Enter the May Pursuit HERE!

I think I may have been confusing everyone with my change of venue with the blog! So sorry! I would like participants to the May Pursuit of Handmade to Enter here with a comment! Just comment with your URL to the item or place where I can find it! If you want to share a little something about your item, that would give it a little more "juice" when it is featured, that would be fantastic! So, comment below!

Remember- the Tweet along- just tweet or share others and yourself, add the hash tag "#POH" at the end, and I will find you, Retweet you, and share! You can do a simple search and do the same.

May's Theme- "Something for Someone Special" Any item that one could give to that someone special in their life- The theme is in appreciation for all those special people who help us along in life that may not fit under the Mothers Day umbrella!

So, come on, post post post

Tweet A Long!

Want to participate? Have your items retweeted over and over? Well, this is a two way street, buddy! You have to help, too! (just kidding!). Here is how it works-

Comment and add your link to your item you have entered into the Pursuit of Handmade

Others will click on your link and then SHARE it with a share button or you can copy and cut the URL and add it to your twitter

Before you post, add #POH at the end of the tweet

Whenever you or others go to twitter, they can do a search for #POH and then all of the other posts that related to Pursuit of Handmade will come up! Just click the retweet link! Simple, easy, and helps one another, right? Well, get busy then!

Take A New Turn

Well, I have decided to make some changes with this blog... Unfortunately there just are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to... I have spent the last year sharing ways to grab traffic, promote your biz, etc. here at Mishaps! Now, I am going to focus on promoting, uniting, and working together with other sellers or biz's who are to break into the world...

With that in mind, hop over to Mommy's Reviews at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com This will be the blog for promoting and exposing all of my new friends, and future friends! This blog, however, will focus on the information, nuts and bolts of getting ourselves out there and noticed! Everyone is moving into the handmade arena (which is fantastic!) but, sometimes we get lost in the crowd! Often, we don't have a sale for a while, we started doubting ourselves, and we lean towards throwing in the crochet hook! Don't do it! You just need a pick me up, and here is where you will get it!

Every month I try to do a "Pursuit of Handmade" which exposes or shows off sellers who create products in a chosen theme line... Well, I am going to broaden those themes, and then do a little publicity for one another when we participate!

Here are the things I think we could do to help each other-

1. Participate in the announced Pursuit of Handmade (that is the anchor to the entire operation!)

2. List your link at Mommy's Reviews (http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com), thus you get immediate linkback and exposure- no waiting for you to be featured! You just add your link to the item that you think meets the theme.

3. Here (Mishaps of Mommy http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com) again list your link to the item in the comments section, AND share a little something about the item, the inspiration, the theme, whatever... I will expose each participant individually on the blog

4. Whomever is being featured that particular day, share it! We need to share each other on twitter, facebook, digg, all the social networks and sites. It is very easy, just go to the upper left corner of the blog and hit share or you can use the share button I have added to the bottom of the postings at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

5. Click on all the links to the items under the comments and share them with twitter, facebook, etc. For example, if it links to an Etsy item, just click the share button to the bottom right of the page and you can share it with twitter, digg, facebook, all of the great sites! Share your items, share others items. It is all about promoting and exposing one another- A team effort, so to speak!

6. Finally, I will have a post below the pursuit for that month here at Mishaps of Mommy http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com You can add your link to the "Tweet A Long" We will all tweet each other followed by the hash mark #POH which stands for Pursuit of Handmade. This will increase exposure and seems to be a great tool many groups and teams are using! Whenever you are on twitter you can do a quick search for #POH and all the tweets will pop up, then just click "re tweet" and we can promote each other some more! It is a group effort, a combined force!

Make sense? We will just work on it as we go along... if you have ideas- share them and we can promote, expose, show off, and learn from one another-

The jist of the entire post is, this blog will focus on ideas, sharing and helping one another, while the Mommy's Review blog will focus on finding new customers, linking customers with sellers, and getting our names/products out there!

So, are your ready? See the above two posts for the Tweet along and the Pursuit of Handmade announcement for May!

Good luck and happy sharing!

