I appointed a Marketing Manager - On-line last week. My daughter was bored and created an ad on Facebook for me. The results were amazing. The hits on my site skyrocketed. No sales, this is not a prime on-line buying time but the exposure is just as important. When the big buying time comes, people will remember me or my site will come up from searches.

It will probably cost me lots of new jewellery but it will be worth it.

I posted lots of new earrings and earring sets this week and I have a number of new bracelets posted on my iCraft site. My personal favourite is the blue green lampwork bracelet shown above. After I made it I went out and bought more beads to make one for myself and one for my daughter. It will be my first payment to her. The second will be the green polka-a-dot earrings. She loves green and has had her eye on those since I made them.

Having support of family is so satisfying and when they step up without being asked, you are filled with pride. She pushed me for more and better pictures and I had to make spending decisions but there are some things that you just don't always think about. Having someone in your corner lessens the pressure and adds to the joy.

Happy Buying and Selling

CraftyLadyLiz

Your Photos

When selling on line it is important to have good photographs which starts with a good camera. It helps to have a macro function on the camera which allows for good in focus close-up shots.

It is recommended that you have your merchandise professionally photographed but realistically, when you are starting out, this can be costly. Here are some tips to follow:

• Read your camera manual and once you have used it for a while, read it again. It might offer good suggestions for photographing or have a feature you were wishing you had.

• Use a neutral background. Not too neutral as it can be quite boring and repetitive.

• Make sure your pictures are in focus and if they are not, take them again. No prospective customer will take you seriously if you are posting fuzzy pictures. You aren't taking yourself seriously. Use a tripod if necessary. There are lots of inexpensive useful little ones designed for the digital cameras.

• Frame your shot and crop it if necessary to make sure it is well centered. The ones above are off center, especially the one on the right.

• Make sure the picture fits with what cropping the website does. I have items posted on one site that are just not getting any views so much has been cropped.

• Follow the guidelines for the site as to size. If the pictures are too big it will be difficult to upload them. If it takes a long time for you to upload them your potential customers can have as much trouble loading them to their computers. They could potentially hit the back key and move on to something else rather than wait.

• You don't need an expensive program to adjust your photos. I have found Picture Manager - part of the Microsoft Office package does a good enough job. Practice with the different editing options until you are satisfied. Remember, always save your edits under a new file name in case you don't like the results once the picture is posted.

The two photos above were taken at different times of the day under natural light. Each has it's own merits but I am not satisfied with either. If I can't get a better shot (I will try a few more) I will ultimately use the one with the stand as it is not as stark a picture.

Photographing your merchandise for posting on the web takes practice, time and a lot of repetition - but you know what they say - practice makes perfect.

Share your suggestions here for good photographs including reviews of cameras and background and lighting tips.

Happy photographing...
CraftyLadyLiz

Where Have I Been You Ask

I am ashamed to say that I haven't posted anything in two months because "she who has an on-line business" allowed her computer to be infected with a selection of spy ware,Trojans, and some delightful creepy crawly worms.

I am suffering from a condition that is very rare today but can show itself periodically. It is known as "nowebitis" and is particularly painful.

Symptoms include twitching right hand, disorientation during verbal social conversations, bouts of extreme boredom, disconnection from reality, and encounters with an alternate reality.

Even my Blackberry was down for a while which only worsened the symptoms.

The only prevention and cure is a good anti-virus for your computer and remembering to remove the battery on your Blackberry when it won't connect to the web.

The most frustrating thing about the illness is you have time for the interesting things in life and no way to share it.

Without my computer I have been designing and making tons of stuff and am very pleased with the results. Now, if I can only get it posted. I have problems posting from another computers as I have not been organized enough to put my pictures on a flash drive and have been retaking some.

My advice for anyone who wants to start a web-based business is invest in a good anti-virus and keep it up-dated, and an external drive to back up your computer and carry around to other computers if needed.

Check out some of my new jewellery at www.icraft.com/elizanne. I have been able to get a few new things there. Sorry, no new pictures here.

I would appreciate any suggestions relating to which anti-virus program to get. I am willing to spend money as I am losing money right now and was forced to sell the old fashioned way this week. More about that next time.

Happy Crafting
CraftyLadyLiz

Product and Feedback

Determining your product involves a fair amount of research and each time you want to introduce a new product or design it should be repeated. If you receive some good feedback that proved reliable and accurate you could thing of approaching the same people again. I have a few times arranged a get together of people whose opinion I value asking them to bring another friend. I usually have a discussion, a survey, refreshments, and a few door prizes and get some great feedback.

