Successful Bloggers

"Spring Picnic" Blaze Danielle

This weeks post is an interview by Blaze Danielle, "a university student who finds herself being inspired often and twirling much." Blaze's blog was one of the first I found on my enrty into blogland and I have watched it and her shop grow and grow over the last few months. Here is a sneaky peek into her world.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creativity:

I love to create. If I’m not creating, I’m planning on what I’ll create next. I love to make lists of ideas, take walks, and browse old dusty children’s books for reference and inspiration. Painting and creating allows me to make up a place I wish to be, and there’s nothing more exciting than that.

2. When did you start your blog and why? I started my blog (seriously) last year in November, after browsing on Etsy and peeking into other artist's worlds. There are so many amazing and beautiful blogs out there, that if you read too many, you've just got to start one yourself!

"Picture Taker" Blaze Danielle

3. How has blogging affected your business? I love blogging! Most of my sales come from amazing blog friends. It is a great way to stay connected with the crafting community, and it also allows me to share some of my life with friends. Blogging also allows me to see into other people's creativity, and I most always end up a customer too!

"Pink Morning" Blaze Danielle

4. You have a great readership, what advice would you give beginners for drawing readers in and back again? I think the best way is to keep people excited about what you're doing. I like to look at other people's blogs that keep me coming back, and I ask myself why I'm so interested. I think it is because I feel a personal connection to them, and because they are always into something new. I also feel that it is important to have a large percent of my posting be my own artwork. That way, my blog friends can get excited about what I'm creating. And lastly, I definitely think it's very important to have an aesthetically pleasing blog. If it is obvious that the reader put a lot of time into it, I think it will do better.



5. Do you have tips or advice to share that you have learned along the way? I have definitely learned that there is no shortcut for time, effort, and hard work. Sometimes the crafting business feels competitive and intimidating, but if one loves what they do, I think they can find that extra spark that helps them do well!

Beginners Guide to Blogging - 2

"Contessa- Camera and Coffee" by RSilver

Todays post is all about the importance of using photographs in your blog. Firstly I have to admit I scan down a blog and look at the pictures first and get a feel for the place and if I'm drawn in I will read and read on. It is great way to show little snippets of your work, life or surroundings and makes your readers feel like they are learning more about you or your products.

"Indulging" by afancifultwist

Another factor is that if you develope a style readers begin to recognise your photography or products through time. For me a great example of this is a fancilful twist. I instantly know by her style and wonderful bright colours that a image has been created with her signiture. (We will have an interview with afancifultwist soon, as she is someone I consider a Successful Blogger and she is willing to share some knowledge with us!)

There is some really useful information here at Smart Blogging Tips for how to load photos to your blog for typepad, blogger and wordpress. And we may get a post from our very own Stargazer29609, with some photography tips.

"Electric Roses" by Laura

I tend to use a mixture of my own images and Flickr. Always let people know when you have used one of there images and tell them where it is (a link). Always quote the image name and photographers name, and as a courtisy I add a link to their Flickr page, Etsy shop or Blog. Flickr is fairly easy to use, you can upload your own photos, join groups to add your photos and search for imges with anything as a title. I find it a great pool of inspiration. I had a bit of help when I started out and would be happy to help anyone who needed it.

Thanks for all your comments on the last post and if you have any ideas or things you want to contribute just leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Beginners Guide to Blogging - 1

This is my first post as a member of the team and I will be moderating the blog for the month of June. I have decided to use the theme of blogging to get us started for a few reasons. 1. I am addicted to bloggin now, between posting on my own one, hunting down new and interesting blogs and learning tips to increase my blog traffic, I am always thinking about blogs. 2. It is a great way to boost interest in what we are doing within the team and share our knowledge.

First image I loaded to my blog, a photo of a thistle from my garden altered using Photoshop

So, I'll get started and ramble less from now on I promise.

I started my blog in October 2007 after finding an interesting website while looking for information about illustration. I found this artists website with a link to her blog and from there I found lots of other really interesting ones and Etsy. I fumbled around for a few months leaving comments and making friends and thinks have grown from there.

