Creative Photography for Social Media - Day 31

One of the most important things you can do to grow your Etsy business is take great photos! This is an area that I think most of us struggle with on a regular basis. Captivating photos don't just stop at Etsy and creative photos can really make a difference on your social media sites.

Most of us have spent more hours than we care to admit trying to get perfect pictures of our products for our Etsy shops. Unfortunately, Etsy limits us to the number of pictures we can use and the shape of those photos. As a jewelry designer, I know that having the ability to post longer vertical images would greatly help me in displaying my long necklaces (that's just one example). Square images just don't cut it. While we may be limited on the Etsy site itself, we do have the ability to showcase our handmade goods in a variety of ways on other on-line platforms. However, how many of us really take advantage of this?

If you are going to expand your business, it becomes just as important to also expand your photography skills and creativity. While you may have the basic Etsy product shots down to a tee, why not mix it up a bit with some creative shots to show on the social media sites. Since a well photographed photo is key to selling on-line, it makes sense to create visually stimulating photos that are unique.

Social media sites that are perfect for creative photos include:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Twitter 

That's just a start. There are other great sites also, but I see Etsy sellers using these 4 sites the most often.

Do's and Don'ts:

• Don't post the same photo to all of your sites at the same time. While it is tempting to reuse a photo in as many places as possible, try to take different angles or versions of the same product.
• Do consider your audience. A picture that is appropriate for one venue may not be appropriate for another.
• Don't post images that may be controversial, unless your shop is specifically designed to be edgy or controversial.
• Do try something new and completely different than what you have done in the past (as long as it is tasteful). Part of the fun is to gauge the response. You may be surprised.
• Do choose just one or two themes at first. Maybe show your product at various vacation spots or set next to a similar item. You don't need to stick to one theme, but some consistency is good and helps to brand your photos. As you take more photos, add more themes.
• Do consider your brand when taking creative photos. If you sell beach-themed jewelry, photos of your jewelry at a rodeo may not make sense.
• Do take it slowly. There's no need to overwhelm yourself by taking creative photos of every product you sell. I'm actually planning on only 1 to 2 creative photos per week. By adding this new task to my already busy schedule, I will slowly build up my gallery of photos and it won't get in the way of all the other things I'm doing to grow my business.

What do you think? Are you ready to think outside-the-box and get creative with your photos?

Day 30 - This One Little Detail Can Cost You Business

“Sometimes the little opportunities that fly at us each day can have the biggest impact.”

-  Danny Wallace, Yes Man

In all the craziness of running my own business, it's easy to overlook little details that seem unimportant in the moment. As I hurriedly answer an e-mail or list a custom order, I want to be done with the task as quickly as possible. But, forgetting small details can really hurt in a big way. One example that always comes to mind is spelling - and I don't mean just lousy spelling that should be caught with spell check. I'm talking about the spelling of people's names. This particular topic really hits home with me because of my name - Theresa. It can be spelled two ways - either Theresa or Teresa.

I cannot count how many times in a week I see my name misspelled. In most instances, it's no big deal. If I'm at Starbuck's and the cashier asks for my name, I don't care how she spells it. I just want my coffee. We're having a quick business interaction and the spelling of my name is not important for the transaction to be completed. However, if I am a customer and having a long-term business relationship, then I hope the business owner makes an effort to spell my name correctly.

Case in point: I signed up as a consultant with a company a while back. My mentor was very high up in the company and I was really excited to learn from her. From the get-go, she spelled my name as Teresa. No big deal at first, but after a few e-mails and interactions, I very politely mentioned that my name was spelled Theresa. The next e-mail from her still had the spelling incorrect and I received no response to the comment about my name. Well, this told me two things:

1. She didn't care enough to read my e-mail thoroughly.
2. Spelling my name correctly wasn't important to her.

It took me another few weeks and several attempts on my part to get her to finally start spelling my name correctly. Since I thought we were going to have a long standing business relationship, I felt it was important that she know how to spell my name.

In the end, I stopped working with this company. The mentor didn't follow through in a number of ways, and looking back, ignoring my attempts to notify her of the correct spelling of my name was the first red flag.

Little details do matter and it's important to me that customers know they are appreciated and important. Taking that extra moment to double-check the spelling of their name before sending any communication is so crucial! Think about it - when you receive an e-mail, the first line usually contains your name and you will notice if it's not spelled correctly. Why have that be the first impression your customer gets from you?

What do you think? Is this important to you?

Day 29 - March Social Media Results

If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.

- Thomas Jefferson

Last month's social media results were very interesting and quite different from February. For the month of March, I concentrated much more on Facebook and less on Pinterest - and the results definitely show it!

