competes with thousands of other Etsy jewelry artisans -- many, many more than any single craft selling there. How in the world would any NEW buyer find me there or anywhere online, really? So how can I SELL online if I don't get found online? The online effort has been very frustrating.
But there is good news ==> I'm finally confident in the quality of my jewelry, having been blessed with steady, enthusiastic purchases by locals who know my work. I'm so thankful for their encouragement & loyalty, as self-confidence in new crafters is in short supply. I do know that the secret to success online in the jewelry craft is to find a niche that is "different" -- but how? I don't ever want to give up making jewelry that most women would love to wear...
In search of "the different," I took a big risk a few weeks ago & gave birth to the Zany Lady collection, a major departure from my normal artistic inclinations! (See my post below dated 1/6/08 :) So Lady Bella & Lady Laura are now listed in my Etsy store as well as my online store local customers use, classicbeadwear.com.
BINGO! Thanks to 2 local Etsy-ites, a few hundred new viewers checked out Lady Laura overnight! One Etsy-ite wrote about the Zanies in her blog. Another created an Etsy Treasury of her 12 "most hilarious product descriptions" on Etsy. Treasuries get lots of visibility from Etsy-ites, and overnight my view-count went way up for Lady Laura. Views don't necessarily result in sales, but it's certain that no view = no sales.
As a result, a lightbulb went off in my non-marketing head: Networking with other online sellers is just as important as networking to get that desk job. Plus, the number of other websites linking to mine bumps my site closer to the top when Google, MSN, Yahoo & other search engines list the results of a search on jewelry.
Therefore, in the spirit of online networking, I will frequently highlight 1-2 websites per post that I'm proud to recommend. My links to them can only help folks whose work deserves recognition!
TODAY'S HOT LINKS:
a) Sweet Pea Cards & Gifts -- sweetpeacardsgifts.etsy.com -- handmade greeting cards, holiday cards, soy candles, knitting, & other handmade gifts. Well-made & attractively presented by a talented crafter. I especially like her Pop Up Christmas Tree card, a beautiful piece of engineering :)
b) Ugly Baby Shower Art -- uglybaby.etsy.com -- handmade shower art. Can you tell the artist is a part time comedienne? I mean, who'd celebrate ugly babies & create waterproof art for your shower wall?? Her shower art is as quirky as her sense of humor. If you want a gift for someone who has everything, I bet she won't have this! c)Shameless self-promotion ==> seattlebeadcreations.etsy.com -- Something quirky & fun for Valentines Day. Read about Angelina (aka "Lips")!
1 comment:
Good for you! I'm in the same boat, as you know, and have been racking my brain as well. I hope your "ladies" sell!
Post a Comment