August 13, 2011

Introducing the Savvy Seller Café

Autumn's Pride, Miniature Fabric Art by christinemarieford.etsy.com


Welcome to the Savvy Seller Café, a new weekly series packed with information, tips and links to help you get the most out of your online selling and marketing efforts.  I’m Christine Ford, a member of TAFA and full time artist trying to make it in the real world.  I’ll be your hostess for this series, so grab a cup of java and away we go…

Over the past few years I’ve been researching the world of online marketing and selling and let me tell you, it’s a big world out there! I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m an expert; in fact I’m just another artist trying to figure out how to crack a tough nut.  What started out as a journey has become a quest. I'm reading constantly and soaking up everything I can. Every day I find new puzzle pieces and clues along the way and here’s where I’ll share them with you.  Every Tuesday I'll introduce a theme with related links and resources.


Cup Cozy by Nothingbutstring.etsy.com


I’m here to help, so leave us your comments!  Let us know what’s helpful and what you’d like to know about.  I believe there’s room in this world for all of us to be successful! This is why TAFA is so wonderful.

This week: Discover Handmadeology as your "go to" resource for selling and marketing tips




Creator Timothy Adam, a long time artist and Etsy seller provides a wealth of information on his site Handmadeology.  He has thousands of dedicated readers and many guest writers.  His site contains countless blog articles creating a rich resource for Etsy sellers.

Earring Display made by Timothy Adam, founder of Handmadeology


Handmadeology also has an Etsy shop with helpful business products available for sale plus an Etsy Team that everyone can join. Just days ago, Handmadeology introduced a new social networking feature to their site which already has over 1000 members! You can set up a profile with links to your shop, blog, twitter etc. and network with other Etsy sellers (my username is ChristineMarie if you want to be friends!).

If you're impressed with Handmadeology, you can subscribe to the blog and even upgrade to "Handmadeology Pro" for a small monthly fee. The general blog site and social networking features are free. There's even free tools and e-courses available that you can download!

Writing for other blogs can be a great way to promote yourself. Handmadeology welcomes guest writers and also features Etsy artists and their work.


Wow I'm starting to sound like a commercial and I'm not even getting paid! Although not every blog post is a gem for everyone, Handmadeology has lots of treasure to uncover and is definitely worth a long look.

Until next time, stay savvy!
Christine


Visit me online!

3 comments:

  1. Timothy Adam is just wonderful and his Handmadeology site is a great resource. You can also find it on facebook and on linkedin, for those of you who are in either place.

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  2. I understand the importance of the on line market place, but I find it over whelming and hard to keep up with. Are there others out there that feel this way and if so will we be lost in the mad rush for marketing on line? I do not want to be left behind but at the same time I am really not interested in computers and iphones and facebook and all the other computer based things out there. How does someone like me who wants to be successful yet is really not in to the computer information age get ahead?

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  3. Well, I am hoping that the new TAFA site will help all of us do less work that way. If we can streamline things to the major social media sites and have TAFA itself be so wonderful that it becomes a hub, then hopefully we don't each have to be everywhere.

    I do think it's important to have your story out there, especially documenting your thoughts on your work. You do a great job with your photography and your blog is welcoming. So, if you post once a week, that should be enough to keep people updated on what you are doing. You could also add a few more pages to your blog and use them as galleries showcasing the different kinds of weaving that you do.

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