Promotional Debate

This weekend, I opened MySpace.com and clicked the little link to open a new account. And then I couldn't bring myself to do it. For some reason, that site just bugs me. Perhaps it's because we already have one for The Simple Groove, and we get tons of spam, or perhaps it's just because I don't want to do it because everyone else is doing it. Ha.

I'm curious about this site as far as selling a product goes, especially for jewelry. Does it require a lot of maintenance? Is it something that has to be updated daily? Do you have to consistently add "friends" to get exposure? It seems that actively promoting yourself on there for Etsy-esque type products is significantly different than having a music page. Because honestly, between that and relisting on Etsy, posting photos on Flickr, updating messages and adding friends on Ning (Indiepublic and Everything Skwiggle), and acknowledging and bookmarking on Talent Database, I worry that I won't be able to keep up! My main focus, which supersedes promotional activities at this point, is to make new products and learn new skills. Do I need yet another site that will take up a block of my marketing activities that are carved out on my schedule? Yes--promoting is a ton of work, and I'm prepared to deal with it. But is MySpace really all that it's cracked up to be? I mean, if folks are getting sales from it, why not?

Please let me know your thoughts. I also have a poll

<----- over there.

I'd appreciate your participation and any comments you have.

The Business of Being in Business

Well readers, it's been over a month since I've opened up Simply Wired Custom Jewelry on Etsy, and I have details to report. Some of it good, some of it so-so, but let it serve as a guide for you if you decide to start this endeavor. This won't be ALL boring biz stuff, but it is important for new sellers to be aware of. What I will try to do over the next few days (weeks?) is provide information related to tips, practices, resources, web sites, etc. that are available to you. Some of them will be my own, and some of them will be from others.

Please keep in mind that I do not consider myself an expert at this point, nor do I consider myself to be a "successful" Etsy seller as of yet. Also keep in mind that some of you may be impressed with where I am a month after beginning, and some of you may not. That's OK--we all measure success in different ways. However you want to measure yours, let the information posted here help you along your path in some way or another.

Goals

First let's do a review of the goals that I posted for myself a little while ago. The reason I listed these on my site was because I was following Christina's Perdue's Blog, where she provides insightful articles and tips for improving your shop. I credit Christina's blog with starting to set things in motion for myself. Following along and writing about my shop, even before it was open, forced me to move forward and start actually thinking about things like "goals" and "marketing" and "branding." If you haven't been there yet, regardless of whether you have started your shop or not, you should check it out.

OK, enough of my rambling. Here is what I listed way back in early October (the 7th, to be exact), along with notes related to status:

October

• Open Etsy shop: Simply Wired Custom Jewelry officially opened on October 21
• List at least one new item per day (weekdays) after opening until inventory runs out: I think I did this, but it was hard to tell because I had some sales in there. Regardless, I did list a new item each day (except Saturdays). Now, I try to list a new item each day plus renew 1-2 items each day.
• Create new items while listing so that number of items in my shop is approximately 30 (may stretch to November): This definitely stretched to November! And, not to mention, when I listed this I was assuming that I wouldn't have any sales. At this point, I've had 15 of them, and I currently have 16 items for sale. So, add them together, and what do you get? 31! So, as far as I'm concerned, I met this goal.
• Update blog every day: I've done a fairly good job at this; however, I think every 2-3 days may be more realistic for me. I was finding that I was spending too much time blogging and not enough time crafting, which should obviously not be the case.
• Sell at least one item before the end of the month: Well, I didn't make a sale before the end of October, but I did have a sale within 30 days--seven of them, to be exact. So, I consider this goal being met as well.

Long-term (within one year): I'm not going to provide an update on status yet, as these were intended to be far beyond 30 days. If, however, you see something that you like, feel free to use these goals with adaptations for your own needs:

• If sales continue to be a success, purchase a Simply Wired Custom Jewelry domain name
• Begin metalsmithing techniques, and take a class if one is available near me
• Submit my work in a jewelry contest
• Evaluate success and determine if Simply Wired Custom Jewelry can become a significant portion of my income; if so, begin business plan for brick and mortar store (may extend beyond one year)

So, back to my October goals. How did I get to where I am right now? Much, much work my readers. And much more to come. Marketing and promotions is where it's at, and you have to be ready to put your time into it. Below is a list of activities that I've completed, are currently in progress, or are on my "To Do" list. The items displayed are what I'll be presenting in my blog entries in the future. If you see one that interests you and would like to see it presented sooner than later, do leave a comment and I'll be happy to post it quickly (also comment if you'd like to see something added; I'll write about it if I feel I can provide blog-worthy input):

• Researching
• Perfecting photos
• Participating in Forums
• Making the "Brand"
• Developing business cards
• Selecting promotional materials
• Determining packaging approach
• Joining social networking groups: Flickr, MySpace (to do), Ning (Indiepublic, Skwiggler, EtsyLove [to do]), Talent Database
• Blogging/blog directories (i.e., Technorati)
• Joining Street Teams
• Advertising (Project Wonderful, paid ads)
• Volunteering/Networking

...and that's just a start. There is plenty more, but it's 9:30 and I still have to edit some photos for posting. Stay tuned for updates on each of these and more...

"Six Things About Me"

Yes, fellow Etsy bloggers, I've been tagged. Cori (http://www.designsbycori.blogspot.com/) chose me as one of her lucky six recipients that have to list six things about themselves, and then tag six other bloggers. Being that it's almost 11:30 on a Sunday night, I'm not thinking too clearly. So hopefully I'll have this list ready for you tomorrow. It will give me something to think about while I'm working! Haha.

For now I can give you item #1: I'm in a band.

Yes, I'm a rock star. Well--er--sorta. I'm a folksinger in a band called The Simple Groove, and we play acoustic tunes for audiences who like to drink wine or coffee, smoke cigarettes (even though we're non-smokers), and listen to us in small little intimate settings. I'm the vocalist, and I write the lyrics and compose the melodies for most of the songs. Who else is in the band, you ask? Why, it's my brother, James. A very talented musician indeed, much more so than I, and he's pretty much the brains behind the whole thing. He plays the guitar and lays down the main guitar riffs for our songs. Anyway, I'm rambling about this now because I'm very passionate about it, but you can check us out on our site (mentioned above). If you like us, you should also go to The Simple Groove MySpace page and become one of our friends! We'd love to add you to our list.

That's all for now, I hope to have five more tomorrow, and I'll also need to dig up six bloggers to pass this little game on to.

Rock on,
Chelsea