Join the Next Marketing Creativity Group Program — For FREE!
Posted: May 5, 2012 Filed under: online sellers, sales, small business, success | Tags: brainstorming, business, etsy, group program, handmade, marketing, shop critique, store Leave a comment »I’m seeking up-and-coming shop owners to join the (still pilot) Marketing Creativity Group Program. The group sessions are jammed full of planning, advice, and marketing lessons. In addition, each member enjoys the results of a brainstorming session tailored just for you AND a comprehensive shop critique.
This is the LAST TIME the group sessions will be offered for free.
Before signing up, please be sure you’re able to commit at least one hour per week to working with and contributing to the group. The program starts on May 8 and runs for 8 weeks. You will receive a group session via email every week for those 8 weeks.
I only have 3 spots left for this workshop! If you would like to sign on with me, fill out the form below and let me know what you would like to get out of the program. If you’re chosen, we’ll create an action plan for success and I will do everything I can to help you accomplish your goals. Thanks for your interest and all the best, Lisa
Your Greatest Success Awaits
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: online sellers, small business, success | Tags: etsy, small business, success, think and grow rich 4 Comments »
I’m nearing the Energy Shop’s two year anniversary, and working on my biggest, best post ever to celebrate. It’s going to be fully of juicy tips and links, so I hope you’ll watch this space for it. As I approach this landmark, I’m feeling proud and accomplished. However, while I enjoy the days that are full of success and recognition, there have also been challenging obstacles over the years that have threatened to break me. Luckily, I’ve learned how to gain better perspective, protected my dreams, and set realistic goals to attain them.
Consider this story from Think and Grow Rich
“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step BEYOND their greatest failure.”–Napoleon Hill
Failure behind you, success ahead!
When I’m in a funk, I pick myself up with that story, and I try to adhere to the following fundamentals:
Keep in touch with your market
This means keeping involved in your customers’ lives. Watch the TV shows they are watching, subscribe to the magazines they read, keep current with the trends they are following, and embrace new social media they’re using, such as Pinterest. As with any relationship, if your customers are important to you, you’ll want to know what’s important to them. If you’re not growing with your market, then your market will outgrow you.
Don’t take anything personally
I recently wrote about how Etsy suspended my shop, and while you read an honest account of what happened, I edited that article very carefully. I initially took the whole ordeal quite personally, and the original drafts of that post were full of emotion.
The article got a lot of attention, and it became very personal for me again when I heard news about a featured seller who wasn’t making her own products, but who remains open and active on Etsy as I write this. I fumed for a solid day about the hypocrisy, and then I consciously decided to detach from the drama. Drama doesn’t make the bracelets or write the articles.
I choose to create from a positive place. This is true for every aspect of business, whether it be issues with your web host, a disgruntled customer, or a stalled sales day: don’t take it personally. Leave your ego out of it, change what you can, accept what’s left, and move on.
Focus on the next step
What do you need to do in order to grow? You probably know what the answer is, but you don’t know how to achieve something you’ve never done before. Comfort zone, anyone?
You don’t need to have the next step accomplished tomorrow, but you do need to know the next small action you have to take to get you closer toward your goal. By breaking down big goals into small actions, you can make the stretching of your comfort zone a bit more … comfortable.
For now, write down your goal and start to brainstorm on the page about the things you’ll need to do to achieve it. You’ll find that when you put pen to paper around a question, solutions start falling onto the page. Turn these solutions into a numbered to-do list, simply by prioritizing them. Which small actions need to be taken first? Be persistent in your follow-through, and before you know it, you’re on the next step!
Do something today that you’ll thank yourself for tomorrow
You know, that thing you’ve been putting off? That mess you haven’t cleaned up? That stack of unfinished business you’ve been avoiding? Tackle it. Go, right now. Do something today that will allow you to wake up tomorrow morning with a sigh of relief that it’s finished. Put in the hard work that you’re dreading. Stop procrastinating. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.
Ask: Is what I’m doing working?
Oftentimes when we’re involved in an ineffective way of doing things, we get stuck in a “that’s-just-the-way-things-are” mentality. That’s just the way things are can slow us down for y-e-a-r-s, and it’s a crying shame how often we try to out-think our commonsense.
