The Crafted Webmaster

Links for Artists [Feb 21 - 27]

2010-02-28T22:30:54Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

RT: @abstanfield Sitting for hours at a time leads to slower metabolism and other problems. Yikes! I’m outta here. NYT http://nyti.ms/aF6pyL
Reading: 4 Ways to Jump Start Your Art Career!- http://ow.ly/1bULB
RT: @TheCraftsReport Stop playing the Etsy numbers game- http://bit.ly/dnJoGN
RT @mashable: The Science of Building Trust With Social Media – http://bit.ly/aUlnnc
Reading: How to Remove a Web Page From Google- http://ow.ly/1baiQ
Reading: The Secret to Growing Your Blog Following and the Pitfall You Must Avoid- http://ow.ly/1bE4C
RT @GuyKawasaki: How to add Google Analytics to your Facebook fan page http://u.nu/8ean6
Reading: The Secret to Etsy Sales http://ow.ly/1bdKA
Reading: 6 Tips for Running Promotions Within Facebook’s Guidelines- http://ow.ly/1bizZ
Reading: 4 Ways to Use Twitter to Capture Customers- http://ow.ly/1blFo
Reading: 7 Ways to Improve Your Blog in 2010- http://ow.ly/1aiul
Reading: Communication Breakdown: How Clear Are You About What You Do?- http://ow.ly/1ak1u
Reading: 10 Steps for Creating a Successful Business from Your Art- http://ow.ly/1ak01
Reading: Successful Guest Posting Strategy in One, Two, Three- http://ow.ly/1aY0V
How does your email stats measure up? Email Marketing Benchmarks and Stats (Open Rates and Bounce Rates) – http://ow.ly/1aRdL
Reading: Networking At Trade Shows : Retail Minded Blog- http://ow.ly/1aywD
RT @ArtByChrysti: RT @ecstewart: RT @entreprenette What are the best-kept secrets to finding new wholesale accounts? http://bit.ly/cUQS4e
Reading: 13 Ways to Move Your Facebook Fans to Action- http://ow.ly/1aI6B
Funny…but true: Top Ten Ways to not Make Money at Craft Shows- http://ow.ly/1aJ2s
Reading: Top 10 Reasons To Start A LinkedIn Group- http://ow.ly/1aj6e
RT @mashable: This You????: Yet Another Phishing Attack Hits Twitter [WARNING] – http://bit.ly/9U6lbb
Reading: Social Media For Business – Five Truths- http://ow.ly/1aj7P
Reading: 4 Things Your Outgoing Orders Should Contain- http://ow.ly/1abGb
Reading: Top 5 Ways to Market Your Business With LinkedIn- http://ow.ly/19ZHp
Reading: Newbies. Here’s why you’re not selling yet. http://ow.ly/1aicC
Reading: How To Price Art Prints- http://ow.ly/1a1Bi
Reading: Are You Ready for Consignment? Part 1- http://ow.ly/1a1yb
RT @wayrustic: 7 Ways To Beat The Challenges Of SEO For Ecommerce- http://bit.ly/dqXcx2
Reading: What to Know Before Sending Out That Next Promotional Package- http://ow.ly/19QgH
RT: @wtek Reading: The Hidden Art of Achieving Creative Flowing http://bit.ly/9cDRQp via @zen_habits
Reading: 4 Tips To Get More Blog Exposure Via Twitter- http://ow.ly/19PJ5
12 Great Things Every Handmade Artist Should Blog About- http://ow.ly/19Pgu
RT @TheCraftsReport: 4 strategies to help struggling entrepreneurs out of debt- http://bit.ly/9yvcMH
A great article on real life results from SEO- SEO for Artists Example- http://ow.ly/19Pnc

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

Art Blogging: How dressed up is your blog?

2010-02-25T18:06:38Z

Do you have a blog? How dressed up is it? I’m not just talking about whether it looks pretty or not. I’m also talking about things that will make your blog an effective marketing tool for promoting your art. What are some of must-haves you need for your blog? Here’s the most important things:

1. A domain name- a domain name for your blog whether it’s a separate name from your main website or a subdomain of your website (eg: yourwebsite.com/blog) is an important part of branding your blog. Even if you are using a blogging service like Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress.com (NOT Wordpress.org…you can find out how they Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org differ here), you should still get your own domain name for your blog. It looks so much more professional than yourblog.blogspot.com.

2. A custom banner- While the generic banners you get with your blog templates work just fine, you can dramatically upgrade the look and professionalism of your blog by using a custom banner. If you’re not any great shakes with Photoshop or Gimp, then you can hire someone to do a professional banner for your blog for about $50 or less.

3. A sign up box for your mailing list- If you have a mailing list for customers or potential buyers, make it easy for them to sign up for your mailing list by putting your sign up form on the sidebar of your blog…even if you already have one on your website. If you don’t have a mailing list, you can learn to set one up by getting a FREE copy of my article series “How to Plan and Start a Great Email Newsletter “.

4. RSS subscription buttons- A lot of people like to read blogs through a feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines. Make it easy for them to keep up with your blog by putting on some RSS feed buttons or links on the sidebar of your blog. If your readers prefer email, consider using a service like Feedblitz or Aweber to deliver your blog posts via email. And please remember to offer full feeds to these folks as well.

5. Links to your website and other social networking sites- If you have a main website or an Etsy or Artfire store, you definitely need to have links to those places on your blog. If you are an Etsy user, there is a free widget that you can place on your blog that show pictures of the items that you have in your store. Be sure to add that widget to your blog. Also, if you are a Twitter user, have an account on LinkedIn, or have a Facebook fan page, you should also have links or widgets that link to those places so people can follow you or fan you.

