AAA Daily Chat March 3, 2015

[naturepoet]

Welcome to new members, welcome back to returning teammates! If this is your first time here - this is a place to ask questions, share your most embarrassing secrets, or just chat about the slow and boring bits of your day…we want to hear from you!!

Be sure to check out the discussion board. There are games to be played and threads to explore. The more you promote your fellow team mates, the more you get promoted, so be sure to participate on a daily basis. Check out our blog and our Facebook page, as well as the other links provided below.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
* Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/301427606658253/
* Etsy Calculator: salecalc.com/etsy
* Etsyology: www.etsyology.net/
♥ Online Photo Programs: fotoflexer.com/ or www.picmonkey.com/
treasurypin.com./ and editor.pho.to/
arwmedia.net/tools/pixlr_express.php
* Etsy Craft Tools: www.mycrafttools.com/
* Etsy Gadget: www.estygadget.com
* Craftopolis -Edit multiple listings: www.craftopolis.com/#com=ee
* Etsy Banner Maker: bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php?bnew=1&pses=1a256d05
* Craftcount - craftcount.com/teritory.php
* Google+ tutorials blog.kissmetrics.com/personal-google-plus-account/ and moz.com/blog/tips-to-use-google-for-s
* Chrome Treasury Box: brittanysbest.com/treasurybox-chrome-extension/
* Google+ information plus.google.com/communities/112658132414010568954
* Etsy team page: www.etsy.com/pages/aaasupport
* Check your keyword relevancy in search: www.tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Relevancy/Keyword
* 50 Reasons you're not getting Etsy Sales: www.handmadeology.com/50-reasons-youre-not-getting-etsy-sales/
* Betsi Lite: www.blugrin.com/ (make sure you click on Lite at the bottom of the screen, as that is the free edition!)
* New Category List: www.etsy.com/help/categories/seller#node-id-1250

Please don't forget to post in the AAA Support Team thread in the promo forum :)) www.etsy.com/uk/teams/21915/promos/discuss/15267796

Hi everyone. Well the storm is holding off until tomorrow night...at least the ice pellets are, so expect Brandon and I will be able to keep our appt.

How many of us are promoting in the Forums. I haven't done any for about a week and it is really showing up in my shop with a decrease of sales and views.

Wanelo, twitter, pinterest and the forums are my biggest promotions besides this team and one other. I spent almost 2 hours tonight, just promoting my shop. I'm hoping it will show an increase in sales in the coming days.

How are you promoting your shop. Do you have business cards? They can be left with a tip in a restaurant, in the beauty shop or barber shop, handed to people in line at the bank when you strike up a conversation. Leave them in dentist and doctor's offices and anywhere else you have an appt.

How does promotion effect our sales. As in a brick and mortar shop, big time. No advertising and no sales. So, be sure to take advantage of the free ways to advertise your shop.

QUOTE of the DAY.

"Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman - not the attitude of the prospect."
~W. Clement Stone

[RedRiverValley]

Good morning Mary! Good luck at your appointment.

I have been trying to up my promotion in the forums. I have noticed I get more views and hearts when I do. I don't have any sales that I can positively link to the forums but I think I have more sales when I use the forums.

I use social media to promote my shop- Instagram, Twitter/tweet eye and Google+. I also have business cards that I hand out at craft shows and put in ever order. A member on another team asked us to send her our business cards and she is going to put them in her orders so I did take advantage of her offer. I'm not sure how much it will help but I am willing to try. I need to take Mary's advice and start putting my cards at local businesses.

[HollyODesigns]

Good morning!! I'm having a big cup of coffee before getting out in this foggy, messy weather. Thank goodness my errands are short this morning......

I promote mainly on twitter, pinterest and instagram. I do have other social media accounts like wanelo, facebook and google+, but I tend to focus more on the first three. I'm not sure if any sales have come from them, however my views tend to shoot up when I promote on those sights. I keep thinking the more followers and action I get, the sales are soon to follow (fingers crossed).

Well I'm off to run those errands.... I hope today brings us all many sales!!!

[ItsSewYouDear]

Good morning team mates!

I got called into work early yesterday and pulled a double. Crazy traffic accidents here yesterday including a car that got burst into flames when a semi-truck crashed into it on the bridge. Needles to say that I didn't get all the RAKs I wanted to do done, but I will finish them up today. Thanks to those who showed my shop some love yesterday :) Much appreciated, I noticed this morning that I passed 700 sales, woo hoo!