I have most of my fall and some of my winter designs ready and am planning a get together min-June, something outside, for some help. I may need to string Christmas lights in the trees to get us in the mode for winter!

I have also been working on a new line for the young adult and I want to try the designs out on a group of my daughter's friends. This will take some thought on how to approach them. I think with these once I will accept "OMG I've gotta have that" as good feedback.

I am off to do some beading. I have some new beads that I can't wait to design with. Here is my first sample. Well actually my second, my first my daughter snatched up before I could even take a picture. Purple is so her colour. I have added another pair to my jewellery box. I am thinking a shopping trip is in order for something purple to wear them with.

Happy Crafting

CraftyLadyLiz

Check Out What's New on My Site

I have a new blog posted on my site http://elizanne.ca/3/myblog.htm Check it out.

My last blog had an image of a selection of wine glass rings. I have included here another sample, these made with polymer clay. It was lots of fun making these.

Brighten up any gathering with these delightful wine glass rings. There are a number of different sets and will make a great Mother's Day Gift.

Mother's Day and the Marketing Plan

Mother's Day is coming. Since my birthday often lands on Mother's Day, I love that time of year. It often gets hot enough to lie outside and get a tan. The trees are breaking out in leaf, and the tulips and daffodils are up and the days are long and warm. It can still get cool in the evening, warm enough for a pretty sweater or cool jacket.

I started organizing my merchandise for Mother's Day last weekend. I need to leave lots of time for mailing. It is important to have a marketing plan in place to be well organized ahead of time. A good calendar helps, an a well organized plan of action. My calendar is never far from me and any steps in my marketing plan are given target dates and entered in the calendar.

The items I have for Mother's Day are small, easy to mail, relatively inexpensive, but are still hand made, and made well. My newest additions are three new styles of wine glass rings, pictured above. Great for the cottage, patio or any gathering. They make a great addition to any get together or dinner table. Click here to see all the Wine Glass Ring sets I have available on my site.

Each month I select an item to feature as well as put something on sale. I try to keep the sale going for a month but like to mix up the feature items frequently. When photographing your product for posting on the web, it is important to also do promotion photographs of a sample of your product. I use these pictures here on my blog as well as for featured products and on sale products. Part of my marketing place includes the photographs I will need.

Happy Crafting

CraftyLadyLiz

Assessing Your Craft - Getting Ready to Sell

I was reviewing my business plan the other day to see if there was anything I needed to add or forgot to do. It was my business-side-of-the-business day and thought that would be a good place to start.

Looking through my "product heading" I realized in my plan, I had achieved much of my goals but there was still much I wanted to do. I love crafting in any form, sewing, knitting, jewellery, and designing in general. When I first decided to sell I had a huge list of items that I wanted to make and sell. I wanted to sell both the sewn items and the jewellery. The list was endless, the possiblities limited to my time. I made lots of both for the Christmas craft shows, and sold little. It was my daughter who pointed out the flaws in my craft table, but that was only the beginning. I took some pictures of the table and began to assess everything and realized two things. One, I had too much variety. The selection was dizzying array of items that overlapped each other, fighting to be seen. Two, I didn't believe in what I was selling. That one made no sense as I hade been making most of these items and giving them as gifts for years. Then I realized that I didn't really use the items myself. I made them, admired them, wrapped them up, and gave them as gifts.

I started poking, prodding, pulling and testing everything. I add zipper pulls to my backpack and wallet, wore the earrings, necklaces and bracelets, and had a couple of glasses of wine with the wine glass rings. Enlightening. Problem two solved.

Problem one. Too much on the table. I started cruisng craft shows to see what appealed to me, and thought about all the craft shows I went to when my kids were small. I made notes about the booths and tables that appealed to me and thought about what I would buy and why I would buy it, who for.

When deciding to sell your crafts, take a look around to see what is out there. I read alot about starting a business and all the advise started with deciding what to sell, including suggestions of products. I had already decided what to sell, I already had a product, lots of them, in fact. Trying to make enough of everything was exausting and counter-productive. Quality suffered. I had to chose what I was going to make to sell. Product is closely tied to price, place, and target market.


Write down all the attributes about what you want to sell

• style - simple; elaborte; elegant; punk;
• materials - high end, silk, Swarovksi; low end, polyester, glass
• price range - $5 - $20; $20 - $50; $50 - $100
• uses - indoor; outdoor; time of day; seasonal; personal; gifts

Write down who would buy or want the items:

• adults for themselves, partners, children,
• seniors for themselves, partners, children, grandchildren
• single men or women
• teenagers, young adult
  

What are their characteristics - this can be more difficult but Statistic Canada can help with some of the information talking to family and friends can help with others:

• income level
• geographic location
• spending habits/disposable income
• how much they spend a year on your type product
• where do they shop
• number of people in the age group

Look for matches - you would have problems trying to sell high-end sterling silver skull earrings for $75 to teenagers or seniors, expecially if you are doing a show in a church basement.