6. Share links- Finally, make your blog easy to share by adding social networking buttons so that people can easily share your blog posts to their friends on StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. You can use a service like Feedburner’s FeedFlare, AddThis, or Share This to add these buttons to your blog. Or if you’re running Wordpress on your website you can use the Sexy Bookmarks plugin.

These tips came from my free e-course “50 Blogging Tips for Artists “. To get more free blogging tips like the ones I just shared simply click here to sign up.

So your turn! What additional bits do you put on your blog to make it more effective? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Blogging: Wordpress.com or Wordpress.org?

2010-02-24T18:13:12Z

If you’re looking around for a place to start your blog, chances are that you’ve heard about Wordpress. And if you’re like alot of people, you’ve might have experienced some confusion because there is actually more than one Wordpress. There’s a Wordpress.com and a Wordpress.org

The short explanation is that Wordpress.com is a blogging service, where you sign up for and account and start blogging. Wordpress.org is where you download the actual blogging software to run on your website.

But what does that mean exactly? Is one choice better than the other? Is one easier than the other? Which one is best for you? To help cut the confusion, I made a video that takes you through a tour of both Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org, points out the differences between the two, and gives you some guidelines on which to choose. You can watch the video below:

Links for Artists [Feb 14 - 20]

2010-02-22T18:00:52Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Now Reading: Be A Blogging Olympian http://ow.ly/1928L
Now Reading: The Missing Ingredient in Most Social Media Strategies- http://ow.ly/17Wpl
RT @TheCraftsReport: How your “slowest” seller could actually be your best marketing- http://bit.ly/bY7Ug0
Now Reading: 99 ways to Promote your Blog- http://ow.ly/192cr
Now Reading: How to Overcome Creativity Blocks by Making These 8 Simple Changes- http://ow.ly/192fD
Now Reading: 4 Highly-Portable Portfolio Ideas: Is Your Art Ready to Show?- http://ow.ly/191Xk
RT @robinpedrero: RT @Yemoonyah: How to Package Flat Products Beautifully by @meylah http://is.gd/8GYR8
Now Reading: 7 Reasons Not to Put All Your Eggs in the Twitter Basket- http://ow.ly/192A5
RT @phyllismufson: RT @InterviewAngel: Top 10 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using LinkedIn http://b5m.cc/acQm via @abbylocke
Now Reading: 15 Things an Artist Should Never Say- http://ow.ly/190Mi
Now Reading: Color Theory for Designer, Part 3: Creating Your Own Color Palettes- http://ow.ly/192hz
HOW TO: Integrate Google Buzz Into Your WordPress Blog- http://ow.ly/18OKL
Now Reading: How To Have a Successful Craft Fair- Information Round Up- http://ow.ly/18BbT
Now Reading: Tips on pitching your items to monthly magazines- http://ow.ly/18kQi
Now Reading: How to Plan, Show and Promote a Photography Exhibit- http://ow.ly/18BdI
Now Reading: Six Things You May Be Doing That Are Screwing Up Your Business- http://ow.ly/18kOZ
[Video] How Bloggers Should Use Twitter (a Darren Rowse Interview)- http://ow.ly/18n49
Now Reading: Setting up your business to accept credit cards- http://ow.ly/18e6Z
Now Reading: 7 Tips for Driving Targeted Traffic With Twitter- http://ow.ly/17Wor
RT @mashable: “How to Deal With Negative Feedback” – http://bit.ly/9u01r1 by @catone
RT: @GuyKawasaki What would happen if the Internet collapsed? http://tr.im/Osjb
RT: @abstanfield 10 tips for selling art in today’s economy. Art Biz Blog http://bit.ly/95VVVB
Now Reading: How to Handle Rejection of Your Art- http://ow.ly/17U0Z
RT: @AGoodHusband Web designers agree – Flash is NOT the best way to create an image gallery. http://ow.ly/17Xiw
Now Reading: Relationship Marketing Principles for Business Bloggers You Must Know- http://ow.ly/17RLh
Now Reading: Business 101 And The Three Year Big Picture Game Plan- http://ow.ly/17mmy
RT @robinpedrero: RT @abstanfield: No ideas for your writing? @OriginalImpulse has a FREE e-course http://bit.ly/9K3USo @Claydybug
Now Reading: Overwhelmed in the Studio? Check Your Work Habits! – http://ow.ly/17xyU
RT: @GuyKawasaki 10 commonly overlooked tax deductions- http://om.ly/fNDV
RT @wtek: Olympic Designers – Who Are They?: http://wp.me/pdz32-nQ
RT: @mashable Google Buzz Gets Some Serious Privacy Tweaks – http://bit.ly/bszQaW

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

Social Networking: What are Google Profiles?

2010-02-19T19:12:52Z

Have you set up your Google Profile yet? Before you start groaning about keeping up with yet another online thing, relax. Setting up your Google profile is pretty easy, and once you set it up, there’s really not much daily upkeep to it. Google profiles are your public face on the Google website. With a profile you can add a brief bio about yourself, photos, and links to your website.

Big deal, you might say, I already have profile on Facebook and Myspace. What makes having a Google profile so great?

It provides another link to your blog and/or website. Incoming links to your blog and/or website is good for search engine rankings…and because the link is coming from Google, you know that Google is going to rank a bit higher.
If you’re using Google Buzz, it will make it easier for you to share your Buzzes
Profiles are searchable. So this provides another way for people to find you and your website
It’s simple to do and it’s free

To see how simple it is, check out the video tutorial I did on how to set up your Google profile. And of course check out my Google Profile when you’re done!

