Monday, April 11, 2011

Artfire's 45 Day Success Guide - Days 11 and 12


"Metamorphosis" by Primal Painter

I'm still  working on Artfire's 45 Day Success Guide. I've gotten several energy art prints listed in my Artfire Studio,  and also in my Etsy Shop, but I'm still short of having the recommended number of 40 things listed according to day nine of the guide .......40!!! Holy cow, that's alot.  I'm starting to think that a big key for success is having a high number of things  listed.

I've managed to get 21 things listed, so that'll have to be good enough for now.  It takes quite a bit of time to list things I've noticed, even on Artfire.  Having duplicate listings on Etsy requires that the titles and descriptions be 30% different from each other or google will ignore one or the other of the listings.  So for those of us who have shops in both places, give one of those duplicate listings a different title, and write a new first paragraph.  30% is quite a bit more than I was expecting to have to change. Gah!

Also, something else I discovered, on Artfire if applicable, list multiples for your items.  Apparently, when you re-list an item, all of those links and SEO that have built up over time disappear and  you have to start over from scratch.  So listing multiples will keep your links alive for a long time, and that's a good thing. I'm wondering if frequent re-listing on Etsy loses your links and that's why google search percentages can be lower on Etsy. Re-listing helps with on-site category searches, though, but I'm starting to be suspicious that the Etsy re-listing strategy isn't google friendly. 

I'm on day 12 now, although I groan loudly at the requirements for social media and may not do it.  For me, twitter is easier than facebook, just a quick little blurb and you're out.  Artfire and Etsy both make it easy to do. Facebook seems like a popularity contest that I'm losing......and I don't like to lose! 

At first when I was doing the facebook thing, I was spending way too much time on there, commenting, shout outs, link love, and I got a ridiculously high number of shop views and hearts.  No sales, though, and I was spending quite a bit of time there for no sales....time that I should have spent in the studio.  Plus, you have to keep up the effort or you'll lose people's interest.  It can turn into an addiction, I think.   I understand how it would be beneficial though, and I'll probably try it again at some point.  

Now Etsy is starting to be more like facebook every day!  Have you noticed that now there are "like" buttons on your etsy pages? Geeze..... 

Here's a little summary of days 11 and 12:
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Day 11


Your Daily Checklist

Five New Products listed in your ArtFire Studio  (good grief!)
Three Posts on the ArtFire community Forums   (I'll try....)
Three Tweets sent from your Twitter Account   (I can do that.....)
Two Posts on your Facebook Fanpage Wall    (Oh maaaannn, nobody will even notice)
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Day 12
Social Media Day Two

We encourage every seller to maintain both their ArtFire blog and an offsite blog (with different material). While this may seem overwhelming, but committing to two blog posts a week (one on each blog), will provide you with the benefits of being an active blogger and keep your readers coming back as long as you post regularly.

(Two blog posts a week, one on each,  that doesn't sound too bad......)
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Your Daily Checklist

Three Posts on the ArtFire community Forums (We'll see...)
Five Tweets sent from your Twitter Account   (5 tweets now?  Gah!)
Two Posts on your Facebook Fanpage Wall   (noooooo)
One Blog post on your offsite Blog  (Done!)
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If you go to the Success Guide  there are all kinds of helpful links for each day plus more in depth  suggestions.

Well I'm off to tweet something,  maybe I'll post something in the forums, (I'm not sure about that), and I may drag myself kicking and screaming to facebook.  I think I'm nervous about getting addicted to the popularity aspect and then feeling up or down based on the number of comments, impressions, likes....  I even read somewhere that some people are getting facebook depression because they aren't getting noticed like some of their peers.  That saddens me.....

My success at following the success guide doesn't seem to be too successful so far!

Have an awesome day!

Laurie

15 comments:

  1. Ah Laurie, you are a gem! I love your openness and your outlook on life's challenges, big and small, personal and professional. Thanks for sharing your thoughts so candidly...I'm learning a lot from you. - Sue.

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  2. Social media is quite time consuming, isn't it?! I think there is a way to link it so that whenever you post of twitter, it automatically posts the same thing on your facebook... but I'm not sure how to do it! I'm not a huge fan of facebook because it is time consuming and it seems like all I'm doing is getting likes and comments with self-promotions from other sellers, not buyers. I'd rather be painting :)
    I love Metamorphosis!