Statistics Canada can be found at the following link http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html

So really, in the end, I did have to decided what I was going to sell first. It didn't hurt to do a couple of craft shows to open my eyes and give me a feel for what I am doing. I don't know about you, but I had absolutely no experience with craft shows so it helpd rather than discouraged me.

Good Luck with your research and

Happy Crafting
CraftyLadyLiz

I can't believe it has been over a week since I passed on some witticisms and wisdom.

As discussed earlier, it does gets faster and easier to manage the business side of your crafts. Another component of successfully selling your crafts is support. It is time consuming at first to manage photographs, write copy, record your costing, and find venues in which to sell your crafts, as well as attend the shows. Support goes a long way to achieving success.

I haven't done very many craft shows yet. I am looking for non-juried show for now until I can afford to set up a "mini-shop" for a juried show. There are some musts for a craft show, one of which is promotional material.

Until now I have avoided printing business cards and post cards since I am having little luck with local shows, and just stayed with web presence. The last time I went looking for a printer for business cards locally, the responses I received by from my inquiries all had glaring grammatical errors. I found that scary as I was hoping that a printer would be acting as part of my team, making sure there were no errors in my text. You know how you can look at the same thing over and over again and never see the mistake? I think I'll need to recruit a proofreader. My son fits the bill pretty well. I suppose I should pay him - I'll try minimum wage for 15 minutes work, or maybe I'll just make his favourite dessert. That should help him take it seriously and gain me a few hours of support.

It is important to have support in what you are doing, even if it is extra housework while you work or proofreading. Both my children help with design. My daughter has taught me enough about HTML that I can change code if I need to on my website and help with the posting. I have solicited opinions from many of my friends and dragged them to craft shows with me. An evening out is always accompanied by my newest creations for their input. My son does the laundry and the dishes, and my mother has offered her house for the next craft party I have. I try to only ask for what people are able to give. Sometimes it is only 10 minutes, or a quick opinion, other times it is a whole day at a craft show or consulting on a design. Whatever form it comes in, I am always grateful for the support.

I finished the costing on a few more items this week and posted them today. I am having hard time not keeping this one. I think I will have to buy more of the same beads to make one for myself. I can so see wearing it with a white tank top or t-shirt this summer. It can be found at http://www.glcmall.com/store/store-detail_192_elizannehandcraftedtreasures.aspx along with a blue sodalite necklace using the same pendant bead.

Happy Crafting
CraftyLadyLiz

What a busy week I have had. I finally added to my bookmark product line. Check out the new wire bookmarks. http://www.elizanne.ca/page.php?groupingID=store&categoryId=4005

Made from flexible beading wire with an attractive arrangement of beads at one end and either a flat metal bead or a hand-wrapped wire element at the other. They are suitable for the standard hard cover novel. I love using mine as it doesn't damage the book and it doesn't get ragged on the edges. I also find it won't slip down in the book and get lost.

Working full time and crafting in the evening and on weekends is quite the balancing act and requires a lot of patience and I am discovering a Blackberry with a good data plan. To give myself lots of time to craft and post to the web on evenings and weekends I write my product descriptions and blogs during my commute, then e-mail it to myself to copy and paste later.

The level of success of your business will depend on your organizational and time management skills. A calendar of upcoming events, a time line of what to do by when, a filing cabinet for your business papers, and a plan are all necessary to success. As with your craft, it will take some time to become organized but if you really believe in what you make you will become organized even if you have to get someone to help you.

I started this with a busy week but it really was a busy two weeks. Tracking how long it takes me from completion of the product until I get it postd on the web gives me an idea of how far in advance I need to have things made to take advantage of hot sellinv seasons. I will add this to my calendar so that I don't miss a good oportunity like I did Valentine's Day.

Here's to getting organized.

CraftyLadyLiz

Helpful Hints for the Balancing Act

Last time I was talking about the balancing act between creating and the business and thought I would pass on some further tips.

1. Make sure you keep a record of what each of your materials is composed of. If you are beading, is the item silver plate, sterling silver, etc, what the fiber content of your fabric is, any any other details on the packaging that might be useful to your customers.