New way to Promote your Etsy shop

I was emailed this link to a great little blog that is all about promoting your Etsy shop on Twitter!  Brilliant idea, actually... Here is how it goes...
Everyone uses the hashtag WWes and then post your link, etsy shop, sale, etc!  Other followers of the blog will do a search each day for WWes and Retweet all the items that pop up!  So your tweet may be retweeted a dozen or so times to a various other group of followers!  Great idea, eh?

If you would like to check it out for yourself, here is the link-


http://worldwideetsysellers.blogspot.com/

First Ever Facebook Contest! Sweetest Sweet for your Sweety!

I am having my first ever facebook fan page contest!  I enter them all the time, but rarely host them!  But, as many of you know, facebook can be a fantastic source for promoting and showing off your latest works!

So, hit the link and check it out!  Sweetest Sweets for Your Sweety contest!  Post the sweetest gift idea you have created with your shop, link, url and avatar (if you have one!)  I will show your work off on facebook pages, blogs, twitter, my site, Mulitply, and everywhere I can find that will let me post!  You have to fan the page, and you have to enter by 2/1!  Oh, and obviously it has to be YOUR creation...

So, come check it out and get started!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=262297993679

Oh, PS- I always fan or follow my newbies back!  So this is one more linkback to build your biz....

Find the facebook fan page at:
http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/?ref=sb#/pages/Mommy-Tyme-Bath-and-Unique-Gifts/87968482686

Mommy Tyme Bath and Unique Gifts on Facebook

Promote your shop for free with Mommy Tyme! No catch!

A great way to promote your shop/business is with widgets or mini stores!  Many of the marketplaces have them- Etsy, Winkelf, Artfire, etc...

(if you know of more, please comment and let me know... I am not sure of all of the venues out there!)

anyway, I am hoping to create a featured section on my blog- Mommys Reviews- and post a variety of artists mini shops for either a week/or a month at a time- (I dont have all the details under control yet...)

so, here is an excerpt from my blog- Mommys Reviews at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com  -  If you are interested in participating (Yes, it's free!) then you can comment here with the information, or you can go to Mommy's Reviews and post the information there!  I really hope to get the Mommys Mini Marketplace off the ground in the next two weeks!  So, hurry and post!  Plus, this will really be added promotion for your shop- I will feed it to twitter on a 6 hour interval, also post all new mini shops each week on Facebook, and it has a feed running to my website!  Plus, I subscribe to multiple traffic exchanges and services for both My Mommys Reviews Blog and my website.  All of this benefits you- so, join in the fun!

Here's the details from http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

"...As we have talked about previously, the Share the Love Series will be ongoing and updated weekly.  As will the pursuit of handmade series which is my weekly blog entry!  The Mommy's Mini Market contains all of my shops- but, my new FEATURE is Mommy's Mini Marketplace- which I hope to have up and running in the next week or so... Here is the deal for this:  If you are a handmade artisan and you want to promote your items/shops- you can do so here!  I would like to feature 3-4 mini shops (or widgets) each week (or month)!  All you have to do is- sign up!  Just leave me a comment with your shop URL, name, and email.  I will choose 3-4 shops for this first feature, then contact the shop owners.  The shop owners will send me the code for their mini shops  I will post the mini marketplace.  One catch, however, is that the online shops must have a mini/window, etc.  I know that etsy, winkelf, artfire, and fuzz b offer this free service- but, as for other marketplaces, I am not sure!  You will just have to ensure that your venue does offer this service.

My readers get a fantastic opportunity to browse a variety of shops with multiple modes of talent!   Readers can shop directly from the blog or they can link to your shop and see all of your great products!  This will give readers a chance to see all the fantastic items out there in the handmade marketplaces- not just the few items I may choose to feature!  And this provides you (the shop owner) with one more link back, one more promotional tool, one more place where your name and products is being shouted out!  You have to do absolutely nothing!  I will tweet your shop's presence here, post it on my website, let my facebook followers know, etc! 



