Thursday, September 30

Tips For Leaving And Getting More Comments

letterpress card. we go together like blogs and comments

Since the relaunch of my Handmadeology blog in early August 2010 there has been over 1,300 comments posted. Comments are the lifeblood of any blog. Comments build social proof and let you know as a blogger that readers are reading. Comments can also help your blog or site gain page rank and improve your Google search position. I have gathered the best of the best articles on blog comments. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 29

Save Time By Automatically Renewing Your Etsy Listings

The developers over at Statsy.org have just released their Clockbot. This new feature allow you to set up your Etsy listing to automatically renew.

The Clockbot utilizes the Etsy api with the new secure OAuth system (read about the OAuth here)

Here is a short tutorial on how to set this up!

1. Head over to Statsy.org and find the Clockbot tab. Click the login button.

2. This will take you to Etsy and ask if you want to allow access.

'Smoky days' by gemagenta

Coffee and Cream Date Night ... Minxshop $130.00	Necklace Mystic Smokey Quart... PoleStar $65.00	Cathedral Fence - Geneva - 4... photohale $8.00
SMOKE GRAY ARTISANAL WOOL CO... patriciaayres $535.00	Kimono - 5x7 print munieca $10.00	CLAIRE hand knitted cardigan... ovejanegra $90.00
SCULPTURE - RING EL PEDRERU mariagotijoyas $1700.00	Beige flower brooch emeeme $20.00	Diamond lace fingerless glov... skywatcher1121 $21.00
Two lines Cufflinks- sterlin... mujoyas $45.00	a skin full of poems dualchocolate $15.00	Love Writer Print / Cappucin... dekanimal $18.00
The Wind That Blows - Print myfolklover $15.00	Smoke - Mirrors Collection -... orglamix $14.95	Wide Mokume Ring with Random... DownToTheWireD... $75.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Tuesday, September 28

Embedded Etsy Pictures On The New Twitter

Twitter is rolling out the New Twitter to it's users. There are some great new features, and one that will benifit Etsy sellers! When you post a link from your Etsy shop the 5 pictures are now embedded right on Twitter. The only draw back to this is you have to use the long url you can't shorten it. Click the pics to expand and see a zoomed in view!

You can see that when you post a link to an item the price and the pictures show up. The pictures are clickable and link right to your item. When you are reading through tweets you will see a small gray picture icon when you click it the right column will expand and show the pictures.

Twitter did add a nice security measure. If you click on a picture from someone you are not following there is a nice warning that pops up.

What We've Learned After 5,000 Etsy Sales

Made In Germany 12 Gold Foil Dresden Butterflies

32NorthSupplies says:

We hit 5,000 sales a couple days ago and wanted to share a few of the things we've learned along the way. Some things are tried and true, others surprised us and made us wish we'd done them sooner...

* LIST OR RENEW THINGS EVERY DAY
Not only does it keep your store fresh and full, but listing/renewing a few things every day keeps your listings closer to the top of search results. Being at the top means buyers see your items sooner.

*GOOD PHOTOS
Most of us have heard it a million times but it couldn't be more true: good, clear photos taken in natural light that are accurate representations of how items look are photos that make sales happen. There are tons of sources and tutorials if you're not sure how to set up your shots that are all worth looking into (search the forums and the storque to start).

Taking advantage of being able to add multiple images to listings also helps sell items. Different angles and detail shots add to your listing and help give your customers an idea of what they're really looking at.

If you sell multiple colors of the same thing, consider including a color chart as one of your photos to show customers available options.

*RESPOND PROMPTLY TO CONVOS
Customers appreciate prompt responses. It shows you value them and their time and that you take what you're doing seriously.

*SHIP QUICKLY
We ship orders out within 2-24 hrs, the only exception being Sundays and holidays. Customers appreciate getting their items fast. It lets them know their business is valued and that getting purchases in their hands is a top priority. Quick shipping tells your customers they can count on you and increases the likelihood of building a repeat clientele.

*USE CLEAN PACKING MATERIALS
We're all about recycling packaging materials, and encourage it, but we never send out purchases in dingy or inappropriate packaging. For example, we recently received a purchase packed in a used food box. What should have been an exciting moment was instead became "Eew gross!" It's important that when a customer opens their package they're as excited as when they first saw it on Esty.

*DON'T GOUGE ON SHIPPING
Charging for postage supplies is more than fair, as is accounting for things like standing in line at the post office to mail international orders. But charging an exorbitant amount on shipping turns customers off. From the beginning, we've offered overage refunds for combined shipping on multiple items purchased. Customers appreciate and recognize fairness and will come back to shop again.

Read more here.

Giving important Etsy forum threads written by the Etsy community a second look, so Etsy sellers can Read, Learn, and Apply! Find more Etsy Tips Here!

