Sponsor Spotlight & Promo Tactics

So, that lovely little blog, Modish, has advertising opportunities where you can buy a spot for an ad as well as be included in the Modish Sponsor Spotlight. The wonderful Jena put up the Sponsor Spotlight: Simply Wired today. I like how she went with the pink theme! I've been loving that color lately. I'm hoping it will drive some traffic to my Etsy storefront.

In other news, have you heard about Indiepublic? I was sad to hear that it is for sale, but I hope a wonderful buyer will snag it up! I have an ad on their site, too--at a pretty reasonable rate, to boot.

That brings me to a recent discussion on Etsy about marketing/promoting/advertising, posted by littleputbooks. She asked about the "free" promotion activities that we all participate in, and whether or not they're worth it...and whether or not we're all chasing our tails. I have to say that when I first started hanging out in the Etsy community back in June, I hung out a LOT in the Forums. And I mean a LOT. And then when I set up my shop in October I STILL hung out in the Forums, and then I joined things like Indiepublic, Everything Skwiggle, and Talent Database. I already had my Flickr account set up, so I hung out there quite a bit as well. I also set up Simply Wired Custom Jewelry: The Blog. It was quite a bit of work, but I didn't mind.

Then I started realizing that I'd need to back off a little bit for several reasons:

1. I wasn't creating enough. Too much of my focus was being spent on marketing.


2. I think I really was running around in circles and chasing my tail.


3. When the holidays came I was really busy filling orders, and I realized that it was much more fun than doing all of these promotional activities.

My solution was to change my marketing plan and determine what activities to focus on. Aside from shifting focus to creating more inventory and working on metalsmithing techniques, I've narrowed my marketing plan down to the following:

1. Relist often. Very often. With the amount of new sellers, as well as how saturated the jewelry category is, I've found I can afford to relist about 6-10 times a day.


2. Keep the blog. I like to write, and I like to read other blogs.


3. Keep my Flickr account. I like to post pictures and I like to look at other people's work. What's nice about Flickr is that you're not really allowed to blatantly promote, so it kinda keeps the community focused on giving feedback to others without saying "look at me!! look at me!!" I dig it.


4. Continue to be a volunteer for The Etsy Mini Blog. It's a beautiful site that promotes Etsy sellers and their products, all conveniently placed in one location. It's like a high-end shopping guide! And yes, I'll plug it here--it's free to join, and yes, it's free promotion for your shop. So, go there now and join--it's fast and easy.


5. Use paid advertising if the budget allows. I use Project Wonderful and I've paid for spots on Modish as well as Indiepublic. I will probably rotate the sites I choose to place my ads on, but the effort is low and it does increase traffic.

So what will become of this new plan? I don't know...but does anyone? For every single seller there will always be a different strategy depending on your product, your market, and of course--your budget. My sales haven't been through the roof, but my views have increased significantly. I have also been featured in a Treasury at least once a week for the past couple of months, which is very flattering (thank you, beautiful Etsy Treasury Curators!), and Paint It Pomegranate made it to the front page. Wheeeeeeee!

Looking forward, I'm excited to be creating more than sitting in front of my computer. I'm interested in re-examining my goals and seeing where I am versus where I thought I'd be at this point. We shall see...

Showcase Results and Promotional Activities

Well, as promised, I mentioned that I'd put some stats on my page regarding the Showcase. I purchased a spot in the Springtime one; alas, no sales, but I did get some good counts. Here's the breakdown:

• At 11:30 p.m. on 3/4/08 (1/2 hour before the showcase began, I had 2630 views (this is the total of all items; I didn't do a per-item view count).
• At 7:28 a.m. on 3/6/08 (I didn't have time to check after midnight; too sleepy!), I had 601 additional views.

So...what does this mean? Nothing really. LOL. It just shows the amount of increased traffic I'm bringing to my site as a result of being in the Showcase. On average, in a 24 hour period, I get about 100-200 views, dependent upon how many times I relist. Honestly, I use the Showcase as exposure more than anything. It puts my products out there, gets people to see what I have to offer, and hopefully those views will eventually turn into sales later, or at least a couple of hearts (I know, they don't really mean anything either, but I love getting them!).

Speaking of views, I reset my counter yesterday evening, and about an hour later I had approximately 300 more views in my shop. The verdict? I made it to the Etsy front page. This was exciting, as it never happened before. The lovely FuzzyBunnyStew put together a Treasury called Persephone's Pomegranates and she featured my brooch in it (hurry up and check it out--it expires tonight!).

There it is, right in the 2nd row. Yeehaw!

So yeah, if you're looking to get lots and lots of views, try to make it to the front page. It resulted in about 800 in less than two hours!

Now for more exposure--I'm in the process of doing some more advertising. As mentioned, I'll have an ad on Modish beginning on March 15th. I'll also be spotlighted, which will of course enable me to run a sale in my shop, so be sure to go there beginning on 3/15 (don't worry, dear readers, I'll remind you!). I also did a Project Wonderful bid for an ad on EtsyLove. If I'm the high bidder, I'll be on there beginning mid-april.

And finally, I came up with a springtime theme for some earrings--incorporating some peridot and some yellow citrine. I hope to have the contest and the earrings posted today sometime, at the latest tomorrow.

In the Mist Bracelet

In the Mist Bracelet
Originally uploaded by Simply Wired Custom Jewelry

Finally finished! This is the piece that accompanies the In the Mist Lariat; there are also earrings that will go along with the set (to be posted in my shop in about an hour or so).

I'm applying a special to these items--you can save $5.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the earrings, save $7.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the bracelet, or save $10.00 USD if you buy the lariat with the bracelet and the earrings.

Also coming soon will be the final Bizzy Buzz necklace (recall I had to rewrap the focal bead; it's done, but I still need to photograph it), as well as some new labradorite earrings and a new Earth Coils pendant.

I've been a busy, busy girl trying to create new stuff and get it ready for sale; I'm also going to be doing some traveling in March so I want to be sure my shop is well-stocked. On top of that, although I missed the opportunity to purchase an ad for Craft magazine through Etsy's Cooperative Advertisting Program, I did purchase some space on Modish--which will be up and on display on March 15th.

More to come ya'll...but it's Monday and I'm tired and I still need to package up some orders. Nighty night.