Improve your blog and make more sales! Special Offer

I've written previously about an excellent resource to help you massively improve your blog and drive more traffic to your etsy shop- the Build a Better Blog in 31 Days workbook by Darren Rowse, a blogger who earns 7 figures a year from blogging!!

Darren has also released an additional resource- the Copy Writing Scorecard for Bloggers. I have purchased both and plan to work through these ebooks thoroughly as soon as this pesky PhD is out of the way (sigh...VERY soon). The Copy Writing Scorecard is a workbook teaching you exactly how to write great blog posts that attract lots of readers and rank well in search engines, increasing your blog traffic.


I'm not usually that big on paying for information because I spend a lot of time researching things on the interwebs to do with ecommerce, social networking, blogging etc, and find I'm usually aware of a lot of the info out there (and quite enjoy spending time on that- odd I know). However, Darren provides some of the most valuable information I've come across, and the difference these resources will hopefully make to my blogs and sales makes it well worth it in my opinion (I consider it an investment in my business)...I have even purchased his book as well (available through Amazon), so I suppose I'm an official problogger fan :)

I meant to write this post a while ago (oops) because Darren is offering a special discount this month, which is not being run on his own site, where you can purchase one or both of these ebooks for 25% off. The discount is only available for a few more days though, so don't miss out! To take advantage of the offer you just need to use the code november25 during checkout and purchase one or both resources here or through the links given above. The offer ends on Nov 30.

Darren does a much better job of explaining what's in the workbooks and how they can make a huge difference to your blog, so if you'd like to find out more about the books, just visit the problogger ebook info page.

I'll definitely do some posts early next year reviewing the problogger book and discussing some of the lessons I've learned from the blogging ebooks in applying them to my own blog. I'll be looking to feature tips from readers as well (including their etsy shops of course), so if you are using the workbooks as well, keep an eye out so that I can include you.

(I have used my referral links to support this blog, but that doesn't influence my opinion at all and I'm recommending these ebooks because I think they are the best blogging resources I've come across.)

Happy blogging!

The Brilliant Marketing Tricks Blog Series

Don't miss out on this! Some of the big creative entrepreneurs on the interwebs are getting together to present a Brilliant Marketing Tricks Blog series this week and next.

Here's a list of all the events, provided by Tim Adam:

Monday Nov 8: Introduction to the Blog Series – Mayi Carles from heartmade
http://www.heartmadeblog.com/blog/introducing-the-brilliant-marketing-tricks-blog-series

Tuesday Nov 9: E-books – Tim Adam from Handmadeology
http://www.handmadeology.com/e-bookology-the-formula-for-a-killer-e-book/

Wednesday Nov 10: Collaboratives – April Bowles from Blacksburgbelle
http://www.blacksburgbelle.com/2010/11/why-relationships-matter-more-than-any-other-marketing-tactic/

Thursday Nov 11 (double dose): Podcast + Interviews – Srinivas Rao from The Skool of Life / Stylish Marketing
http://theskooloflife.com/wordpress/
+ PR Services for Small Independent Businesses – Jena Coray from Miss Modish
http://www.missmodish.com/

Friday Nov 12: Services + E-courses – Tara Gentile from Scoutie Girl
http://www.scoutiegirl.com/

Monday Nov 15: Online Shops – Mayi Carles from heartmade
http://www.heartmadeblog.com/

Tuesday Nov 16: Events + Shopping Parties – Mallory from Miss Malaprop
http://www.missmalaprop.com/

Wednesday Nov 17: Video – Nathalie Lussier from Raw Food Witch
http://rawfoodswitch.com/

Thursday Nov 18 (double dose): Facebook + Twitter – Irene Zuccarello from Imaginative Bloom http://www.imaginativebloom.com/

Social Photo Catalogs like Flickr + Pinterest – Nancy from Wolf and Willow
http://www.wolfandwillowblog.com/

Friday Nov 19: Building your Brand – Brittni Wood from Paper N’ Stitch
http://papernstitchblog.com/

Rivet Series Camera 2 by TimothyAdamDesigns

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How to add a 'you might also like' suggested posts widget to your blog

To make sure your old blog posts don't go to waste, there's a cool blog widget called LinkWithin that suggests other posts readers may like (you can see an example at the bottom of this post). It's really easy to install and you can choose the number of blog posts you want it to recommend.

If you'd like to add one to your blog, just visit LinkWithin and follow the instructions on the site. You just need to enter your blog's details and an email address, then it installs it for you and you can drag it to the correct location. Super easy!

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3 very good reasons to buy your shop's domain name

Have you purchased your shop's domain name yet? Have you thought about what the impact of not doing this might be? Here are three important reasons to consider snapping up your domain name...

Business Perfect URL Stamp by LetterGirl

3 very good reasons to buy your shop's domain name:

1) If you don't, someone else might grab it!! This might impact on the way you come up in google search results, and means you can't use the name later if you decide to start your own website.

2) It can look more professional to have a .com address on your business cards etc, even if it just leads to your etsy shop.

