Etsy Success: Product Photography for Beginners

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/etsy-success-product-photography-for-beginners/?ref=fp_blog_post

Learning how to take great photos is one of the most important things you can do to improve your Etsy shop. Since prospective customers can’t see or touch your item in person, photos communicate an item’s beauty and important qualities. Beautiful photos will also help your items to be featured both on and off of Etsy.

Luckily, taking great photos is a skill that you can learn! If you look at the early sold items of many sellers with wonderful pictures, you’ll see that they started just where you are now.

We hope this video helps you on your photo-improvement journey! Make sure to go slowly while reworking your photos; try re-doing just a few per week. Take a lot of photos of an item as you learn. This helps you to figure out what works and what doesn’t, and it also gives you a lot of photos to choose from. You’ll find that you’ll get better and better as the weeks go by. Once you’re taking gorgeous photos, then go back and re-do the rest of the photos in your shop if necessary.

Be sure to check out our other photography resources and let us know about your progress and any questions that you have in the Etsy Success forum!

Green Shipping Materials for the Holidays

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/green-shipping-materials-for-the-holidays/?ref=fp_blog_post

Story by blainedesign
Published on Nov 09, 2011 in Make
Photo by Karen Brown

It’s an unavoidable fact: shipping gifts long distances has an environmental impact. However, you can you lower some of that impact by using recycled and biodegradable materials when packing holiday gifts. Here are some suggestions for alternative shipping materials that usually cost less than their conventional counterparts, and are fun and convenient to use!

Pop it! My all-time favorite packing material is homemade, hot air popcorn. It is cheapest from the bulk bin. You can pop as little or as much as you need in minutes — just allow it to cool before using. It is convenient to store because the unpopped kernels take up so little space. To use, fill your box halfway with popped corn, shake lightly to settle the contents, add your gift, then overfill the box slightly with more corn. Push down gently to close. The compressed kernels will lock together and form a lightweight mass that protects your gift during shipment. Popcorn can be reused at least once, and then worked into the garden or compost. Please consider using organic popcorn if they carry it at your store.

Reuse that box or envelope, then tell us about it. When you use a recycled box or shipping envelope, how will your recipient know whether you are environmentally minded or maybe just too cheap to care? Tell them! Use a label that brands your values — make it as funny or serious as you like. If you use biodegradable or recycled packing material, include a card that shares information about your good choices.

Shop elsewhere. To save money and find something truly biodegradable, skip the packing store and pay a visit to your local landscape outlet, feed supply, or roastery. Materials there often cost pennies on the dollar compared to conventional supplies. Coffee husks, curly wood shavings, rice hulls, and paper-thin nut shells like chestnuts are clean, lightweight, beautiful alternatives that are often fragrant and soulful to boot.

Visit the library. My local library often gives away publications that have passed their date of usefulness. These include almanacs, calendars, and even encyclopedias. Much cleaner than newspaper, these free, recycled pages can be crumpled or accordion-folded to make packing materials, and might even carry a theme that matches your gift.

Try wrapping your gift just a little differently. Instead of wrapping small items with paper and tape, consider wrapping them “bonbon-style.” The twisted paper ends provide an insulating cushion —you won’t need extra padding in the box and you won’t need tape to close the bundles. Trim edges with pinking shears for a finished look. Soft goods like pillows and knits don’t need padding, just a close-fitting box and a piece of tissue.

Throw nothing away. Yesterday I saw a tiny bag of shredded paper padding that cost several dollars. Your own shredded junk mail costs nothing and is ideal packaging material. Look around. What do you have that you might otherwise throw away that is clean, lightweight, suitable for shipping and free?

A few more tips:

Try to avoid plastic in all its forms, including plastic-lined envelopes and boxes. There is almost always a better alternative.
Use natural brown kraft paper and cardboard whenever you can. Kraft uses the fewest chemicals when it is manufactured. I love the look and in my taste, it’s the most chic choice.
Experiment with using less tape and glue. Adhesives are petroleum-derived and cannot be recycled. Tape and glue can damage wrapping paper, making it less convenient to reuse.
As tempting as it may be to pad boxes with wild-harvested autumn leaves, dried grasses, or twigs, please use these elements only when you know for certain that your gift will stay within the immediate area. Many plant and animal diseases have been spread when insects and microorganisms that cling invisibly to plants are unwittingly shipped across bioregional or state lines.
What’s your top packing tip? Share in the comments!

