Day 28 Monday June 15 2009 Assignment

[PillowThrowDecor]

This is our last day of Bootcamp….

Today is a day of evaluation and further planning.

1)   Go to Google analytics and read your report. You can see your data day by day or for the past week and even longer as time passes.  Note on the day that your stats peak and see if you can correlate your activities to that day or the day before.  Check out the sources of your traffic particularly direct traffic, (internal icraft traffic), referring sites and replacement engines (organic replacementes).   Check your keywords to determine what people requested that caused them to find your site. Check under visitors and then map overlay to determine what countries / cities your views are coming from.

2)   From analyzing this data, determine what activities brought the most productive traffic as this will give you an indication of where and how you should market your products. All those days that you spent time advertising your products on the free sites should be apparent under referring sites.  Also your indie smiles views should be apparent too. Remember this is still a very limited snapshot as firstly our GA are for such a short period of time and secondly our 28 day Bootcamp is a relatively short period of time too.  Selling online is all about numbers of views. It takes weeks and usually months of doing what we’ve done to really start seeing the fruit of our labour these past few weeks.

3)   Please post your findings in the forums so we can all learn what works.

4)   Make note of what Bootcamp activities brought views / sales and set yourself a weekly schedule of activities.  Every day you should be advertising by some means, listing something or refreshing something, cross promoting by comments on blog, Kabbodling or whichever method works for you.

5)   In case you haven’t already please download Derrick Sutton’s “Setting Up Shop”. Detailed instructions are in Day 25 assignment. Read and absorb the eBook.  You will be pleased to know that you have been doing a lot of the right things the past 3 weeks!!!    Here is his message that he has asked me to pass on to each of you.
I have a very basic site up where people can sign up and get the free eBook (Setting up Shop) and also any updates, Etsy/Craft Marketing Tips or special offers. Can you please pass this on:  http://www.sellonetsy.com/  

This concludes our very first 28 day Seller’s Bootcamp Program.  Keep on going!!! Thank you so much for your fun participation and I look forward to seeing you in the forums A LOT!  It is so much fun and so beneficial to stay connected.

Cheers
Christine
PillowThrowDecor

[GalleriaLinda]

* Pops the Champagne *

Thank you Christine for all the hard work and TIME that went into structuring this for us. You have such positive energy that made this a great success for us.

And, thank you Admin for the great support and incentives for us to do bootcamp!! This will go far in bringing visitors to our shops & iCraft.

[Trish]

Holding out my glass for a little of that bubbly!
This was a wonderful experience - taught me a lot about what to do and not to do - and really made me look at myself and how I do things.
I appreciate SO much the hard work you put in on this, Christine - and admin (whoever you hard-working geniuses are) that kept things rolling.

Going to build on what I've learned, and look forward to a repeat or advanced bootcamp, if one is offered!!

Trish    

[Northern Girl Jewelry]

We did it!  We survived Bootcamp!

Christine, thanks so much for the time and energy you gave in organizing this for us.  Although I already knew these were the types of activities I needed to engage in for my shop to be successful, I wasn't doing things consistently.  I now have more ideas of what I can do to help my shop and a bit more discipline to do things daily.  Thanks!  I needed a fearless leader to point the way...

Thanks Admin for being so responsive to our needs/wants as sellers and for supporting Bootcamp as you have.  We all want icraft to be successful, and when the sellers and Admin pull together, we have better chances at success.

Julie

[Naturliche]

Christine!  Thank you so much for bootcamp!
And thank you to all the supporters, sponsors, the site admin & contributors as well.

I feel like I've just scrateched the surface - so count me in for another round, or advanced too!

Did I miss the post on how to use Google Analytics?

Downloading the book now and going back to twitter to update followers, etc.

[PillowThrowDecor]

Grin grin... I'm in for the champagne in my orange juice.

Whew!!! More than once I had nightmares about falling asleep before posting next days assignments

I haven't posted anything prior to today on Google analytics.  I am not that knowledgeable beyond just the basics but the instructions that I gave will get you started to check where your traffic is coming from.  If anyone has anymore insights please post in the main forum.

Talking about the main forum.... it will be important for all of us to disperse to the main forum and stay connected there.  It will help bring some more people into the conversations.

Talking about stats.  I have been checking on Alexa and although I have not been scientific about the stats collection let me say we have been climbing big time in the rankings.  It will be important for us to continue to move around icraft and cross promote one another.

icraftgifts.com is growing which means we all grow too.  We are not there quite yet but we are definately on our way!!!

Cheers
Christine

[PillowThrowDecor]

Hery I see you store is back up again.  Good stuff.

[BeauMonde]

Thank-you Christine!!!  Bootcamp has been great, I can't believe it's already been 28 days.

Save some champagne for me too .......

I have been looking at my GA numbers for iCraft and am getting hits from Facebook, Twitter and Kaboodle - also rec'd quite a few hits from IndieSmiles  and regular Google replacementes.  Bounce rate is low, so that's good - lots of visits from Canada, then US, plus 10 other countries.

Lots of views, no sales during bootcamp for me on iCraft .......

still trying to figure out Twitter and Facebook :lol:

I will be making a big effort to market and promote more .......
cheers everyone and thanks for your support
Rona - Beau Monde

[PillowThrowDecor]

Hey... my pleasure!

As much as I groused about Twitter I have learned that Twitter and Facebook are two big leaders so I better get with the program!

I love GA cause we can now see the fruit of our labour almost instantly with increased views.

Cheers

[StudioduSoleil]

Thank you Christine! This was a wonderful experience! I received some unexpected news last week (not really good/not really bad) and have been processing it for a few days, so I will be going in and doing the assignments over the next week or two so that I can be a boot-camp graduate. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to "meet" all of you in person, or on-line you've all been inspirational. I won't be able to join the next bootcamp, due to some medical complications but will rejoin later in the year after the newest bambino joins the family. My shop will be joining me on a maternity leave in early-mid August through most of September but I hope to be back soon thereafter for Christmas.

[PillowThrowDecor]

There is no other Bootcamper that I am aware of that has produced a baby in the course of this program so THAT MAKES YOU A WINNER!!!   :lol:  :lol:

Thank you ever so much for your kind words Mary!  I understand you have your hands full!!!

For all the other icraft readers... Mary and I are practically neighbours as we live very close to each other in Mission BC Canada. I purchased some fabulous earrings from Mary (which I have relocated from my Christmas gift stash to my private treasure chest) and she so kindly dropped them off and stayed for a coffee visit.  It was so great for me because I got to download her brain on her extraordinary packaging ideas and other hints and tips.  I had not ever met a "real, live, online seller" before. Let me say also, Mary brought her little princess with her... what an absolute angel. She was just so precious and such a gentle little sweetheart... I think she would look cute with fairy wings and a threaded needle in her hand.   She can be my little pillow fairy anyday!!!!

Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help with your store or even babysitting your little sweetheart... she can be my elf for the day any day!

We are all behind you 100% so we're cheering for you and just give us a call anytime you need a hand.

Horray for StudioduSoleil. Top producing store in the baby department!

Hey.... you have to let us know ALL THE DETAILS WHEN BABY COMES... OK???

Cheers

Christine
PillowThrowDecor