I'm Alive! And My Octopus Fabric...and a Marketing Tip

(These are my new fabric designs! My Octavia the Octopus Ponytail holders available at my etsy shop http://www.flyingbuttons.etsy.com/)

Okay...it has been a very long week...or a slow week...or I don't know what week. I was sick for a week and very tired. I think my spider bite really attacked my immune system and wiped me out.

I got a bulls-eye bruise around the bite on my face, but once it bruised and swelled to the size of a silver dollar, it stopped, and then slowly got better. But I was so very, very tired. I felt like I was encased in a block of ice and couldn't do very much.

I had a good chuckle today when I was going through my garage. I had actually purchased Brown Recluse Spider traps about three years ago when I was remodeling a 100 year old barn. Those suckers were everywhere! And then I move to a housing development and I think I was bit. But I hope not-maybe it was a mosquito. I can't bear to think about a spider biting me. Horrific.

Anyway though...I feel better. And today I did something I've had in the works for a long time: I made up ponytail holders using my fabric designs! I'm really excited about Octavia the Octopus.

I read that Octopus's are the "new" big thing, and that they are going to be as popular as owls. So I thought I would create a pair and see. I do know that I've had 118 views since I listed Octavia a few hours ago, which is a really high view count in this time frame. So maybe people are searching by Octopus?

So here's a marketing tip:

An important thing I have learned about product lines and branding is you have to periodically do something new. This keeps old buyers interested, attracts new buyers, stretches your own creativity, and makes your brand unique! I sell happy hair accessories, and decided I wanted to push my boundaries and expand my brand. I decided to design my own fabrics with my own whimsical designs, like Octavia the Octopus ponytail holders: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25335258 No one else will have any designs like mine! And I haven't seen any other fabric covered button sellers design their own fabric. In your own shops, think about something you could do to make your shop brand your own. If you knit sweaters, perhaps create a unique knitted ruffle. Or offer a special kit. If you sell rubber stamps, create your own with your own designs. If you sell supplies, maybe handpaint some of them for a totally different look. Think about it. What can you do to push your current shop limitations and make you shop your own, and increase sales?Share! :)

This Would Only Happen to Me....

I had a spine-chilling, blood-curdling, horrible thing happen to me this morning. Those of the faint of heart, stop reading now:

I was bitten by a spider on my cheek!

Right now my right cheek is swollen and it looks like I have leprosy. This is so ironic, because I am terrified of spiders and am always paranoid that spiders are everywhere. People in my life even make fun of me because of my fears.

So now, I feel justified in my beliefs that spiders are just waiting to pounce and bite.

Seriously, though, my cheek really hurts. This is a good heads-up for all of us to clear the clutter from our beds, and make sure the dust ruffles don't touch the floors. (This makes it easier for them to climb up.)

It hasn't developed a bulls-eye, so a good sign it's not a brown recluse. But still...

Viva la RAID bug spray!

My Marketing Calendar System

(Photo Courtesy of http://www.halffullmartini.etsy.com/)

I have a large marketing calendar (the desktop style you can purchase at Staples) that is attached to a large cork board. This is posted right by my studio table. Each day I record: Number of sales, number of buyers for these sales, my shop hearts, my blog followers, and now, the number of responses to my HandMadeNews.org marketing columns.

I also list if I am in a treasury, if I am paying for advertising, if I post in a forum, and if I respond to blogs. I record everything I think might be useful!

I use lots of colored markers- I love color!I also sometimes list things that have happened in economy-like layoffs, bankruptcies, and positive in news too. I use this calendar to get an overall monthly view of my sales.

Looking at month-view of your shop works better than getting anxious over a daily picture.

We can get stressed out of we just look daily, and start getting worried about a few days of low sales!

I can start seeing correlations on this calendar by things I do. I start tracking trends. Each shop is different, and what we sell is different, but it really helps.

For example, I was on the front page three times last month, and on those Thursdays my sales went up! I also have noticed my headband was on the front page, and that my headband sales have gone up since then. So I think about making more headbands.

You can also track shop visitors per google analytics, basically any info that is helpful. It helps you target and pinpoint what you are doing with your shop and where things are going.

Interesting note: I have not done my calendar in a week and my sales went down! I really think if we have something tangible to focus on, it helps us with our goals! I started working on my calendar again, and had a 30 item order! Coincidence, but also shows that the laws of energy do work on the things we focus on!