Here are my top tips for blogging and increasing traffic to your blog

1a. Write and write often. Write about what inspires you, what you are making/ selling, what you have found other people making and interesting sites and blogs. Try and post a couple of times a week. People get put off if they link to you and head by to read what you have been up to and it is the same post from 3 weeks ago, people get bored.

1b. Decide on who you are writing for. Freiends/ family, or work. If you want your blog to be a promotion for your work, try and keep most post connected to this. You can make it really personal too, but think if you want potential customers knowing what you did last night!

2. Make friends/ post comments. This is how people find you to begin with. If you are using blogger and click on your dashboard then on one of your underlinded interests you'll be sent to a list of other bloggers who share your interests. Take a look at some of them and if you like what you see say so. Keep going back and maybe they will come and see you.

3. Have interesting post titles and tags. These are what get you found in searches. Keep them relevent to what your wirting about but think outside the box for catching peoples' eyes.

4.Submit to blog search engines. I'll be doing a post about a few of these over the next few weeks. But to begin with just google the heading and have a look at a few of these yourself. This way more people can find you and you are on the radar for the big search engines to see you too.

5.Add photographs. It makes it more interesting to look at and can keep readiners looking longer. Use photos of your work, what your making, things that interest you or things other people are up to. (If you are going to do this always ask permission from them and quote who took it and where you found it.) You can use Flickr too, here you'll find a bank of images you can use, but again send the person a message to let them know you are using their image. I'll do a post in this series about this later on.

6. Tell people about your blog. Anywhere and everywhere.Again look at blog search engines, or have your blog address added to your business cards ect.

7. Share your expertese. People love learning from blogs. How to's and tutorials are great for getting return visitors and again bump you higher in search engine searches. Here is one of mine for a gift bag.

8. Run competitions and Giveaways. Readers love this sort of thing. At the moment my reader numbers vary from 5 - 8 per post, but when I run competitions it jumps.

9. Ask questions. Get your readers involved, give them a reason to comment.

10. Have fun and be patient!

There we have it. Over the next 4 weeks myself and some of our other team mates will be telling you about lots of other blogging related stuff, successful bloggers, photography how to's, why we blogs, and maybe even a Blogging 101 surgery! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions about the tips I have and am using myself. But whats more join in and get blogging!

Joining the Arts & Crafts Show Circuit

You’ve signed up, you’ve been accepted, and you are all set to sell at a craft show! Or are you? What do you have to do next?

Equipment

The equipment includes items such as a tent (for outdoor shows), tables, chairs, standing racks, etc. First, ask what the venue will supply and what you must bring. Second of all, borrow, borrow, and borrow! The equipment you need for a fair can be very expensive so borrow if you can. Be creative! Your local church may loan you tables and chairs. Your Mom may have the perfect coat rack.

If you know that you will be doing many shows, here are a few tips on buying equipment.

· Purchase items at local wholesale clubs, such as Costco, if you have one in your area.
· Look at sporting goods stores. Their camping area usually has tents, chairs, etc.
· Purchase at the end of the season, if you can. A $200 tent with sides may become $60 when the season is done.
· Make sure all items are easy to assemble, fold up and pack away nicely.
· Invest in a good banner. Have it made or make it yourself. It should catch customer’s eyes, reflect your logo or branding, and be sturdy and weatherproof.

Displays

Here’s where your creativity should shine! Make your booth or table look fantastic and people will be attracted to your items.

Many venues require a table covering that reaches the floor. You can hide extra inventory under the tables. Use tablecloths, decent quality sheets, or fabric. Vintage drapery fabric makes great table coverings. Use pins and Velcro to make a tidy table covering. Adding a bright strip of fabric down the middle of your display can really brighten a simple (and cheap) white tablecloth. I use round placemats scattered on a white tablecloth, mimicking the circles of my logo.

