best ways to market yourself?

[Lyra P iCraft Writer]

hi icrafters!

i am AMAZED at how fast this site is growing and how many incredible items are being posted every day! it takes me so long to go through them!

with all the overwhelming displays of creativity popping up, have you found new ways to keep your exhibits fresh?

[GalleriaLinda]

Hi Lyra,

I update my listings, not just for replacementes but also to "organize" my shop so I have coordinated pieces placed together, bracelets together, etc... It is great that we can control the order of items this way. Since we don't have a way to categorize (future idea!) this method has a couple of benefits.

Also, I am posting as much as I can to have a full shop for viewers. (on the free year plan, thankfully!).

Although I am not a professional photographer, I have had to learn how to take good closeups and how to use Photoshop to lighten and brighten. I think that light, bright, cheery photos are a key to keep someone in your shop looking.

Learning through trial and error, I have learned to keep distractions out of my photos. I love artsy photos with props and they work for certain types of jewelry, but for my jewelry, which is very colorful, it seems that a white background keeps the shop cohesive.

Anxious to hear what tips others have! Great topic!

~Linda

[designs by vickyvk]

Hi Lyra!

Great topic. You have some good ideas Linda, and your pictures are excellent. Close up, clear and bright.

I also believe in having exceptional photos. I made myself a lightbox in which the lighting is even and consistent. They are easy to make yourself at home with things that are in the house. I also like to use a white background with few props. That way there are no distractions.

I try to list often, usually at least one item a day. That way when people are replacementing for jewelry they are bound to come upon one or more of my products. It also helps with the new arrivals section on the home page because new items appear there as well.

It is also important to advertise yourself outside of icraft and offline. I use a few networking sites (facebook, kaboodle, etc.).
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20796720092
I hand out business cards and talk about what I'm doing with friends and acquaintances. You never know when someone is looking for what you're selling.

Let's keep this topic going! I'd love to hear more ideas from other icrafters!

[beadznthingz]

Hi Lyra,

This is a great topic.

I am always striving to keep my shop fresh. I update my shop regularly by either adding new items, or updating older items. I do my best to have good pictures with accurate item descriptions.

For advertising, I utilize Flickr and Facebook, and I have joined the iCraft groups on both of these sites. I have also placed ads on Kijiji for some extra exposure.

I am very optimistic that iCraft is THE place to be to sell handmade!

[PaintersParadise]

I am having trouble with my pictures, I use the same location, same digital camera, white background, same show box, same light etc.  But when I try to post them ,some are rejected because the "pixels" are wrong.  How can I correct this, and what causes low pixels.

Some of the pictures are great (pixels good)  and excepted. What is causing this.

What are pixels anyway?

Help!

[iCraft Admin]

Hi paintersparadise,
It looks like your images are too small in dimension.
The bigger the image you post, the better detail can be displayed for potential buyers.
We require minimum width for product shot to be 500 px (which is 17.64 cm or 6.944 inches)
You can find more info about "Pixels" here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel

[Cindys Creative Crochet]

I am TRYING to list something new as often as possible. I made myself a lightbox for better photos, also i try to push myself creatively to do something new with technique or shape ect.

[pomomamadesign]

i'm still working on my photography but meantime i'm uploading my wedding-inspired pieces for both men and women.

as most of these will be custom pieces i'll need to work on ways to keep the display fresh and changing - but it's early days yet!