New Linky Party's and Giveaways! Extra page and see what Mommy Tyme is working on...

FaveCrafts has a few new great giveaways going on that you really do not want to miss....

Check out the Zetangle book giveaway and the Deborah Norville Yarn Giveaway here:

http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Inspired-by-Zentangle-Fabric-Arts-Quilting-Embroidery-Book-Giveaway

Scrapgirls has some awesome digital download freebies just added, too!
http://store.scrapgirls.com/product/21621/
And take a second to look at the new page I just added for linky parties-blog hops- You can find it at http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com   you can find the cool parties I have been linking up to- you will find some awesome inspiration and great new blogs!  There is also a giveaway page that I just updated that lists all the cool items being offered up from various sponsors and bloggers!  If you are hosting something, and would like to add it here, just leave me a comment!  I would love to join in, and always happy to promote a fellow crafter/artisan!


Now.... On to what I have been working on...



I just finished my mixed fiber poncho which also acts as a shawl, cowl, scarf, etc... Created from some fibers/yarns/mixes and one size fits all.  There are strategically placed buttons, so you can wear it a ton of ways... It measures 70" X 19" so you have plenty of room to wrap it different ways!
Make sure to stop over at macrochet.com and see what every one else has been up to this week, too!

Digital Scrapbooking For DummiesMy Memories Suite 2.0 Digital Scrapbooking Software

Sharing my passion for fiber and texture! The art of wearing a scarf!

One of my greatest passions is creating fun, fiberlicous scarves and fashion accessories.  My beginning crochet days kept me in a more conservative arena, but once I learned the basic stitches and skills needed for crochet I began to explore the wonderful variety of fibers and yarns.   Color is always an enticing factor, but the feel, texture, and appearance of the yarn is what really pulls me in.  I have been fascinated the past few years as more variety has hit the yarn aisles of my favorite stores.  The idea of mixing fun colors with rich textures is so appealing- I would love to learn how to spin and create my own fibers, but for now, I am content with utilizing a mixture of blends from my yarn stash in a project, and even holding several varying strands together as I stitch.  Here are a few of my favorites from this past year:

Considering my fascination with creating scarves, I thought I would explore all the ways I can show my customers to wear them... But, as I started to write the post, I thought.. Hmmm.... I bet someone has already done this. Guess what? They have! And here are a few - which is great, because I had never thought of some of these ideas... So, thanks you fashion savvy bloggers who created these posts- Check them out yourself by clicking the links below!


Stitched Tegan: How to: Different ways to wear your scarf.

http://yesdavidishere.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/scarves/ 

http://www.tipjunkie.com/how-to-wear-a-scarf/


What's your passion of the moment?  What are you currently working on?  Have you found something awesome you would like to share?  Well, leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you...

Emails and lists- how to use these to market your handmade, crafts, artwork

As I began my holiday marketing campaign this year, I decided to try a few new avenues for marketing- you probably have received all the same advertisements and junk mail that I have for "marketing services", "viral marketing", etc. etc. Well, I decided to actually check out what some of these are- and I think I have a better understanding now of what these terms mean, and how we can actually use a few to our benefit!

I am on a pretty tight advertising budget, how about you? So, I have to be selective and use what will target the audience I am looking for.  Free is really the price range I am at, but  I really wouldn't mind paying for a service or plan, if I KNEW it would really get my company name out there in to the public.

One route you can take, and it is really affordable, is email customer lists, and opt in lists.  This means, simply, sending a routine email out to your customers or to people who REQUEST your routine business emails.  There are a couple ways you can do this- you can keep a hard copy list (write each email down on a piece of paper), join an email list building service, post sign up's at your various spots (your blog, website, etc.), or join a service that sends your email out for you. What can you put in your email?  Well,  you could add coupon codes, coupons, show off your latest items, sale information, links to your new shops, or even tell a little about yourself.  Pictures are always a great way to grab someone's attention and market your items!  So, the potential is truly endless..

Any other ideas out there of what you can add to your customer emails?  I am NOT an expert, so I  am always looking for advice from those out there that use marketing tools- comment or send a link and I will gladly post it!

So, if you are going to create an email opt in list for yourself you would need to set up a button on your site where viewers could click and be directed to a form. The form would request name and email address.  From this you could create a weekly newsletter, email, flyer, etc. and send it to the people on your list. You can use any word type program to create your newsletter or flyer (many have templates already created for this).   Sometimes mail programs will not let you send out "mass mailings", so you will have to send small groups at a time. This can be time consuming, obviously.  But, if your budget is tight, this may be the best way to go.

