article. In order to make my point, please read on to find some tips and resources regarding social networking and promotions.

First of all, for those of you that are unfamiliar, what is a social networking site? Well, according to Wikipedia, they are "online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others." Essentially, social networking sites allow people to come together and communicate with one another in an easy online format. You might ask how this could possibly be used for marketing purposes. There are obvious reasons such as making new connections with prospective buyers and getting your business name out there. For most of us, the small arts and crafts business owner, our biggest setbacks to selling can be the lack of publicity that our business receives; and therefore, the lack of traffic to our shops and websites. Many of you are probably in the same boat that I'm in when it comes to advertising and marketing budgets, and it is a very tiny boat with a lot of potential and little collateral. This means that taking advantage of free social networking sites and other free advertising resources to increase our business name recognition may be essential in order to grow our businesses.

You might be wondering, with so many social networking sites out there, where do I begin? I'd say that you should begin by doing some research about networking sites and about your own arts and crafts business. Hopefully, by reading my article, you are half way there and will know the basics of social networking sites. On the other hand, you really need to know a little about your business to be effective in using social networking sites. First, who is your target market? Age? Sex? Economic status? Etc.? This will help you to know what social networking sites might be the best choice and will make the most of your precious time. Next, what is your goal with social networking? Is it to makes sales? Most of us would say a definitive "YES!" to that which is certainly not wrong, but the true purpose of a social networking site is to make connections with people. These connections and acquaintance relationships are what can eventually lead to sales. Finally, is joining a social networking site worth your time? Time is precious, especially when you are a lone horse running your own small up and coming arts and crafts business. Let's face it, most of us would much rather be creating something new than on our computers blogging or posting or whatever else. Well, the truth is that being part of a social networking site is just going to take up a bit more of your precious time so decide for yourself if it is worth it you and your business endeavors, and if you'll like being part of a networking community.

So you've decided to join one or several social networks......... where do you go and what do you do? In my resource section below, you'll find a long list of social networking sites. Most, if not all, are absolutely free to join! There are many different kinds of social networking sites as you can see from my different categorizations. In my resource list, you will find some generic social networking sites as well as some specifically arts, crafts, handmade, or indie business oriented networks. These are not your only options though. Although it is helpful and fun to be part of an arts or crafts specific social network, being part of any network can be helpful to your business in some way. You might have a hobby that has nothing to do with your arts and crafts. Find a social network for it and join. You can always list your website and/or shop information in your profile. And, you also must consider when you join a specific arts and crafts related network, that you might be preaching to the choir when trying to promote your fabulous handmade items there. Not to say that you won't get some sales from it because you certainly can, but you are entering an already saturated market. Arts and crafts specific networks can be great places for information though, and of course, wonderful places to chat with like-minded people who will often times be an encouragment and guide you in your crafty business endeavors. Every kind of network has its place. I suggest that you pick and choose a few that will be interesting and helpful to you. Then you can also incorporate marketing and promoting your handmade items as well. And, If you can't find a social network that suits you or you just want one of your very own, then start your own social network through Ning.

Now that you've decided to take the plunge and network a bit through social networking sites, here's a list of ways to go about promoting.................
1. Be sure to put a good description of you, your business, and your wonderful handmade items. On most social networking sites, you will have your very own page and profile. And, don't be shy about it! Make it known that you have gorgeous stuff to sell!
2. Be sure to list links to all your online selling venues, website, and blog. You want potential buyers to know exactly where to go to find your handmade wares. List all the important links that you can, but don't go overboard. You don't want it to get crowded and confusing - just make sure that people can find your products.
3. Put an Etsy mini and/or slide show on your page. Most social networking pages support code that will allow you to put an Etsy mini and/or slide show of your items. Is there a better way to get someone's attention than offering visual eye candy? I don't think so! Don't clutter your page, but do add some tasteful product photos in the form of an Etsy mini and/or slide show.
4. Add the rss feed of your blog and/or shop. Most social networking sites will allow you to add one or more rss feeds to your page. You can easily copy/paste a little code to add a live feed of your latest blog posts or listed shop items.
5. Upload photos and videos to your page. If you have an option for this, make good use of it. It only means more exposure for your items. And, how to videos are a great way to attract attention!
6. Use your social network page's blog. Most social network sites offer a blogging option. If you don't want to think of new blog entries for all your social networks, simply copy/paste the same on each network or use your own individual blog's content to do so. Often times, when you make a blog entry, it will pop up on the main page of the social network, at least it does in many ning networks. This is great exposure!
7. Make contacts! I can not stress this one enough. That's a main point of being part of a social network. It is worth your time to continually add new friends or contacts. Most likely, each of those new friends or contacts will check out your page, and find your links and lovely item photos too! And, if they like what they see, they may tell a friend or two as well.
8. If you wholesale or consign, make it known. Fellow artists and crafters are not the only ones checking out social networking sites. There could be potential wholesale buyers as well. You never know when a great brick and mortar shop might find you through your myspace page or on indiepublic or another social networking site.
9. Try to get featured. Some of the arts and crafts oriented social networking sites feature their members. If you belong to one that does, find out how to get featured. Honestly, you may not be chosen to be featured, but it never hurts to try, and if you are featured, what great exposure!
10. Be helpful. Post in your social network's forums, but remember that you're representing your business so be professional. You probably have a lot of tips to share so start sharing!
11. Join groups. Most social networks have a variety of groups to be a part of. Be sure to join some groups that are appropriate to you and your interests. I have found joining groups to be quite helpful in promoting as well as learning valuable information from others.
12. Link back to your social network pages when possible. If you have a website or post in other forums where a signature line is permissible, link back to a couple of your social network pages. You'd be surprised to find how you can get new contacts this way, and it will increase your overall exposure too.
13. Take advantage of their site email and bulletins. Okay, so you don't want to be spamming your contacts, but occasionally sending out an update message or sale announcement is perfectly acceptable.
14. Your page shows up in google searches! This isn't really a helpful tip, but more a simple fact. By having social network pages, you are increasing your chances of showing up in internet searches.