I honestly believe in promoting and preserving the great talents out there!  One of my biggest fears is that by the time my child is an adult, there were only be cheap, mass marketed products for him to enjoy.  I want the future of handmade and artisan work to grow- I pray that individuals continue to express themselves and their creativity and that there continue to be a market that openly appreciates and receives these creations.  So, I feel an ultimate obligation to do my part and shout to the world - Hey check these artists out!  So, Mommys Mini Marketplace is just one more way I can do that!  Problem is .... I need participants (you, the shop owner!)

So, if you are interested, comment with the needed information- and I hope to have this feature section up and running sometime next week!..."

If you have questions, ideas, or thoughts on how to get this up and moving, streamlined, or easier for the readers, let me know!  Hope you join in and participate!

Grow your followers by blogging | twitterfriends.org

Grow your followers by blogging | twitterfriends.org

Are you using twitter to promote your handmade? Are you making new friends, finding followers, sharing your links? If so, then you know Twitter can be a powerful tool to promote and advertise your items! But, it can also be a lot of work. You have to scour and search for the right kind of followers, make posts that use the keywords your potential customers can find, and you have to search for the right type of people to follow. I personally have done a broad search on a keyword like "women" or "fashion" attempting to find tweeters who have an interest in women's fashion. What did I get? PORN! So, it is a little more tricky than you might think... It took me two days to delete all the followers and DM's I had from "adult themed tweeters"! However Twitter Friends does a lot of the work for you... and you can sign up for the free service to check it out. If you really want to grow your Twitter Base, you can, for only pennies a day.... What could be easier? Check it out and see what they can offer you and your business, then come back here and share it with us!



http://twitterfriends.org/Follow.aspx

Squeezing A Call To Action In Your Description

Squeezing A Call To Action In Your Description

Posted using ShareThis

Emails and Traffic Services

More Traffic services:

This one is actually new, and thus far- great! They will send out mass emails with your store links, advertisements, etc. In return, you promote the links and help build the membership- easy, right?

Well, it is free to join, so what do you have to lose?



http://www.advertyze.com/go.php?r=9866

Contest! Win free advertising and a Great gift! Enter here

For 2 weeks I am doing a drive to get more subscribers here at Mishaps of Mommy! I love to help promote, and I want to share all the tips and tricks I learn along the way with you...
So, Here is what is up for grabs....

I will give you one month Front page advertising on my website at http://www.mommytyme.org Banner and link
I will give you one month advertising on my Spotlight page (avatar and link) at http://www.mommytyme.org/contact.html
I will give you avatar size free advertising on my blog at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com
Plus, check out any of my shops, pick one free giant bath bar and I will send that to your free! You won, so celebrate and relax!
check out the shops at:
http://www.MommyTyme.etsy.com
http://fuzzb.com/MommyTyme
http://www.MommyTyme.winkelf.com
http://shophandmade.com/MommyTyme


Here is what you have to do:
1. Subscribe to the blog here at Mishaps
2. Comment on what type of promoting, ideas, tips or tricks you need help with...

That is it! One free entry!
Want extra entries?

1. Follow me on facebook
2. Tweet this contest
3. Visit my shops and comment on which of the soaps you will choose
4. Subscribe to my other blog at
http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com
5. Sign the guestbook at my website http://www.mommytyme.org

For each of the above, comment that you have completed it here and you will get an extra entry. Tweet me more than once, blog about this contest more than once, mention it here and I will add extra entries for you!

Grab my banner at the bottom of the page and get 5 extra entries! Leave a link here of where you posted it!

Have fun! This is a win! win! situation!

Give Away!

Well, I have run contests on most of my blogs, web sites, even at my stores, but not here at a New You! So, to gain some input, get to know some of the followers, and increase the followers- I thought we would have one here, too! Theis blog is http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com

This one is going to be easy! I will accept entries until 10/10/09! So, the more comments you leave, the more entries, the more chances!

I am offering up a 10.00 gift certificate! That's right! A 10.00 Gift certificate (just in time for the holidays) that you can spend on anything in the store! Keep in mind, some items have shipping costs, but some are free! You can combine this with any toher offer, you can combine this with other items you are purchasing (for example, some of the higher price items are free shipping, but you can combine this 10.00 gift certificate and really get the item for less than 20.00; or you can pick up a couple of butter bars, bath bars, bubble bath, etc! Oh, and this week I am listing some 2.00 specials! 1.00 specials, and more....