3) This one is very important and I only really realised its impact when I recently set up my website morphologicadesign.com . We spend so much time and effort driving traffic to our etsy stores and building links etc over the years, but all of that is tied to etsy. If you ever want to change to selling on your own site or if etsy ever disappears, all of that hard work will be lost! By having a domain name that points to your etsy shop, you can take all of your links with you if you ever want to and you have control over all of that traffic (links also impact generally on your google standing). The same applies to your blog- that's why I changed over from the blogspot name to a .com URL.

So where can you get hold of your domain names? I use GoDaddyfor my .com domains because they're cheap and well established/reliable (they're good for domains but I'm not sure about their other services). For Australian domain names, jumba.com.au seemed to be the best when I was researching it, so that's what I use for my .com.au addresses.

Don't forget you can pick up more business tips on twitter @etsysellertips

How to remove the navbar from your blog

Instructions for how to remove the navigation bar from your blogspot blog

Laser-Cut Nerd Necklace by Morphologica

I have removed the navigation bar that is normally present on blogger blogs because I think it looks more professional, and thought others might like to know how to do that as well. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the bar right at the top of your blog allowing people to search your blog, log in etc.

Before doing this you might want to backup your template- always a good idea if you're going to be changing the code.

You need to go the the 'edit html' tab, which should be under the 'design' option.

Look for the bit that says
/* Variable definitions

Now immediately above that, paste in
#navbar-iframe {
display: none !important;
}

Before saving these changes, it's important to preview your blog first to make sure you have inserted the code correctly and that everything is working ok (and if you want to get the navbar back again, you can just delete the code you inserted).

Hope that's useful!

The Secrets Behind Building a Successful Blog!

I've been planning to write some blog posts on this e-book that I purchased recently, but I just saw that the author is offering 25% off the already discounted price for the next few days only, so thought I'd better share the discount offer (even though I'm a bit jealous because I've already bought it)!

The normal retail price is $39, so this discount offer brings it down to just $14.95

It's a detailed and clear workbook/guide on how to make your blog more successful at your own pace, and I highly recommend it- I'm planning to work through it thoroughly to pick up some tips for improving my own blog as well.

The e-book is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and it's written by an extremely successful blogger.

To get the discount, enter the code chrisjuly25 during checkout. Get more info and purchase here. Remember to be quick though...the offer ends this week!



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(ref links included which support this blog)

Quick Tips: Free Blog Buttons

Vintage Button Brooch by sheepsclothing


Ever wondered where to find all of those free blog buttons (facebook, twitter, share this etc)? When setting up my blogs I had to go hunting all over the internet, so I thought it might save others some virtual legwork if I put together a list!

#1 Share this blog post on twitter, facebook, stumbleupon, myspace etc
This button is available in different formats at addthis and easily allows your readers to share blog posts they like. You can see an example at the bottom of this blog post where it says 'share' with the little icons (and please feel free to share the post if you find it useful!) :)



#2 Suggest other blog posts you've written that might interest your readers
Don't waste older content- LinkWithin suggests previous blog posts that readers might like by presenting thumbnail pictures at the bottom of each blog post. You can see an example on my other blog TheAustralianEtsyBlog.


#3 Add code for a blog button that your blog readers can use
At the bottom of the right side panel on this blog you can see two EtsyBusinessTips buttons for blog readers or featured sellers to use. The code to add the buttons is provided underneath so that people can easily copy the code and paste it into an html blogger widget for their sidebar so that they can share your blog (with a link to your site). Instructions for how to create one for your own blog can be found here.


#4 Free 'Follow Me' Twitter Buttons
One source for lots of different choices of Twitter buttons is TwitterButtons. There's a list of other places to find cool buttons and widgets that display your latest tweets here.

#5 Add a Facebook Fan Page Box to your blog
You can easily add a facebook box (like mine on the right side bar) that allows people to become fans of your page without leaving your blog! The link is here (you will need to login).


#6 A variety of blog buttons and blinkies
Here are a few sites with random/cutesy free buttons and blinkies (although a google search will bring up many more): ShabbyBlogs, AprilShowersBlogDesign, myonecuteblog, thecutestblogontheblock.


#7 Etsy buttons and galleries
Adding a mini etsy gallery is easy- just go to 'your etsy' and find the 'promote' section on your left side panel, and there are intructions for adding an etsy mini (if you're interested in tracking visits through an etsy mini with google analytics, you should read this).
You can also add a scrolling etsy gallery that allows people to add your items to their cart by clicking through from your blog. To add this, go to http://cr8tivity.com and type in your Etsy username. Then go to 'helpers' then 'widgets'. Copy and paste the longer code into your blog side bar in an html widget. You can see an example of one of these scrolling galleries on my other blog TheAustralianEtsyBlog.
You can also find some etsy badges here on the etsy community pages.