Web Hosting: How much should a web host cost?

2010-02-18T18:04:20Z

I haven’t done an Ask a Question post in a while…so here’s a question a reader wrote in about web hosting.

I’m looking to set up my own website, but I don’t know how much it should cost per month or who I should set me website up with. Any ideas?

M. Ferrer

I answered a question similar to thisin the Etsy forums yesterday, so here’s what I had to say.

Hi there,

The price of web hosting varies from company to company and it also depends on how big your website is and what extra services comes with your host. On average, if you’re planning on putting up a plain old website or Wordpress blog, or maybe a web store using Zen Cart or OScommerce, you should pay no more than $15 per month for hosting. Any good web host should offer a package for this price that gives you more than what you would need. I use two hosting companies for all of my websites: Hostgator and Bluehost. I’ve been using them for a couple of years now and I haven’t had any issues with them. They both run about $10 per month.

If you’re looking for a web host that will also include ecommerce capabilities, say they also give you an easy way to build your website without knowing HTML or provide shopping cart services, you can expect the monthly price to be higher. A service like Big Cartel will run you anywhere between $10 to $20 per month depending on how many items you’re selling. If you’re going to use a service like that, be sure to shop around for the best features and price.

You should also avoid web hosts that are too cheap, like in the $2 to $5 range. These hosting services tend to be rather unreliable and you run the risk of your website running very slow or not at all. So beware!

Hope this helps!
Nicolette

Do you have a burning question about websites or promoting yourself online? Click on the “Ask a Question” tab at the top of the page and send me your question. I’ll send you an answer to your question personally.

Web Design: Are there fonts you should avoid on your blog or store banner?

2010-02-17T17:46:43Z

I’ve been spending some time on the Etsy forums for the past couple weeks and have been monitoring a thread arguing against using the Papyrus and Comic Sans fonts in your shop banners. The main argument is that these fonts make your banner and your store by extension cheap and unprofessional looking. There were of course some rebuttals by the Papyrus and Comic Sans font lovers and general fur flying and pleas of “Please, can’t we and all of our fonts just get along?

While I’m not a big fan of Comic Sans or Curlz for that matter, I’ve always found a place for them and Papyrus in my font archive. If you’ve seen the movie Avatar or the trailer or at least the movie poster, you’ve seen what looks to be a close cousin of Papyrus being used in the logo…so it can’t be all bad.

Where do I stand on the debate? I’ve designed a number of banners and logos throughout the years and while there are some fonts that I use more than others, there are very few that I would absolutely refuse to consider. When it comes to designing a logo or a web banners, here are some the “rules” that I use:

1. The font you use should fit your brand- This is THE biggest consideration when it comes to designing something for your brand. Whatever you use, must fit the kind of image that you’re trying to portray. In many cases, that might not be Comic Sans or Papyrus, but I’ve seen some pretty good work that have used those fonts. And the reason why those fonts worked in those particular cases is that those fonts were used in a way that fit the brand.

2. It’s not always “what” you use, but “how” you use it- The mark of a great designer is the ability to take just about any material and transform it into something great. If you’re a Project Runway fan, then you’ve probably seen this season’s second challenge where the designers took potato sacks and transformed them from this:

To this:

If you’re designing a banner or logo on a budget, take a look as some of the free font sites like dafont.com. There are literally hundreds of free fonts that you can browse through and experiment with. Download what you like, what appears to fit the image you’re trying to project and play around with them.

Remember to use what you have in fun and different ways. Play around with color, shading, and size. Combine different elements like illustrations, photographs, and special effects to make your plain old simple font into something great.

3. In some cases you might have to consider paying for a font- You have to pay for certain fonts for a reason…it’s because they are usually a higher quality than those that you get for free. The characters are are finely formed, most come with full character choices, including punctuation and other special characters. And many of the paid fonts also have true bold and true italic version instead of the “faux bold” and “faux italic” options you have to use in Microsoft and Photoshop. Therefore your logo or banner looks a bit more professional. There are many projects in which I had to bite the bullet and buy a font because it fit the needs of a project perfectly.

4. Keep it simple- Just like you can take a plain old free font and do something spectacular with it, you can also take a nice paid font and make your banner look like a hot mess. In most cases simple will do much better than something that’s overly worked and complicated. This is especially true if the font itself is fancy or have complicated looking elements. In that case, balance out a heavy or complicated looking font with simple elements, layouts or colors.

5. Keep it readable- This should go without saying, but if you’re making a banner or a logo that contains the name of your business, anyone looking at it should be able to actually read it. Don’t sacrifice readability for style.

6. Keep an eye on what everyone else is using- Just like everything else, fonts seem to go in and out of popularity. So keep your eyes peeled as to what kind of fonts designers seem to be using. If you see a font that you love, then you can find out what it is by going to What the Font! If you want to seem trendy and up to date, keeping up with the trends might be good for you. On the other hand, if you want to be unique and want to stand out a bit, you might want to do the opposite and pull an old but perfectly great font out of the mothballs.

7. When in doubt…take it to a professional- If you don’t know what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter what font you’re using. Some artists can easily take their design expertise and make some perfectly beautiful logos and banners. Some can’t. If you’re in the latter group and nothing you try looks right, then get a graphic designer to help you. Getting a professionally designed Etsy or blog banner shouldn’t set you back too much. I typically charge between $40 to $50 for a blog banner. So you can look for folks in that price range and you’ll get something that looks nicer and less stress inducing.