Finally, you might ask "Are social networking sites going to really increase my sales?" The honest truth is that the answer to this question is different for everyone. It really depends on you, your specific art or craft, etc., etc., etc., but it never hurts to give it a try. For social networking sites to be effective marketing tools, it can take time and effort. You have to decide if it is a worthwhile way to market for you. And, if it doesn't work out, you can move on to the next online marketing option. Speaking of, be on the lookout for my next article in my series on Promotional Tips for online advertising.

And, for anyone who'd like to befriend me as a contact, here's some of my social networking profiles:
thefunkyfelter on indiepublic
thefunkyfelter on weloveetsy
thefunkyfelter on myspace
thefunkyfelter on workingwithfelt
thefunkyfelter on talentdatabase



RESOURCE INFORMATION

GENERAL SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com
www.poshmama.com
www.ladieswholaunch.com
www.stylehive.com
www.squidoo.com
www.twitter.com
www.teamsugar.com

ARTS & CRAFTS SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:
www.talentdatabase.com
www.getcrafty.com
www.craftster.org
www.deviantart.com
www.theswitchboards.com
www.artbistro.com
www.creativestem.com
www.smidge.ca
www.ravelry.com
www.feltingforum.com

NING BASED SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:
indiepublic.ning.com
etsylove.ning.com
workingwithfelt.ning.com
considerations.ning.com
buriedtreasury.ning.com
yourhandmade.ning.com
thecreativespirit.ning.com
indieluv.ning.com
howdoigetmyselfoutthere.ning.com
FiberartsMixedmedia.ning.com
marmaladepink.ning.com
doyouetsy.ning.com

MORE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES OF ALL KINDS:
List of Social Networking Websites from Wikipedia
FindaSocialNetwork.com as suggested by the Social Network Review blog


I'd like to know your experience with social networking and what sites you recommend and enjoy. Please leave a comment! Let me and my readers know what you think!


**The image is a screen shot of my IndiePublic page.
**I, the funky felter, do not endorse any specific social networking sites. I only try to provide a thorough reference list for you to decide for yourself.

A Promotional Tip for Artists and Crafters: Market Your Handmade Items through an Online Mailing LIst and Monthly Email Newsletter

When I started my blog a little over a year ago now, I knew that it would take some time to establish myself in the blogosphere, but I just assumed that eventually people would find me and subscribe to my blog feed. I thought that there would be eager readers ready to get my daily blog subscription - at least, eventually I thought this would magically happen. Well, now, after quite some time, I've realized when dealing with promotions and marketing via the internet, there's a lot of inconsistency and a lot of work involved to continually make yourself known on the world wide web. It is not a "build it and they will come" mentality that wins the race, but rather a "build it, rebuild it, build it some more" mentality that is necessary to just survive, and hopefully prosper, in internet marketing - especially for the small indie business person without a large budget to back them up.

