Playing with Twitter

Ok, by now you all have a twitter account and are sitting on twitter.com thinking…..what next?

Your next step is to find your target tweeters.  I can speak for Etsy sellers and say that Etsy sellers are the best Etsy Buyers.  So start looking for Etsy shops on twitter.

 For other online sellers, ask yourself, who is your competition?  What companies do you strive to be like?  That is where you want to start.  

This may seem a little cloak and dagger, but, you want to see who is following your competition, and, you want to follow those people!!  This will increase the chance that they will notice you too.  It is kind of like a Purse salesman setting up shop outside a Coach Retail store.  People shopping at Coach, will walk by and notice him too.  

I am currently not publicly endorsing any auto follow twitter tools, but if you google search “Twitter followers free”  there are a lot of programs out there to help you start following people that are either in your industry or interested in it.  Choose your search words carefully as most of these are free trials, and will end after you get X# of followers.  

Example:  Etsy Shops – Follow tweeters with keyword ETSY. 

Also, follow back anyone that follows you.  If you don’t, they may not follow for long!!  There are certain protocols to any social situation, social media is no exception.  Remember, you are the new chicks on the block.  Tweet Carefully.  There are rules of conduct.  Until you feel strong in your presence on twitter, make sure to mind your manners!

Addicted to Treasurys!!

 

TWITTER - Where do I start?

I am sorry about the delay in posting, but this last week has been SUPER busy.  3 birthdays in my family, including mine =D 

I didn’t want to start talking about twitter until I made sure I had time to get everything in.  I know people look at Twitter as a big monster.   It’s easy to say, “I don’t need that, I am doing fine without it.”  Or, “It’s too much work.”   But please trust me on this; you need Twitter if you are going to build your business in this new Global Market.  I am going to try and break this isn’t steps, so that you aren’t thrown into anything.  Once you have a few tools and learn a couple concepts, it really isn’t so bad, and it’s fun. 

Twitter is the marketing “Market Place” of today and the future.   If it isn’t happening on twitter, it isn’t happening.  Even major news stations like CNN and CBS are looking to twitter to find out what is going on faster and in real time.  People all over the world are using twitter to communicate and it's time to join the conversation. 

First things first.  

1.       GET A TWITTER ACCOUNT.  www.twitter.com.  

When choosing a twitter name, remember, this is for your business.  It is best to use your business name.   Fill in your Profile and other information.  Be sure to Link your business site on your profile page.  It will make it easier to find you.  When starting out, I would use your Etsy Shop Avatar as your Picture.  It will help people recognize your shop when they click on links. 

Ok – A little info about how twitter works.  When you tweet, only your followers see your message.  But, add “#” in front of a word, (lets use etsy) then anyone watching the  “#etsy”  topic will see your tweet.

EXAMPLE   TWEET: Come see my newest collection.  www.classickeepsakes.etsy.com #etsy 

The “#” is your best friend.  I make jewelry, so I add #jewelry and #fashion to my tweets.  Depending on what you sell, your #topics might be different.   #etsy and #handmade are good topics to start with for Etsy shops.   If you aren’t with etsy  - #yourtypeofproduct works great.

Now try out some tweets and play around a little with twitter.  Let me know how you are doing or if you have any questions.  I have TONS more tips on Twitter – Stay tuned!! 

 

Marilyn Monroe - Why Sparkle?

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved Marilyn Monroe.  I don’t know if it was her smile, her blond hair, or the sparkle in her eye.  I just know that to me, she was perfect.  She didn’t wear a lot of big jewelry, but she sparkled.  I wanted to be just like her.

Of course, I grew up the normal kid.  I didn’t stand out.  I blended.  When Madonna hit the music scene, I saw that same sparkle.  I know this dates me …..  But if you don’t have a badge, I am 29.  I bleached my hair; I bought as much jewelry as I could wear and then some.  I decided sparkle was in the way you carried yourself, the way you saw yourself.   The best way to sparkle is to be yourself, and in my head….I was Marilyn Monroe, Madonna was a nice excuse to dye my hair and wear a lot of makeup.  Truth is, the hair and makeup didn’t matter, and all that mattered was what was right for me.  I left the beige world, and decided to make my own way.  I know that most people have moments like this in their lives, this was mine.

Anyone can sparkle.  I blended, because I chose to.  Then one day, I decided to Sparkle.    As long as I feel like I sparkle, I do, whether anyone else sees it or not.  I know I quote Marilyn Monroe a lot on Twitter.  She had a lot to say, it was all pretty cool if you ask me.  My Favorite however is this….. “Imperfection is beauty, beauty is madness. It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous then absolutely boring.”  A wonderful Artist on Etsy made this amazing painting for me. Artistico   I have it hanging in my studio right in front of my designing table.