So where do you stand on the great font debate? Is there a font you love or one that you love to hate? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Links for Artists [Feb 7 - 13]

2010-02-14T16:35:46Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Now Reading: 27 tips for using social media for small businesses- http://ow.ly/14LNP
Now Reading: How To Write A Viral Blog Post: 7 Real Examples- http://ow.ly/14LOY
Now Reading: Do you have a checklist?- http://ow.ly/14Dk4
Now Reading: Home Shows- http://ow.ly/14LPO
Now Reading: Etsy Success Tips: Increasing Your Item Views- http://ow.ly/14LUd
Now Reading: 20 Email Productivity Tips To Become an Email Master- http://ow.ly/14LXk
Now Reading: How to Sell Art Online Using Flickr- http://ow.ly/14Qzo
Using SlideShare to Promote Your Fine Art- http://ow.ly/14UBv
Now Reading: The Third Immutable Law: help your buyers own your stuff – http://ow.ly/155rq
Now Reading: The Art And Science Of The Email Signature- http://ow.ly/1545g
Now Reading: Top Three Tweet Title Tips- http://ow.ly/15479
Now Reading: Top 10 Tax Time Tips From Outright- http://ow.ly/1549b
Now Reading: Your Farmer List http://ow.ly/154A9
RT @copyblogger: The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion – http://bit.ly/bDGyle
Book recommendation for entreprenuers and everyone, Seth Godin’s Linchpin: http://ow.ly/156Dm (via @jewelrybizguru)
RT @johnhaydon: Why The Title Of Your Facebook Page Is Absolutely Critical (Video)” – http://bit.ly/aWWLnN
RT @TaraKachaturoff: 4 tips for getting noticed on Facebook- http://ow.ly/150fu
RT: @artmarketing 12 Tips To Create An Artist Website: Part 1 http://bit.ly/bm2oWO
RT @pixelixdesigns: Top 30 reasons you’re not selling (FUNNY!)- http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6428555
RT @traceyctt: How to SUCK at Facebook. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/facebook_suck
Now Reading: How to Market Your Business With Twitter Lists- http://ow.ly/15ycA
Now Reading: Clay or Stone: Website Building for Artists http://ow.ly/15AEp
RT @wtek: Top 10 Tips for Writing a Killer “About” Page @meylah http://is.gd/7YJpH
RT @abstanfield: Joanne Mattera answers the question: Do you really need a gallery? http://bit.ly/9GzTAE
RT @lorimcneeartist: How to “Jump-Start” Your Art Career! – http://bit.ly/aJmOmx #art #arttip
Now Reading: Work Smart: Mastering Your Social Media Life- http://ow.ly/163Tx
RT @ArtistTaraReed: my 2 cents -The Cost of Free blog post- http://budurl.com/lxje
Now Reading: 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence- http://ow.ly/1644z
Now Reading: Using Live Models when Photographing Jewelry – Yes or No? – http://ow.ly/164aF
A must read: On Potential Privacy Problems With Gmail Buzz Exposing Email Contacts- http://ow.ly/16oZc
RT @mashable: HOW TO: Create and Distribute Effective Online Coupons – http://bit.ly/dilgkv
Attention jewelry designers: Call for Entries: 30 min. rings- http://ow.ly/164gk
RT: @KathrynMerrow Stomp out your stress in 8 easy steps – article. http://budurl.com/8Steps
Long, but very informative: Design and Build Email Newsletters Without Losing Your Mind (and Soul)- http://ow.ly/16IC1
RT @TheCraftsReport: How to find opportunity in a down market through strategic marketing. http://bit.ly/9K4EKz
Now Reading: How to Teach an Art Class or Art Workshop http://ow.ly/16MV2
Now Reading: How To Create Successful Chats on Twitter with Hashtags (video)- http://ow.ly/16N67
Some great advice from Seth Godin: The brand, the package, the story and the worldview- http://ow.ly/16Net
Now Reading: How to Run an Online Contest- http://ow.ly/16Nuu
Now Reading: Wake Up! You’re A Blogger Not a Drug Addict- http://ow.ly/16NJM #blogging
Now Reading: How NOT to Get Press From a Blogger (or anyone else)- http://ow.ly/16Pw7
A very cool map listing artist over the world. Check it out!- http://ow.ly/16VEc #twitter
Great idea! How To Follow Any Twitter List In An RSS Reader- http://ow.ly/16VIW
Now Reading: Here’s HOW I got my work in STORES!- http://ow.ly/174h5
Now Reading: 20 questions YOUR BUYERS are asking!!- http://ow.ly/174KA
Now Reading: How to Reach Beyond the Art Niche- http://ow.ly/1772s

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

Online Tools: Why Link Shorteners Stink

2010-02-11T17:34:16Z

Link shortening services has been around for quite a while, but their use has positively exploded since social networking services like Twitter and Facebook has become popular.

If you’re not familiar with what a link shortening service does, essentially they make a long link short…so if I’m using Twurl as my link shortening service, it will change my long link like this:

http://www.craftedweb.com/website-marketing/email-marketing-are-you-collecting-email-addressses-offline/

Into a shortened link like this:

http://twurl.nl/vd68h3

And person that clicks on the link will end up in the same place.

Links shortening services are great if you’re using a tool like Twitter where character count and space are at a premium. They’re also good if you have to send long links around in emails. Very long links often get broken up in emails so that when your recipient receives their email, the link is no longer usable. This is especially handy if you’re sending out newsletters that have links to your blog which have notoriously long links or links to your website.

So if link shorteners are so great, why did I title this post, “Why Link Shorteners Stink”? Well, it’s because as great as link shorteners are, they’re only great if they stick around. If the service you use to shorten your links suddenly decides to fold up shop or change things around then there goes your link. That’s a problem if you’ve emailed that link to someone or have that link in archives of your newsletters or someone runs across an old tweet of yours. Because when they click on that link…it goes to nowhere.

