Thursday, January 19, 2012
Today: Lots of Ice
Today, everything was covered in ice: cars, plants, pretty much anything that was outside was glazed in ripples & sheets of ice...
Pretty to look at, otherwise not so fun...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Lots & Lots of Snow...
The Snow Blizzard (like wizard only with extra flakes :)
And we're expecting more...
Friday, January 6, 2012
Changes... Part 2
It's been awhile & I've been in kind of a transition stage in many areas, including my shops, so I thought I'd talk about editing & tweeking your shops & mine.
I've talked about photography before & it's vital. The first impression someone will get of your shop will be visual & if you don't capture their attention right away, they won't generally move forward, disappearing into the ether, with a single click. Photos should be sharp, clear, & convey a sense of the item. They should be uncluttered & focus on the item you are selling.
The shop banner & arrangement of listings also play a role in the visual appeal of the first impression. The banner should convey a sense of your shop & it's goals. The shop arrangement can lead the viewer through the shop & make browsing easier for the shopper. Alternating light & dark items can make it easier on the buyers eye, you can tell a story with each line of listings, grouping them in a theme or you can arrange your shop in blocks by type of item or color. All are good ideas, so it's really up to you, which one you decide to use, but whatever you decide, the shop should have some kind of organization, to make it easier on the shopper.
Beyond the surface, you have shop & item titles, item descriptions & tags. This is what I've been working on more recently.
I'd come to an epiphany of sorts, realizing what I'd really been saying all along, that my shop items tell stories. My creations have stories to tell, each one arranged in a very specific manner to create a story, in color & materials. Vintage items, well they come from different times & places, styles were different & the wearers followed those styles or created their own, so vintage items have stories to tell, as well.
I've been rearranging titles & item descriptions to better tell those tales & give the shop more of a cohesive feel.
Here is one of my original item descriptions:
Vintage. 50's. Beautiful
Dress up all your clothes in vintage style, with this lovely bit of history. Feel like you're on the set of "Mad Men" or in a great old classic film, even if you never leave the house! SAM
5o's
triple strand necklace
crystal
black bakelite beads
faux pearl
glass
gold color findings
hook closure
made in Japan
about 17.5" from end to end
Very good condition
It's ok, gives all the little details, but doesn't add to the 'True Stories, Tall Tales' cohesive style that I am now aiming for.
Here's a newer version:
Vintage Triple Strand Necklace
True Story:
Dress up all your clothes in vintage style, with this lovely bit of history. Feel like you're on the set of "Mad Men" or in a great old classic film, even if you never leave the house! SAM
5o's
triple strand necklace
crystal
black bakelite beads
faux pearl
glass
gold color findings
hook closure
made in Japan
about 17.5" from end to end
Vintage. 50's. Beautiful
Here, I've mirrored the item title at the beginning of the description, adding strength to the key words & then I have mirrored the True Stories/Tall tales (this particular item doesn't have a 'tall tale,' at least not yet) from the shop description & the banner.
Most descriptions now have a "tall tale," a little short story that goes with the feel of the item & all have a "true story" the facts behind the item, materials used, repurposed, recycled or new. I moving more toward organic, recycled or locally sourced for the new item components & that is reflected. Most of my pieces have a vintage, recycled or found component & this is listed in the "true story" portion of the listing, along with sizes & any other little facts the buyer needs to know.
I've struggled with whether or not to put the "true story" or the "tall tale" first. The "tall tales" are fun & add a sense of personality, so, for now, I've put them first. Maybe it's better for SEO to have the facts or "true story" first..
"True Stories & Tall Tales" has been added to the shop banner & the shop description, to create the cohesive feel, that I referred to above. I've also added it to the individual item descriptions.
One other change that I've made, for relevancy, is that I've been playing around with the arrangement of the words in the title, putting the more descriptive words, the words that hopefully customers would use to search for my items, first. I didn't get rid of the fun titles, the 'personality,' they're just at the end, rather than the beginning of the title. How do these changes look & work?
