What Networks Do You Belong To?

Just a quick question for the team this week. I've spent a bit of time talking about social media with regards to our shops, and I was wondering.

What social media are you involved with? Do you have a Facebook page? Twitter? Instagram? A blog?

And, have you embraced some of the other options? YouTube? Snapchat? Vine? Anything that we might not have heard of?

Please, share. Add your links to the comments. I'd love to hear from you.

Mother's Day

This year, Mother's Day is May 8th. Have you gotten your mother something special this year?

If not, we're here to help.

Gold Heart Earrings by NansGlam

Pearl Drop Earrings by MalibuJewel

RaesSpirit says: 

Beautiful rosary for the Christian Mother.

White Mother of Pearl Rosary by RaesSpirit

I asked everyone to give a Mother's Day story or a story about their mothers. Here is what they had to say...

Ocean Avenue Silks says: 

I didn't have any great stories to tell, though this is my first mother's day as a grandma (step)!
Here is one of my scarves that comes gift packaged and I can add a personal message on a gift tag.

Silk Scarf Hand Painted in Aqua Blue Spring Floral by Ocean Avenue Silks

anniekdesigns says: 

My mom had a tough, Depression-era childhood with a father in a sanitarium for tuberculosis. (It really was the olden days!) At the age of 43 she went back to school to become an LPN. She was tops in her class and thoroughly enjoyed her nursing career.

Here's a little relief for those hard working moms!

U Shaped Hot/Cold Pack by anniekdesigns

What are you waiting for? Mother's Day is fast approaching. Don't let it pass you by.

An Ideal Customer

Who is your ideal customer?

The ideal customer is an avatar you create to help you target your social media efforts. Who, exactly, are your products made for?

First, sit down and create an ideal customer profile. It's okay if you have more than one. Get specific. If you make jewelry, your ideal customer is likely female. But, how old? Is she married? Does she have kids? What does she like to do on a Friday night? (These profiles should get detailed. You can create your own questionnaire, but there are others you can find online to start with.)

Goldstone Post Earrings by NansGlam

This is your starting point. Instead of constantly tweeting "buy my stuff", you can tweet things that'll be of interest to your ideal audience. Spur engagement. Create fans.

When you know who your ideal customer is, you'll know where to target your efforts. If your ideal customer is a teen you'll want to minimize your Facebook time (most teens consider Facebook to be for "old" people) and spend your time on Instagram or Snapchat. If your ideal customer is a mother in her 30s, you'll want to maximize your Facebook and Pinterest time.

Steampunk Pendant by Bobbles By Carol

And now you'll also know what sorts of things to post. Is your ideal customer a reality TV fan? Perhaps you can post a reaction to the latest episode. If your ideal customer likes to know how things are made, you could create a YouTube video showing your process. When you run across articles of pictures that you know your ideal customer would like, add them to your various feeds.

It may seem like a lot of effort, but targeting who you're spending your time trying to reach will save you time in the end. It'll give your social media presence a purpose. No more scattershot posts.

Who is your ideal customer?

Oh So Blue

The sky was such a brilliant shade of blue yesterday, I couldn't resist searching for blue items. Of course, the first things that came up were jewelry...

Station Necklace by The Liquid Stone

First a necklace, then a stunning wire wrapped bracelet... 

Wire Wrapped Peacock Sea Glass Bead Bracelet by Blue Licorice

And finally a watch with a beaded (in blue) band... 

Silver Watch with Blue Beads by Watches by Helen

In my city (Long Beach), we have a plastic bag ban in effect, so we all need reusable bags for our shopping. Here's a nice wide one, and it's in the blue theme... 

Washable Large Grocery Bag by Leah's Heart

And I couldn't resist the book "safe" with the blue cover (Peter Pan)... 

Hollow Book Safe - Peter Pan by Hollow Books by Refined Pallet

Next, a vintage item. An embroidered tablecloth. My family used to have something like this. I wonder if everyone's did? 

Vintage Blue Work Tablecloth by Vintage Encore

Finally, a crocheted shawl with many different shades of blue... 

Free Form Crocheted Shoulder Wrap by Suzanne Sullivan

How are the skies where you live today? 

Hellooo Out There

In an effort to find different shops to feature here, I thought I'd check the Team Check In thread to see who's still saying hello. And I found only eight of us have checked in for March.

via GIPHY

Hmmm...

Right, so that makes this really, really easy.

I do love the bling, and this necklace caught my eye...

Heliotrope Crystal Rivoli Necklace by Love Your Bling

As did this one. Pretty.

Brown Boulder Opal and Sterling Silver Necklace by cserpent designs

I don't wear too many bracelets, but this one just might need a second look...

Lapis Lazuli Freshwater Pearls Iolite Sterling Silver Bracelet by Falling Star Lane

If you're looking for a little art, look no further...

Lady B by Crystal Mist Cottages

Or how about a colorful sock monkey?

Handmade Sock Monkey Doll by Indy and Cleo

And since summer-type temperatures keep popping up, perhaps it's time for the summer-type attire...

Crochet Bikini Top by Chewsy By Design

That'll do it for me this week. Did you remember to check in? 

Hair Do

Want a little something to brighten up your day? What about a little something for your head?

Tiger Eye Macrame Headband by Earth Cultured

Feather hair comb by enchanted headwear

Beaded Hair Pins by Bobbles By Carol

Sleek Cat Ear Headband by pearlreef

Fuscia Pink Purple Lace Knit Headband by Knit Purl Squirrel

And more wonderful hair-y creations can be found at... 

Hair Do curated by California Crafters Club Of Etsy - CCCOE on Etsy

Connecting Via Blogging

Do you have a blog?

©Ivan Walsh

While blogging can be a great marketing resource, many craft businesses don't maintain a blog. It can be rather labor intensive. But it's a great way to connect with your target customers and engage with them on a regular basis.

It's also an excellent way to boost your SEO. We spend a lot of time focusing on creating keywords that'll get us found in Etsy search. But one of the big factors in the Google algorithm is "expertise", or "how many links back to your webpage do you have?". The more links, the higher you place in the search listings.

A great way to create links is to have them in a blog post. These do need to be fairly organic--they need to read like a human wrote them. (There's a reason why the "from the team" posts here are structured as they are.) They're better if they come from a variety of sources. But the occasional link to your product with a description surrounding it will help boost it in various searches.

The reason I bring up blogging now is to alert those of you who do have blogs to a great opportunity to find new blogging buddies. (The best way to keep readers coming to your blog is to read other bloggers' blogs and interact with them.) And if you're thinking about starting a blog, this is a great place to find like bloggers and see how they do it. (You're not stealing. You're getting ideas.)

It's called the A to Z Challenge. It goes throughout the month of April. Check out the link for more information. It's a huge event in the blogging world, and all sorts of bloggers get involved. I highly recommend checking it out and participating if it's something you can manage. If not, it's still a great way to find crafty bloggers that you may not have been familiar with.

The A to Z Challenge Badge

Do you have a blog? Leave the link in the comments so we can stop by and visit you.