Holiday Shopping

Today's Silver Price: $19.55/t.oz.

My Cyber Monday sale seemed to generate a ton of traffic in my Etsy shop. I didn't actually get any sales that day though. What's interesting is that I had an order placed right before the sale started, two orders placed the day after, and another order today. So in summary, my 20% OFF sale increased shop views, but did not get me any orders on Cyber Monday!

I've been trying to stay on top of my social media marketing lately. I read recently that Facebook is one of the best ways to promote an Etsy site, and that you should include a photo in every post. 

In an effort to create interesting posts with interesting photos, I've been playing with some photo collage apps on my iPhone. The picture below was my first attempt. I used an app called *Collage*. I wanted to show the creative process of making wire hearts for a necklace, and wanted to include all the steps in one photo. I posted this pic on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Then I found a better app called 'Instapicframe'. It has more options. This was the updated pic:

I used 'Instapicframe' again this morning. I wanted to show several images of my yoga jewelry in one picture:

So far I am enjoying making these collages! Hopefully they will help to increase traffic in my Etsy shop! 

Show and Tell: Photography Critique

Today's Silver Price: $28.90/t.oz.

I think my photography skills are improving. The pictures I am taking of my jewelry now are so much better than the pictures I was taking when I first started. I think the light tent has been a big factor in getting better shots, but also just the experience of having taken so many photos that I now know how to get a great pic of a bracelet or a pair of earrings. In the beginning I was taking 10 to 20 photos of each piece, which I would then have to narrow down to five pictures to post on my Etsy page. Now I know how to get the good shots, so I may end up only taking five pictures!

I was particularly impressed with my latest round of earring pictures. I think I may be getting better pictures because I am using more interesting backgrounds. It's tricky to find backgrounds (in my case I use scrapbook paper) that is visually interesting but does not overpower the jewelry. I am getting good results using papers that have blurry or faint images that compliment the jewelry and are not too distracting. I am also trying to use the tripod more, even though I get impatient setting up the shot. I need to allow myself enough time to take good photos, and not just rush through the process to get it done.

I'm pretty satisfied now with the pictures I've been posting on Etsy. I think they are attractive and eye catching and much more dynamic than my older pics. Hopefully over time my pictures will continue to improve and help to boost my sales!

Etsy!

Today's silver price: $29.68/t.oz.

A friend of a friend told me about Etsy a couple of years ago and I decided to check it out. Etsy is a website which allows artists, crafters or anyone creative to sell handmade goods through the site for a minimal fee. The site is a community of vendors selling a wide variety of products- art, crafts, clothing, jewelry, body products, candles... you get the idea. For twenty cents you can post and sell an item on Etsy. Payments are made through PayPal. 

A great thing about Etsy is that it is a learning resource. Through blog posts and online workshops, Etsy staff and Etsy sellers share their experiences and give advice to their peers. Sellers who have found success on Etsy are eager to pass on tips and secrets. It is a very supportive environment where both buyers and sellers are willing to help you out. Etsy's blog entitled "Quit Your Day Job" tells stories of sellers who have done exactly that.

There is a book I have to purchase- it's called "The Complete Etsy Kit" written by a woman with a background in small business marketing. It is a guide to getting the most out of your Etsy site. I have subscribed to her "Handmade Success" emails through her website. I receive emails with tips and suggestions on how to grow my business several times a week. 

I hope that in the future I can become a resource for budding entrepreneurs and pay it forward. At which point I imagine I will have quit my day job and will be making a living (and then some) selling my jewelry and decorative art... right?

I started my page in February 2010. As of right now I have 14 items for sale on my Etsy page which is NOT ENOUGH! In order to have a successful shop on Etsy, there should be multiple pages for people to browse, this keeps them looking at your products longer and they are more likely to buy something. I have a lot more jewelry and also some paintings that I can post but I have to really dedicate some time to getting it all listed.

I have over thirty rings that I need to photograph and post. Half are sterling silver and half are copper. Some of them are made with buttons (which I get a real kick out of). I learned how to make them from a YouTube video.

The process of photographing jewelry and posting the pictures to Etsy is a very time-consuming process. I use a regular digital camera. It's about five years old and has 6 mega pixels (a new camera is on my list of things to get). The biggest problem I have is getting the pictures to come out clear. I am taking close-ups so the camera has to be held very still or be mounted on a small tripod. Usually I hold the camera in my hands and I have to hold my breath so the shot doesn't come out blurry. I've used the tripod a few times but it doesn't allow me to get the close-ups I am looking for. Sometimes I just set the camera on book or small box. I sometimes set the timer so I can get my unsteady hands off the camera and hopefully get a clear shot.

I've experimented with different kinds of backgrounds for my photos. I've gotten some good results with scrapbook paper. Plain black paper was good because it made the silver jewelry stand out, but the photos were rather boring. A textured black paper adds a little more interest. I also use paper that is colored and patterned but muted; colors that contrast the colors of the jewelry and make the piece stand out. If the paper is too vibrant or busy it can overwhelm the jewelry. There are actually some old photos on my Etsy site that I need to re-shoot. My more recent photos look better and make the older photos look pretty bad.

Etsy allows you to post five pictures of each item. This allows you to get a full shot of the item, then some close-up shots of details. I usually end up taking at least 10 pictures of each piece of jewelry, then deleting the worst ones until I get to the five best shots. I have read that it is best to use a close-up shot as the main photo in order to draw a buyer in and make them want to see more of the item.

Most photographers recommend buying a light tent to fully light your object and cut down any glare. A light tent is great for photographing jewelry because it lessens the shine coming off of the silver. With direct lighting the shine would be too much in a close-up photograph. Light tents filter the light through fabric. It's like a mini photo studio. The light tents I've seen for sale are around $40 or $50 and I've even seen some for over $100. I chose to build one myself following an article I found online. I always feel that if I can build something myself that works just as well why should I buy it?? That's sort of how I got into making jewelry. I can make it myself rather than buying it! So anyway, I built my own light tent out of a cardboard box and some cotton fabric. Marvelous!

I'm hoping to get those rings posted this week. We'll see. I do tend to procrastinate.

Side note: I got my delivery of silver today! Super exciting. The patterned wire was everything I hoped it would be. I immediately cut a three-inch piece and wrapped it around a ring mandrel to form a ring. Now I just have to either file or grind down the ends so they are round not square. I have to look up what kind of Dremel bit I could use for that, otherwise it will take a very long time to file them down.