Karen Brown is an award-winning designer and creative director of the Center for Ecoliteracy. Her work has been included in the Smithsonian Institution and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and featured in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and on Today on NBC. She believes that the handmade movement is a fundamental force for transforming society and the economy.

Seller How-To: Fostering Repeat Business

This is also useful for those selling else where.

Story by daniellexo
Published on Nov 10, 2011 in Seller Handbook
Photo by ThePaperAddict

This post received a much-needed update from the original information posted in December 2008. Enjoy my new tips!

I ran some very scientific and fancy tests here at the Etsy Labs and found out a few things about customer loyalty:

It costs a whole lot more to gain a new buyer than to retain your current buyers. (I’ve heard reports which vary from 5 to 8 times more.)When those buyers come back, they spend more! This is because, when they do come back, they feel they know you and they have become fans.Return customers are also more likely to chat up your shop to friends, follow you on Twitter, or fan your Facebook page, leading to exponential growth! So the seller education team and I put our heads together to come up with a formula to help boost your group of loyal clients.

Before the Sale

Label your work. Branding is important. Not the plastering-a-giant-logo on the front of a T-shirt kind of branding, but how about a simple tag with your Etsy shop name sewn under the collar? Do your art prints have your Etsy shop name on the back? Branding and labeling will help your buyers know where to return!

Customer service is the key to fostering repeat business, and this starts with setting up the right expectations. Be sure to have up-to-date and thorough Shop Policies. (If you are in the EU, you’ll be happy to see we’ve added a Seller Information field for you to comply with customer protection laws. More info here.)
Include shipping information in your Message to Buyer. (Do you ship on Tuesdays? First Class mail? Is there a way the buyer can contact you for a shipping upgrade?)
Entice loyalty before the sale by encouraging fans of your work to participate in your business without even making a purchase. Can they fan your Facebook page? Donate to a Kickstarter campaign? Sign up for your MailChimp newsletter? (All of these tools will give you access to contact these fans again!)

After the Sale

Check the Notes to Seller area on your Etsy and PayPal invoices to avoid missing a request from your buyer.

Try to ship slightly faster than your policies and Note to Buyer state. Quote a slightly long shipping timeframe and drop that package off a day before. Your buyer will be thrilled!Creative packaging and a handwritten note is just enough to turn that casual buyer into a fan. If this item could be a gift, think about including something fun for the buyer that they can keep for themselves. (Be creative and try not to eat into your profits with this one!)Create and share coupon codes to reward and track repeat sales. Find more coupon code tips here.Utilize the Shipping Notification tool. Here are some great pointers.Stay Connected With Your Fans

Think of your core group of customers as your fan base. Here are some ways to keep in touch:

Leave thoughtful feedback instead of a generic, “Great buyer!” Look for clues in your buyer’s profile, the Note to Seller or other communications.

Be sure you connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts to allow your buyers to easily follow your updates.
Ask your buyers to sign up for your mailing list. (Many mailing list providers offer a landing page where you can direct your new buyers to sign up.)“Shout out” return buyers on your blog, Facebook page or via Twitter. (This can even be anonymous: “Just wanted to send a big ‘Thank you!’ to my lovely buyer from Hawaii. I know she’s going to rock these handprinted leggings!”)Ask your customers for their help getting the word out! You’d be surprised how willing they are to support you! (And reward those who do.)Unveiling a new line? Let your past buyers, blog readers and followers in on the secret first. Update: I clarified this point here. Team up! Work out a cross-promotion with a complementary Etsy seller, small business or your Etsy team. Supporting handmade, vintage and other small businesses in general will keep us all thriving!There you have it: my tips to keeping buyers “tuned in” to your Etsy channel. So, sellers, how do you keep your buyers coming back? I’d love to hear it in the comments below!

Don’t forget to check out the Seller Handbook — all of our how-to’s for running your Etsy business!

