Kim Solga's Blog, page 3
August 26, 2013
You can’t get it wrong
“LineScape #27”, textile painting (hand-dyed fabrics, cotton stitching, cotton batting) © Ayn Hanna.
Ayn Hanna, printmaker and textile artist, shares ideas about the path to success in “You can’t get it wrong” and 7 other thoughts about making a living as an Artist. “One of the great mysteries of the Universe for many Artists is how to achieve success making a living doing the work we love to do.” writes Hanna. “We each have our own struggles (resistance) to overcome and have to find our own way. But how to do it, where to start?”
Her thoughts and practices are logical and inspiring. My favorite tip is her “Step 4: Make a plan, break it down and lay out your first steps to reach the furthest point on the horizon that you can see…” Learning how to define each next simple step is pretty much the only way I get anything done. It is, in fact, listed as habit number 3 in “the top 10 habits of successful online entrepreneurs”…the list that opens The Everything Guide to Selling Arts and Crafts Online.
Enjoy Ayn Hanna’s insight and artwork on her website www.aynhanna.com
August 4, 2013
Treasuries inspire teamwork
One path to visibility on Etsy, Artfire and other marketplace platforms is to get your products included in the treasury lists that other people create.
Etsy discourages including your OWN products in the treasuries you build. Instead, the Etsy process inspires you to network, join other people’s circles and teams, and build a base of friends, followers and fans who will showcase your items in the treasuries they create.
If you have great product photography, people will naturally select your items for treasuries. Great products are important of course, but it’s your photography that make the difference here. Keep an eye on the Etsy home page. The products shown there are inspiration for your own photos. Read everything you can about taking great digital photos and work constantly to improve your own skills.
To enlarge your network, you can join some of the many different treasury challenges that are posted on team boards. The basic game is to create a treasury inspired by and including a product from the winner of the previous week’s game. Multiple shop owners take part, and that week’s chosen item is shown in many different treasuries. At the end of the week, the featured shop owner then selects a winning treasury, and the game begins again with a new product from the winner’s shop.
I first began playing a treasury challenge game at the Shiny Happy People team, an international group of very friendly artists and artisans. Inspired by the challenges, I have created many different treasuries. It is always fun to come up with an enticing title and theme based on the featured product. The most recent challenge resulted in my “Coral Reef” treasury pictured with this article. Remember to promote your treasury and the featured artist. Convo the other sellers in the Treasury to thank them for their great items. Post the Treasury on other social media platforms, like Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
Join a team and participate in regular treasury challenges! The more you help promote other artisans, the more they will help promote your shop.
‘Coral Reef’ by BlueOtterArt
A tropical reef adventure inspired by the Coralfish painting from Jillsgallery!
Click here to visit the Treasury on Etsy
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July 31, 2013
Budget for arts and crafts marketing
Artists and crafters have strong do-it-yourself tendencies. It is, after all, why we create our own artwork. This attitude is helpful in building an arts and crafts business. The most valuable marketing tasks are best accomplished when business owners take personal responsibility for getting things done.
There are abundant free possibilities for promoting your art and artisan crafts. Social media marketing takes time but very little budget. It costs nothing to set up and post regularly on a Twitter account, a Facebook business page, or a Pinterest profile. If you open a marketplace shop on sites such as Etsy or Artfire, you can participate in forums, treasuries and teams as often as you wish. You can use the free services at MailChimp to send regular newsletters to your fans. All of this free marketing will vastly expand your audience!
But there are marketing efforts you should do and must pay for. Setting an appropriate budget for these is often a challenge for new sellers. Just a few worthwhile expenses to consider include:
Booth rental at arts and handcrafts fairs
Submission fees for entering shows and competitions
Investing in professional display systems for shows and product photography
Well designed packaging, product labels and hang tags
Printing and mailing post cards for art shows
Good marketing will make you more money than it costs. The basic business rule is to try it, track it, and do it again if it works.
July 23, 2013
A Treasury of Sellers
The Everything Guide to Selling Arts and Crafts Online is filled with real people – amazing artists and crafters who generously share their stories and ideas. Many of these fine folk have shops on Etsy, and creating an Etsy Treasury is a great way to showcase their shops.
Click the products in the treasury below to visit these amazing artists and artisans, and stay tuned! These are just a few of the sellers who have contributed generously to the book. Many more seller profiles and treasuries to come!
‘From The Everything Guide to Selling Arts and Crafts Online’ by BlueOtterArt
A few of the Etsy shops featured in my new book http://sellingartsandcraftsonline.com/
Thank you, thank you, people in the book!
Anyone on Etsy, sellers with Etsy shops or individuals simply exploring the delicious array of handcrafted offerings, can build treasuries, then share them on Etsy, on Pinterest and on their own blogs.
Learn how to create an Etsy Treasury at “ Goin’ on a treasure hunt .”
I used the free “ Etsy Treasury Posting Tool ” at stylishhome.com to display the treasury on this blog page.
And I used the free system at treasurypin.com to pin the treasury on my Pinterest board .
So many amazing tools and systems to sell your arts and crafts online!
July 21, 2013
Adam Rabbit defines success
The Everything Guide to Selling Arts and Crafts Online is filled with real people – artists and crafters who generously share their stories and ideas. Ashley, owner of Adam Rabbit, is featured twice in the book: in Chapter 1 as a perfect example of defining success for herself, and in Chapter 15 on marketing, where she shares her clever and inexpensive branding techniques
Ashley is a busy Special Ed teacher. She loves her career and has no desire to leave her job. Ashley also loves creating jewelry. Crafting with raw crystal, stone and wood provides the relaxation she needs to balance her high stress profession.
Ashley opened Adam Rabbit on Etsy to share her artwork and find new homes for the many wonderful earrings and necklaces sitting around her studio.
“I have always had the desire to sell things and have my own store. When I was a kid I sold lemonade with my best friend. I had a perfume stand which was just smelly concoctions I mixed together in old shampoo bottles, and even tried to sell handmade soap from door to door. As I got older I experimented with a few different ideas such as greeting cards, flower pots, vintage items, and finally I arrived at jewelry. Jewelry never lost my interest.”
Ashley enjoys the friendship of other Etsy sellers and customers she has met online.
“Although I always had the desire to create and sell what I make, I am really shy. It took me a lot of courage to even open an Etsy shop. The thought of being judged terrified me. I started getting over that fear this past summer. I knew I always wanted an Etsy shop so I went for it. Once I joined Etsy I was able to connect with hundreds of different artists in the forums. They were extremely encouraging and supportive. They gave me advice on photos, shop policies, new items, pricing, branding- any question you have, at least a handful of people will be there to support you. Etsy is a truly inspiring place to be apart of. There are so many talented people who actually want to help you.”
Find Adam Rabbit at www.etsy.com/shop/AdamRabbit.