Here's the original title in one of my vintage items, from my ArtFire shop:
So these are some of the things that I've done, but what does this have to do with your shop? What I'm attempting to do is to create a feel that ties the whole shop together. You might be able to do this merely by selling one type of item, but I don't & even if I did, I would still go through the same process to tie everything together:
1. Choose a theme- a mission statement, something that describes what you do, what your shop is about
2. Create a tag line that describes that theme- a very short, catchy statement that narrows the focus, something memorable that describes your shop, your work & hopefully, makes the customer want to know more.
3. Add that tag to your banner & to your store description. Don't bury it, put it right at the beginning.
4. Play around with your item titles- put the terms that customers will be searching for first. I don't know much about SEO or relevance, but I know this. Also, if you are on Etsy, the Relevancy default makes this super important. The items that have the terms customers are searching for in the beginning of the title, will come up first in the searches. Make sure that those terms are relevant, though. Don't put terms in your title that have nothing to do with your item, they may be popular terms, but if your item has nothing to do with what the customer is actually searching for, they'll still click on past.
5. Put those same terms at the beginning of the item description. This is more for SEO than anything else. Customers have already read this, in the title
6. Add your shop theme into your item description. This may have a little to do with SEO, but it also helps to make your shop memorable. It's the old 'If you want someone to remember something, repeat it at least three times.' It work for speeches & meetings, so it works in shops, too.
7. There's nothing like re-arranging to highlight some big editing errors of the past, like spelling errors, better photos, buried in the thumbnails or items with only a few tags ;) so take time to change those, too. It's a great time for editing of all kinds
When I first started, I did little of this, made all the mistakes & wondered why others didn't notice me or see the stories that I thought my items were almost shouting. The basic answer was that no one knew I was there, but beyond that I wasn't giving the stories a chance to shine, few saw them, let alone understood. I've come a long way, but it's a long road & things change along the way, so nothings ever really finished.
The result of these types of changes? More views & traffic? I would say that general traffic doesn't increase & that's ok, better than ok, really. Traffic & views are more targeted to your store's specific items & so your store receives more of the right traffic, not just traffic in general. Items receive more hearts in fewer views & this, to me is better than having higher, general traffic numbers.
The new year is a time for change. How about you? Have you made any changes, lately?
I've talked about photography before & it's vital. The first impression someone will get of your shop will be visual & if you don't capture their attention right away, they won't generally move forward, disappearing into the ether, with a single click. Photos should be sharp, clear, & convey a sense of the item. They should be uncluttered & focus on the item you are selling.
The shop banner & arrangement of listings also play a role in the visual appeal of the first impression. The banner should convey a sense of your shop & it's goals. The shop arrangement can lead the viewer through the shop & make browsing easier for the shopper. Alternating light & dark items can make it easier on the buyers eye, you can tell a story with each line of listings, grouping them in a theme or you can arrange your shop in blocks by type of item or color. All are good ideas, so it's really up to you, which one you decide to use, but whatever you decide, the shop should have some kind of organization, to make it easier on the shopper.
Beyond the surface, you have shop & item titles, item descriptions & tags. This is what I've been working on more recently.
I'd come to an epiphany of sorts, realizing what I'd really been saying all along, that my shop items tell stories. My creations have stories to tell, each one arranged in a very specific manner to create a story, in color & materials. Vintage items, well they come from different times & places, styles were different & the wearers followed those styles or created their own, so vintage items have stories to tell, as well.
I've been rearranging titles & item descriptions to better tell those tales & give the shop more of a cohesive feel.
Here is one of my original item descriptions:
Vintage. 50's. Beautiful
Dress up all your clothes in vintage style, with this lovely bit of history. Feel like you're on the set of "Mad Men" or in a great old classic film, even if you never leave the house! SAM
5o's
triple strand necklace
crystal
black bakelite beads
faux pearl
glass
gold color findings
hook closure
made in Japan
about 17.5" from end to end
Very good condition
It's ok, gives all the little details, but doesn't add to the 'True Stories, Tall Tales' cohesive style that I am now aiming for.