Silhouette - the electronic cutting tool

I stumbled across this only moments ago

If you don’t know what a Silhouette is, it’s an electronic cutting tool for personal use. Like a home printer, it plugs into your PC or Mac with a simple USB cable.

However, instead of printing it uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more up to 12″ wide and 10 feet long. You can customize the things you want to cut……or purchase images available in their online store.

You can find out more about them here on the company's website:
http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/silhouetteCameo.aspx

For some ideas and tutorials by a crafter who loves this piece of kit go to
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/category/silhouette-craft-cutter-2

Looking at them I am tempted to get one

Buying Local

The web has become a wonderful tool for buying supply's but waiting upto a week for items to come through before you can start making a order you have already got on isn't the ideal situation.

A lot of my fabric and wool comes from two local little shops. You'll find that most areas will have there own wool or fabric shop, sometimes even both. Every time I go in I find myself thinking "oh that will look nice for this design". Jewellery findings on the other hand are a little more difficult to get hold of.

I do admit that there are pro's and con's to shopping local. Sometimes it won't be as cheap as some of the on-line stores (sometimes it will). There is a friendly face to help you out if you do get stuck. I find that I get more choice in my local shops than some of the places on-line and after getting to know the people they now order me things they wouldn't normally stock.

For the odd things I use I use to order from a company called Panduro based in Sweden. Now the UK branch of Panduro has split away to supply the UK quicker and with more choice, they are called creativity direct and can cater for shops as well as home crafters.

You may find that making from scratch is also good. It may take slightly more time and energy but at the end of the day if a customer asks you what is in the product you can tell them exactly, that and it is much more satisfying when you sell that product. You won't be able to make everything from scratch, but even if it is just one product off a long list it is still something and it does give you the opportunity to make that item personal.

Art Fire

What kinds of accounts do you offer?

ArtFire offers 2 types of accounts: a Buyer account, and a Pro Seller account.

Our Buyer account helps to improve the shopping and browsing experience on ArtFire by allowing you to save your favorite items and sellers, leave a seller rating and feedback for purchases, and save your address. As a registered member of ArtFire you’ll also be able to participate in public forum discussions where your opinion and feedback as a buyer is invaluable to the community.

Our Pro Seller account gives you a fully featured e-commerce store that allows you unlimited listings with up to 10 images on each listing. You are also able to participate in Guilds, Artisan Councils, and utilize the Market Hub tool. Additionally, you will be able to customize your shop template, use the Facebook kiosk, create coupon codes and gift certificates, edit all your products easily with our Global Product Editor, earn artifacts and much more! At just GB £7.47 per month, our Pro Seller account is the best way to sell your handmade, fine art, vintage, media, design, and craft supply items online! Click here to learn more and activate your free trial!

How do I sign up for an ArtFire account?

To join our community of talented artisans, simply click the Join Now link in the upper right corner of the ArtFire homepage. There you will be able to choose between our Buyer account and our Pro seller account. Remember, your user name will be your shop name and cannot duplicate another shop name on the site. Your user name may not have spaces or non-alphanumeric characters as this will cause the URL for your shop to break.

Why should I sign up for ArtFire? What makes ArtFire special?

Our Pro account is a great deal at the normal price of US GB £12.50 a month but right now, for just US GB £7.47 a month, you can have access to great features such as the Facebook Kiosk, coupon codes and gift certificates, Global Product Editor, craft guilds, artifact recognition awards, increased search exposure, and more!
Not only do you get all of those features, but we spend money to advertise this site to buyers. How much? Our typical monthly advertising goal is to reach 100 million impressions in 30 days!

In addition, there are no listing fees or commissions charged to you. You can list as much as you want for just GB £7.47 a month. We think that's pretty special.

MOO

When we say 'we love to print', we really mean it. In this section you'll find out more about MOO and the work that goes on behind the scenes. From the paper to the packaging, the people and the press. Pull up a chair and make yourself at home.

Printfinity, what's that?

As you become more familiar with MOO, you'll spot us using the word 'Printfinity' when we describe our products. It's one of the things that makes MOO different, a unique touch to help our customers stand out from the networking crowd. Printfinity is a conversation starter, a promotional tool, and the ideal way to showcase your design or photography.