This has happened to me….recently. This week as a matter of fact.

I suddenly started getting emails from people who subscribed to my newsletter or requested one of my free ebooks complaining that download links and the links to resources and websites I’ve included aren’t working anymore. When I went to investigate, I found that SnipURL the service that I have been using to shorten links for my newsletters and emails has suddenly changed up their domain name…without warning…without a “Hey we’re changing things around and it might disable your links…so just a head up in case this matters to you” alert. So now all of those links I have in my emails are suddenly broken.

Sigh

So now, I’m chasing dead links and dealing with email from confused subscribers. And I’m temporarily switching my links over to a new service…not a quick task. I’m also seriously considering doing my own link shortening directly from my website so that something like this won’t happen again. Another benefit to doing this is that my links will get all of the link love from Goggle as opposed to it going to the linking service…which is great for SEO. Plus, my shortened links will reference my website domain instead of Owly or Bitly or whatever, which is always cool. They’ll look like this:

http://www.craftedweb.com/shortenedlink

Instead of

http://wkelk.li/shortenlink

So what can you do to avoid a scenario like this? Well, if you want to go the completely geeky route like I’m thinking about doing and running your shortened links through your own website, this post by Lifehacker can get you started. I realize that this route is probably way too geeky or time consuming for most of you, but if you or someone you know have the technical chops to do this or you want to just try it, it’s something to think about.

If you have a self-hosted Wordpress blog that runs on your own web server (not the kind on Wordpress.com), there’s a plugin that you can install called Twitter Friendly Links that allow you to automatically create shortened links to all of your blog posts. If you’re already using Twitter Tools to automatically tweet out your links when you write a new blog post, then Twitter Friendly Links will work well with it by automatically shortening and including the link to your blog post in your tweet. And as these links are based on the domain name of your blog…there’s little chance of experiencing an unexpected shutdown.

And the only other options you have for now is to not use a link shortener for critical links…say if you’re emailing a gallery a link to your website or online store. Actually you shouldn’t be doing that anyway, part of the value of having your own domain name is the branding. A shortened link by Owly or Twurl doesn’t look as impressive.

And finally…just to be very careful…and keep an eye on your shortened links.

Social Networking: The buzz on Google Buzz

2010-02-10T17:38:09Z

If you’re a Gmail user, you might have seen a new option pop up under your Inbox. Google Buzz appears to be Google’s next entry into the social networking arena. Like the social networking website, FriendFeed, Google Buzz allows you to share photos, websites, video, and more with people you email using Gmail or friends made on other Google apps.

Is this yet another social networking tool that you have to learn about and get familiar with? Well, I can’t say for sure yet. Google hasn’t rolled it out to everyone on Gmail yet, soI haven’t gotten a chance to play with it. I will say that it looks interesting. And since Google also owns, YouTube (video), Picassa (photos), Blogger (blogging), Google Reader (blog reading and sharing), and Wave (social collaboration), they are definitely positioning themselves to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Might be something to keep an eye on. Stay tuned, I’ll report back when I’ve had a chance to experiment.

Here’s the official video about Buzz from Google:

Update: Google’s ears must have been burning because, just as I was about to post this, I got a notice that Google has added Buzz to my Gmail…so I’ll getting back to you pretty soon!

Social Networking: Facebook Changes

2010-02-09T17:42:03Z

If you’re a Facebook user, you know that the powers that be love to change things around. Looks like they’re at it again…but this time it’s for the better. Facebook has made some pretty good changes on how you navigate around on the Facebook site. If you haven’t logged onto Facebook lately, take a look at some of the changes. You’ll be able to find things easier. And to help you out, I’ve made a quick video to outline what’s changed and how to get around on the new Facebook:

Email Marketing: Are you collecting email addressses offline?

2010-02-08T17:30:14Z

I was reading a report about a conference about email that was held in Miami a couple weeks ago (yes, they do have conferences on email) and found a statistic that jumped out to me:

Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes (a chain of restaurant/bakeries) acquires about half of their email address in their stores

So what does that mean? That means that if you’re only taking names and email addresses online, you’re missing out on a lot of potential sign ups for your mailing list.

If you’re doing craft shows, home shows, teaching classes, doing lectures, or holding open studios those are great opportunities to add more people to your mailing list. I’m sure that you probably already have a guest book or mailing list sign up. Make sure that you also have a space on your sign up page so that people can enter their email addresses as well.

From my experience, the perfect time to get folks to sign up is:

a) when they’ve just purchased something and they’re waiting for you to package their order. Signing up for your email list gives them something to do while they’re waiting.

b) after they’ve shown interest in your work but it’s clear that they’re not able to buy right now. Some folks feel guilty about not buying, so providing their email address is a way to give you something.

Here’s a few more tips to collect email addresses offline:

Provide plenty of room for people to fill out their entire email address. Some email addresses run pretty long.
In the report I read, Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes found that there was a 20% error rate on paper sign-up forms. Some may be due to handwriting issues, customer misspells then email address, etc. If you have a laptop, see if you can get your customers to type their information rather than write it. If that’s not an option, take a minute to confirm the spelling of the address with your customers before they leave.
Provide an incentive to signing up for your email list. Maybe it’s for a contest, a giveaway, or a special gift. This will encourage more sign ups and it will also encourage people to give you an accurate email address that they actually check.
If your business is mainly online, create ways to get more face to face time with customers. People that won’t give you their information to an impersonal website might be more than happy to do so after they’ve met you and saw that you’re a real person. If you’re on Etsy, join a street team, set up a home show or open studio, do a couple of local craft shows or art fairs. You’ll be able to get out of your studio every now and then and personally interact with your customers.