With that in mind, I've tried a lot of different promotional and marketing avenues online. I'm planning to present some free or cheap ways to market online in the next couple of weeks as a short series on internet promotional tips. And, I'll be the first to admit that I'm no expert; there are many more experienced artists and crafters out there who've been around the block many times promoting and marketing their handmade items online and elsewhere. I have simply learned through much trial and error and am still learning this way, but I thought that perhaps some of you could benefit from my personal efforts in the building and rebuilding process. The first of these internet promotional tips is on developing a mailing list and sending a monthly email newsletter. This is something that I am in the midst of doing myself to help build my little indie felt business.

Like everything else that I want to apply to my business marketing or promoting, or any other area of my business really, I do a lot of research. I read forums and online articles and check out library books too. Hopefully I can pass along what I've found about mailing lists and monthly email newsletters so that you can benefit too. I freely admit that I'm a list person or a steps person when it comes to info so below you will find a listing of information about mailing lists and newsletters along with some helpful links and online resources as a follow-up. And, feel free to add your two-cents worth of info too in the comments.


So What is Involved in a Mailing List and Email Newsletter?
The Definition: As defined by Wikepedia.org, a mailing list is "a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients." This is the original definition of a mailing list, but with the development of our digital age and the involvement of the internet in marketing, the mailing list that I am referring to is strictly an electronic mailing list or list of email addresses. Once you have even a small mailing list, you can begin using it for email marketing of your arts and crafts business.
Newsletter Frequency: One way to use your mailing list effectively is to send a monthly or bimonthly newsletter. Of course, you can send a newsletter or promotional emails as often as you like, but you don't want to annoy subscribers or take out the element of surprise by sending email updates too often.
Newsletter Content: Your email newsletter contents can be whatever you decide, but here are a few suggestions of what to include: new available items, upcoming events, some personal tidbits, how to's and tips, discounts and promotional codes, and contests. Keep in mind that your email newsletter is a means of communication between you and your customers or potential customers, and the content should reflect that relationship. It is also good to express a bit of your personal side too since you do not want to come across as someone who just wants to sell, sell, sell! You want those who subscribe to your newsletter to know that you are a warm and welcoming handmade artist or crafter who takes pride in their skills and unique items.
Newsletter Format: Your newsletter can be presented in a simple text format or a more complicated text/graphics format. If you sign up for a mailing list and email newsletter service, that service will most likely provide some email templates for you to use in constructing your newsletter along with instructions on how to use the templates. Otherwise, you can make a well organized, text only email newsletter on your own with very little effort.
Just a really great example to share.......... I subscribe to CJ Kopec Creations' newsletter and just love it! It is a monthly newsletter that is interesting and very well organized too. Since the newsletter is primarily fiber art related and nicely presented, I always look forward to reading it. If you're interested in subscribing to a really nice newsletter by a fellow artisan, check out the shop announcements at CJ Kopec Creations on Etsy.

The Technicalities of a Mailing List and Email Newsletter:
You could keep track of a mailing list yourself by storing all the email addresses and adding and removing emails addresses as subscribers opt-in and opt-out of your newsletter, but this seems like a lot of tedious work to me and a bit more technical than I personally want to deal with. Unless you want to organize the list yourself, you can go through a mailing list service that will keep track of your email subscribers and their activity. Most mailing list services will also provide statistics pertaining to the effectiveness of your email newsletters or other email promotions. And, the service will most likely have easy-to-use templates to help you set up your monthly email newsletter.

I have made a small directory of mailing list and email newsletter service providers in the resource information section below. Each one offers slightly different options and most of them charge some kind of fees. The only totally free service that I have come across is through Bravenet.com; it also came highly recommended in the Etsy forum. Two other services that came highly recommended in the Etsy forum are ConstantContact.com and MailChimp.com. Although they both have trial periods, they are not totally free services, but their prices seem very reasonable. (Please note that I am not endorsing any service, but merely passing along information for you to decide what the best solution is for you.)