Find out more about Printfinity

Premium products need premium paper

As you might expect from a company that 'loves to print', we're rather fond of our paper and print finishes too. But there's a small problem. Looking at more photos of our smooth matte laminate or thick 100% recycled stock wont help you understand what it feels like in your hand. So, we've asked some of our customers to help...

Find out more about our paper

Wrapped up and ready to go

We think receiving products from MOO should be something special. After all, it's your artwork, your photography, your event or your business you're promoting. Something to be proud of and something to be shared. So we custom design our packaging for re-use, resale and recycling. If it's worth packing, it's worth packing well.

Find out more about packaging

Getting to know MOO

It's not just the team at MOO HQ who help to make our products better - there's also our online community. Feedback on Twitter, images on Flickr, comments on Facebook... There's lots of different ways you can get to know MOO. Jump in and say hello - we'd love to hear from you.

Find MOO elsewhere on the internet

The MOO Promise

Other companies call this a 'satisfaction guarantee', but it just sounds so... obvious. Printing the things you make and getting them to you in perfect condition is what we do best. Should you ever be less than satisfied, contact us and we'll do everything we can to fix it.

Etsy Fees

20 cents for each item listed

If I list one ceramic mug, it costs 20 cents. If I have three of the same mug and put them all in the same item listing, it costs 60 cents. After four months if the item does not sell out it is unlisted and you may easily relist it if you like (at the same price). For the UK this works out as 0.125015p

3.5% sales fee

When you make a sale on Etsy, you will be charged 3.5% of the total sale price. This percentage does not include the shipping price.

Currency conversion

All fees and items on Etsy are listed in US Dollars. Currency conversion is handled automatically by our payment processing service like our merchant account.

Paying fees

All Etsy fees are paid using either the credit card you put on file when you sign up as a seller, or via PayPal. Each month we add up all your fees, and on the last day we send you an email with a list of everything. You can pay your bill at any time manually using your credit card on file or PayPal account.

Fees FAQ

Can I sell on Etsy if I'm not in the United States?
Yes you can. We already have many sellers in other countries.

What currency are fees in?
All fees are in US dollars. When paying your fees by credit card, currency conversion is handled automatically by those services.

If I unlist an item, is the listing fee refunded?
No, it's not refunded.

How do I become a seller on Etsy?

First you'll need to register for an Etsy account. The username you enter during registration represents you as a person and cannot be changed.

Once you've registered for an account, you'll need to upgrade your account to seller status. To do this, click the Sell link in gray site header and follow the on-screen directions. You will need a valid credit card (or a debit card with a credit card logo) to become a seller on Etsy.

After you register as a seller on Etsy, you will be able to select a shop name that is different from your username. Choose carefully as you will only have the opportunity to change the shop name once. Read more about changing your shop name.

Please be sure to read the Terms of Use and review Etsy's policies about Membership and Shops and listings in the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy before you register to become a seller on Etsy.

There is more information on setting up an Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/help/article/246

Simple Bow Hair Clips (with no-slip grip) posted by Ashley at Make It and Love It

Would you like to make your own simple little hair bows……with a no-slip grip to keep them in place??

First of all, everyone has their own technique. And there are probably a variety of no-slip grip solutions out there. This is just what I did and what I used. All worked really well for me.

When I was first trying to make a bow that would stay in baby fine hair, I remember seeing bows online that had a no-slip grippy on it. Some of it looked like velvet, other stuff looked sticky. Some people used velcro and others used magnet material. We didn’t have a lot of money and so I was trying to figure out a cheap solution. I remember walking around Wal-Mart one day, trying to decide what I could use to re-create that no slip grip, and I walked by rows of this shelf liner stuff and had an “ah-ha” moment. This liner material keeps things from slipping in cupboards and on shelves…….why not baby hair. So I started using it on my hair clips, and it worked like a charm.

And just when you think you have the best idea ever……..you realize other people have it too. Ha! Because I have seen other people use this stuff to make their own bows since I thought it up for myself that one day. How funny! I swear, we should all participate in a huge think-tank and share all sorts of tricks and secrets. It would save us all a lot of grief.