2. Note the price and quantity of what you buy for future costing. I had quite a number of items when I was first starting out that I had not idea how much I spent or where I got the materials. I had to do a lot of web searching to find the replacement cost to help cost the items. Generally, I either have a sample book or label the bag the item is stored it.


3. Make a habit of costing what you make. I keep index cards beside me when I am designing so that I can make notes of what I have used and the cost as I go. I then do my final costing in Excel. It will do the math for me and I can store the picture, write the copy and track inventory easily. For my current purposes it is enough. The link below is for Microsoft tutorials for writing simple formulas for Excel. Of course I have chosen Excel 2007 but you can select another version.http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR100479681033.aspx


4. Take some time to check out some websites to assist with writing and set up a template of what types of information you want in your product descriptions. I found a number of them that offered great suggestions on how to describe myself and my business. Keep notes with your costing of size, composition, colour, etc to help with the writing.


5. When uploading your photographs, edit them right away so that they are ready to be used when you are ready to add them to the web, and store them on your computer where you can find them. Make sure your pictures are sharp and clear, and your product well positioned in the frame. Pay attention to what your chosen website suggests about photo size. Some websites crop pictures and you may lose part of your product. Take several shots from different angles, different displays, and in different light and keep only the best. I have found Microsoft Office Picture Manager is adequate for adjusting the images for size and colour.


6. Set aside a specific time for doing the business side of the business. Schedule enough time to get the job done and don't worry if it takes longer than you thought. Practice will make things go faster. I keep a list on my desk of the things I would like to do (such as checking out a supplier of a particular material or reading the blogs I subscripe to) and when I hit a brick wall with designing will tackle one of the jobs.

Although not included here, I am more than happy to share the formulas for the costing in Excel. Please let me know if you are interested and I will work up a procedure sheet and post it.

Happy Crafting

CraftyLadyLiz

The Business Balancing Act

Wow! I think I am still recovering from watching the Olympics. My heart rate hasn't gone down yet. It was so exciting. Yesterday I sat down to check the damage to my business and realized that I had done a lot pretty good work while watching the Games. The only problem was that I hadn't photographed, costed, written a description for, or posted anything in that time.

I spent the evening doing paperwork and realized that creativity and paperwork don't go together too well. Finding the right balance between designing the product and selling it is difficult at best. I want to sell at shows so I need to make enough to take with me. However, I become so engrossed in creating that I forget to book the craft shows.

I do have a system for costing what I make and always keep index cards near me to make notes of quantities, costs, and where I bought the materials. I keep a spreadsheet of what product I have on hand and the quantities to help me keep track of everything; but at the end of the day, the pull to sit with my materials and tools and create is somethimes strong enough to lure me away from paperwork.

Without the paperwork you don't know if your business is making a profit or not. It is as essential as the creating. Finding the balance between the two sides of the business is key to success. I discovered while doing my costing that I was paying to much for materials, which was going to eat into my profits when I sold the pieces. The increase in price had cropped on me without my noticing. I will need to find a new supplier for some of my basic materials and tools. More paperwork coming my way, but it will be profitable.

It will definately feel, at times, that the business side of the business is taking over. In time, with practice, it becomes easier. You will be more able to write copy to describe your product for posting on the web, you will create a spreadsheet formula for costing, you will be able to, take, manipulate, and manage photographs for web posting, and you will be able to do all this in less time that it is taking now. Your business cards will be designed and printed (never to be done again for another two years or so). You will create the perfect brochure or post card for the craft shows which will be printed in enough quantities that you won't run out until October.

I find now that I have done everything once, it is not so overwhelming and I know how long it will take me to get the job done. I schedule some of these unpleasant tasks during the evenings when the natural light is gone and there isn't much time between dinner, dishes, and bed. I like to leave my weekends free to create. I am finding that I don't mind the tasks so much anymore, now that they have a place.

I have only managed to post a few item to my website that I have made over the last little while. I particularly like this piece for its earth tones without being too somber. The round beads are picture jasper which I am trying to find more of at this size. A lot of semi precious stones are beautiful and glossy with swirls and marks but as my niece pointed out, these little beads look like rocks. Maybe that is why I like the bracelet so much, it's character comes from the nature of the stones not the design.

Until next time,

CraftyLadyLiz

Writing for your On-line Business

I have been very busy the last few weeks updating my various websites and monitoring my sales. Thankfully this is a slow time of the year.

I redesigned my website to give it a softer look and learned more about meta tags and what they do. I spent most of the weekend writing down my ideas and then rewriting until I had concise sentences and phrases to convey what my website was all about.