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  3. Oh my, maybe I'm not ready to read that guide yet! Just today I thought I'd focus only on my earth friendly products in Artfire, but that certainly won't be 40 listings! And I don't know about the 30% different... I thought I was doing good with a new opening sentence! And oh no! Maintain two blogs, well, I can assure you that that is not going to happen! I can barely squeeze in the one, and I love blogging! Lol~ well I just decided (at this moment) to keep doing what I'm doing, and not worry about all this junk! I'll leave that to someone bigger than me, Spirit/Universe has much better connections than FB anyway! ;)Creating is the part I love, I refuse to get mired in all of this other stuff! ;) Thanks for the update Laurie, good luck with all that social media!

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  4. Melinda, when you said "Spirit/Universe has much better connections than FB anyway!" is so true! That's a quotable quote if I ever heard one! I think from now on, my intention will be set at the beginning of everything I create "The perfect person will own this piece at the perfect time" or something like that.
    Thanks for being so grounded.

    I know what you mean, Sara. If we spend all of our time on this social media stuff, we won't have anything to sell anyway!!!! I'm with you, I'd rather be painting. I'll still read this guide and pass along any tips, though.

    Sue, thanks for the compliments, you're always so supportive and such a "feel good" person. Based on my sales, though, maybe what you should be learning from me is what NOT to do! lol

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  5. "Facebook depression"? I am so glad I'm not on Facebook anymore! LOL ;) Good luck with all this- I hope it helps you sell your stuff, but I'm not sure it's for me! (Especially since I don't have Facebook OR Twitter!!!) :)

    Hugs,
    Taylor Lynn <3

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  6. Taylor Lynn, can you believe there's an actual disorder called Facebook Depression? I heard it on tv, too. I don't think all that social media is necessary either. I mean look at you and all your treasuries! I'll pass along any tips that I think might benefit us all, though.

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  7. Ohmygosh!! Haha, I haven't even SEO[ed] my shop yet xD It's been too nice weather! I haven't been able to make myself sit on the computer for long ;) I think I'll finally get to posting on my Blog again today! Since it's now sunny out... but who knows ;)
    *Hugs!*
    Jordan

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  8. I'm right there with ya, Jorday. It's sunny and nice today, I think it's a soak up the rays and read a good book day, and pretend like I've never heard of SEO!

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  9. I can't believe it, yet I can at the same time. SO many people take Facebook SO seriously... I used to, but then there was a drama among my friends that I got dragged into, so Jordan and I closed our accounts. (I HATE drama!!!) I haven't been on since, and I have no intention of going back!

    And yeah, I don't think social media is all that neccessary. Claybykim, an Etsian I interviewed for a blog feature (I think you read it...?)- she doesn't have a Twitter or a Facebook. And she's made over a thousand sales since April 2007! I think Facebook and Twitter help a bunch of people make sales, but I definitely don't think they're absolutely necessary for success. :)

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  10. Taylor and Jordan know all about Facebook depression... both of their moods and attitudes altered when they were on FB. Taylor voluntarily shut down her account, Jordan needed a little nudge but knew she'd be better off without it. Jordan tried it again for her business, but eventually found herself dragged in again, and dumped it. It's got some weird addictive properties. ;)

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  11. Oh, forgot I wanted to add this! I do feel like whenever I create something, I'm making it for someone in particular. Then it's just a matter of being patient, until that person comes along. It's kind of cool, really. Life's all about puzzle pieces, that so neatly fit into place. :)

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  12. Haha, sounds like a great idea! Hope you had fun soaking up the sun!! What book are you reading now? Today is somewhat cool... but tomorrow is supposed to be warm again :D
    Get a tan yet? ;)
    *Hugs!*
    Jordan

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  13. Tay, I did read that interview, and that's really encouraging to hear! I do appreciate the occassional comments on facebook, but I dunno, your mom is right, there's something addictive about it. My daughter has experienced that fb drama too, and still has an account, but doesn't use it that much.

    Melinda, you're just full of quotable quotes! You should write a book! "Life's all about puzzle pieces, that so neatly fit into place". I like that one! Your attitude about making something for someone in particular is excellent and you're living proof that it works! Congrats on 100 sales! Wheee!

    Jordan, yes I have a tan, but it's a ridiculous farmer's tan! I'm on the last book of the 7 book series by Stephen King called "The Dark Tower". I've read this series about three times! I guess some movies are going to be made, can't wait!

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  14. Yeah, there is something addictive about it, and I can't say I like it too much... so I'm glad I got off. ;) Some of my friends ask me why I don't get back on, because the whole drama's over now, but I don't want to get involved in the whole FB thing again. No thank you! Besides, it sends too much crap to my inbox. I have enough to do on the computer as it is. I have two blogs, for gosh sakes! :)

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  15. Lol Laurie, thanks. :) Most people just think I spew nonsense... ;)

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