Anyway, to make these hair bows (without actually tying a bow), I used 3/8 inch ribbon. (Grosgrain works best in my opinion.) I cut 3 pieces that are 4 inches long. I also use a double prong hair clip (I always bought mine at Sally Beauty Supply….and they’re about 1 3/4 inches long). Then I cut a piece of the shelf liner that is the same size as the prong section……so about 1 and a 1/4 inch by 1/3 of an inch. And a piece of felt that is about the same size.

To begin, grab your roll of ribbon and heat seal the end (I use a lighter).



Then hot glue about a 1/2 inch of the end of the ribbon to the very bottom of the clip with the right side of the ribbon facing out (if you have a right and wrong side).



Then add a strip of hot glue to the next section of ribbon…



…..and then fold it around the contours of the pinch part of the clip. (Don’t worry, the clip will still pinch and the glue won’t affect the spring at all.)



Then measure how much more ribbon you’ll need by stretching it to the tip of the clip, then fold it back up the length of the prongs. Cut the ribbon off.



Heat seal this end of the ribbon now too.



Now add a long strip of hot glue down the back side of the rest of the ribbon. Then lay it flat across the top of the top prong, then fold it under towards the bottom of that top prong…..to completely conceal that top prong. Press the ribbon together to seal the glue together, and keep the ribbon in place.



Now, grab your 3 pieces of 4 inch long ribbon. Tie a single knot in the center of one of the pieces of ribbon. Try to make it a neat little knot and keep the two ends flat and laying in the same direction. Heat seal the ends of the 2 un-tied pieces.



Then grab one of the plain pieces and bend it into a circle. Overlap the ends by about a 1/3 of an inch and then hot glue them together (image on left). Then pinch the circle right in the center, creating half of your bow shape, and add a little dot of hot glue to the inside center to keep it pinched together (image on right).



Do the same thing with the other piece of ribbon. Then cross the two pieces together……not into an actual “X”, more like a squashed one. Add a dot of glue between the two, to keep them together.



Then place the piece of ribbon with the knot in the middle, right in the center of the squashed “X” (image on the left). Place a dot of hot glue right under the knot, so it doesn’t move around. Turn the bow over and cut off the long ends just a bit and glue them down on the back side (image on the right).



Now, glue the piece of shelf liner to the piece of felt. Press the two layers together.
CAUTION: this can get hot. Test it with your fingers and wait until the glue has cooled from hot to warm and then squish the 2 layers together. Glue will most likely ooze out. Just peel it off your fingers and continue on!!
Trim off the excess along each edge, making a nice clean line around all sides.



Then hot glue the felt side to the top prong.



Then glue the bow to the very top of the clip…..right to the ribbon.



Why I do the bows this way:
I make the bows in parts so that the bow looks very clean and even. You can always tie some ribbon into a bow and then glue it onto a clip……but it’s hard to get a nice even bow that way. It’s totally just preference though.
I don’t wrap ribbon around the bottom prong because it’s hard to slide it through hair (like for older girls pony tails and such) if there is ribbon on the bottom. If you leave it bare, it can slide into hair much easier.
I don’t put the shelf liner on both sides of the prongs because of the reason mentioned above…..I want to keep the bottom prong bare.

And that’s it.

Now make more…….you may need some for every single outfit your child (or friend/granddaughter) has.
(And while you’re at it, make doubles of every color. They look so darn cute when their hair is long enough for pig tails.)




Enjoy.

online shops

There are many places to sell your items out there on the web, etsy, artfire. All of them offer different things, what you need to decide is which one. This can be hard it's taken me a good few weeks to decide on what I'm doing. If you don't want to be part of someone else's website you can always make your own or pay to have one made that you just add your pictures and designs too. The problem with creating tour own website is hosting it as I have found.

At the end of the day you need to decide on what is best for your business, will the website promote your items so you get enough sales? Can you modify your shop to suit you and customers? Does it cost you to put items on the site? Do they take comission on the items you sell? Do you have the time to maintain your own website? Do you have the money to have it hosted? There are lots of options out there for you to consider and it is your business your deciding for.

