Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Black Friday Cyber Monday Deals on Etsy

So the biggest shopping weekend of the year is upon us!!  This Friday the 26th through Monday the 29th will be huge sales and deals throughout the internet.

I hope that many of you will be doing the majority of your shopping through Etsy to find the most unique handmade gifts.  Most shops are more than willing to customize pieces or do a special order just for you, all you have to do is ask!

There is a network of shops in the Promotional Frenzy thread that will all have deals this weekend, so I hope you will consider one of these shops.  You can find their shops in the list of shops on to the left of this blog post.
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My holiday deals start TOMORROW, Thanksgiving and will go through Monday Midnight EST

20% off of any item except rings!!  (These items will automatically be marked down on 11/25)

OR

If you are buying rings BOGO - Buy 1 ring, receive the 2nd of equal or lesser value at 50% off.
(To receive the discount, you put both rings in your cart and checkout.  Then you pay through paypal and I will refund the difference to you.)  


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Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Janet
http://www.galla15.etsy.com/
http://www.trinketsnwhatnots.com/

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Promotional Frenzy BNR Mondays!!

It is that time of week again!!!  Monday, November 15th is our next Buy and Replace Treasury (BNR) for our Promotional Frenzy Thread.

Last week we had 79 sales in one day!!!  Our goal is 100 sales this time!

Please help blog this, tweet our BNR, use stumbleupon, and tell your friends.

Cinnamon Promotional Frenzy BNR
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cdfda0f3c4f8eefc115d766/cinnamon-promotional-frenzy-bnr

THIS TREASURY WILL OPEN AT 4PM EST, THE LINK WILL BE LIVE THEN!

The treasury is 4pm Est (etsy) time until 1am. 

Here is a list of the featured members:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapopotamus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lhconfections

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Giftbearer

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cathydailey

http://www.etsy.com/shop/galla15

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KMKnitDesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeadowSky

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Funkyarns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/soonerdesigner

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellesGems

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCaramelJar

http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapysoaps

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TurtleXIII

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunnyCrystals

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bijouxpaperie
http://www.etsy.com/shop/burnabe3

Please come out and help chat, have fun... and maybe even find some holiday gifts!

Janet
http://www.galla15.etsy.com/
http://www.trinketsnwhatnots.com/

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Saturday Special Event: Selling A Story

Lately, Etsy has been emphasizing the importance of each artist creating a mood/story with their descriptions.
To separate my product from the millions on Etsy I have to find a way of expressing the story behind each piece.

A wonderful storque article describes in detail the difference of describing an item as a "thing" or telling a story.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-to-sell-your-story-with-johnny-b-truant-10899/

For our thread on Etsy we are going to help each other think outside of our boxes.  Each of us will get to write one description for another shop in our thread!  Obviously you may not be familiar with my product, or the specific materials required to make it, or even the keywords that are important to my category.....
But the idea is for us to see our products from our customers perspective.

How do you view my item?  What stands out to you?  Can you picture it in a wedding, baby shower, on a beach vacation?  What vision comes to mind when you see my item?

One shop on our thread:  http://www.crochetedbycharlene.etsy.com/



She makes a lot of animals by hand, crocheted... and she always comes to the thread and asks for help naming them.  I could never put a name to my creations, but for some reason I can look at one of her items and immediately get an imagine and name.  The bear above reminded me of Jack of all trades because he has so many colors in him.  It is easier sometimes when we aren't so attached emotionally, so let's help each other get a fresh view on our products.

Let's take our shops to the next level!!!

Saturday night 9pm EST (etsy time) in this thread:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6663721&page=609

You have to check in Saturday with the thread and put one item onto the list that you want help writing for.  We will spend 30-60 minutes writing, exchanging ideas etc.  I will assign each person ONE item to do Saturday night.  Have fun with this, and help create a backstory that will SELL our products!

Thanks.
Janet
http://www.galla15.etsy.com/
http://www.trinketsnwhatnots.com/

Friday, November 5, 2010

Tagging Help!

What is tagging? 

Understanding tagging and the importance of tagging can help you become more visible.
Tagging on Etsy and many websites is a way to attach keywords to your listing.  The tags are mainly used for the internal search engine of each site.  Meaning your tags are for people using Etsy's search engine, not google or other search engines.  Although it is said the top few tags can pop up on external search engines such as google.  TAGS are important in your listings but also in your treasuries.  Remember tags are how you will be found within Etsy.

So what does this mean for you and your shop?

The holidays are upon us!  Shopping is happening now, so it is important to get your shop as visible as possible now!



You need to figure out what do your potential customers search for? What words do they use to find the product you are selling? 
I have this article on the etsy storque bookmarked and use it for almost every listing I make.  It is extremely helpful in getting your mind working on descriptions you may not normally think of.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/seller-how-to-tag-o-rama-with-descriptive-keywords-5474/

I would highly recommend that you use as many colors and shades of those colors as tags.  Use foods that are commonly associated with a color, like red could also be Strawberry and sounds so much more appealing doesn't it?  One advantage to including colors is that you will usually be put into more treasuries on Etsy.  Most people think of a treasury theme, based upon colors, so your tags help people find your items to put into treasuries.  Treasuries mean more exposure and the possibility of a front page feature even!!

A few tips
1.  Use all 14 tag slots.  Each tag is another avenue for your customers to find you!!
2.  Don't repeat words.  For instance if you say swarovski crystal in one tag, you don't need to put crystal into another tag.  It is a waste of one of those precious slots because you will already be included in a crystal search since the word crystal was used with "swarovski crystal".
3.  Include your shop name in a few tags, this way if someone tries to search for you at least a few items will pop up in the search
4.  Vary your tags from listing to listing.  Even if you have 20 cards of similar technique and materials try to use a variety of tags in each listing.  Again it is about visibility.
5.  If the keyword is in your title, or the 1st line of your description it doesn't need to be a tag too.  Etsy uses your title and the beginning part of your description to help with search engine results, plus google views your 1st line of your description.  So don't duplicate, it is a waste of space!

***** FINAL NOTE ***  To me this is a nugget of information I do not give out much.  But to help find other shades and colors and terms to use I go to Wiki Colors:
Huge list of every color you could imagine. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colors

Also, check out this site for a tagging tool!
http://craftweasel.com/TagToolQuery.do

I hope this helps you some.

Janet
http://www.galla15.etsy.com/
http://www.trinketsnwhatnots.com/