Even if you use a craft mall like one of those I mentioned in my last post you need to be concerned about your writing. It will pay off if you take the time to think about your business and what you are offering. I have found some excellent sites that have helped a lot.

If you are just starting out and posting your product to one of the craft malls mentioned earlier take a look at what others have said about themselves, then, thinking about what you read, sit down and write. I often write whatever I feel and then edit. Use a format and style that appeals to you and select a length that suits you. Even if there is somewhere on the site where you list your policies, emphasize them if they are a good selling point.

A final word. When I go into any on-line store, from my little site on iCraft to a big box store, I hate to see typos. To me it is unprofessional, so spell check and proof read. Either write in Word first then copy paste or vice versa. Your second proof read should be someone else. If you have someone who will give you feedback, ask for their input. Listen to their suggestions, and incorporate what makes sense to you.

Having said that, I wrote and posted this on my Blackberry. I hope the spell check works. You can bet I will be checking it on my computer later.

Selling your Crafts on the Internet

I have been on vacation this week so I have spent a lot of time posting my merchandise for sale on the web. I have a number of places that I like to post things to but have only had moderate success.



1. Kijiji: Free and local but you can pay extra for different features. I did pay extra a couple of times of list my website but I only got one visitor who took one look at my home page and left.



2. iCraft - a Canadian craft mall. You can set up your own store, have your own web address, track your site on Google Analytics, and post up to 5 things for free. You can also have your own blog, post and read on a message board, join the Sellers' Bookcamp (I learned a lot here), and they have great tutorials. The store is easy to set up and takes work to be successful. Your products are featured on the home page of the site when you post them and stay for a while. It helps drive traffic to your store. You can set up your own shipping terms as well as what currency you wish to sell in.
http://icraft.ca


3. GLC Mall - Another Canadian craft mall. I am new to this one and I am not so sure about it. I think there are some bugs in the programming but since I have only been there a few times I am not sure. Like iCraft, you get your own web address for your store. The store is fairly easy to set up. You can post 12 things for free. The only problem I see is that products and crafters are listed alphabetically, regardless of how often they post. I could see not wanting to have a business name that ends with "Z". As a buyer I wouldn't want to wade through more than 3 or 4 pages of crafters or merchandise before I left.
http://www.glcmall/store/


4. Etsy/Ebay - I have been into these but they take a commission on sales. I didn't find anywhere on Etsy where you could sell in anything other than USD. There are enough free craft malls that you can post to when you are starting out. I was thinking that once I started selling on a regular basis I would take the plunge and post here as well. I haven't researched these sites as much as the others as I can't afford to pay to post yet.
http://www.etsy.com


If you are thinking about selling on-line, these sites are a good way to start. There is so much to learn about selling on the web - from photography and managing photographs to bounce rate, that having a store already set up helps. You just need to fill in the blanks and post your pictures, you then have time to learn the rest.

I have included the links for these site. Take a browse through them and let me know what you think. If you know of any others, please let me know.

One of the benefits of these sites is an already established web presence. Shoppers are easily directed to these sites from various sources so people can easily find you and your products.

CraftyLadyLiz

Six Months Later

It may be January 2010 but I actually started my business last July. I didn't really do much research but enough to get me started, I wrote a business plan of sorts, made my crafts (the best part), and was totally overwhelmed by everything I was finding out. There was so much to do, so much to learn, so much to make, and I had a job. Starting my business was never going to happen.

One day I made a particularly nice necklace and thought "Enough is enough. You have so much around here that you have made you are running out of living space. It is time to sell or quit." I took the plunge and signed up for a store on iCraft. I needed a Paypal Account, signed up for that too. I signed up as a business so I needed a business name, went to ServiceOntario and set up a business, paid my fees and there I was, in business.

Of course, I didn't sell anything so then I had to start to learn how to sell. I found some craft shows, printed some cards and off I went.

At some point I realized that I had done everything backwards but for me it was really forwards. It can be really frightening reading and researching the topic of how to start a business, and it had stopped me. I decided to not be stopped and learn as I always do, as I go, developing my questions as I go, researching, asking for feedback, looking for how I could fit in.

I have two things going for me.
1. A full-time job
2. A burning desire to sell what I make as I have given most of what I make to my family and friends and had no further outlet.

The lesson I have learned in the last 6 months is not to let the details overwhelm me. I started small, have support from my family, and I found a craft malls to help get me started.

I now have a website (see my links), which is definitely a site still in the learning process, am much more involved in the on-line craft community and have a more definite business plan, one that I feel much more comfortable taking to the bank. Maybe I will, one day, but for now, I still have my job to support my habit.