Getting New Signups for your Mailing List:
1. First of all, be honest. Don't signup anyone without their permission! It is called spam when you send unwanted emails, and there are laws against it. With an inexpensive, or even free, mailing list service, there are clear directions for a person to opt-in or opt-out of a mailing list at any time.
2. Advertise your mailing list signup on your blog and/or website. Make sure that your blog and/or website have a link or directions on how to sign up for your mailing list. You might also state the benefits of signing up (such as tips and promo discounts) as well as the frequency of your emails (such as once monthly or bimonthly). This way subscribers will know what to expect when signing up.
3. Also advertise your mailing list signup option in your Etsy shop or other online shop venues. Put a signup message in your shop announcements and profile as well as in your message from seller when an item is purchased. Be sure to comply with site rules though, whatever shopping site that you are on. According to Etsy's Privacy Policy "without express consent from the user, you are not licensed to add any Etsy user to your email or physical mail list" so do not automatically put a buyer's email address on your mailing list, but do make the option readily available to buyers and other shoppers who may be interested in signing up willingly for your newsletter subscription.
4. Offer an incentive for signing up. Besides disclosing that your email newsletters will contain discounts or promotional specials, you might also do a contest to entice more mailing list signups. You might offer a chance to win a gift certificate or shop item for signing up. This could be a weekly or monthly contest on your blog or website with one winner being chosen from that time period's mailing list signups or all your mailing list signups up to that point.
5. Put your mailing list sign up on your business cards and other printed promotional materials and packaging. Add a simple line of text to let buyers and potential buyers know how to be added to your email newsletter list.
6. Add a note about your mailing list signup on all your social networking sites and other online promotional spots. This means sites like myspace, facebook, indiepublic, weloveetsy, talentdatabase, and more. Wherever you have a presence on the web that allow promoting your handmade items, make your mailing list known and how to sign up for it. Be sure that you don't break any site guidelines in the process though.
7. Add a mailing list link signup in the signature of your emails. If you have an easy signup page integrated into your website or a signup option on the side bar of your blog, put a little blurb about it in the signature of your emails along with a link.
8. Give buyers at craft shows and art fairs the option to sign up. Bring a notebook or journal with you to public venue shows so that interested passer-bys and customers can sign up for your mailing list. You could simply ask for their email address to add to your email newsletter list, or you could ask for a physical address as well if you plan to ever send out printed promotional materials. If you are using a email list service, be sure to let signups know that they will receive a confirmation email to opt-in once you add their information to your list.

The Purpose and Importance of Developing a Mailing List:
1. To encourage repeat customers through consistent contact.
2. To pass on important information about your art/craft, your shop, etc.
3. To offer regular discounts, specials, or contests on a weekly, bimonthly, or monthly basis.
4. To present yourself as a real human being to your buyers and potential buyers, and thus build an ongoing relationship with them.
5. To develop and expand your promotional and marketing resources through a customer base that has expressed an interest in your items already.



RESOURCE INFORMATION:

Mailing LIst and Email Newsletter Service Providers:
bravenet.com (totally free service!)
constantcontact.com (free 60 day trial)
mailchimp.com (free sign up & pay as you go option)
emailbrain.com (free one month trial)
verticalresponse.com
mynewsletterbuilder.com
campaignmonitor.com

Other Great Articles on Getting Started:
Why You Should Start an Emailing List by AlwaysAmy
Creating an Effective Newsletter on the SurvivingEtsy Blog
How to Start an Email Newsletter on HowToDoThings.com
Starting Your Own Newsletter or Ezine on TheSiteWizard.com

Articles on the Legalities, Statistical Info, and More:
6 Simple Savvy Small Business Email Tips
Why do Email Marketing? from Email-Marketing-Reports.com
The CAN-SPAM Act: Requirements for Commercial Emailers from the Federal Trade Commission



* If you'd like to subscribe to my new monthly email newsletter for the latest news, tips, and discounts, please click here and provide your name and email address. You will receive a confirmation email to opt-in shortly thereafter.

**I, the funky felter, am not affiliated with, nor do I endorse any of the resource information. It is provided to inform my readers so that they can make their own educated choices.

Advertising now available on my blog! Buy an ad spot today through ProjectWonderful!

After using ProjectWonderful for a while as a means to advertise on other's sites and blogs, I've finally decided to place some of their hosted ad spots on my blog as well. I've also made them available for pennies to start out with. If you don't know about ProjectWonderful, it is a advertising oriented site where you can create your own account to bid on ad space at a variety of sites and blogs. You can also use it to place ad space on your own site or blog and profit from your ads. My goal is not really to profit though, but rather to fund advertising through ProjectWonderful on other sites and blogs. This creates a happy little cycle of advertising for my website without a lot of upfront expense. I highly recommend checking out ProjectWonderful to those artists and crafters who are on a smaller advertising and marketing budget. It is a great, inexpensive way to gain exposure for your blog, personal site, or Etsy shop.

As for my blog, please scroll down the left side bar to see what ad spots are available. I much prefer to approve ad spots for independent artists and crafters and plan to give them preference, but much of it will depend on the bidding itself. Right now ad space is only pennies a day! Since it is hosted through a bidding based site, the prices can fluctuate, but you always have the choice whether to bid or not. I may eventually place some ad spots on my personal website as well, but I'd like to see how it goes here first. It seems though, so far so good.