Mary, interesting you should ask this today as I was thinking about the relationship between promoting and sales in my shop. I had a very good (unexpectedly) February in my shop and being busy, I hardly did any promoting. So who knows? I haven't done any forum promoting since October and I don't belong to any other promotional teams. But I do promote on Twitter and Wanelo. Post on my FB page and Instagram occasionally and pin my listings. I spend an hour a week on this, which in all honesty all I have at this time.

I do have business cards but honestly I rarely have them with me and cannot even imagine handing them to anyone lol. I am just not a salesperson lol. I find it extremely awkward to even talk about my business to strangers haha. Anybody has that problem?

Ok, I really need to get some shut eye for a bit and then I need to work on some orders to ship them before the PO closes.

Happy Tuesday all!

[naturepoet]

Candi, rest well. I remember pulling the doubles and it's exhausting.

When you get a chance check your staats for February. Best month for me so far this year.

[RedRiverValley]

Candi, I have that problem too! Which is why I haven't done anything like that yet. But I'm really thinking about checking out local coffee shops and places like Panera. A lot of times they have bulletin boards where you can pin things up. I think that might be a good start for to help break the ice with promoting off line.

[ZingRetroFinds]

Hi All,

Candi, congrats on the 700 sales.

I had been focusing on FB and Pinterest but have now shifted to Twitter and when I have time Google and FB. My priorities are creating jewelry, promotions, and getting into craft shows.

Like Sara, I put my business cards in every purchase and I hand them out at craft shows. I wear my jewelry a lot. When I get a compliment, I give out a business card. I think promotion is very important and kind of mysterious at the same time.

My newest piece: https://www.etsy.com/listing/224790495/assemblage-jewelry-upcycled-aqua?ref=shop_home_feat_1

More snow and ice expected here today. Oh well.

Have a good one.

[Former_Member]

Good morning! Interestingly enough, yesterday I put a lot of thought into marketing. These two shops on here are under my umbrella company which is our homestead: The Eclectic Homestead. I also have two acres that I work from and do events on and farmer's markets, etc. Of the property we sell eggs, veggies, fruit, milk, host classes... Etsy is just a small part of a much larger scale business on my end. I have several local businesses that cross-promote us (pubs and shops and locally owned restaurants) and we have a facebook page, instagram and pinterest. We are a permanent location to the Tipsy Gnome food cart as well so their events bring people in for ours and we in turn use them exclusively for our catering. We are very active in our local community and we find the best advertisement is networking and word of mouth.


I made myself a goal this month Etsy-wise though to make and list 100 new items between the two shops. I'm going to try even though we are also busy with planting, new chicks and gearing up for two big events this spring. But if I get four things a day listed... I'll meet my goal. So, hold me to it lol!

My first listing for today:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/224791695/crochet-baby-girl-flapper-hat-textured

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

I used to be reluctant to speak about the Cuddlies when I first started out, until I realised that if I didn't, nobody else would. It gets easier, the more you do it. Now I seem to do it - and embarrass my daughters when I happen to do it within earshot of them!!!

I usually have some business cards handy in my handbag, and have been known to hand one over while at the Bank, Post Office etc - but there's only so many times one can do that, if one uses the same place each time!!!

When at Craft Fairs, though, I've always had them placed at strategic spots in between the Toys on display, and at my last one - when accompanied by daughter Clare - I was quite generous in handing them out, because folks seemed reluctant to take one. Clare was particularly adept at walking around the hall and giving them to unsuspecting visitors at other people's stalls too - even I haven't gone that far yet - although it's difficult to be doing that, and watching the stall too, if one is on one's own.

Not sure that it's helped in local sales yet, but as the event was just before Christmas, and we've all gone through the usual period of people tightening their purse strings since, I can't really say. Certainly, I've benefitted from being a bit of a novelty in the area - and I'm about to send several of my Rabbits to the newly opened haberdashery shop in Kirkby, where I'm buying some shelf-space until Easter, to see what if any business that attracts.

I promote on Twitter (using Fivrr to help, and shortly my own Tweet Eye being set up by Fivrr. Adele's version gamely did it's stuff, but I really haven't done my bit, so it definitely wasn't as helpful as it has proved to the rest of you folks. Am hoping I'll soon get the full benefit of this service - which, since Christmas when I started with them - has really boosted my views (by up to 600 a day!). Am hoping to have a hand-held guide as to how to use Tweet Eye myself, and then see an even bigger boost. Certainly, I've had more sales since Christmas this year than before.

Also have a Facebook account - post about once a day, usually before going to bed and post all my Treasuries and their related posts to Pinterest and Twitter. One way or another I spend an awful lot of time - which really could (and should) be spent sewing toys, but there we are.