March Promotions

1. One Facebook contest for a sterling silver bangle - see my post about it here: My Facebook Contest.
2. One general contest for a $15.00 gift certificate (advertised on Etsy Giveaways, Facebook, and newsletter).
3. 2 day 25% off sale just for Facebook fans and newsletter recipients.
4. 16 Facebook posts throughout the month.
5. Semi-daily Pinterest pins (not as many as I had planned!).
6. Sent out 2 newsletters.

While I felt busy all month with my social media and other promotions, looking back on this list really shows me that I should be doing a lot more. It's great to write all this down and review it. When I'm going through my day, it can feel that I'm keeping up on my goals, but I can now tell I have more work to do for April.

Facebook Wins This Month
By far, the best promotion I had was the Facebook contest. It generated a lot of views and new likes. I also received quite a few sales from it.  Facebook interactions were up and continued for the rest of March. I gained almost 100 new fans!

 

I only gained 24 new Pinterest followers and even fewer for Twitter. I haven't concentrated on Twitter this year and still don't know how much I will ever get on board with that platform. I vow to work harder on Pinterest for April. We'll see if it has an impact at the end of the month.

Social Media Referral Data

I obtain my referral data from Google Analytics and you can see that I had a huge jump in Facebook referrals. 

 The main thing to remember with social media is that it is a marathon, not a sprint. I enjoy the interactions with my customers which is why I like Facebook so much and want to spend most of my time on that site. It gives me the biggest connection and best feedback.

I'm also slowly getting more comfortable with social media. I have to admit that I was worried about 'selling' on these sites. I didn't want to be spammy and I think I've succeeded in that area. For April, I plan on stepping it up a bit. Now that wedding season is here, I hope to focus on more wedding themed posts and Pinterest pins. 

I'll post April's results early next month.

March Giveaway - $15.00 Gift Certificate

This month's Theresa Rose Designs giveaway is for a $15.00 gift certificate to my store - Theresa Rose Designs.

The contest begins today and will run through Friday, April 4th.

Please read the following before entering:

1.  This contest is open to U.S. entries only.

2.  Only one gift certificate will be awarded and is only valid at www.TheresaRose.etsy.com I do not take any responsibility for lost or misused codes. Once the certificate is redeemed, no other certificates will be re-issued.

3. Invalid entries will be deleted. I will check all entries before picking a random winner. Make sure you fill  in the correct information required for your points. Otherwise, your entries will be invalid for the drawing.

4. Winners will be notified via e-mail with certificate code.

Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day 28 - Theresa Rose Design's Referral Program

I'm so excited to announce my new referral program! I must also thank Lisa, one of my Facebook Fans for giving me the idea to begin with. I hadn't thought about instituting a referral program but after researching it (gotta love Google!), I realized that it's a great way to reward my loyal customers.

Here's how it works:

1. Send me an e-mail at TheresaRoseDesigns@gmail.com and ask for your unique referral code.
2. I will send you the code for you to share with your friends. This code, when used in my Etsy shop, will give your friends a 10% off discount on their entire order.
3. When they make their purchase, I will send you a coupon code for 20% off your next order.
4. Receive a 30% off coupon for every 5th referral!

There is no limit to how many referrals you send. You will receive a 20% off coupon for each referral and a 30% off coupon for each 5th referral.

How To Prevent Sterling Silver From Tarnishing

Preventing Sterling Silver from Tarnish

Preventing sterling silver from tarnishing is a question I often receive as a jewelry designer. It's so disappointing to go into your jewelry case for that beautiful piece of silver jewelry that you may not have worn for a while and see it darkened from tarnish. You wonder how it happened and can easily assume it's the fault of the material. However, you may be surprised how many different ways your prized pieces can tarnish.

Sterling silver is comprised of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. The other metals, while comprising a small part of the component, is what makes sterling silver tarnish. All sterling silver contains copper and it reacts to moisture and sulfur in the air. Silver tarnishes faster in high humidity and air pollution. Chemicals such as perfume, lotions, hairspray, etc. also contribute to the tarnishing process.

Here are some simple tips for preventing tarnish:

• Minimize sterling silver’s contact to chemicals. For example, if you are wearing a sterling silver necklace, don't spray perfume on your neck, spray on your arms instead. The same goes for body lotion. 

• Jewelry should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you remove. Spray your perfume and hairspray before putting on your jewelry. As soon as you get home, take off your jewelry. This will prevent you from accidentally exposing it to household cleaners.

• After taking off silver jewelry, clean it with a dry soft cloth before putting it away.