 What an amazing way to live your life.  I think we all need to do a little more Sparkling. Or – another amazing quote…..

"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle."
- Marilyn Monroe 

Back to the Grind

Social Networking - Marketing

I know it is easy to sit back and say – BAH – this is too much work.  But is it really?  If you could increase your sales by 50-90%, would it be worth the work?   Don’t get me wrong.  This is not an infomercial, and I am not going to make you a millionaire.  (But if I did, I take checks, cash and paypal – HA )  If you are selling dirty ole sneakers, then Oscar the Grouch may be your only customer.  But if you have a saleable product, you price your product appropriately; this will help your business grow. 

Long story short, to compete online today, you HAVE to do this.  Is it too much work?  It is work, but this is your business, and work is a part of it.  Start small, schedule 15 min a day to what will become your social network/marketing time.  Maybe just after your morning coffee, when you are fresh and full of energy….lol (yeah right)    Once you get the hang of it, it becomes addicting, and is most definitely worthwhile.

Jumping off my soap box and giving you probably one of the coolest websites out there to track your shop.  AND IT IS FREEEE !!   www.craftopolis.com  Go there, sign up, add etsy and your analytics and TAH DAH.  Your shops views in an easy to read format.  LOVE IT.  I check it 20 times a day……before noon.  Start watching what people are looking at in your shop.  Are there favorites?  When you relist items, is there a time of day that you get more views?  And how much are you making (Gross) each month.  Pretty cool stuff.

 

I am going to leave you with that, because you will spend the next hour or so looking at all the info on Craftopolis.  I will be back soon with the next step to …..hmm, I don’t know that I have a catch name for this yet…Well, I will have more advice soon.

I feel like Dr. Lara =D

Quick Break from Social Networking.

I am so excited.  I have been going to antique shops with my daughter about once a week.  We peruse through the isle looking at all these things that used to be someone’s treasures.  We have gotten wonderful things, from old post cards, and books, to long white gloves, and a cotton baby’s gown.

A few weeks back, we found a dish of these amazing glass orbs.  They were cracked and sparkled like we couldn’t believe. 

Of course, being the lover of all things sparkly it didn’t take much convincing for me to add them to our days finds.  Since then, I was able to find the man that consigned the vintage glass.  He had a whole collection!!!  Last week, he was kind enough to bring them by the shop.  I fell in love instantly.  Not only with how beautiful they all were, but the history, and the care he took with them all.  They have been so well loved.  After chatting a while, he offered me part of his collection……I was so excited, and flattered.  I told him what I had done with the last pieces, and he was impressed.  I only had 2 more!  I think he found comfort in the fact that something he had spent so much time on, and treasured, had become so many other people’s treasures.

The good news is….. I have big plans for some of the vintage glass I bought from him.  They will be featured in my shop, and I think you will like some of the ways I have used them.  The bad news is…..I am now addicted to these amazing pieces myself.  A lot have been set aside for myself >.<   Especially the one of a kind pieces.  Maybe someday I will make something out of them, but for now, they are amazing light catchers in my dreaming studio.

PS….. Part of the collection will set off sensitive Geiger counters, but I have been assured that they are considered completely harmless and safe >.>   My daughter started a facebook post about it and had over 100 replies in a few hours.  LOL They are excited to see her necklace when I am done =)  Of course I will share it with you too!!

Find out where you are at.

You have to start somewhere, so here is where I recommend anyone that wants to increase their business starts.

This probably seems a little silly.  You know your sales numbers.  You look at your page all the time, but there are other markers that you can check to see what is going on with your shop!  Some of this you may already know, if so, you can skip ahead.

Sales Stats

On your Etsy account page under Orders on the left side, is a place you can click and see what your stats are.  It will show you how many orders you have had per day, and how much in dollar sales.  The nice thing about this is, now you can look back and see if something you try to promote your shop works or not!!!  This is huge.  Nothing is worse than spending a bunch of time on something that isn’t helping.

Google Analytics

This is also available through etsy.  Google Analytics will tell you how many people have visited your shop every day, how many pages they look at, and what are your most popular pages.  They also have pretty graphs and stuff.   You can find this under the Options tab on your account page, then Web Analytics.  They walk you through the set up pretty well.

Etsy APPs

Lastly, at the bottom of the list on you accounts page is a section called etsy apps.  Some of them are REALLY cool.  Browse through and see if there is anything there that you think you would like, or could help you with your shop. 

If you have any questions about any of these steps, leave me a comment and I will help you!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week and I will be chatting with you all again soon.