Pinterest and hashtags?!

Ok, guess what...I'm still reading that Pinterest book, I blogged about over the summer. I know, it's terrible, right? There is just so much information overload out there. I sit here typing away, staring at 21 tabs on my laptop! These are tabs holding little nuggets of information, I just can't get through this second. So it's saved for another day, which seems to go on forever. Little by little I get to close a tab, which means I have visually digested the info on the page. 

So...Pinterest...are you using hashtags now? I heard today, that if you post on Pinterest, your post will be found in about 3 months, but if you now add hashtags to your description, you can be found instantly. Stop the bus, I wanna get off! Phew. So much is changing. I need about 10 hours a day, to fully get to my to do list on marketing my baby biz. Alas, I only have about 2-3 hours, possibly.

How are you handling Pinterest and Hashtags?

Admiring Smoky Quartz Stones

There was a time when if you asked me about brown stones, I would have stuck my tongue out in disgust. BUT...have you seen smoky quartz stones?! I recently got commissioned to create a necklace using a brown stone. The customer didn't really know what kind of stone. Just brown colored because she mostly wears that color palette. So I created a search and emailed my findings for her to choose the direction I should go in. 


I'm just now opening my eyes to the sexiness of what a brown stone can be. Growing in popularity, it's an affordable option for those looking to jazz up their jewelry collection. It's apparently one of November's birthstone. Plus it goes so very well with autumn colored wardrobes.

Smoky quartz is particularly effective for ailments of the abdomen, kidneys, pancreas, hips and legs. It relieves all sorts of other pain too, including headaches, and benefits the reproductive system, muscles and nerve tissues, as well as the heart. The stone dissolves cramps and strengthens the back. It also aids in the assimilation of minerals and regulates liquids within the body.

Quartz is beneficial to one who finds the need to move forward within himself. It can be extremely helpful to one who is contemplating his relationship with life, exploring his value system, and seeking inner meaning. When meaning is discovered, the magic of smoky quartz is said to be excellent in working to bring one’s dreams into manifestation. Smoky quartz connects us with our higher self. It encourages us to take up contact with this higher self and to pray. It tells us to trust our intuition. As such, it is an excellent choice for those who are unaccustomed to the contact with our inner self.

In the United States, Colorado produces some of the best smoky quartz. Quartz can easily be scratched or chipped so it is important to be careful not to wear it when you might be engaging in an activity that could harm the stone. The best way to clean your quartz is with a plain water and soap, using a soft brush and then a soft polishing cloth. Do not soak your quartz, and do not leave it in direct sunlight as its color may fade. Also be careful not to expose it to intense heat as this too might cause the color to fade.

So take a look at some smoky quartz stones, you'll be happily surprised. I should be listing some new designs in my shop within the next couple of weeks. vanpinnidesigns.com

Creating Jewelry Card Holders

After 8 months in "business" I've finally come around to putting some more thought into how my jewelry is shipped out to customers. Once again, seeing examples online and taking note in the boutique stores, I saw that I could make a few holders made out of heavy stock paper. And so, with a few watercolors, my frame stamper, and some gold acrylic paint, I started creating. The end result, is an artistic visual, using my favorite colors for a cohesive look. It also helps to offer up each design, as something that could be found in your local boutique store.

So how much does the packaging affect a customer's view of what they've just spent money on? Research shows that if you are able to invest in slightly better looking packaging than the cheapest option, your customers will believe they are getting their money's worth. I too, feel better about sending off that necklace that seems  slightly elevated with a piece of artwork and my logo on it.

Progress...slowly but surely. I'm still finding ways to get my business off the ground.

What have been the best steps you've taken to seeing more sales? Share in the comments below, am always glad to learn. :)

I'm Being Featured, As Artist of the Month!!

A huge thank you to Jessie, of Wanderingeducators.com, who has featured me as her website's Artist of the Month. It's an honor, and inspiring to see your images and text up online all together. Hopefully this will propel me to seek out other avenues of exposure.

Here's a direct link:
https://www.wanderingeducators.com/artisans/artisan-month/artist-month-vanessa-pineda-fox.html

"Pinterest Power" Thoughts So Far

Where does the time go? A month has gone by since my last blog post. In that time, I've purchased and started reading, "Pinterest Power" by Jason Miles and Karen Lacey. The biggest take away so far, is that when you post something to Pinterest, it's always out there in cyber space. People can stumble upon it years from now, and still be directed back to your site. Post something to Instagram? It's old news after a day or 2. Plus, depending on the tags you include, the amount of eyeballs seeing that post, depends on your existing followers and the tags used.

Before IG, I lived and breathed the joys of inspiring Pinterest posts. It amazes me, all the cool crafting, culinary, gardening, interior design, and travel ideas that are out there. But I thought the way to go was Instagram for marketing my new Etsy store. It is for some people, but boy, does it suck a lot of time every day. Which is why, I thought reading this book can help me to elevate my marketing efforts with less time devoted to it everyday.

I didn't realize that naming your board, was just as important as what you pin. It's how people will find your board when they type in a search for particular pins. Also, the title of your pins help in searches too. So each listing I have on Etsy, is now pinned to my store name's board.

Have I given up on IG? No Sirree...I'm just slowly trying to work on the two platforms. There's still so much to read, but this is what I'm learning right now.

Fixing Up Your Tags & Joining FB Groups

Holy Moly, I thought  my older products from a few months ago, were finnnne. No sirree, the tags were not well thought out and didn't jive with the titles. I think I've gone through all of them now, and reworked them. But it's not like I'm now getting hundreds of views, based on this small change, but I know it helps.

It's now been about a month and a half since I entered a Loop Giveaway on IG. My follower numbers are hovering around what I ended up with after that contest. So what does that tell me? I need to do more. What a chore! I've been posting almost everyday, except weekends, and sometimes 2xs a day. This is attracting new viewers, and followers, but I wouldn't say it's growing my "Tribe". I need to look into that still.

Are you growing your IG "Tribe"? Send me a comment and let me know how it's going.

I've also joined a few FB groups for Makers, but honestly, I can't find the time to contribute much. Even though I would love to. People write that through groups, they've found their customer base. Will just put that on to my list. Groups I belong to: Creative Movers and Shakers, Handmade Seller, Etsy Shop Help, & Handmade Journey. What groups do you belong to?

Time to Get Serious About SEO

Ok, I'm now into month 4 and a half of trying to sell on Etsy. There is soooo much information out there, it's really overwhelming. But that's a good thing! It's just that I don't have enough time in a day to fully digest the copious amount of videos and articles covering how to market your shop.

This morning I spent a few hours re-listing some of my older items, and double checking the titles, tags, and information on each listing. Or at least, until I started going stir crazy because I knew I had to get out to the market before it got too busy. To my surprise, the older listings didn't have the latest "Important Info"! Oh boy. So, I had some work to do.

Let's see if changing the titles and tags will affect views and hopefully sales. I know it should, I just don't know if I'm doing it correctly. As I type this, I'm listening and watching a video on "How to get buyers to your shop". Yes, I'm multi-tasking! There's only 30min left till my afternoon will be filled up with chauffeuring, cleaning up the kitchen, and doling out snacks.

Items on my To-Do List for this month:
• Contacting local and not local shops that sell Artisan wares.
• Posting and interacting on IG at least 5 days a week. I don't tend to post as much on the weekends, because not much creative work gets done in the house when it's full.
• Read articles on SEO and building up a "Tribe" of followers on Instagram.
• Think about creating separate Instagram and Etsy stores for artwork and jewelry bowls/jewelry.

So that's about it. Onwards and Upwards. I hope.