Simply Shiny Life

Have you enabled site search within Google Analytics yet for your etsy shop? No? Why not? Seriously, you NEED to.

Here’s what I have discovered so far about potential handmade shoppers visiting my shop from etsy’s site search:

They are arriving from text search and NOT by browsing the categories. Specifically, I learned that these visitors are using etsy’s default text search which searches each handmade item’s title and tags, but NOT the item description.

So what does that mean to you and your etsy shop? It is a key indicator that it is imperative to have ALL the key words your buyers might possibly use in their search included at least once in your item title and your tags.

And, I know that I’ve said this before in previous posts, but, for those of us that use artsy fartsy names for our designs, you absolutely NEED NEED NEED to put descriptive item tags in your titles. Remember you only have 14 tags you can using for each item. If you can’t place ALL the tags you need within those 14, you need to be sure they are listed in your item title.

So, for me, instead of naming the handmade hoop earrings pictured below simply as Twist my heart

I have instead incorporated potential tags and named them

Twist my Heart – Handmade small twisted sterling silver oxidized hoop earrings

and therein ends your lesson for the day.

BTW: here’s a link for enabling site search in your Etsy Google Analytics from the Storque.

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I’m a seasonal purse purchaser. Although I tend to gravitate toward bright colors all year round, I do carry darker hued bags during the winter. So, as Spring is right around the corner (YAY!!!), and I’m going to be in the market for a new bag, baby, I thought it would be fun to profile a few handmade purse, tote and bag designers from Artfire.  Some are even offering special deals for you, dear constant reader.

Today’s profile belongs to Jennifer from CreativeJenV . Jennifer says that she’s 
“Just a mom who loves to create things. If you see something that you want in a different size or longer/shorter handles, more pockets or less just ask! I will do my best to make it happen. “ 

She’s also offering a special deal for Simply Shiny blog readers: Free First Class shipping!  All you need to do is add the code SABlog in the message section on PayPal when you check out, or you can contact Jennifer after you have placed your order to give her the code. She’ll credit you shipping fees. NICE!

ArtFire shop name: www.creativejenv.artfire.com
Etsy shop name: www.creativejenv.etsy.com
Twitter: creativejenv
Blog: www.creativejenv.blogspot.com
Location: Toledo OH

Where did you start and how did you learn to make the products you are creating today?
It started a few years ago when my daughter started Jr. High and was invited to a birthday party almost every weekend. I got tired of shelling out money for gifts and I had been making purses for awhile so we started giving those out. Then people saw them and wanted to buy them so I started my own little business.

Why do you choose the fabrics you use and/or the colors you use?
I try to choose a variety so my purses/totes will appeal to lots of different people. I love the funky stuff and finding the something to go with it.

What are your favorite products to make?
I love the mini totes because
1. they go fast and
2. they are very cute.
They also are the most inexpensive of my tote line which makes them affordable.

What was your favorite custom project for buyer?
I love working with brides when they choose to gives these to their bridesmaids as gifts. Sometimes it is a theme thing and others she will choose fabrics unique to each of them.

What inspires you? 
The fabrics inspire me. The challenge in finding the right embellishment to make it different then the other purses or totes using the same fabric.

What was your biggest handmade oops?
Once I made a purse and put the pockets in backwards. Never noticed it until the customer informed me, I now check pockets several times!

How do you spend time when you are NOT creating?
I work at a fabric store which helps me stay creative even when I’m not sewing. My youngest is involved with travel soccer so that is a big chunk of my time. I also enjoy reading and Animal Crossing for the Wii.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
To take time and do some research. Check to see what it is going to cost to send items, have the right packaging supplies. Think through your store policies before opening up shop. A lot of people are great at making things but struggle at the business end, me being one of them. Take the time to practice both!

What do you wish someone would have told you when you first started selling online?
That it will take time to build you business. It doesn’t happen overnight.

Where have you been published or profiled?
Not with my purses/totes but I have had a rubberstamped card published in a magazine.

THANKS Jennifer!

Stay tuned over the next weeks as I will be profiling more artisan sellers, including special deals and giveaways from the studio owners. 

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Rebecca from Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen offered one of three very different bars of her handmade soap:

Falling for You Soap for Extra Dry Skin,
Mango Raspberry Ice Goat Milk Soap, and
All Natural Lavender & Vanilla Soap.

And the winner is: Wanda!! Congratulations! We will contact the winner today!

Stay tuned over the next weeks as I will be profiling more artisan sellers, including special deals and giveaways from the studio owners. 

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ArtFire calls itself “the premier online marketplace for handmade products designed by artisans around the globe.”  I profiled it here and posted when I joined in November, here

So, what do I like so far about my Artfire studio and the site?

1. Artfire has an advertising plan
2. Listing your products is completed on ONE page
3. Google analytics and other site statistics are available for your studio
4. Current listings appear on the site’s front page as soon as they are loaded by the seller. They are also randomly rotated in a feature front page spot as the Item of the Hour
5. The site administrative team is active, approachable and responsive. Site member feedback is really utilized to make site changes, and those changes/improvements are made QUICKLY
6. The search functionality just gets better and better, and your items are randomized in category searches. This means no need for relisting your items to stay “on top”.
7. Studio items are automatically submitted to Google Base by the site. Nothing further is required of the studio owner to do so
8. Traffic to the site is increasing
9. Fixed flat rate of $7 a month promotion going on right now for the first 5000 studio owners that sign up as verified members. $7 a month and no additional charges for final value fees or additional listing fees, sweet.

Plus, if 10 handmade artisans sign up at the $7 level using your studio name as a referral, Artfire will convert your verified membership to FREE for LIFE. Free is good, right?

So here’s the giveaway I mentioned in the title.  I’d like to be FREE FOR LIFE, but I still need 3 artisans to use me as a referral when signing up for verified studio owner status on Artfire. I’m giving away a pair of earrings of your choice if you use me as a referral when you join Artfire at the $7 a month verified seller level.

All you need to do is use my shop name and sign up using this link, and then let me know you have done so. Once I verify your status with Artfire customer service, you can have your choice of any one pair of the following earrings:

Bling for a referral? I hope its a good trade.

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