So, what do you have to do? Truly, this is very easy...

1. Follow or subscribe to this blog- http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com You are already here, so just click on the follow button to the right!
2. Visit my shop at http://fuzzb.com/MommyTyme and to the right you will see listings of my 4 shops! Just pick one shop that you would purchase from, come back and comment on any of the items that really caught your eye!

That is it! You are now entered 1 time!
Want more entries? To grab extra entries and increase your chances -

1. Follow me on twitter and then comment here with the link (Your twitter link)
2. Tweet this page, contest, etc! Comment here with the link of your tweet
3. Blog about the contest then comment here with the link to your blog (PS this gives you a link back that helps increase traffic to your blog!)
4. Sign the guest book at my web site http://www.mommytyme.org
5. Sign up for free advertising by completing the free submission information on my spotlight page of my website at http://www.mommytyme.org/contact.html Then comment here leaving me your link, banner, and shop info (again giving more traffic to your blog or site!)
6. Join my facebook fans and comment here that you have done so

Each of the above counts as one extra entry! Remember, each thing you do, you must leave an extra comment here! Oh, and you can get 5 extra entries just for posting my blog button and a link to this blog on your site until the contest ends 10/10/09! Make sure you leave a comment here with the link to your blog!

Grab the button here:



<a href="http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com"><img src="http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9804/356826270ce5ea1m3.jpg" border="0" width="125" height="125" alt="Powered by BannerFans.com" /></a><br />




You can post the button as many places as you want. Leave a link for each and receive an entry for each! Remember, the button has to stay up until the contest is ended 10/10/09!


The below Give Away is at:

http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com You must go there to complete the steps!

The contest winner is chosen at random by each entry being assigned a number in chronological order according to the entry time. Only comments left here at this blog are considered entries! Each extra entry will be verified by checking the link given. Then a random number is chosen with the installed program at the top of the blog. The winner will be announced 10/10/09.

Remember, the contest for butter bars is still happening at my other blog:
http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

Use Twitter the Right Way!

Get the most out of your twitter account! There are tons of ways to use twitter to really get the traffic to your shops. If you aren't using twitter, you are losing potential customers.

Here are some tips:

1. On your social network sites from Ning, you can add the twitter finder Application. Do this. Enter key words that you are looking for like marketing, shopping, selling, handmade, etc. Then, set your application to find 5-10 of these each time you log on. You can then click onto these tweeters to determine if you want to follow or not! This will give you leads, ideas, and the things they tweet may help you!

2. Make sure your twitter page looks fun and inviting. An interesting twitter page makes others want to follow you. So deocorate your page! There are tons of services available for this, such as webfetti.

3. Tweet everything of interest. You can install a twitter bar, or just keep your twitter home page open at all times and copy url's then paste on your home page that you want to share. Remember, once in a while just type a few thoughts or ideas in your twitter page. Otherwise, spam services may consider your page spam and ignore you. One of the filters for spam is the percentage of URL's posted.

4. Go to tweet spinner and sign up. This is free. You can add several URL's that are constantly retweeted at intervals you set. Yes, this one works and well! Try it!
http://tweetspinner.com/70912307

Try this link if the above does not work: http://bit.ly/26MTCV

5. Any time you list a new product, service, have a social network page, etc. there is generally a share button somewhere around. Share it with twitter, facebook, digg and more. For social network sites from ning, the share button is under your avatar at the left. Do this several times a day to get people to your page! You can add a share button to your blog, your web site, etc. Share it with twitter!

Have more ideas on how twitter can help? Share them here....

Check out the contest!

I have a contest/drawing running on my Mommys reviews You can Use blog at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com Go to the blog and enter today! Here is the a run down of the entry process....


From: http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

So far, I have had some great responses... but, the contest is open until 10/10! So, keep tweeting, commenting, andmore! The more you hsare and comment, the more entries you have! That really increases your odds! Thanks for your participation, folks! I enjoy reviewing your "about me" on blogger, and finding your blogs! Wow! so many interesting and talented people I have met with one little old blog!