Inspiration is all around

Inspiration can occur at any point in time, because of this it is a good idea to carry a small note book with you so you can note anything that comes to you. It's a good idea to make sure you can read your notes at a later date. Keeping a camera close to hand is another good idea, just in case you discover something that inspires a completely new line of items.
I've set up a clothes line made of ribbon to peg up any interesting things I might find that inspire me. I also have a scrap book full of magazine cuttings which I love to flick through. Every time I do I see something new, become inspired to make something new.
Hope this helps

Make even better connections with QR codes

By Terence Eden
June 07 2011

Why do you hand your Business Card out?

You do it because you want to connect with people, and you want to make it easy for a potential client or employer to find you, should they want to work with you.

Business Cards are great for making staying in contact easy. How can you make it even easier? By putting a QR code onto your cards!

So what are QR Codes?

QR Codes are two dimensional barcodes which can quickly and easily be scanned by most camera phones. They're free to create and really easy to use. You can find out what's available for your phone at GetReader.

How can having QR Codes help my business?

QR Codes can contain many different types of data - URL, phone number, SMS, and vCard. You can make your QR code work in a variety of ways, including pointing people directly to your blog or website, allowing them to send you an instant SMS, call your phone or upload their details to your address book. So if you meet a potential client, employer or employee, you've got a really quick and easy way to direct them to all your information without having to make them type anything into their phone.

How can I make one?

There are several free sites you can use to create your QR Codes. I like QRStuff, but you can also use Google Charts for QR Codes if you want dynamic, highly customised codes.

Finally, if you want to generate QR codes on your own site, there are several free resources. I use Swetake's QRCode v0.50.

Great! What else do I need to know?

- Here are some tips to make sure you get the most out of your QR codes.

- Use black ink on a white background to ensure the code is readable.

- Ensure there is some whitespace around the code.

- If you resize the QR codes, don't use any interpolation.

- QR Codes can have variable error-correction. Unless your codes are likely to get dirty, you can set this to "low".

- If you're pointing people to a URL, make sure it's mobile friendly.

- Make sure your phone numbers are in International Format (eg +44 for the UK or +1 for the US).

- Be creative! QR Codes are appearing on everything from advertising posters to urban graffiti - make sure yours stand out.

Terence Eden is a mobile communications and QR whizz. Have a look at his website for more detailed information on making QR Codes, and visit our blog on our favourite customer QR code cards for some inspiration.

Want buzz for your online store? Enter the blogosphere

By Shopify
May 12 2011

When starting an online store the thought of garnering media attention seems daunting. But traditional print publication is slowly diminishing, while the relevance of the blogosphere continues to grow. Our advice? Get in with the bloggers!

Here's our top 5 tips on how to get started.

1. Get blogging!

The best way to figure out how to interact with a blogger is to be a blogger. If you go through the process of finding something you care enough to write about every day, setting up the blog, writing the content, building the traffic, managing the comments, reading the other blogs and building the relationships with the other bloggers, then you will understand the perspective of the blogger, and how to approach them.

2. Read the blogs that you want to target.

This sounds obvious, but many people don't take this crucial step. Be familiar with their subject matter, and find out who they are. Bloggers reveal a great deal of information about themselves, and it will be obvious if you haven’t taken the time to learn about them. If you have, your chances of building a relationship are much higher.

3. Forget the press release.

Bloggers who get a lot of traffic receive these every day. They're usually generic, with no link between the content of the press release and their subject matter. Bloggers will ignore it at best, and openly mock it at worst, which can be damaging. Instead of sending the press release in an email, contact the blogger directly. Tell them what you do, why you want to work with them, and provide contact information for you if they have any questions.

4. Bloggers are not ad space

Magazines and newspapers are formal ways to inform consumers. Blogs are different: they are both the conduit and the consumer, which means it doesn't always work out the same as taking out a traditional ad would. If the blogger writes about you, you can't control the message. So think about what it is you want to achieve: if you just want eyeballs on your link and you want the message strictly controlled, would you be better off buying ad-space on that blog?