You can read the entire report at the Retail Email Blog.

If you want more tips on how to start and manage an email list, sign up for my FREE article series “How to Plan and Start a Great Email Newsletter“.

Links for Artists [Jan 31 -Feb 6]

2010-02-07T17:00:31Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

RT: @guykawasaki: 12 reasons social media isn’t working for you- http://om.ly/emxb
Now Reading: Don’t Forget The Small Stuff This Year- http://ow.ly/12A37
Some great advice: biz ladies: logo design- http://ow.ly/12AdA
RT: @guykawasaki: 5 mistakes businesses make with Twitter- http://om.ly/emwf
Now Reading: Ten Great Ecommerce Ideas for February 2010- http://ow.ly/12XTP
RT: @social_smallbiz: Top Tips To Get Retweeted On Twitter- http://bit.ly/cBXgt7
RT: @MABJewelry: @cnntech: There are reports of a Twitter phishing scheme. It’s good time to change your passwords: http://bit.ly/bJqPRn
RT @anddjournal: RT @RainerGS: 110+ #Resources For Creative Minds – http://j.mp/b7HoEN (via @veryloud @ubergio @Flipbooks) #Inspiration
Now Reading: Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color- http://ow.ly/12YEt
Now Reading: Color Theory For Designers, Part 2: Understanding Concepts And Terminology- http://ow.ly/12YUi
Now Reading: Email Deliverability Tips (make sure your emails are delivered)- http://ow.ly/136yN
RT @MariSmith: Block Facebook Apps Right From Your Wall Now- http://post.ly/Lq0h
RT @anitafiander: Twitter Explains Recent Phishing Attack- http://bit.ly/c6AH2t
RT @veryloud: RT @WebDesignBlog09: Some great advice! Lessons Web Designers Can Learn From Television Broadcasts http://bit.ly/bJRwF2
RT @packagingdiva: RT @MarktheSpaMan: Interesting > Multi-sensory #packaging wins consumers’ attention ~ http://bit.ly/b5C6uJ
This is great tool for photographing your work: DIY Light Umbrella- http://ow.ly/13oTf
RT @SarahRobinson: RT @GrantGriffiths: 7 Days to Turn Your Blog Into a Social Media Hub – Day 2: Decluttering- http://bit.ly/aIn0cH
RT @ConnieGreen: Ask For Interviews and Be Interviewed to Increase Your Visibility and Credibility: http://EzineArticles.com/3691790
RT: @guykawasaki: Easy = Good, Easy = True (some interesting findings here about how people like easy things) http://om.ly/etGj
Now Reading: 7 Rules for Perfect Press Releases- http://ow.ly/13yN0
Now Reading: 50 Ways to Get Your Life in Order- http://ow.ly/13zh4
RT: @artmarketing A Little Art Email Etiquette Sil Vous Plaît! http://bit.ly/dzeGMN
RT @DocJerry: WiseStamp – Email Signature 1.3.3 :: Add-ons for Firefox https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8206
RT @PublicityHound: #Facebook hits 400 million users, up from 300 million just 5 months ago. Amazing. http://ow.ly/14cwQ
RT @johnhaydon: [video] Schedule posts with Editorial Calendar WordPress plugin by @chrisgarrett http://post.ly/MJTF
RT @michelfortin: 10 Online Photoshop Alternatives For Simple Photo Editing http://ff.im/-frzZ6
Now Reading: 7 Fixes for Terrible Email Subject Lines- http://ow.ly/14nzi
Now Reading: 8 Simple Steps to Growing a Quality Twitter Following- http://ow.ly/14ooX
Now Reading: Overcome Doubts About Running Your Own Craft Business- http://ow.ly/14oFq
Now Reading: Eight Simple Ways To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile- http://ow.ly/14qGt
Now Reading: Go “Hi Touch/ Low Tech”- http://ow.ly/14ByX
Now Reading: Increase Productivity by Doing Nothing- http://ow.ly/14BBJ
Now Reading: 16 Eco-Fashion Predictions for 2010- http://ow.ly/14Boc
Now Reading: The True Focus of Art Marketing- http://ow.ly/14BEX

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

Email Marketing: Creating Email Signatures with Wise Stamp

2010-02-05T20:49:39Z

Making sure that all of your outgoing mail contains a standard signature with a link to your website is a great way to passively promote your website to everyone you send an email too. But, if you’re using a web-base email program like Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail, you may or may not have that option. However there is a free tool that can help. One of my Twitter followers, @DocJerry clued me in on a free Firefox add-on called Wise Stamp that allows you to append a custom signature to your outgoing Gmail, Yahoo!, or Hotmail emails. Plus, it also has built in support for your social networking accounts too! Check it out by watching the video below:

Art Blogging: Should you offer full or partial blog feeds?

2010-02-04T17:40:50Z

If you’re just starting out with your own blog, one of the things that you must make a decision on is whether you’re going to offer full feeds or partial feeds to those people that read your blog through a feed reader, like Google Reader.

What’s the difference between the two? A full feed shows your entire blog post in your subscriber’s feed reader. So people that subscribe to your blog via a feed reader don’t have to visit your blog in order to read your blog posts.

On the other hand, a partial feed only provides an excerpt of your blog post, perhaps the first couple sentences or the first paragraph in your subscriber’s feed reader. In order to read the rest of the blog post, your subscriber then must visit your blog to read the rest of the post.

So what’s the best choice for your blog? This is a question almost as old as blogging itself. At first glance, providing a partial feed to those that subscribe to your blog through a feed reader seems like the best choice because that then makes people visit your blog.