Another idea would be to use an email service like Vista Mail.  You can create and edit newsletters, emails, etc. utilizing a ton of really cool templates they have.  You can also put an HTML code up on your sites and blogs, that Vista provides for you, which allows people to opt in to your list.  Vista manages your contact list for you.  You can group your customers into several categories or subgroups, thus allowing you to send out specific, target emails to those on your list.  This is the service I currently use, and I have been pretty happy with it.  It costs about 4.99 a month, and you can send out 1-2 emails per week to your list.  I typically send one out every 3 weeks.  I also have gained several new "potential" customers by using the email sign up buttons that Vista provides.  Plus Vista tracks how many open your mail, how many automatically delete it, how many are moved to the spam folder, etc.  This way you can avoid annoying those people who do not seem to be interested in your company, and focus on those "future customers" instead.  Here is a link if you want to check this out....

Save up to 80% on custom printed products at Vistaprint.  Order today!

There are probably several other services out there, I am just unfamiliar with most.  If you use an email marketing program, share! I would love to hear about other services out there.

Now onto some other options... There are email list companies or email marketing companies that literally do all of the work for you.  They encourage the list building through various methods, and create huge email lists of potential customers.  A lot of services want you to buy this list they have created.  I have never bought an email list, so I am not sure what the outcome would be with a campaign.  However, I have just recently used a trial of an email marketing campaign program that provides the list of recipients.  It is really simple, and the cost ranges from free to about 4.95.  I am still at the free tier, and if it proves to be a useful service that grows my customer base, I would likely be willing to pay for the service.  You can try it for free, also.  In fact you can stay at the free level for as long as you choose.  I have been utilizing the service as a free member for about 4 months.  I have seen the numbers increase for the viewers at my sites, blogs, etc. but I can not say for sure it is because of this service or other measures I have implemented as part of my holiday marketing.  Regardless, you are not out any money and it takes about 4 minutes to create the email you send out- so, really, you can't lose.  Here is the link so you can give it a try:
http://www.advertyze.com/go.php?r=9866

Another idea is to utilize the hard copy list I mentioned before, but use it as a snail mail list.  Keep a sign up sheet at your shows, or fairs- ask for email and snail mail addresses. At holiday times you can send out a postcard, Christmas card, etc. with coupons or a mail order form for your customers!  This is an idea I had not thought of until recently, but it is really obvious!  Now, again, this may cost a little money at first because you will have to pay for postage, not to mention the time it takes to address and send out the cards- but the rewards could be tremendous for your business.  I once heard that what makes a business grow is the REPEAT customers- (have you heard that, too?).  You can add the addresses from your online customers to this list, also!  If you use paypal for your postage, you can simply go into your account and pull up your shipping history.  That's it!

So, there are a few email marketing ideas for you to think about.  If you have some great methods you have tried, I would love to hear about them...
 

some Promotional Resources to help you increase your holiday sales! A few last minute marketing additions... Don't forget to add your shop to the Mommy Tyme Sales and Giveaways page!

So, only a few days left...so much to do, right?  Where to begin?  How will anyone possibly find my shop amongst all the other sales and specials out there?  Time for optimism to kick in...

"Optimism: The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong."


Etsy shop owners- create your own coupon codes! Yeah! Now we can finally give special discounts without having to mess around with pay pal or send refunds! Woo hooo and just in time for Black Friday! See more about this here:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/tech-update-coupon-codes-for-your-etsy-shop-11159/?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Coupon+Codes+for+Your+Etsy+Shop&utm_content=etsy_success_112310&utm_campaign=etsy_success_112310

I just set up one for my Etsy shop at http://www.MommyTyme.etsy.com Just enter BlackFriday to receive an additional 10% off any item in my shop!


Participate in the holiday sale pages at Artfire! Just add the special tag to your items and it will be pulled and shown on the ARTFIRE holiday page specials! Find out all the details here:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=19745

For those of you using Zibbet, gift guides have been implemented for the BIG Sale Days-  want in on this?  Just List items under the Gift Guide or Black Friday category when you are adding your products!  You can edit what you already have listed, or use the importers and put some new items in your shop...