• Store clean, dry sterling silver in a dry airtight container, like a ziploc bag and store it away from sunlight such as a drawer or jewelry case. Sunlight will speed up the tarnishing process. If you want to take an extra step, purchase anti-tarnish strips and place those in the ziploc bag for extra protection. They are inexpensive and can be found at most jewelry supply stores.

• Don’t leave silver jewelry in the bathroom or by the kitchen sink - any area that is regularly exposed to moisture. Do not wear it the shower, swimming pool or hot tub. Remember that humidity is not your friend!

• Do not use rubber bands to bundle jewelry because when rubber bands age, they release sulfur that causes tarnishing.

 I hope this list helps!

Day 27 - 3 Great Podcasts for Solopreneurs

You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf.

One of the benefits of running an on-line handmade jewelry shop is that I spend a good portion of my day sitting in my studio making jewelry. Since my husband is at work during the day, it's just me and the dog at home. It's quiet and I love it. I used to listen to music or surf YouTube for random videos, but I've recently discovered podcasts, and I'm hooked! Talk about multi-tasking. I'm able to make my jewelry while learning all about running a business. I can honestly say it's been a big game changer for me.

While there are no shortage of business related podcasts out there, I'm listing my top 3 that I've found so far. I'm looking forward to discovering even more out there, so if you have any suggestions, please post them.

Michael O'Neal - The Solopreneur Hour
This is currently my favorite podcast and I've been listening to Michael O'Neal daily as I catch up on all 80+ of his episodes. He just started last year in August and broadcasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Plus, he's located in my hometown - San Diego!

His audio podcast, Solopreneur Hour, features conversations with top-notch solopreneurs from all industries and backgrounds, including network marketing, internet marketing, art, music, fitness, actors, etc. These guests (or as Michael more aptly refers to them 'co-hosts') are true entrepeneurs who have acheived great success - not through magic, but hard work, endurance, and innovation.

As Michael states on his website - "Our mission is to take you through their journey, give you actionable steps and actions to help you with your ventures, and inspire you to take massive action.   Hopefully we’ll have a few laughs along the way. We share practical steps and tools, including books, smartphone apps, websites, training courses, strategies and stories that will support you every step of the way."

I wish I could list the best podcasts, but they are all so seriously fantastic that every single podcast is my favorite after I've listened to it. Ones that I found especially relevant to where I'm at right now in my business growth have been:

• Natasha Wescoat: Building An Art Empire With Social Media
• Everything You Wanted to Know About Branding, But Were Afraid to Ask, with David Roth
• How to get 100,000 Facebook Likes with Bret Gregory
• Cliff Ravenscraft: Turning a Hobby into a SIX FIGURE INCOME 
   

Convince And Convert - Social Pros Podcast
Social Pros specialize in social media marketing. Their tag line is Real People Doing Real Work in Social Media. Since I've decided to concentrate a lot of my efforts this year on social media, these podcasts have been right up my alley - chocked full of great information on this ever-expanding area on the internet.

Each 30-60 minute episode includes:

1. Interview with a leading social media strategist, manager, director of community, or similar working for a corporation or organization.
2. Social Media Stat of the Week, discussed and ratified or debunked by Jay and Jeff Rohrs of ExactTarget.
3. Holy Social, an amazing social media case study
4. Two Big Questions, where our weekly guest shares the answers to four questions asked by the hosts based on their experiences.

A few of their podcasts have included:

• The Avalanche of Information and Scalability of Social Media
• 75 People You Need to Know in Social Media
• How to Leverage a Community of Passionate Fans 
• 4 Experts on What It Takes to Be an Amazing Social Pro  

A lot of their content is geared towards bigger companies but can be scaled down to make it relevant to solopreneurs, such as myself.

Rick Mulready - Inside Social Media Podcast

Rick interviews people that are heads of social media from successful companies. 

From his 'About' page, he states:

"Because so many small businesses find social media overwhelming and confusing.  They dabble and thus find it ineffective in growing their business. Big brands, though, tend to know what works and what doesn’t. They have the budget, resources and brand name behind them and are at the forefront of social media strategy. We can look at the fundamental social media principles these brands are successfully using and model and adapt them for our own businesses. The idea is to break down the principles that are working and simply and easily apply them to our own businesses, with little to no budget."

I love this! This guy is totally speaking to me and I've learned so much already from the few of his podcasts I've been able to listen to.

• MTV’s Tom Fishman on Choosing the Best Social Channels for Your Business
• Neil Patel on How to Drive Massive Traffic to Your Website
• Building a Massively Successful Online Business Through Social & Online Media with World Famous Drummer Mike Johnston 

I hope this list gets you pumped up to start listening to podcasts too. I personally have found them to be so inspiring.