However, most popular blogs provide full feeds instead of partial feeds. A lot of savvy blog readers HATE partial feeds. I myself don’t subscribe to blogs that provide a partial feed…unless the content is really, really, REALLY good, and I unsubscribe from those that start doing so. A lot of blog readers I know feel the same way.

Why do a lot of blog readers dislike partial feeds? Think of it this way…if I’m taking the step to subscribe to your blog feed, I’m telling you two things:

I’m interested in what you’re blogging about and I want to keep updated
I prefer to read your blog through my feed reader (because it’s convenient, it saves me time, etc)

By providing only a partial feed to your blog you’re making it inconvenient for your subscribers to read content that they’re already interested in reading in the way they choose to read it. Putting up roadblocks to reading your blog is not a way to encourage loyal readers.

Okay, so how do you encourage those who read your blog to visit your website if they’re getting your content through their feed readers?

1. Offer an email newsletter. RSS subscribers are still pretty anonymous…you don’t know who they are and you can’t contact them directly. Not so with a traditional email newsletter. If you also offer great content through email, those RSS subscribers will be happy to join your email list.

2. Give your RSS readers exclusive offers to visit your website. If you’re running Wordpress, there are several plugins you can install that allows you to attach a special signature to your blog posts that only your RSS feed subscribers you can see. This is a great way to make your RSS subscribers feel welcome and to place special offers that encourage them to visit your website. One RSS signature plugin that I’ve used with my Wordpress blogs is called “Feed Footer“. You can check it out here.

3. Give your RSS subscribers a reason to visit your website in each blog post. At the end of your blog posts, provide a “call to action” to encourage those that are reading your blog through an RSS feed reader to come visit your blog. You can invite your readers to leave comments, sign up for your mailing list, sign up for a giveaway or contest, or participate in a poll. Just because these folks prefer to get your blog content through their feed readers doesn’t mean that they won’t visit your website if there is compelling reason to do so. Provide that in as many blog posts as possible.

So what’s your opinion? Do you provide full or partial feeds for your blog? Why or why not? Leave a comment and share your opinion!

Marketing Your Art Online: Are you always sowing a marketing seed?

2010-02-03T17:54:28Z

One of my Facebook page fans wrote to me that they’ve been online for awhile and that they’re feeling burned out with marketing online. She voiced a sentiment that a lot of artists have when it comes to marketing their work. It’s hard enough just to make your artwork and run your business. Marketing, either online or offline is one of those continual tasks that don’t always seem to get the results that you want or at least don’t get them fast enough.

Recently, I was listening to a podcast about effective creativity from The Accidental Creative called “Seeds“. In the episode, creativity and an artist’s nurturing of creativity was likened to farming. In order for creativity to grow and thrive, a farmer can’t just plant a couple of seeds and then want to harvest a crop just a few weeks later. Rather, there’s a natural process to nurturing a crop that requires a farmer to plant seeds, nurture the crop, let the crop grow, and then harvest when the crop is ready. Any attempt to harvest before then will end up killing off the field.

While the podcast was talking about creativity, marketing follows the same principal. Marketing your website is a lot like the “sowing the seeds” example in the podcast. Every blog post you write, every tweet you send out, every new subscriber to your email list, every ad you put on a popular blog is like sowing a marketing seed for your artwork. You’ll see results from some of these seeds right away…some you might not see weeks, months, or even a year or two later. On the other hand, while things like blogging, writing, and building your reputation online are things that take time to yield results, they are also things that continue to bring results months and years later.

And just like a farmer doesn’t just plant one seed and expect it to grow into an entire crop, if you’re trying to marketing yourself, you shouldn’t just try one thing and expect to get huge results from it. The more things you try, the more you get yourself out there, not just online but also offline the more you’re likely to get results. And the more you’re likely to have at least one technique succeed in case another technique fails.

So what if you’ve been trying and trying to market online and you’re really burnt out because a) you have too much to do or b) you don’t seem to be getting results?

1. Try something different. If one technique doesn’t seem to be yielding results, try something different…or make a tweak to what you’re doing already. Sometimes just stepping back and making minor adjustments can make a world of difference.

2. Do one small thing every day. Large projects like building a website or setting up a blog or redesigning a website can get you a boost, but most of your results comes from small things that you can do every day…like emailing a customer that you haven’t heard from in a while…or better yet calling them up or visiting them. Or writing a quick blog post, or shooting a quick video, or making some comments on your favorite blog.

Earlier this week Alyson Stanfield wrote a blog post about committing 15 minutes a day to do something important…like marketing yourself or creating art. Commit 15 minutes a day to do some marketing task every day this year. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll end up getting done.

3. Get help. You don’t have to do everything yourself. This is something that my husband is always telling me and I know that it’s something that plagues a lot of other artists as well. Get help addressing and stamping those postcards you’re going to mail out. Ask for more help with the housework or cooking if that’s one of your responsibilities. Get a professional to design that blog header or ad instead of struggling to do it yourself.

4. Take a mini vacation. If you’re absolutely burned out, give yourself permission to take a mini vacation to recharge your batteries. Take some classes, join a Meetup group and network with other artists, visit some museums and galleries, read about something completely different that what you’ve been reading. Listen to some new podcasts (starting with the one by the Accidental Creative about sowing seeds) or instructional CDs. But just like a real vacation, make sure that you specify a date to return so that your vacation don’t stretch out into weeks or months.

So, are you burnt out with your marketing? Leave a comment and let me know how you’re coping!