Mommy Tyme Gifts is going to join in the contest fun! I am always giving away something on the website, but I think this time I will post it to potential new fans and see what happens!

Up for grabs is 1 Extra Large handmade bath bar or butter bar in your choice of scents! You choose. Visit my shop at http://www.MommyTyme.etsy.com and browse which item you would like!

Here is how to Enter:

1. Comment which product you would choose for the giveaway
2. Follow me on facebook (see the become a fan widget on this page)
3. Tweet the contest with a link to http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com (you can just copy and paste this in your twitter bar or use the share button in the sidebar)
4. Sign the guestbook at http://www.mommytyme.org

Want Extra entries:

Just blog about this contest on your blog-
Subscribe to my blog-

2 extra entries each for completing either of those options!

When you leave your comment please leave your link to twitter and your blog where I can see you shared the contest information (Plus, I will follow you back!)

Lets get going! Contest closes 10/10/09!!!

Reminding you about the Contest!

Go to http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com for more information!

Mommy Tyme Gifts ig going to join in the contest fun! I am always giving away something on the website, but I think this time I will post it to potential new fans and see what happens!

Up for grabs is 1 Extra Large handmade bath bar or butter bar in your choice of scents! You choose. Visit my shop at http://www.MommyTyme.etsy.com and browse which item you would like! Then go to the blog and do the following:

Here is how to Enter:

1. Comment which product you would choose for the giveaway
2. Follow me on facebook (see the become a fan widget on this page)
3. Tweet the contest with a link to http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com (you can just copy and paste this in your twitter bar or use the share button in the sidebar)
4. Sign the guestbook at http://www.mommytyme.org

Want Extra entries:

Just blog about this contest on your blog-
Subscribe to my blog-

2 extra entries each for completing either of those options!

When you leave your comment please leave your link to twitter and your blog where I can see you shared the contest information (Plus, I will follow you back!)

Lets get going! Contest closes 10/10/09!!!

Bring On the Traffic!

We have spent a lot of time talking about rotators, traffic services, search engines and more... We are going to start focusing on conversion of sales, the right types of groups and networks to join, contests, etc to help promote your items and increase your sales in the upcoming weeks. I wanted to share one more time with you a great rotator service that really brings the traffic to your site! You can add as many URL's as you choose, and they will post as often as you set. However, the one catch is, that in order for your URL's to be posted, you have to have credits. To earn credits, you look at other's sites. It is so easy, though. It is not time consuming. You can add it to your start page, and every day when you log on, just check one or two sites! You will always have credits and your URL's will constantly be being promoted and rotated! Really. It is FREE- there are NO hidden costs. I have been using this service for a while, and Have NO complaints.

Anyone else using this service? Feel free to share your experiences with Traffic Swarm Here! Comment, comment, comment!



http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?922223

New month, New Opportunities

Well, here it is September.... I have been very busy with the blogs this month! I hope you have learned and benefitted from some of the tips, links, and ideas we have shared here! I also hope you have had the chance to check out some of my other blogs-
Mommy's Reviews you Can Use at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com
A New You at http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com

Each of these blogs has different content to help you with your life, family, business, etc. So, please give them a view!

Also, as a new business owner, salesperson, handmade/handcrafted artisan, you may still find the market a tough nut to crack! I know I do! Some weeks are great, while others I feel like I am just wasting time- but, patience and diligence are the keys! So, keep moving forward!

Last month on the web site at http://www.mommytyme.org I gave away several free sample products for my contest/drawing- and the winner has been announced- visit the site and see who it is!



This month, again, I am offering a free gift for participating in the contest that runs between all of my blogs and the site! Up for grabs - an extra large, 50unce, butter Bath Bar- these great bars are jam packed with skin loving essentials like organic jojoba oil, honey, shea butter, a heaping scoop of organic cocoa butter, kokum butter, lanolin, vegetable glycerin and more! Moisturize while you shower or bathe! These come in fantastic, rich, long lasting scents that you will love! I will be giving one bar away every 10 days until October 10th! So, check back often and see if your announced! Then just contact me with the shipping address!







