It's all About the TAG! A fall tagging guide!

Every time I list a new item in my shop, compose a tweet, add to G+, upload a video to Vine the same dilemma comes up. What should I tag this?!?!?

Tags and Hashtags (#) are the things of NOW! What I once called the pound sign on my phone  and never touched is now the key I use the most on my computer, cell phone and Ipad! When we go to search for something on any site we search via tags.

When I need something for the upcoming holiday to decorate my home, I simply punch in that holiday and the word decor and see what Etsy has to offer. When making your tags for your item on Etsy, or for your tweet or social network we have to think of what we would search if we were the customer. What magic word will get this item seen by the most people and potential buyers?

Something I like to do from time to time is search the site I am using for TRENDING TAGS. If it's trending people are doing it and we will be seen.

 Some of the trending tags for Sept and FALL are:

september september trends fall trends september finds late summer fall fashion fall finds fall colors autumn trends autumn finds 

These are great tags to add to items in your shop that fit these themes. And those same items should be tweeted with the same tags, Waneloed , G+'ed etc with the same tags.  

Another thing I do when making tags is see what tags got people in my shop. you can do this in your SHOP STATS on Etsy I than uncheck GOOGLE and OTHER to see what is trending for my shop on Etsy. you will see in the image my top searches. 

Rings and necklaces seem to be popular and a given LOL  but Wedding came up a lot today in my views so my wedding items will have to be updated to make sure i have that tag in them all!

Aside from Etsy tags are important for your social networks. I tend to use the same tags i used for my item in 1 tweet, than some trending tags that can be found when you log into Twitter on the main screen. On the left hand side you will see the daily trending tags and if they work for your tweet USE THEM!! 

As you can see alongside my glamorous picture the trending tags when I wrote this were:

• #LHHATL
• #HyperLoop
• #sxswv2v
• #solidarityisforwhitewomen
• #exboyfriendsbelike
• K. Michelle
• Elon Musk
• Teen Choice Awards
• Benzino

Now for some jewelry makers TEEN CHOICE AWARD might be fitting, and you can add them. I do not use all the trending tags it depends from day to day but it can really give us a great jumping point and get the tweet seen!!

Another site I add TAGS like crazy is Wanelo.  Here is where I repeat some of the tags I used in my listing, twitter and things that seem to get looked at more. Terms like #kawaii (which is CUTE in Japanese) gets views, playing with your tags and searching tags can help in this department. I will usually add about 15 tags when I put a new wanelo up. 

Learning to speak in tags can seem like a foreign language but it is something that all internet sellers, social network users and technology users must learn to speak. So when you list your next item I hope you will consider some of the tags, do a search and make some powerful social network posts that will get seen and will equal views for your item!!

Bill Guest

Wrapping Up Christmas in July

 

This years Christmas in July giveaway was a lot of fun.  We saw lots of fantastic entries from all across the country, and heard from a great many people how much they loved the products showcased on the Christmas in July Giveaway board over on Pinterest.

The drawing is done, the winners notified, and the prized have been sent out!  Check out the links below to see the X-Mas in July boards created by our winners!

Stephanie from Lousiana with this fantastic board:
http://pinterest.com/lilsnobelle/x-mas-in-july/

Debbie from California with this beautiful board:
http://pinterest.com/deblee85/x-mas-in-july/

Laurie from Missouri with this wonderful board:
http://pinterest.com/lauriehayes22/x-mas-in-july/

and Krystyna from Alabama with this lovely board:
http://pinterest.com/kryptana84/x-mas-in-july/
Yay, congratulations!! These four awesome ladies are receiving lots of great prizes from all over the globe!  Check out the list of participating shops below and find greatct for gifts, or a special treat just for you!

Promotional Frenzy Team's Christmas in July Participating Shops:

Mixed Metal Necklace from Little Hill Jewelry

Stained Glass Candle Holder from Green House Glassworks

Gerbera Daisy Pillow Cover from Crystal Gayle Photo

Personalized Handmade Cutting Board from Bill's Wooden Pleasures

Hand Knit Ruffled Scarf from Arlene's Boutique

Enamel Earrings from Alery Accessories

Cherry Blossom Print from Haus of Ariella

Other participating shops include:
www.AltaSkincare.etsy.com
www.Bijibijoux.etsy.com
www.CherylParrottJewelry.etsy.com
www.Cloudninedesignz.etsy.com
www.CrochetedbyCharlene.etsy.com
www.DellCoveSpices.etsy.com
www.DLitesbyDorene.etsy.com
www.GeekeryDOO.etsy.com
www.Ginascornercrafts.etsy.com
www.jQjewelrydesigns.etsy.com
www.kapkadesign.etsy.com
www.krysthledesigns.etsy.com
www.Lindab142.etsy.com
www.maryannfarley.etsy.com
www.Newcreationz.etsy.com
www.NewEnglandQuilter.etsy.com
www.PaganCellarJewelry.etsy.com
www.peelirohini.etsy.com
www.Preciousbowtique.etsy.com
www.RomanticThoughts.etsy.com
www.sewinggranny.etsy.com
www.smileykitcreations.etsy.com
www.stinkRknits.etsy.com
www.symbolicImports.etsy.com
www.turtlexiii.etsy.com

And that's a wrap!  Be sure to follow our team blog to stay up to date on all the fun contests, giveaways, and sales being offered by members of the Promotional Frenzy Team on Etsy!

