Twitter Tools

I've just discovered two websites that make using Twitter far easier - and can help you reach the right people.

The two sites are:
http://search.twitter.com/
http://tweetbeep.com/

Here's how to use them to find your audience:

It sounds obvious, but the people you want to connect with on Twitter are those who are likely to buy the sort of thing you're selling, right?

Right.

So you need to figure out what these people are likely to talk about (that relate to what you're selling) and then search/set up alerts for those keywords.

This sounds simplistic, but the trick is to really narrow it down and get the most likely prospects.

Here's my example:

I sell art featuring 'quirky, flirty big-eyed girls'. Here are some of the keywords I considered and reasons why I used/rejected them.

♥ ART: (rejected) this is far too broad - people who like Picasso or abstract art aren't likely to like my work.
♥ LOWBROW ART: (unsure) this is far more specific but is still a bit too broad - I'll probably use it when I have more time to search!
♥ FAFI: (accepted) she's a famous artist that my work is sometimes compared to - people who like her art are likely to like mine so this is a perfect keyword to look for.
♥ BLYTHE: (accepted) my work looks a bit like a Blythe doll, so people who love Blythe may be interested in the kind of art I do.

Etc, etc, etc.

The hard bit is really thinking about the right keywords to search for.

If you're an artist, a great way to find the right people is to think of a famous artist (anyone who's likely to be talked about) who does similar work to you.

I'm not sure how it would work in other categories, but I'd love it if you'd share your keyword tips here.

Good luck!
xxx scarlett

 

My Shop:
http://www.scarlettcat.etsy.com

My Blog:
http://scarlettcat.blogspot.com

My Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/people/scarlettcat

 

Newbies, Here's Why You're Not Selling Yet

When you're new to Etsy, you're desperate to make that first sale (I know I was!) and I remember that it seems to take forever. I know plenty of you think it's your store, your prices, Etsy customers etc, but here's one set of events that applies to every new seller. It's all about connections and connections take time. It could go a little something like this:
♥ Day 1 ♥
When you first open your store, nobody can find you. You may as well have opened on Pluto. You will not sell anything.
Connections - 0*
♥ Day 2 ♥
Then you list a product. It appears first in the Time Machine and puts your shop at the top of the Seller list. But it will quickly move down that list. If you're lucky a couple of people may stumble across you in these places. You probably still won't sell anything!
Connections - 4*
♥ Week 1 ♥
You list more products (hopefully over a period of days). More opportunities for different buyers/sellers to visit your store. Maybe some of them will 'heart' your store. If so, you'll appear in their favourites list.
Connections - 20*
♥ Week 2 ♥
You start making forum posts. Now you're building relationships with other buyers and sellers. Hopefully they're starting to visit you. As you build up these relationships, you'll find more and more people put you in their favourites lists. The more favourite lists you appear in, the more likely it is that people who visit another sellers store will wind up in yours.
Connections - 80*
♥ Week 3 ♥
Now you've built up a decent number of connections on Etsy. Maybe someone will pop you in a treasury (more connections), you're now hearting people (they check their hearts and bingo! more connetions), you're regularly posting in the forums (connections), and you're listing regularly (you guessed it - connections).
Connections - 300*
♥ Week 4 ♥
Finally all these connections and links to your store pay off. Someone buys something. Now your store also appears in the 'Sold' Time Machine and in 'feedback'. Plus the buyer will start talking about what he or she bought from you - so now you're also getting word of mouth outside of Etsy.
Connections - 1200*  You can see where this is heading. The connections build up exponentially, which explains why nothing happens for 4 weeks or 8 weeks or 12 weeks and then all of a sudden you're rushed off your feet! So if you're new, don't panic. Just build up as many connections (on and OFF Etsy) as you can. xxx scarlett

* number of connections example only and based on nothing more than my fertile imagination.

 

My Shop:
http://www.scarlettcat.etsy.com

My Blog:
http://scarlettcat.blogspot.com

My Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/people/scarlettcat

 

How to Make a Banner

You can make your banner or avatar in PowerPoint. That's right, PowerPoint!It can do just about everything that design programs can do - it's just a little clunkier. You can cut out shapes, add shadows, place type etc.And most of you will have it on your computer.Now I'm certainly no computer expert (I'm over 30 for God's sake), and I hope I'm not teaching you how to suck eggs, but here's a few steps to get started if you've never used PowerPoint before:1. Go the PAGE SETUP and change the size to: width 3.55cm and height 27cm.2. Go to VIEW and make sure you the FORMATTING PALETTE is open3. Make your banner. The formatting palette has all sorts of shapes and functions and type options.You can drag or import images and toy with them etc. If you're stuck, go to PowerPoint Help or post in this thread. I'll check it every so often and try to help if I can.4. When you're done go to SAVE AS and for 'format' select JPEG.5. Load it up to Etsy!Hope this is helpful to someone.xxx scarlett

My Shop:http://www.scarlettcat.etsy.com/

My Blog:http://scarlettcat.blogspot.com/

My Flickr:http://www.flickr.com/people/scarlettcat