So, here are the new entry rules for the Butter Bar Giveaway:

1. Follow Mommy Tyme on Twitter - see the follow me button below (I will follow you back!)



2. Follow the blog
3. Sign the guestbook at the website http://www.mommytyme.org
4. Use the share button below - simply share this with at least 3 places (facebook, twitter, digg, etc. any of the choices listed, or you can share with the same site 3 times- it does not matter to me!)

Once you have done that, your name goes into the drawing bowl! That's it, that's all! To ensure your name is entered (in case you have any doubts) you can ask for confirmation in a comment on any of my blogs, or you can request confirmation in the guestbook at the site, or you can even email me at Mommytyme70@yahoo.com

Good luck!


More opportunities- Do you write well? Would you love to share a story about your WAH? Your opportunities you offer? Your items? etc? Do you have an article that women can benefit from? Well, write me an article for the website! Submit your article to Mommytyme70@yahoo.com and if I use it on the site, you will receive free Banner advertising with a link for as long as I use the article! You can write about your work, your items you create, offer a free pattern, recipe, whatever. I am open to take in all types of content! This is a great chance for more exposure for you, and for your business!


Finally- Interested in posting a link on my shopping pages of the website? It's simple! Just pick up one of my banners listed below, - post it on your site or blog with my link



Link to : http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com



http://mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com





http://www.mommytyme.org



then send me an email with your banner and link and let me know where I can find mine on your site! That is it! I love reciprocal advertising and banner exchanges!

Get more Tweets

Following is anothe rlink that will help you connect with only the twitter users you want to target.

http://tweetpenguin.com/MommyTyme/done

You can target these users by setting up keywords and phrases. So, for example, if you want to connect with consignment shop owners to discuss and promote your items, you may type in consignment shops as one key word, consignment shop owners, as a second key word. You may be looking for vintage material, then you would set up key words that would be linked to these type of sellers such as "vintage cloth", "material", "vintage shops", etc. The twitter's you target will then be notified of you following them, and likely will reciprocate. Give it a try. Post your outcomes and the benefits/set backs using the Tweet Penguin gave you. Remember, every comment on any of Mommy Tyme Blogs automatically enters you into the drawing found on Mommy's Tyme at http://www.mommytyme.org

Twitter Users!

Previously we had talked about the basics and importance of twitter. It can be a great tool if used correctly, or it can be a great waste of time if used incorrectly. Following is the link to tweetspinner. This is a free tool that can help you routinely post certain tweets, keep track of your followers and reciprocate the following automatically, utilizes key words to find your perfect tweets to follow, etc. An amazing program that can really push you forward with your twitter use. Check it out then let me know what you think, how you are utilizing it, how it is benefiting your business....

Check it out:
http://tweetspinner.com/home

http://bit.ly/K9Axc

Using Twitter correctly and getting the followers!

Using Twitter to advertise your items? Social networking has it's benefits and can really help you with your product promotion. The trick is to get the right followers, and make sure you are following the twitters that can benefit you! Don't just promote your items, share your knowledge, your links, your thoughts, and even some fun places with your followers! Always send an occassional direct message to followers. This lets them know you are involved with them personally and taking an interest in their interests! Thus, the social portion of networking! You never know when you will meet that special person who can change your entire business outlook! We are all searching random encounters for the one that matters! Or the many that matter!

Here is a link that will help you increase your followers, then send your new followers a brief message welcoming them and thanking them for their follow!

http://twitter.xaviermedia.com/t/MommyTyme

You can reciprocate and follow them. Browse and link your twitters a few times each day. People post things of interest and that can really help you out with your business all day long! Don't ignore the power of twitter!

Mommy’s gone overboard, AGAIN

In my attempt to market my products and advertise my items, I started spending endless hours scouring the web, free website submission services, joining social networks, etc. What has now happened is I have joined so many groups and signed up for hundreds of free web surfing sites that I actually spend about 2 ½ hours each morning just trying to catch up with my obligations to the groups I have joined. I then found Twitter. Wow! I thought this is a fantastic opportunity to advertise my items and my sales to thousands of people. That, of course, led to face book, my space and more….

 

So, what I have run into is about 240 emails each morning when I wake up that need answered. After that I have to check all of my stores (which I also went overboard on, and opened one in several marketplaces), then my pay pal account, and finally, as time allows, I get the chance to update my own website, blog, and add items to my store. This is crazy! I have put myself out there in so many places that I am spending more time on the web then I am on creating the projects I love.

 

So, this week I have decided to review, reduce, and downsize my outlets and marketing attempts. The reality is, that when you spread yourself so thin, the work you are doing is quantity and not quality. Just putting a badge or banner up on a social network page and showing a few pictures, really isn't what social networking is about. The idea behind the social networking groups is to show yourself to others, make friends (thus the word social), learn new techniques, ideas, share thoughts and more. Your social networks should not just be networks that you think you can sell yourself at, or that you think you can market from. Social networks are not designed for that purpose unless that is in the name and description of the network. Rather, the social network is designed to meet new people, make friends, and find similar interests with others that you can share. Somehow I have missed some great friendship opportunities on these networks because I am so busy trying to catch up with every network.

 

Another mistake is joining several free web submission services that require you earn credits by surfing pages. Joining one or two of these sites is truthfully all one person can handle if they only have 1-2 hours on the internet a day. If you are not familiar with these programs, the idea is that you surf and review other's people's web sites. You earn credits for each site reviewed. You can then spend these credits by having your website posted for others to review in the same program. This does bring traffic to your site; however, it is not the right traffic. That is the key. You want traffic to your site and stores of people who are interested in purchasing or shopping for your line of items. That is the mistake so many of us make. We think that the odds are in our favor if we get enough individuals browsing our sites, but reality is these individuals are viewing your sites for the same reason you are viewing theirs. Not because you are interested, but because you need credits. So, if you agree to these programs, make sure the program is one which allows you to choose your interests for the sites you will be viewing, and that allows you to plug your site into certain categories that a viewer can choose to look at. So, you would not want to list your site under web development if you are selling jewelry. Otherwise the people who are searching web development may look at your site, but they are not interested.

 

The same concept applies to your twitter messages. You don't want just any followers, you want the right followers. The same applies when you are searching twitter for people to follow. If you are interested in free web submission, and you type that in, that is what you will get. You can follow these individuals, but it may lead to you getting followers who are interested in free web submission services- not the true items you are marketing. So, at least once or twice a week you should look for twitter's that has key words relative to your items. Examples would be, "shop for jewelry", "green gem stones", etc. Or if you have bath and body products, "lotions on sale", "buy handmade soap", etc. Once you find the twitter's with these key phrases, follow them. Even if they are a seller, too, you may gain some of their followers by the follow list posted to the side. Make sure you tweet some general interest items once in a while, too. People want to get to know the seller, and short brief phrases allow some insight into your personality.

 

So, learning from my mistakes the past few months, my agenda is now to downsize some of my outlets. I am going to review all the social networks I belong to and reduce my participation to those that I really enjoy, those that I have made friends on, and those that have similar interests to my own. I have listed a few great sites below, and hope if you have time you will check them out! Second, I am going to withdraw my site surfing programs to only two. The two that I choose will allow the viewer to choose categories of sites they want to view, and categories for which they can list their own sites. Finally, I am going to review my twitter follow list and reduce to those that I actually want to read and follow. Hopefully, this will free up at least half of the time I currently spend on the internet and allow me to get back to Creating! I haven't been in the kitchen for a week to make a batch of lotion, soap, or melts. I have barely picked up my crochet hook! Without my time for those interests, I feel empty and lost.

 

I hope this helps someone else out there who find themselves being sucked into a variety of outlets, and unsure which ones to let go and which ones to pursue. There are only so many hours in the day, and the majority of those hours should be spent doing what you love. If you love marketing on the web, then you are fine, but if you love creating with your hands, you may want to consider downsizing.

 

 

 

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