Here is the details and how to's: 
http://www.zibbet.com/gift-guidesHow to Promote Your Jewelry Business During the Holidays - Fire Mountain Gems and Beads


AND- JUST FOR THE JOY OF THE HOLIDAYS- I AM OFFERING A GIVEAWAY AT MY BLOG!  A GOLD AND BLACK HOLIDAY HANDMADE CROCHET CHOKER!  SO AFTER ALL THE WORK YOU ARE DOING TO GET YOUR SHOP READY FOR THE SALES, TAKE A MOMENT TO TREAT YOURSELF!  VISIT THE BLOG AT http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com and enter!  DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON "TIME TO TAKE A BREATH TUESDAY"- 11/30/10!  GOOD LUCK-

here's a sneak peek- 



Finally.... If you haven't done it yet, make sure you add your shop to my Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales and giveaway page!  Posted in the side bar at the blog http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com; on facebook fan page; being retweeted now until Monday at http://twitter.com/MommyTyme; and the extra page that is added HERE on this blog!  I will keep updating the list from UNTIL Friday!  So make sure to take advantage of this- all I ask in return is that you add the button or the URL- http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com to your page, your blog, your facebook or somewhere... Thanks everyone!  and good luck this weekend!

Add the code from the button at the right column to  promote the sales page!  see the front page promotion at http://www.mommytyme.org

Marketingfor Black Friday Sales, contests and more

Black Friday?  For the longest time I had no idea what this was... But, with all the hype in the online marketplaces and social networks (like Ning)- how can you miss it?  So, as part of my marketing for the holidays series, I thought I would talk about creative ways to get yourself in the ranks (with all the competition, it may be a little tough) for the upcoming Friday Super Shopping Day!

So, if you are a shop owner, sell handmade, artisan crafted, artist, or a combination of many things... You likely are hoping Thursday and Friday this week are going to be BIG SALE days for you!  But, how do you get noticed when there are so many competing shops?  Well, I did a little research and here are a few tips for you:

1.  Offer a sale- that is a given right?  But make sure you put this in your title of the product, in your tags for the offer, and make sure that you have an accurate way of immediately offering this sale.  What does that mean?  Make sure you either reduce the price paid so that the customer does not have to wait for a rebate, or refund.  Most shoppers want to see the money immediately.  Or utilize coupon codes that automatically deduct the cost, etc.

2.  Post your sale info. where the shoppers will be.  If you belong to a social network that mostly sellers frequent, or forums for vendors, posting your sales there is just notifying your competition, right?  Why out those places that shoppers visit- for example, use some traffic referral sites starting today, do link exchanges today, utilize project wonderful right away.
     Tip for Project Wonderful:  Post your ads on sites that shoppers frequent!  Don't just list your ad on sites or blogs that are targeted for the crafter/vendor/seller.  So, for instance, avoid posting your ad on a blog for knitters that give patterns and tips, instead opt for the blog that shows off knitted items for sale.    Make sense?  and if you have the funds, now is the time to invest in your advertising on project wonderful.  The free ads usually only run for one day, but if you bid .01 it will run until someone bids .02- is that clear?  I hope I am explaining this correctly.  Also, take the extra few minutes and set up a campaign that goes until Sunday- this way you get your busy Thurs. and Fri. shoppers, but also those stragglers that can't get to the computer until Sat or Sunday.

3.  If you host a blog- set up direct links to your shop!  Use your own platforms as sale banners!  Utilize what you have and make the most of it!  For example, if you have an artfire shop then you get a free blog with it, also.  So, announce your shop sale on your blog and then post the link that goes directly to your shop (newby shoppers may not know how to maneuver around the site and find you), if you are having a sale on specific items, then put your link to Those Items.  How do you find the link?  Simply click on view store, then click on the sale item, then go to your bar at the top of your web page and right click on the URL to hi-lite it, then copy.  Go back to your blog page, place your cursor where you want the link to be, right click again, hit paste- that's all there is to it!  (for you advanced computer guru's this may be a little over - explaining, but I really want the new shop owners out there to get the most out of their available opportunities).