5. No such thing as a free lunch

In a lot of cases, bloggers aren't being paid, they are writing out of passion. If you ask them to write about your product to help drive traffic to your site, you're asking for free advertising - basically, a favour. So what can you do for them in return? Discount coupons? Free samples? Backlinks? Access to you or someone you're connected to who can give the blogger an exclusive interview or open a door somewhere?

Shopify helps you set up an online store to sell your products, customise your storefront, accept payment and more - without the hassle of running a physical store.

Online marketing tips for small businesses

By Google
May 12 2011

Did you know that 94% of consumers research products online before buying? Or that 3 out of 5 people use search as their go-to shopping resource?*

The fact is, in order to compete in today's digital world, businesses must be online to reach their customers. Moving towards marketing yourself online can be daunting, but don't worry – there's no wrong place to start! Here are Google's top 5 tips for taking the online leap.

1. Set your goals

Start by choosing one or two objectives. For example, do you want to drive visitors to your website, generate more foot traffic to your store or restaurant, or gather emails for a newsletter?

Be as specific as you can about your goal. Putting numbers and targets to your goals will help you stay focused (and feel great after you meet or even beat those targets!).

2. Get to know your customers

Talking to your customers can be the best research you'll ever do. Learning how they found you, or what they think about your website, can help you understand what you can improve your marketing techniques.

Putting a survey on your website or using social media sites to connect with your prospective or current customers are ways to get a feel for what types of people may be looking for your product or service.

3. Check out the competition

Ask yourself this question - how are your competitors reaching customers online?

- Do they have a website, social media profile, or online yellowbook listing?

- How are they marketing to customers - search advertising, group buying programs or post online videos?

Research can help you think about how to differentiate yourself from the crowd. No two businesses are the same, so don't feel that you need to copy what others do online, but do use it as a benchmark while your create your own strategy.

4. Don't be scared for your strategy to fail

Taking time to think through your plan before you begin can dramatically improve your results. Create a budget, find tactics that work within your budget and commit a certain amount of time to your goals.

Many successful online marketers take a "test and refine" approach, which is just a fancy way to say, don't be scared to fail and learn. The best thing about online marketing is that nothing is printed and hard to change. For example, you can alter the text of an online ad almost instantly if it isn't performing well. With online marketing, experimenting is key.

5. Track your progress

Online marketing makes it easy to measure program performance, so learn how to track and understand your results. Most online marketing programs, such as search or social media advertising, provides you with analytics or measurements of your ad campaign. Read the results, then revise which programs you spend money on depending on performance.

Once you've set the goals to create a website, list your business online or start placing ads, your business is on the fast track to reach more customers. As with anything, practice and persistence will lead to online marketing success. And remember, it isn't how fast you get online, but getting there that counts.

Ria Tobaccowala is a member of Google's Small Business Marketing Team. You can use Google to grow your business, plus, learn how to create a thriving online community!

*Source: 2010 Compete Online Shopper Intelligence Study

Learn to crochet

It is said that those who can't knit can crochet and those who can't crochet can knit. I do know that there are people who can do both. Sadly I am one of the ones who can't knit but can crochet. The book that taught me how to do this was a book called learn to crochet. It has illustration on what you should be doing with your fingers and text along with pictures of what the stitch should look like. The book also has 17 projects to do. Another handy feature is a hook conversion chart and crochet terminology for the UK and the US along with all the abbreviations.

This is a UK book.

ISBN:1-904485-32-4

A book to get you started: The handmade marketplace

Whilst browsing waterstones I came across this book in the crafting section. I've found it useful.

It begins with Part 1: Getting to know yourself and your business. This part covers all you need to know about branding, pricing, setting goals. All you need to get started.

Part 2: Spreading the word - and images, is all about marketing, blogging, advertising and the crafting community. What you need to keep going.

Part 3: Getting down to selling, covers craft fairs, selling online and in shops as well as other options available to you.

It has advise from all sorts of designers and craft authors. It really is a good place to start and it has helped people start selling crafts. It doesn't matter if you just want to make money off a hobby or start up a full time crafting business this covers it all.

ISBN:978-1-60342-477-6