Is there anywhere in your life where you’re stubbornly trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole? In the handmade business, our perspective is almost always too close. If you’re happy with the results you’re getting, do more of what’s working. If you’re not happy with the results, you have to do things differently.
I am loving on the “Naive Question” posed by Paul DePodesta (the guy behind the move, Moneyball) in a speech he delivered: “If we weren’t already doing it this way, is this the way we would start?”
If you weren’t already doing your [shipping, producing, schedule, branding, customer service, fan page, mailing list, etc.] this way, is this the way you would start? If the answer is “no,” change the way you’re doing things to achieve the results you want.
Be realistic
Fact: New business take 3 years to get off the ground. Furthermore, each brick in its building is placed by you. “In a startup, absolutely nothing happens unless you make it happen.”–Marc Andreessen
Fact: Making it big takes 10 years. “Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you like like an overnight success.”–Biz Stone, Co-founder of Twitter.
What you get out of your small business is relative to what you put into it. Be realistic about the time and energy it takes to become a success.
But, always protect your dream
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”–Mark Twain.
Finally, give yourself permission
Give yourself permission to be an expert in your field. Claim your expertise. Move forward with the big goals you think you’re still too small for. Allow your greatness to unfold. Give yourself permission to take the big leaps and dominate your market. Don’t wait for an outside party to swoop in and give you your big break; create your big break and astound us all.
“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” –Albert Einstein
Budget for Success: How I Tripled My Income in 2 Weeks
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: online sellers, sales, small business, success | Tags: budget, financial plan, join the mailing list, small business Leave a comment »Join the Marketing Creativity mailing list and get this exclusive report … for free!
Budget for Success: How I tripled my income in 2 weeks
P.S. Emails containing exclusive promotions and reports will be shared via the mailing list. You can also subscribe for regular updates from the Marketing Creativity blog by clicking, “Subscribe (Email)” on your right. Be in touch!
Etsy Shop Suspended! What You Need to Know
Posted: March 21, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: deactivated, etsy shop, suspended, suspension 7 Comments »I’m discussing what to do if your shop is suspended, exclusively for Handmadeology here:
Etsy Shop Suspended! What You Need to Know
Until next time ~
Update: This article was also discussed in the Wall Street Journal. Join the conversation!
How to Effectively Use Keywords to Help Your Customers Find You
Posted: March 14, 2012 Filed under: handmade, online sellers, sales, small business, success | Tags: keywords, product titles, seo 1 Comment »
In the current Market Your Creativity (MC) Group, we’re talking about product titles. A lot of advice you read about your handmade shop tells you to stuff the title and first paragraph of the listing full of relevant keywords so that you’ll be found by a customer’s search. I don’t pretend to fully understand search engine optimization (SEO), which is why I rarely write about it.
I usually visit Handmadeology.com for advice when I’m looking into the subject. They offer me the suggestions I need so that I’ll know enough to get by. For example:
Increasing Your Etsy Traffic and Sales with Proper SEO
I also like the simplicity of this article by Business Insider:
10 Basic SEO Tips to Get You Started
In the MC Group I mentioned, we do weekly brainstorming sessions. As a group, we huddle together for one shop and we come up with as many ideas and as much positive feedback as we possibly can. Then, I come through the shop with a fine-tooth comb offering suggestions, examples, and advice. At the end of the week, I combine all of that research and information into a pretty package for the group participant and we move on to the next shop.
One of the things I’m noticing about our group is that they have read some of the same SEO advice that I have. You know a shop owner has learned about SEO if their product title looks like this:
“One of a kind handmade jewelry gemstone beaded bracelet for spiritual enlightenment, meditation, and trendy stacking arm candy”
We’ve all seen titles like this, or tried to post something like it at one time or another. 
And I understand why you’re using so many keywords in your listing titles. However, when I come through your shop, I come with the mindset of a customer, and all of those keywords confuse my buying mind. When I read eight keywords in the item title, I no longer know what I’m shopping for and it gives me the impression that you don’t know what you’re selling, either.
Keywords are important, and I use them at the Energy Shop. However, I don’t use all of them in each title. I’ll call one bracelet “Zen”, the next one “Yoga”, the next one “Energy”, and the next one “Spiritual”, etc. My shop is full of keywords to attract those who are looking, but my titles are clear and concise for the buyers who are shopping.
Energy Shop Pink Opal and Gold Lotus
Take the above bracelet as an example. If you were a paying customer, would you be more interested in a:
Spiritual Zen Energy Yoga Beaded Stretch Bracelet Wrist Malas for Meditation in Pink Opal with Gold Lotus Charm
-or a:
Pink Opal Yoga Bracelet with Gold Lotus
The first example makes me think of a desperate shop owner hoping that anyone will come look at their products. The second example peaks my curiosity and I think about buying. This bracelet is actually called, “Pink Opal and Gold Lotus Yoga Bracelet.” Those are all keywords that bring traffic to my shop. Another bracelet I have up is titled, “Power Bead Amazonite and Pave Swarovski Crystal Bracelet.” This has more keywords that drive more traffic. Yet another, “Clear Quartz Spiritual Bracelet with Om Charm” has even more keywords.
You see, I’m using all of my favorite 50 keywords throughout my shop, just not all in the same title. My customers probably don’t even notice that they’re there, and that’s the way it should be! To use your keywords effectively, spread them throughout your shop while keeping the message clear for the buyer.
Until next and all the best~
3 Ways to Give Your Customers Exactly What They Want
Posted: February 28, 2012 Filed under: arts and crafts, handmade, online sellers, sales, small business, success | Tags: customers, etsy success, marketing creativity, sales Leave a comment »What you think your customer needs and what your customer actually wants are often two very different things.
It happens all the time at the Energy Shop: I design a bracelet that I’m sure will be a hit, and it sits on my virtual shelves for weeks. At the same time, I list a new stone that I’m not sure will appeal to anybody, and it sells out that day.
The smudge sticks that never sold!
In fact, when I opened shop I thought my Feng Shui supplies would attract customers, and I hoped my gemstone bracelets might interest a few along the way. I created a few pieces of jewelry and sold out of them in the first week. A year later, I still had the full stock of Feng Shui supplies I started with, but I had sold more than 1,200 bracelets.
Your customers and clients are always telling you exactly what they want, and to figure it out, all you need to do is make sense of their patterns.
- Learn and use the customer’s language. Pay attention when reading their comments and feedback. That way, you can begin to use the same words they use in your listings. Their words represent the things they value, such as: beauty, fast shipping, cozy, bright, comfortable, etc. My customers often comment on quality, so I offer a quality guarantee at the end of every listing in my shop.
- Ask for their input. Once when I was hosting a customer appreciation special, I went to my Facebook fan page and asked my customers what attribute they were looking for more of in their life (i.e. peace, wealth, love, stress relief, etc.). It was just another case of what I think they need vs. what customers actually want. The response to my request was overwhelming, and none of it matched what I thought they would be looking for in a sale.
- Repeat what works. I am trying to practice what I preach on this one, because I often sell out of best-sellers and never think to restock them. If one of your products sells out as soon as you list it, be sure to replace it. It’s a winner, and you want to keep it in stock. Even if the replacement stock doesn’t sell out as quickly as the first batch, rest assured that it’s presence improves the overall look and quality of your shop.
Until next time~
The Do’s and Don’ts of Product Photography
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: arts and crafts, handmade, online sellers, sales, small business, success | Tags: advertising, etsy, handmade, jewelry, marketing, photograph, photography, product, sales, success 4 Comments »One of my favorite things about doing successful seller interviews is going back to their very first sale. For most sellers, that first sale says a lot about how far they have come in product photography. I’m calling myself out and pulling from the Energy Shop listing archives, as I highlight the do’s and don’ts of product photography. I like to think that my shop is ever-evolving, so I sincerely hope that in two years, my pictures of today will look amateurish and outdated!
I take all of my photos on a Canon EOS Rebel, and I highly recommend a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera to anybody who is serious about photographing and selling their wares. I had the camera before I opened my Etsy shop, so everything seen here has been shot with a DSLR–which goes to show that you can shoot awful pictures on an excellent camera. I use the 18-55 lens that comes with the camera and the green box setting, which goes to show that you don’t need to be an expert because the camera is smart enough for the both of you. Some of the product photos in my archives were shot with a 50mm lens (I’m including examples).