Website Content: Mine real life events for content ideas

2010-02-02T18:25:32Z

One of the things that makes blogging, article marketing, and public relations for your website so hard to keep up is the constant need to come up with new content ideas. One great source of fresh content ideas is as close as your television or newspaper.

Local events, holidays, national news, and even world events are great sources for new content to blog about, to write articles, shoot video, or even as a base to write new press releases. Not only are people already interested in these topics, but they also tend to get searched on in search engines, so it’s an opportunity to get boost in search engine traffic. Here are few examples:

Holidays- Holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving…even Groundhog’s day gives you a great reason to create holiday-related tip sheets, articles, or crafting or art tutorials. For Groundhog’s Day, The Naughty Secretary’s Club wrote a cute blog post on how to make a ground hog puppet.

Local events- Do you have a local art show, craft show, or exhibition that’s of interest to your customers or readers? Offer to write an article for a local publication (either online or offline) about the event. Or perhaps you’re participating in one of these events? Use this participation as a reason to write a press release or a blog post about the event. The Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart talks about how write press releases based on local events in her free ecourse 89 Press Release Tips.

Word events- World events like the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Haitian relief efforts is news that everyone wants to keep informed about. With a little thought, you can figure out how to make these events relevant to your article writing or blog. For example DIY Life wrote a nice blog post about Craft Hope for Haiti which is an Etsy store that donates it’s proceeds to Haiti relief.

Popular culture or trends- Don’t forget to look to pop culture and trends for content ideas. What are some of your favorite television shows? Movies? Music? Books? Design*Sponge has a great series on it’s blog called “Living In” where a popular movie, television show, or book is chosen as a interior design inspiration. Here’s a blog post about the animated movie Fantastic Mr. Fox.

So, the next time you open up your newspaper, watch your favorite TV show, or go to the movies, keep your eyes and mind open. The inspiration for your next blog post or article might be closer than you think!

Links for Artists [Jan 24 -30]

2010-01-31T22:37:14Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

RT @TerranceCharles: How to Be Incredible… http://bit.ly/4v5S3n <== Really good advice.
Now Reading: 21 Ways To Increase Your Conversion Rate- http://ow.ly/10×9N
Now Reading: 11 ways to get blog post inspiration- http://ow.ly/10KTt
RT: @artofthfirebird: 11 VERY POWERFUL Gmail Tips- http://tumblr.com/xwz5v31kh
Is your password one of these? Top 20 most common passwords of all time- http://ow.ly/10LYg (via @Harveymckinnon)
Now Reading: Devote 15 Minutes a Day to . . .- http://ow.ly/10NqJ
Now Reading: Seth Godin’s Linchpin – Demeaning or Enhancing the Word Artist?- http://ow.ly/10X9V
Now Reading: Social Networking Use Up 82%- http://ow.ly/11esh
Now Reading: The Perils Of The Poverty Conscious Artist- http://ow.ly/11mId
Now Reading: How to Give New Life to an Unsold Painting – And Make it Sell!- http://ow.ly/11rc7
Now Reading: 6 Elements of a Killer Website (And 6 Artists Who Understand Them)- http://ow.ly/11ugb
Now Viewing: 100 (Really) Creative Business Cards- http://ow.ly/11wS0 (via @ArtByChrysti)
Now Reading: How To Automatically Repost Content With Posterous- http://ow.ly/11xwp
RT: @wtek: Great tips for artists new to craft shows via @pacrafts 8 tips of craft show etiquette – http://shar.es/aPtrj
Now Reading: Facebook, Twitter and Blogging – business time wasters or money makers?- http://ow.ly/124eW (via @KJMiller)
Now Reading: How to Get a Viral Buzz on Twitter- http://ow.ly/124CY
Now Viewing: The Incredible Steampunk Jewelry Photography of Daniel Proulx- http://ow.ly/127lL
Now Reading: How to keep your email list from shrinking- http://ow.ly/124FK
Now Reading: 18 Blog Tips to Help You Succeed in 2010- http://ow.ly/124GF
RT: @GreatTwitTips- RT @BigBookofYou: 10 Tips For Managing Twitter As Your Usage Increases http://short.to/hqh7

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

Marketing on Facebook: Creating a Email Newsletter for Your Fan Page

2010-01-29T17:33:15Z

Do you have a Facebook Fan page? If you do, then getting people to visit it regularly to see your updates is one thing that will make it more effective for you. While Facebook allows you to send updates to your fans whenever you wish, those updated don’t ever reach your fan’s email box and the Updates section is rather buried in the Facebook profile system. So it’s up to your fans to remember to visit your Facebook page…and sometimes they may not visit as often as you like. Fortunately, there’s a free Facebook Application that can help!

Yesterday I did a video tour of a service called Nutshell Mail. It allows you to keep track of your social networking activity through email updates. In addition, Nutshell Mail also has a great Facebook Application for fan pages that allows your fans to sign up for email updates of your Facebook fan page. This app automatically sends out an email to fans that sign up for your newsletter every time you update your page. So once the application is set up, you don’t have to do anything except continue updating your fan page!

Want to learn more? Check out this video that I did on how to install and use the Nutshell Mail for Facebook app below:

Social Networking: Nutshell Mail, a new social networking tool

2010-01-28T17:25:57Z

If you have accounts on more than one social networking account, it can get pretty easy to get overwhelmed and behind in keeping up with a Twitter account, a Facebook Fan Page, and your regular Facebook profile page. If you’re finding it hard to keep up, here’s a new free tool that can help.

Nutshell Mail is a free service that gives your email updates about what’s going on with your social networking accounts. This is a great tool if you already have a regular routine for checking your email. You’ll be able to read and manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Myspace account all through your email!

To learn more about Nutshell Mail, check out the video tour below: