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...

Time for an Update

Dearest readers, sorry for the delays in posting; it's been a crazy week and this week is only going to get crazier.

The holiday rush hit me much more than expected. I figured that since I didn't open until late October, I wouldn't be so busy around the holidays, but WOW WAS I WRONG. If I was any more buried, I'd be in serious trouble! Stay tuned for lessons learned from this holiday after the season ends. In case you want to get a jump start on things, check out littleputbooks's article in the Storque. I wish I had it much, much earlier!

In other news, I finished a few of my custom items. I posted some pics here for ya; click on them to get to my Flickr page. Note that one of them inspired my Back to Earth necklace, currently available in my Etsy store. I have two other items to finish before the holiday--a necklace, bracelet, and earring set, and a pendant for a trade.

Finally, I'm letting my stock run down until after the 19th, basically because most of my items are made to order. To accommodate my customers during the holiday, I built up my stock, but now they have dwindled down to almost nothing, and I have to finish my custom work first! So, after the 19th I'll have a near-full storefront again, and production will resume.

Also--just a note--I am probably going to close the store on December 24-26 in order to spend time with my family, get last minute things ready for Christmas, etc. In 2008, I have many ideas for many new items, so stay tuned!

So Much Info to Share!

Greetings readers. Much info in the world of Simply Wired Custom Jewelry today.

The first piece I want to share is my latest Treasury, basically because I'm unable to put up any new photos due to my lack of a camera (see my last post). It's titled "Get REDdy for Holiday Shopping" and it includes links to some of my faves that are--you guessed it--red. Yum. You can get to it with this link...but hurry 'cause it's gonna expire in about one day.

Next in my news: the All Things Handmade blog. littleputbooks and schOOLLOcker sponsor this one, and I'm a volunteer. Here's why it's great: It houses lists and lists of sellers' Etsy Minis, grouped by category. Us volunteers read the blog on a daily basis, and check the comments, which is where sellers request to be listed. We then upload their Etsy Mini, and woo! They get some promotion on the site. Sound cool or what? I know it does, that's why you should go there now! For quick reference, if you'd like to know more information, jump to these links directly:

• About Etsy Mini Blog


• Press & Media Information


• Add Your Mini Now!

Currently, I'm curating the Music and the Zines & Comics categories. I've sent out a few requests, so I'm waiting for responses and comments. Feel free to visit and leave a comment if your products fit within one of those categories!

Wow. I think that's it for now. Check in often for updates that relate to new products that I'll be releasing in my shop; I hope to get pics up on my Flickr page this weekend. I also bought some wonderful holiday-esque packaging materials tonight from Michael's, so I'm looking forward to my next sale.