Anything can be used for a display. I have used baskets, black metal tree sculptures, and funky wooden tiered baskets from Africa. If your items are extremely colorful, you may want to try all black for your display items. Vintage luggage makes a cool display for items (and an easy way to transport them, too). Break up your display visually by adding height and dimension. Fabric covered boxes and cake stands add height. Vintage bowls are interesting and keep small items tidy. Look at what you already have in your home and how it may be used for display. Scour flea markets and antique shops. Look at items for their display and hanging value. What can you create on your own? Your local garden shop or hardware store is a treasure trove of possibilities! Inexpensive clay pots or piping can be used in hundreds of ways.

Finally, place business cards, postcards, or other marketing materials in strategic places on your table. Also include a small notebook and pen for an email signup sheet.

Set up your display at home a few days before the show. Make sure it all works before you get there! Change items as needed. When you are satisfied, pack all the display items in a box or plastic tub. This makes set up so much easier on the day of the show.

Inventory

I only have three golden rules for inventory. First, bring enough to make the day worthwhile. You don’t want to pay $100 booth fee and only bring $75 worth of inventory. Second, bring multiple price points. Different price points make your booth attractive to lots of customers and may mean more sales. Third, try your best to match inventory with the potential customers. For example, if it is a fair with ice cream and face painting, I may not bring many silk wraps.

Make sure that all items are priced. Many people are uncomfortable asking for prices. If you have many small items at the same price, a clearly written sign near those items is fine. Small blackboards are great for this.

Create an inventory sheet before you go. This helps you later when you reconcile cash with inventory, as well as helping at tax time. Storing inventory in clear plastic tubs is a great way to transport and store items. As you need to restock during the day, you can easily see what is in each box.

Other Things to Remember

Bring snacks and water!! Food at many venues can be very expensive and eat away at profits. Bring some with you. Extra water is especially important at outdoor summer fairs.

Bring a friend if you can. Everyone needs a bathroom break during the show times. If you must do it alone, become very good friends with your neighbors. The crafting community is very supportive and you can usually find someone to keep an eye on your booth or table.

Do not bring your pets. Outdoor fairs may seem like a great place to bring Fido for the day but they are not. Dogs make messes, need to be tended to and may scare away potential customers.

Don’t forget what I call the “magic box”. This contains all of those items that you may need in an emergency. Load with items like tape, scissors, band aids, etc.

Next time … the third and final installment – How to Create Your Own Show.

Written by Beth
Third Floor Designs
http://thirdfloor.etsy.com/
www.3rdfloordesigns.com

What to put on business cards?

This is an example of the business card I ordered recently...
It does miss few details but generally I am happy with it.
Template from www.vistaprint.co.uk

In one of the recent forums I came across the question: "I'm trying to make some business cards. What are some things you put on your business cards to get people to your shop?"

I kind of thought it is an easy question as business cards are about attracting people but this means you have to think of when will you use them, whom will you give them to. I approach this subject from marketers, publishers perspective.

Your business card has to represent whom you are in a very informative, non-verbal and stylish way. The main thing is to keep the style and quality. Cheap does not mean good. If is standard that the more famous and important you are the less information you have on your business card.

There are few rules to follow:

1. Ideally the card should be attractive to keep and pass on to others (including something you would use, most used are calendars on the back of the business card). If you achieve this people will be passing your cards as interesting and useful pieces;

2. It has to represent your style, so an image of: what you do, your banner, logo, name of the business - just one of these features will be perfect;

3. Few words (very few 2-3) on what you do. Avoid general meaningless terms like "handmade", "unique", "beautiful", give more detail about what is YOUR product;

4. Your contact details: name, telephone number, shop's address & possibly link to your blog (if it is something you would like to show your customers. Do not overfill with information, leave the most important bits;

5. Not too much information but just enough to show who you are and make customers interested.

Have a look at the different useful links:

What makes a good business card? - advice and online discussion
Online business card - I use this web as it holds kind of self-updating business cards

General Business Card Guidelines - a simple checklist to start with