#8 RSS feed subscription buttons, email subscription forms, subscription counters
These can all be set up from within feedburner

Subscribe in a reader

#9 Allow readers to submit their links (eg for giveaway lists etc)
You can add a widget through MrLinky so that readers can add a link and details

#10 Ask for suggestions for blog topics etc from your readers
I have a box on the right side panel to allow people to submit their etsy business questions so that I can answer them through this blog. To add a similar box, visit Skribit.

....and there are lots more! Please feel free to share sources for your favourite blog buttons in the comments!

Hocus Pocus Black Circles on White Buttons from VoodooRabbit

Are All Your Buyers Asleep??! Scheduling Your Tweets, Blog Posts and Facebook Updates

Cinnamon Buns by SavageArtworks

As an international seller, an important issue to consider when promoting my business is the fact that many buyers (most of my target audience in fact) are fast asleep during the time when I am likely to be focusing on promotional efforts.

I am quite aware of this fact, but I'm afraid I am guilty of failing to apply this knowledge as much as I should. I do try to list at appropriate times, but most of my facebook and twitter activity naturally occurs while I am awake (and my buyers are not). While this may not be critical for some sellers, people based in the US make up over 50% of my total facebook fans, whereas Australian followers account for less than 10%, and the percentage of US buyers in my Etsy store would be considerably higher than 50%. Given that many (probably most) of my sales are driven directly and indirectly by my activity on social networks (again, this is not necessarily the case for all sellers), this could be having a huge impact on my store's success!

Fortunately, there are some great tools available for international sellers and US sellers wanting to reach an international audience.



Tweet Love Bird by FeltMeUpDesigns

Scheduling Your Blog Posts, Facebook Fan Page Updates and Tweets
There are a number of applications available that allow you to schedule your posts for later timepoints. I use HootSuite to manage my twitter account and am a huge fan- you can schedule facebook fan page posts and tweets for specific times, as well as using it for normal twittery activities. A google search should bring up services similar to this (just make sure they are reputable before using them).
For blog posts, you can actually schedule blog posts in advance from within blogger itself. Down the bottom of the post you're writing there's a 'Post Options' link that allows you to set the time and date for publication of your blog post- just pick a time and click 'publish'. Make sure your blog timing settings are correct (settings-formatting in blogger).



Late Rabbit Alice in Wonderland Decal by WilsonGraphics

Keep an Eye on the Time
One tricky part of this (if you are lazy if you have your mind on other important matters like I do) is calculating what time it is in other parts of the world. An easy way to convert the current time and future times is to use this Time Zone Converter. Alternatively, you could add a 'world clocks' widget to your google homepage, which would be particularly handy if you want to track times in more than one location. One more option that is even easier is to adjust your HootSuite and blogger settings so that the time is set to Etsy time (NY time)- obviously in the case of your blog you need to consider whether your audience is local or international if your posts display a time stamp.



Geared Up Suspension
Steampunk Filigree and Watch Movement Necklace by Bellalili

Additional Tip
To help you plan and evaluate the effectiveness of any changes you make in terms of scheduling your promotion, you can track which times of day are best in terms of visits to your Etsy store. To see when people are visiting your store, click on the 'Visitors' tab on the left within google analytics, then click on 'Visitor Trending'. Next, click on 'Visits' and change the time displayed from daily to hourly (there's a little clock icon above the displayed graph). This will tell you when people are visiting your shop.




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Blogging Could Be More Effective Than You Thought- Google Analytics & Etsy Minis

Brain in a Jar by YourOrganGrinder

After noticing that views from my blog were lower than they should have been in my Google Analytics stats for my Etsy store, I began to do some investigating and realized that clicks on Etsy minis show up within Google Anayltics as visits from within Etsy, rather than visits from a blog or website.

This means that some of the traffic coming from your blog or website (when people click on your Etsy mini) won't be identified as having come from that traffic source (yourblog.blogspot.com), which may lead people to underestimate the effectiveness of blogging as a promotional tool.

I Love you Blogs & Tea Print by Jeniferramos

Fortunately it is possible to find out how many views have come through Etsy minis, and also whether people have clicked on the link in the mini that leads to your shop or a specific item.

Instructions for assessing visits via Etsy minis:

Step 1. Go to the dashboard in the left panel within Google Analytics. Click on 'Content'. Next, click on 'Top Content'.

Step 2. Go to the bottom of the page where you will find a search box with the option to 'Filter page containing:'.

Step 3. The code for traffic from etsy minis is 'em', so type 'ref=em' into the search box and click 'Go'. This will then show you the visits to your store that have come via etsy minis (and the item numbers if they clicked on a particular item in the mini).
Don't forget to show more rows of results if necessary (that option is also found on the bottom panel where the search box is located).

As well as etsy minis on your blog, some of these visits may have come from other people's minis if they have featured your item as a favorite, or from 'related items' in a Storque article, as the code is used for that as well (thank you to Ferrolux for providing that insight).

Thank you to http://bloghandmade.blogspot.com/ for the em coding. Other codes are also available from the code list on the bloghandmade blog.

Statistics Cufflinks by Bellamodaartist

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Problogger Ebook- How To Build A Better Blog