Here's a newer version:
Vintage Triple Strand Necklace
True Story:
Dress up all your clothes in vintage style, with this lovely bit of history. Feel like you're on the set of "Mad Men" or in a great old classic film, even if you never leave the house! SAM
5o's
triple strand necklace
crystal
black bakelite beads
faux pearl
glass
gold color findings
hook closure
made in Japan
about 17.5" from end to end
Vintage. 50's. Beautiful
Here, I've mirrored the item title at the beginning of the description, adding strength to the key words & then I have mirrored the True Stories/Tall tales (this particular item doesn't have a 'tall tale,' at least not yet) from the shop description & the banner.
Most descriptions now have a "tall tale," a little short story that goes with the feel of the item & all have a "true story" the facts behind the item, materials used, repurposed, recycled or new. I moving more toward organic, recycled or locally sourced for the new item components & that is reflected. Most of my pieces have a vintage, recycled or found component & this is listed in the "true story" portion of the listing, along with sizes & any other little facts the buyer needs to know.
I've struggled with whether or not to put the "true story" or the "tall tale" first. The "tall tales" are fun & add a sense of personality, so, for now, I've put them first. Maybe it's better for SEO to have the facts or "true story" first..
"True Stories & Tall Tales" has been added to the shop banner & the shop description, to create the cohesive feel, that I referred to above. I've also added it to the individual item descriptions.
One other change that I've made, for relevancy, is that I've been playing around with the arrangement of the words in the title, putting the more descriptive words, the words that hopefully customers would use to search for my items, first. I didn't get rid of the fun titles, the 'personality,' they're just at the end, rather than the beginning of the title. How do these changes look & work?
Here's the original title in one of my vintage items, from my ArtFire shop:
Vintage Black and White Triple Strand Necklace
It's descriptive, to a point but how many customers are searching for this necklace using the terms "Vintage Black & White?" I'm guessing not too many.
Here's the current title, from the Etsy shop:
NECKLACE VINTAGE TRIPLE Strand Mid Century
Mad Men Hollywood Style Fifties Black and White
Also descriptive, looks a little funny, but there's more information about the style & era this is from & more important words are up front, so it's more likely to be found by customers looking for this type of item as it's more user friendly in terms of SEO. If you find that you are not getting hearts or visits for your items, it's possible that you are using the wrong combination of words to attract the right visitors. You can always go back & change this, experiment until you come up with the right combination.
What else have I done? I've been changing item tags, editing & re-arranging, so that the more important, searched for terms come up first, other terms, like team tags or location come at the end, as they are less likely to be searched for by the average buyer looking for my items, more likely to be used by specific users, like team members, putting together treasuries.
What else have I done? I've been changing item tags, editing & re-arranging, so that the more important, searched for terms come up first, other terms, like team tags or location come at the end, as they are less likely to be searched for by the average buyer looking for my items, more likely to be used by specific users, like team members, putting together treasuries.
So these are some of the things that I've done, but what does this have to do with your shop? What I'm attempting to do is to create a feel that ties the whole shop together. You might be able to do this merely by selling one type of item, but I don't & even if I did, I would still go through the same process to tie everything together:
1. Choose a theme- a mission statement, something that describes what you do, what your shop is about
2. Create a tag line that describes that theme- a very short, catchy statement that narrows the focus, something memorable that describes your shop, your work & hopefully, makes the customer want to know more.
3. Add that tag to your banner & to your store description. Don't bury it, put it right at the beginning.
4. Play around with your item titles- put the terms that customers will be searching for first. I don't know much about SEO or relevance, but I know this. Also, if you are on Etsy, the Relevancy default makes this super important. The items that have the terms customers are searching for in the beginning of the title, will come up first in the searches. Make sure that those terms are relevant, though. Don't put terms in your title that have nothing to do with your item, they may be popular terms, but if your item has nothing to do with what the customer is actually searching for, they'll still click on past.
5. Put those same terms at the beginning of the item description. This is more for SEO than anything else. Customers have already read this, in the title
6. Add your shop theme into your item description. This may have a little to do with SEO, but it also helps to make your shop memorable. It's the old 'If you want someone to remember something, repeat it at least three times.' It work for speeches & meetings, so it works in shops, too.