I opened the Energy Shop for business in May 2010, and here is a picture of my first sale:
My first sale
DON’T: List the first picture you take of your product. Take your time with it and sample different lighting and backgrounds.
I just love the person who bought this, wherever she may be! This set of bracelets was taken on a white tea towel in my kitchen, with no flash. There were lights on in the kitchen, and sunlight coming through the windows. This shot screams “beginner.” In the listing, there is actually a picture of the bracelets laying on top of a cell phone. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I do know that portraying scale was important to me back then (I also used to photograph the bracelets with a dime or safety-pin ). For my product, scale is unnecessary and just cluttered the pictures.
Creative Backgrounds
DON’T: Over-do the background. Avoid over-the-top props unless they directly relate to your product.
As soon as I started making my first sales, I started getting creative with the backgrounds. This Carnelian bracelet is situated on a green tea towel, still in my kitchen, and now there are artificial hydrangeas in the background. This is over the top, and looks completely silly to me. Reminds me of the saying, “Those who know better, do better.” It was clear that I was learning and searching to find the right look.
The next six pages of my sales show gradual improvement, and I love this about a shop’s history, you can literally watch the owner’s skill evolve. Seven pages in, my items started to look like this:
Shot outdoors in high sun
DO: Shoot in bright lighting with simple backgrounds.
Same camera, very different approach. I’m shooting on plain white paper and a wooden display circle (I use hand-carved wooden coasters I purchased in Zambia). I was in my backyard in mid-day, full sun (early or late sun casts distracting shadows). I love this shot, because in a pinch I could still use it to show off the Mookaite gemstone today. It’s bright, easy to see detail, and timeless.
Shot outdoors with a 50mm lens
DO: Buy one great lens.
Here is a great example of what a 50mm lens can do for your product. When people comment on a great photograph, it’s usually because it was shot with the 50mm lens. In switching to this lens on your DSLR, the subject pops, and the background blurs which gives the photograph dimension. Here you can see what it does to a product photograph. Again, this shot was taken on a white piece of paper outside in mid-day, full sun. This Amethyst is sharp in the front and then blurs toward the back. It still gives you a great idea of what the bracelet looks like, but it adds a little dimension and that makes it stand out.
Another example of the 50mm lens
I’m a huge fan of this lens, and here’s another example of why. You see the Chrysanthemum bracelet pop and stand out in the picture, and it looks gorgeous against the blurred greenery of my back yard. The 50mm is my go-to lens for great professional and personal photographs.
Off-center with short back-drop
DON’T: Let the backdrop drop off.
While the lighting and backgrounds were improving, I was still making rookie mistakes. Here’s a great example of something that might look obvious to everybody else, but I only corrected it recently. This photograph is off-center, and that could have been easily corrected in crop. More importantly, the back-drop ends very early on in the picture. This is a highly unnecessary mistake, I had plenty of room to shoot within the back-drop, I just didn’t think it made that much of a difference.
Exception to the creative background rule
DO: Make it seasonal.
Just say no to creative backgrounds, unless they can be done to bring nostalgia for a season. In this photo, I used fake autumn foliage and morning light. I love the image I captured for this Blue Jade bracelet so much, that I bring it back to the shop every fall.
Models are a definite Do!
DO: Use a model.
How cute is this picture?! My children model the children’s jewelry for me, and I prefer not to show their faces. They are sprinkled through the archives holding up peace and love signs with their backs to the camera. These chip bracelets don’t look like much lying on their own in a picture, but stacked on the arms of my children, they are practically irresistible. When you have a great product but it’s hard to do it justice on its own in a photograph, get a model! In a crowded marketplace, models grab the viewer’s attention before a lifeless product photograph does.
Creation Shots
DO: Show your hands creating.
I loved having this shot in my shop listings when I was making gemstone trees. There’s something interesting about the stones and being able to see the hands working. Where can you incorporate photos of you actually making your product? People will love to see them.
A message within
DO: Incorporate the message.