Google Hits: Four Tips for Getting Found!

It’s so frustrating! You’ve worked like a dog to get found in Google, yet when you search your shop name or your items, nothing seems to surface. What’s an Etsy shop owner to do?

According to Susan Newman of Susan Newman Design, Inc. in Jersey City, NJ, there are a few basic things you could change this very day that could alter your results dramatically. And all it takes is just a little time at the computer.

Newman’s tips come from her years of experience in web design, branding and social media, and the use of these ideas herself in her own business. Here’s what she suggests:

Susan Newman

Name your jpegs with keywords. (NOTE: Etsy renames your jpeg titles once they're uploaded. However, it's still a good practice to name your photos with keywords for when they appear in blogs or web sites.) Very often, we name our images with just numbers or our own internal coding system so that we can best find them quickly in our files. But Newman says this is a big no-no.  What you name your jpeg in your computer is what Google is going to search once it’s online.

 If you’re a jeweler, for example, and you’re selling a gold necklace with some colorful beads, you may want to name that photo “gold_necklace_purple_beads.jpg” so that the item will now come up in Google’s images search.

“The name you give that image is going to follow it wherever it goes on the web,” Newman says, “whether it’s on Etsy or Pinterest or Facebook. You want the image name to be the answer to someone’s query.”

One final tip: Be sure that there are no spaces in the jpeg name; use hyphens and underscores to divide words.

Create a blog…NOW.  Sure, everyone knows that blogging is a great way to draw customers to your shop, but the statistics on those who blog and those who don’t are staggering. And the numbers get even more astonishing depending upon how frequently you post.

According to marketing-software manufacturer Hotspot.com, people who blog daily are 90% more likely to generate a sale than those who blog monthly, who have just a 13% chance of a sale.  And the person who blogs multiple times per day actually has nearly a 100% shot at generating a sale. It doesn’t matter what the subject is…it’s getting your shop name out there on a regular basis that’s important.

“The more you blog, the more content you have streaming to the web,” says Newman, “and the more people you have coming to your site. Of course it has to be good content, but basically the more you blog, the more the return on investment becomes unreal.”

Newman stresses that a blog title needs to be rich with keywords. And if there is an area for a description, don’t overlook it as an opportunity for keyword exposure.

She also explains the importance of “long-tail keywords,” which more clearly refine and define your products. A web designer, for example, might use the keyword phrase “web design” to describe his or her business, but Newman said that would be of no use at all. In the case of her own company, if she used the keyword phrase “web design Jersey City,” she’d see more traffic to her site, but if she became even more specific, using the keyword phrase “custom Wordpress themes Jersey City,” her traffic would skyrocket, as would her placement in a Google search.

“With a phrase like that, I might now be on the first page,” she says, “and quite possibly even number one.”

So switch it up. If you blog just a few times a month, try posting twice a week and see what happens. It’s quite possible that you’ll double your sales.

Create a Facebook page.  Almost everyone has a personal page, but not all Etsy shops have a Facebook page, which are for businesses, organizations and brands to share their stories and connect with people. If a shop posts solely on their personal page, Google has no idea what they're doing. Why?

“If Etsy store owners just have a personal profile, none of what they say or write is searchable on Google, because that profile is private,  provided they chose that option in their settings,” Newman says. “But a Facebook page is public. That means that everything is searchable…your galleries, your image descriptions, your bio information, plus the images you upload.”

Like your jpeg images, when it comes to your Facebook page, think “keywords” in regards to just about anything you write. By drawing web surfers to your Facebook page, you're in turn drawing them to just about everything else you do, provided you've linked to all of your other social media...your web page, your LinkedIn page, your blog, and, of course, your Etsy shop.

Create a YouTube channel.  As YouTube is the second most searched site on the web (Facebook being number one and Google being number three), if an Etsy shop doesn’t have a YouTube presence, an enormous opportunity is being missed.  Creating video content might not be the first thing an Etsy owner would think of, but Newman says it makes sense.

There are any number of videos shop owners could create that would be of interest to their customers: tutorials, themselves at work in their studios, or a photo stream of their wares (using sites like Animoto, a free video-making site).

“In having a YouTube channel, you’re giving your audience another way to find you and your work,” Newman says. "As with your jpegs and Facebook, be sure to tag your videos properly with keywords and good descriptions, then cross-pollinate your platforms by putting that video link on your Facebook page and your blog. The more variety you have in the formats you give people, the more you’ll be opened up to new audiences.”

Click here for more information on Newman’s services.

Until next time!...
Mary Ann

maryannfarley.etsy.com

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