7. There's nothing like re-arranging to highlight some big editing errors of the past, like spelling errors, better photos, buried in the thumbnails or items with only a few tags ;) so take time to change those, too. It's a great time for editing of all kinds
When I first started, I did little of this, made all the mistakes & wondered why others didn't notice me or see the stories that I thought my items were almost shouting. The basic answer was that no one knew I was there, but beyond that I wasn't giving the stories a chance to shine, few saw them, let alone understood. I've come a long way, but it's a long road & things change along the way, so nothings ever really finished.
The result of these types of changes? More views & traffic? I would say that general traffic doesn't increase & that's ok, better than ok, really. Traffic & views are more targeted to your store's specific items & so your store receives more of the right traffic, not just traffic in general. Items receive more hearts in fewer views & this, to me is better than having higher, general traffic numbers.
The new year is a time for change. How about you? Have you made any changes, lately?
Monday, December 19, 2011
My New Hat
So, lately I've had a lot of time for making things. I just had my knee operated on & can't get around. Yesterday, I decided to make a hat. I don't have a winter hat & I've seen all the cozy, fun ones about, so I thought, why not try? This one is pretty simple, just one piece, gathered at the top & a little border around the bottom. I didn't use a pattern, just made it up as I went. This one is organic cotton in "Macadamia," kind of a warm, dark off white or very light beige. I love the softness & it seems like it'll be plenty warm. The color is perfect for just about any outfit. I think I'll add some beads to the tie (Here it's simply tied with a bow.) If I make another (& I think I will) I'll make it just a little 'taller' & slightly bigger. It's just a little snug, though it'll probably stretch & I don't want to end up with it being too big...
What about you? Have you made anything new, recently?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
More Last Minute Tacoma Gifts
Check out more of the great last minute items available from talented Tacoma area sellers on Etsy:
For the nature lover:
For the traveler:
For Bohemian types:
For Hollywood diva types:
For the fan of luxury:
For the adventurous spirit:
Have some last minute gifts to buy? There's always the gift certificate, but consider shopping handmade, shopping vintage & shopping local :)
For the nature lover:
 |
| Upcycled "Owl" Cuff From UpTownDownTown |
For the retro party animals:
 |
| Recycled Kon Tiki Bookends from OrangeDoorCottage |
 |
| Faithful Friend Vintage Salt & Pepper shakers from snapdragontacoma |
 |
| Framed Embroidery "Love, Balance & Sunshine" from shellseye |
 |
| Rhinestone Cat Eye Sunglasses from pinkparee |
 |
| "Bubbles and Tea" from khaberlack |
For the adventurous spirit:
 |
| The Little Explorer from sumrsprite |
Have some last minute gifts to buy? There's always the gift certificate, but consider shopping handmade, shopping vintage & shopping local :)
Are you having a handmade/vintage/local Christmas this year?
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tacoma Holiday Gift Guide
Great gifts from local Tacoma, WA shops on Etsy: fun things, pretty things, cute things, artsy things & beyond, local Tacoma shops on Etsy have it all :)
For fun lovers:
 |
| Raindrop Cannonballs by slidesideways on etsy |
 |
| Peppermint Red Bakers Twine by Just Scraps N Things |
 |
| "Little Melancholy" earrings by CrowandIris |
 |
| Vintage Owl Necklace 1970's by purevintageclothing |
 |
| Hand Painted Angora Mohair Roving by bertaberta |
 |
| Hawaiian Hair Flower by lostaloha |
 |
| Small Monopoly game board notepad by GratitudeJewelry |
 |
| White Swiss Cross Beanie Hat by TygahKnits |
 |
| Vintage Mid Century Cuff Links by HoneyAndPearl |
 |
| Hand Crochet Cuff Bracelet "Fairy Tale" by samsstuff |
 |
| Serendipity in blue & brown by StudioZen |
 |
| "Glass" photography by WmBrayPhotography |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tacoma, WA 11/11/11
Tacoma, WA is a mix of industrial & rural, less stuck in between, a mix of both worlds & more of an existence on both ends of the spectrum. On one side you have a major shipping port, home to the Chihully Glass Museum & at the other you have farmlands & dairies, without any buffered mixture of sights in between...
 |
| Sunset Somewhere in Tacoma, WA 11/11/11 |
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