This is probably my best-selling, most viewed listing. I created this Sunstone appreciation bracelet when I reached 1,000 sales through my Etsy shop, and I think it radiates the gratitude I feel for my customers. I made a lot of these, so I took special care when photographing to make sure I was going to have 5 excellent pictures. The words grabbed people’s attention and drew them to the listing. I could have typed the words or printed them very neatly, as I’ve tried different variations in my listings. The handwritten “Thank You” was the best performer.
Currently, I try to keep things simple, clean, and bright:
Love a photo that sells the bracelet for me
DO: Love the money shot.
My jewelry looks best when I shoot on a clean background, outdoors in natural light. Keep it simple and you’ll know when you’ve achieved the perfect look for your product. Wishing you the money shot and all the best! Until next time.
3 Ways to Get What You Want
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: success | Tags: act as if, get what you want, role model, success 2 Comments »“How you start your day is how you live your day, and how you live your day is the way you live your life.”~Louise Hay.
If you’re seeking success, there’s really no difference between who you are now and who you want to become. It’s a matter of applying that feeling of success everyday until you meet your goals. Here is a very simple, 3-step formula you can follow to get all that you desire:
Act as if. Act as if you are already where you want to be. Imagine your biggest dream came true last week: all that you’ve been wishing on is now yours! Does that change anything about your day? Would you be wearing what you have on? Would you be doing what you had planned? Would your mood be the same?
To change your present attitude and act as if you already have what you want, think of the role models in your life, the people whom you admire. When you find yourself in a funk, or you’re struggling to make a decision, or you are resisting a change, ask yourself:
- What would my role model do next?
- How would my role model dress?
- How would my role model approach this situation?
- Would I be proud to show my role model this project/space/idea?
I have always had very glamorous role models. I admire self-respecting, graceful women who show up in heels and lipstick. I am rarely in heels or lipstick. In fact, until last month, I never wore more than a kitten heel on my shoes! Because I am striving to act as if I am already the success I wish for, I have a new pair of 4” heels I’m wobbling around on–I practice walking in them as I do house chores, and I look quite silly doing it. However, if I am going to be as glamorous as my role models, I have to change the habit of showing up in my tennis shoes! What habit can you adopt that will help you begin to act as if you already have what you want?
Create a Plan B and be stoked about it. I have a life-changing Plan A that I am working on this year. I want Plan A so badly that I can taste it! I have a visualization mapped of how it will all unfold. I often get carried away in daydreams and I practice my reaction to Plan A coming true in the mirror. I love Plan A.
So that my desire for Plan A doesn’t turn into desperation, I have carefully drafted a second place prize: Plan B. In Plan B, I still achieve the feelings I desire, I just have to practice more patience to reach the ultimate goal and rewards in Plan A.
Paris, France
For example, let’s say you have always wanted to learn to speak French. You buy a course that will teach you the language, and then you set a rewarding Plan A. “If I get to third level French by the end of next year, I will travel to my dream destination of Paris, France for one week. I will become affluent in the French language, using the week to practice speaking with Parisians.”
Now, that’s a pretty lofty goal, but just imagine it! Picture yourself on the streets of Paris in the springtime speaking French. Allow daydreams galore in which Plan A unfolds in all of its glory.
As you envision Plan A, you might realize there are some obstacles in your way. It’s an expensive vacation, where will you get that much money if you can’t start saving now? How will you take the time off work? Maybe you’ve never left the country before and the thought of traveling to Europe starts to overwhelm you.
So that Plan A doesn’t become desperate or hopeless, you need a hearty Plan B. In Plan B, you still learn French. Your goal of learning a language you have always loved will still be complete. Only now, instead of Paris for the week, you change it to Quebec for the weekend. You still get to practice your French with native speakers, and it’s still a pretty romantic vacation. In fact, achieving Plan B will get you closer to Plan A. You’ll practice leaving the country, you’ll practice finding your way in a foreign city, and you’ll practice the French language. I’d bet that once you arrive in Quebec and conquer that trip, Paris will suddenly feel very doable.
Keep your vision front and center. My Pinterest boards are dotted with gorgeous, high-heeled shoes. I have pictures that represent my idea of glamour all over my office walls: glamorous quotes, places, images, homes, bedding, etc. To me, glamour is a value and I am compelled to honor it.