4.  Take a little time and revise your key words.  Now this is a little tricky for some... You really have to think about your selling platform (are you utilizing Etsy?  artfire?  zibbet?   own website?  selling on your blog?) and find out how the criteria is fed to google.  I recently learned that Etsy shops stand out when they use catchy, descriptive adjectives for their products such as awesome, beautiful, outstanding, fantastic, unique, etc.  But, Artfire focuses on the actual descriptive tags like color references, purpose, name, materials so you would go for like red, fiber, multi media, crochet, knitted, etc.  Now- this is just THEORY- but, if you are trying to attract the general shopper (not just the shopper seeking out a uniquely crafted HANDMADE product)- you may want to remove the tag- HANDMADE- if you are using it.  I know, I can't believe I am saying it... but, if you want someone to actually give your item a chance and check it out before excluding it, you may need to reel those shoppers in and give them the opportunity to browse it first.  Many novice online shoppers unfamiliar with the handmade movement may be Leary of purchasing a handmade item at first, but getting them to your shop gives you the opportunity to sell it with your description, history, and feedback scores!   Let's say a new shopper does a search for "baby hat", your item description may come up as "handmade, crocheted baby hat in soft blue acrylic" and this shopper may just pass on by and hit the Kohls advertisement.  Or with the handmade removed, "Beautiful crochet blue soft acrylic baby hat".  That may appeal, they click on your etsy

4.   Why not send out an email to your customer list?  If you do not have an email program, then this may be the time to invest in one (even if you only keep it for a month or two)- you will have it for the holidays and then the opportunity to send out your sales, holiday information, and new products to previous customers and get a few new ones.  A great program (that is free the first month) is VISTA Print.  Check out the link below for more information.  Also, utilize traffic referral systems during this time.  Many offer free email lists, traffic ranks, submission to various search engines, and advertising on various sites.  I have listed a few of these for you- but, be very Leary of any paid services or contracts- until you have time to read the fine print- just submit your information and complete the sample email listings for now.  That should be enough!

5.  Don't forget to take advantage of blog hops, facebook fan pages, link love, etc.  These type of activities promote you and you can help a fellow artisan by promoting them.  Start by signing up for my facebook fan page below- then get on the discussion tab where it says link love and leave your links.  I will promote them!  Once you join my fan page, you can also promote yourself on the wall.  Just introduce yourself, post your links, and load a photo or two.  This page feeds to my website, my blogs, and to all my friends and fans!  They in turn may have feeds also, so it goes to their friends and fans... See how quickly it can spread?

6.  Finally, Finally, Finally..... To promote and share with all my readers, my blog site, fan page, squidoo lens readers and "rollers" , twitter, and more... I am putting together a Black Friday Super Sale and Giveaway Page!  I will post this immediately and update it daily so everyone who may just be getting started with their sale plans has a chance to post their url.  It will automatically feed to my twitter, facebook fan page, squidoo lens, plumdrop, merchant circle, LinkedIn, and web site.  I will do some random promotions over the next week for the page with the lists and announcements on various traffic submission sites, referrals, exchanges!  And  everyone entered by Wednesday will have their shop /sale entered in my Super Sale email flyer I will send out!  (if you would like to receive a copy, sign up for the email list in the box EMAIL UPDATES box below)  In RETURN, all you have to do is promote the list and page by adding a brief post or update with the url linking to:  http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com  or grab the button/avatar:



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So, GO TO THE COMMENTS SECTION AFTER THIS POST AND :  if you are having a SALE, list the SALE INFORMATION and URL.  If you are having a giveaway, LIST YOUR GIVEAWAY TITLE and URL.  Leave these in the comments below- I have set up the page that announces all of the sales and giveaways at http://mommytymegifts.blogspot.com and it is listed on the front page of my website at http://www.mommytyme.org AND you can find more information at my Facebook Fan Page- and ongoing tweets will be referring the URL from now until Sunday!


So, Only 4 days left to prepare!  Get busy, and then list your information here- just one extra way to promote and increase your Holiday Sales this season....


To get a copy of the flyer and to receive ongoing updates from here and the Mommy Tyme Gifts blog:

 Sign up in the box at the left column!  Orange box stating "Email list"


Join the Fan Page for more promotional opportunities and to see the posts about your sale:

href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommy-Tyme-Bath-and-Unique-Gifts/87968482686" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Mommy Tyme Bath and Unique Gifts">Mommy Tyme Bath and Unique Giftslucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #555555; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;|&nbsp;href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Make your own badge!">Promote Your Page Too<br/>href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommy-Tyme-Bath-and-Unique-Gifts/87968482686" target="_TOP" title="Mommy Tyme Bath and Unique Gifts"><img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/87968482686.1722.1329577464.png" width="360" height="177" style="border: 0px;" />


Follow me on Twitter and see your sales and giveaways tweeted:  http://twitter.com/MommyTyme