When doing a new listing - like this guy

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224788362/hairy-teddy-bear-coldhamcuddlies-faux

I also post on Google+ (several communities) and use my blog to highlight the new arrival - only with this guy, I've already blogged about him, so it will be interesting to see what if any reaction the changed routine may have.

My sewing had to be stopped early last evening, as my sole surviving leather needle broke on me as I was doing the second boot for one of the new Foxes I'm making. Needles have been replaced today, and I'm seriously thinking of seeing if I can do most of the boots with my sewing machine - which allegedly can sew through 4 layers of carpet, and I use glove quality leather, which is a whole heap less tough to sew through!!

Hope the appointment went OK, Mary. Sorry I missed the RAK's yesterday - got involved elsewhere, alas!

[Former_Member]

I just spent some time revamping our facebook page. Yay! And one more listing up.

Candi, congrats on 700 sales that's awesome!

Donna, that necklace is stunning!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224790406/crochet-baby-boy-hat-dark-blue-and-cream

[NaturalClocks]

Good afternoon team!

This morning I finally got around to take my Vax carpet cleaner to the shop and wash the carpet there, I tend to do it every Winter to get it ready for the new season, but being the procrastinator that I am, it's now March and well... better late than never as they say. These are the occasions when I'm glad that I have a small shop LOL!

I think that I'm the wrong person to talk about promoting, as I really do very little of it, I'm in your situation Candi. Ultimately it's all to do with the amount of time that you have available and how much of that time is taken by your primary job. Even though I don't have to open up shop in Winter, there is still a lot that needs doing behind the scenes which I don't get much of a chance to do during the year. If Paul was still around then it would be a different matter and I would have more time to dedicate to Etsy, but alas, that's not the case so I have to juggle what I've got.

The only thing that I do regularly is Tweet Eye, but even then I don't do it every day, I can go for weeks without switching it on. I did hardly any promoting in January, and it was a good month for me, I promoted more in February, and sales were really slow, go figure! I should really remember to go and post in our thread in the promo forum, the rest of the promo area, I'm sorry to say, it's a huge mess and totally off putting for me. Every time I go and look I run away, not knowing where to post, the first 2 pages change constantly and I struggle to understand how anybody can be seen. Maybe that's just me lol.

Ultimately, I personally think that some degree of promoting outside of Etsy is important, in whichever social media works best for you and your items. I've had buyers that registered on the same day of the purchase, it's difficult to say where they have found me, but chances are that it would have been through google, twitter, pinterest, etc. And of course, good tags are a must!

Back to work now!

[Former_Member]

Whew, I've had a long morning! I got two listings up in this shop too so that's my four for the day. Yay! Now I'm working on laundry and then creating. I put up new nesting boxes in the chicken coop I just built and re-bedded them as well. Turned compost. Cleaned the kitchen...

Hope you guys have a great day and happy sales!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224800895/flower-garden-necklace-shabby-chic
https://www.etsy.com/listing/224796184/plum-rose-necklace-purple-and-pink?ref=listing-shop-header-1

[Former_Member]

Salutations to all.

[GlensWorkshop]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I've been absent for a while again though I did do five RAKs yesterday. I've been preoccupied with socializing and RV projects at Key West.

I do a broad range of marketing and promoting including: here in AAA and a few other teams, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Wanelo, Google+, business cards, talking to anyone who gives me even the slightest opening and even having my shop set up on a campsite is promotional as many folks want to know what I am doing when they see my tools. All my email messages include links to my Etsy shop, FB page, Pinterest and Twitter account in the signature. Business cards go in all shipments of orders. New listings get shared to Twitter, PInterest, FB page, Wanelo and Google + as well as being posted to the AAA thread in the promo forum.

It's easier for me to put in the time for all this as I am retired so no other job competes for my time.

Here is a new listing just published today:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224813030/ballpoint-click-pen-handmade-satin?ref=shop_home_active_1

Have a great day everyone.

[naturepoet]

Lacey, you are one person that is busier than I am. Wow!!!

Love that first new hat. It's gorgeous.

[naturepoet]

Glen, you may be retired but sounds like you're working to me. Love your shop.

[DoorCountyVintage]

I have gotten crazy busy sorry for not keeping up with the today in history but tomorrow I'm posting 4 events for those who like that thread.

[naturepoet]

Love that thread, Chris.

[naturepoet]

A couple of new today

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224829055/bald-eagle-digital-downloadable?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/224824888/canada-goose-digital-downloadable?