I find this calendar really easy to do! I got too busy to do my marketing notebook often, that is more complicated. With the calendar, it's by my desk, so I just grab a pen and lean over and scribble down anything I need to. If you don't do it for a week or two, it's still there. You can even just write a few things down. But anything works and I love peeking at it while I'm working during the day so I can see my progress. I also post important sticky notes on it of things I have to get done.

I find the heart tracking helpful because it's a great psychological boost, also it shows traffic to your shop! And the growth in one month can be amazing. I even color in my hearts pink- it looks cute. :)

A great example of my calendar and how it helps me: After my 30 item order this weekend, I found out the lady saw my stuff on a blog, and then ordered a month later.

I could see on last months calendar when that happened, and note that it took a month for a "seed" to sprout. So I colored in a little seed on the calendar. lol. I am a very visual planner and love art. So in my busy day this is just a fun thing that I do.

My Column on HandMadeNews.org. Can You Read and Give Me Feedback?

(These are my cupcake clips available in my etsy shop http://www.flyingbuttons.etsy.com/.)

My first columns went up on HandMadeNews.org.

I would love it if you would read this first column, The rule of ten!

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=761

Please post feedback on the site after the column and let me know what you think of the site! This column is similar to a blog post I did a while back.

They don't have my by-line on this column yet, which I've asked them to add. Thanks for reading and please, let me know what you think!

Kristin :)

Branding on a Personal Level

He is going to kill me if he finds out I posted this on my blog, but this is a photo of my son Tanner running the 200m. for his freshman track team. On this day, he got first place in the 100 meter and second place in the 200 meter.

As you can tell by this photo, Tanner is tall and has an athletic build. He is also fast, which you don't often see with someone his build size.

Because of his size, he was stuck on the line in football, and was really, really, bored. He did well at it-he was voted lineman of the year on his football team.
But he is used to being a tailback of fullback and running with the ball. He was also tired of hearing his freshman football coach tell him he is "Not fast enough to run with the ball." I even talked to this coach, and was irritated every time I talked to him. I know my son, and I know my son is fast, so why all this talk of being slow?

So I told Tanner he needed to brand himself as a runner. He didn't want to turn out for track, he wanted to lift weights after school. But I told him if he wanted to be considered for a different position, he needed to brand himself as a runner. Try out for the truck team and run the sprint races.

So he did, and the results above show that it worked out well. I even had his head varsity football coach tell me that Tanner is fast and he may consider him for a tight-end position.

Ironically...that same freshman coach told Tanner last week "You aren't fast enough to do what you want to do." This was after Tanner got first place in the 100 meter! That coach doesn't even know about Tanner's track or his performances.

But it does go to show you: people will buttonhole you, your products, and even who you are as a person.

Whether its setting up shop, selling a product, or even wanting to be considered a certain person in a relationship, you have to go after the image you want and do what you can to change perceptions.

Tanner isn't going to run track next year: it bored him, and he would rather be working out. But it was a good start and a good way to brand himself as a sprinter and runner, instead of as a slow lineman.

We can all come up with little ways we can position and brand ourselves. Don't evet let anyone tell you who you or your products are! We are the final judge and jury on anything in our lives and products.

Good News! More Marketing Columns for you!

(These are my nerd owls and their micromanaging boss from my etsy site http://www.flyingbuttons.etsy.com/.)

I had some really exciting news this week! I've been hired as a bi-weekly columnist for http://www.handmadenews.org/

This website is promoted by Artfire, but gives marketing tips for all etsy, artfire, and independent handcrafters.

I'm going to continue my blog, of course, but I will also be writing two columns a week for HMNews. I will post each column partially here, and a link where you can finish reading it on HM.

I'm excited to really be able to get in deep with my marketing articles, and also to interview movers and shakers in the industry! I also am excited to feature all of you, my devoted readers! I will be including a photo with each column and love to use it as an opportunity to introduce new sellers on etsy and artfire.

Another thing you may want to check out: I opened an Artfire shop months ago and haven't done anything with it until recently. Artfire just made it possible to ad a shop banner just like etsy! We can add banners, and people can buy without having to sign-up. Plus there are no fees.

I'm not sure how sales will go there yet, I consider etsy my main selling place for the time being. But it's good to have options, especially with no fees!

Have a great Sunday everyone, and please let me know if there are any burning marketing questions you would love to see answered in blog posts or future columns!

Marketing in Emergencies: Good, or Just Profiteering?

(Photo courtesy of http://www.TwoLeftHands.etsy.com)

I couldn't believe it when I heard people were selling swine flu facemasks and pills on etsy!

What do you think of this? Do you think this is profiteering off of fear, or an actual service?

I'm writing more about this later, I just wanted to see what you all think.