Monday, September 27

Goals Written Are Dreams Achieved

Mini Goals Chalkboard - Perfect Day - Grassy/Mossy

Goals written are dreams achieved: There is something to writing down your goals. When you use a pen or pencil, you can touch and smell it and you are turning a thought into a physical object.
Goal writting tips:
1. Stay positive. The more positive your goals are the better. Work for what you want to acheive in your Etsy shop, not for what you want to leave behind. For example ” I didn’t make enough sales last month, I have to improve my sale” . How about “This month will be my best sales month to date”. Don’t remind yourself about what you didn’t accomplish.
2. Detail, Details Details. When writing your goals for your Etsy shop use as much detail as you can. “I will sell 250 items in the month of December.” “This holiday season I will design a new line of jewelry trees.” The more detailed you become with your goals, the more focused you can get. You will be able to drive your focus toward your goals and reach them!
3. Write – Rewrite – Tweet – Share – Blog . The more you write and rewrite your goals the better you will remember and work on your goals. Keep your goals in the front of your mind, the tip of your tounge, and the “palm of your hand”.

Take the Handmadeology Holiday Sales Goal Poll!

Sunday, September 26

450 Sales In The First 3 Months Of Business On Etsy. HERE'S HOW

energyshop says:

I’ve kept close watch of what works and what doesn’t since I started. Here’s what I know for sure:

♥ Give Stuff Away.

If you check out my shop, it will come as no surprise to you that I’m a real believer in karma. Share your product. If anyone I know personally shows interest in my product, they get a bracelet. I appreciate support in all forms. Before I started selling anything, I gave packets of bracelets to many of my friends. Their feedback was essential to my beginning, and it proved that I had a lovely little gift in each creation.

This reminds me of something written by Wayne Dyer, “When you say, ‘How may I share?’ the Universe responds, How may I share with you?” Let me be clear in that I don’t share for what I’ll get in return. I’m often thinking of someone when a new stone comes across my desk, and I love making a new bracelet with loving thoughts of someone I know. Having clarified that you don’t want to give just to get, here’s my point: Anytime I put an unexpected gift package in the mail, I see a huge increase in sales that week. How can you share?

Please Don't Leave Me Behind!!

'Please Don't Leave Me Behind!!' by ByYourSide2009

LOVELY Fall/Autumn creations by a few of my favorite Etsy shops!

Vintage Sarah Coventry Maple... WhimsyHouse $14.00	Handmade rockabilly dress 19... UnforgettableY... $160.00	Burlap and Cranberry Crushed... ThePineConeTea... $25.00
RED AND GOLD LEAVES DOOR STO... FromRagsToBags $15.00	Autumn Leaf Wool Cuff Bracel... jodifrench $29.00	Autumn - 11x14 Fine Art Prin... Lori411 $34.00
Autumn in Vermont Shawl - Lu... knittingguru $165.00	Tree Art Whimsical Blue Moon... hjmart $275.00	1 Inch Circles - Autumn Leaf... sabinesydney $3.00
Mom's Message Is Clear ... TemporaryInsan... $97.00	Hand Painted Silk Satin Extr... silkshop $80.00	All the Leaves are Brown... ChicDerFrosch $21.00
Organic Tree Dangle Earrings... kallastudios $41.00	Autumn Harvest Typography Wo... barnowlprimiti... $70.00	Oak Leaf TimothyAdamDes... $41.00

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Back To The Future

Retro McFly 88 Back To The Future T shirt

I am excited to announce that I have relaunched and revamped this blog! This is where it all started.

Make sure you check out the right column for all the connection and subscription options. You can also sign up for my newsletter and receive my Handmade Blogging Blueprint for FREE!

What do you think of the new design?

Daily Links - Facebook Tips - Giveaways - SEO

DOLLAR SYMBOL | by: compulsivecollection

A collection for those special boys in our lives!

Modern Mesh Belt Buckle TimothyAdamDes... $56.00	Free Worldwide Shipping - Bu... UnravelMe $26.00	Wood 6-pack with your person... RobertoSand $38.00
Personalized Children's ... lemondropstudi... $15.00	Happy Campers - unisex XL - ... SquidInkKollec... $25.00	Comic Initial Monogram Custo... peaceofpi $65.00
White and Blue Spinner robsspinners $8.00	Baseball Typography Word Art... barnowlprimiti... $70.00	The Ringmaster Print (ACEO) zypsiollia $4.00
Steampunk Jewelry - Tie Tack... CatherinetteRi... $65.00	One Eye Goofy Green Monster ... jodieflowers $12.00	Pin Up with Gas Mask on Bike... darkcyclecloth... $18.00
Black and Red or Red and Bla... ConduitPress $18.00	Square Bike Cufflinks Black ... TheCufflinkMak... $24.99	Stained Glass Business Card ... LAGlass $23.00