Whether you acknowledge them or not, your values are present in your life: they show up in the images you are drawn to, the people you admire, and the goals you set for yourself. Be grateful that you are surrounded by so much of what you love. Create a vision board and collect these reflections. Appreciating them will only bring more of what you want into your life.
Here’s wishing you exactly what you want! Until next time~
Introduce Yourself with Pride!
Posted: February 2, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 Comments »How do you introduce yourself? This is a lesson that has been shouting at me from all angles lately. Nearly every book I read and speech I attend tells me to refine my introduction, and I thought it was about time I heed the warning. Ideally, your introduction should be streamlined into two sentences, and those two sentences should clearly summarize your vocation so that somebody who doesn’t speak your career language would still fully understand what you do. The introduction is usually stacked with a lot of information.
For example: “Hi, I’m Lisa Jacobs. I own the Energy Shop where I design gemstone bracelets. Because gemstones are of the earth and have long been revered for their positive, healing attributes, I use Reiki to charge them accordingly, and then I provide the intended use of each piece for my customers.”
But that feels pushy and passionless to me. In what circumstance is it going to be natural for me to say my name and then spiral into two extra-long sentences that describe how I earn an income? It seems overboard as a response to “What do you do?” and I’m not in all that many round-table conferences where I need to introduce myself to corporate big-wigs. 
I have, however, stumbled on my introduction when I’m not following any guidelines. In the past, I’ve gotten coy and cutesy with new friends, down-playing what I’m not sure they’ll understand. I smile and say, “I have an online jewelry shop, and I work from home.” The Energy Shop means so much more to me than that, but even though spirituality and the metaphysical ideas I use are becoming more mainstream, most of my friends don’t get it. The Energy Shop represents positive affirmations and best-life reminders, but I tend to lose people at anything more than “bracelets.”
You in the handmade business can probably relate, because the general public rarely understands more than the 9-5 schedule, cubicle work-style, and “can’t-wait-until-vacation” mentality.
Don’t get me wrong, I love those people. And, they love me too, in part because I’m unusual. I keep using phrases like “universal source” and “positive energy.” My eccentricity intrigues people, and sometimes they sit up straighter and nod when I’m talking, as if something I said felt true to them too. And then, they go back to their day jobs and I return to positive affirmations and prayers in an office that has stars, symbols, and vision boards abound.
Still, my “What do you do?” answer needed working on. Here’s my response, with feeling this time!
I own the Energy Shop and I make jewelry out of gemstones, which are powerful minerals of this earth. I charge them with loving, healing Reiki energy, and then I design them into gorgeous affirmations that you can wear on your wrist. I create these bracelets so that every time you drive your car, or reach into the refrigerator, or bathe your children, you will remember your greatest promises to yourself.
How about you? Please offer your introduction in the comments, I’d love to read them!
As an extra special treat, talk about somebody believing in what they do! Watch Taylor Mali deliver this speech about what he makes:
Until next time!
Join the Next Mentorship Program–for FREE!
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: online sellers, small business, success Leave a comment »
UPDATE: The program starting February 7 with this offer is now full. If you’re interested in the mentorship program, you may use the form below and I’ll send you details about the next one, launching May 8, 2012. Thank you for your interest.
I’m writing a book based on the Marketing Creativity blog, and I’m seeking up-and-coming shop owners to follow my mentoring program. Working with you will help me refine my outlook and answer the questions that shop owners are really asking.
For now this service is completely free, but please note that I may write about our experience. If I write about our interaction and I have permission to use your real first name, I’ll mention your shop. If you would rather not be named in print, I will change your name and leave out any identifiable shop details. Please let me know which option you prefer when filling out the form below.
The program starts on February 7, when I’ll send out the first round of Q&A so that I can get a feel for your vision and what you hope to accomplish. It will last approximately three months, and we’ll email each week and work intermittently throughout that time.
I only have 3 spots left for this workshop! If you would like to sign on with me, fill out the form below and let me know what you would like to get out of the program. If you’re chosen, we’ll create an action plan for success and I will do everything I can to help you accomplish your goals. Thanks for your interest and all the best, Lisa
