write up: pagemodo

if you've liked a well-rounded variety of facebook pages, then you might have stumbled across a welcome page at some point. like some pre-made page with images and whatever. well, i checked into one big site that creates these with ease called pagemodo. pagemodo is basically a simple site where you can create custom facebook pages for free! they do have additional features in the pro package, but i didn't think that the features were worth upgrading for.

overall, this site was awesome and very quick and easy to use! it took only 20 minutes for me to have a custom landing page for my facebook page....YES!

check it out HERE !

side note: i had a WHOLE lot of trouble figuring out how to set the tab as my landing page....check out my other post on this topic!

small business articles

hi everyone! i've been on vacation for 2 weeks and while i had lots of fun, i missed the blog world and the etsy world! to kick-start my return and to help my readers, i've compiled a list of my favorite articles on small businesses.

10 home office time savers
8 useful tips to become successful with twitter
huge list of ways to promote
4 ways to make your products more niche
common SEO mistakes
125 tips for building an irresistable brand

and, of course, the etsy seller handbook

more coming soon! comment-i'd love to hear your feedback!

-gracie

selling to stores-what you need to know

so i recently got a question about how i approached the ever-scary task of selling to stores. warning: this WILL be a little scary and intimidating. but the results are well worth the risk and effort.
first off, i'm not going to lie. i'm currently selling to three boutiques, so don't by any means think i'm some kind of expert. i'm far from it. also, i haven't talked with a corporate company yet-therefore i have no clue what you should do about that. what i do know are a few little tips that might increase your chances of selling to local boutiques.

-be well-groomed and well-mannered when you present yourself to the head of the company, manager, etc.
-i have found more success in calling ahead; this usually gives me the owner's personal email or phone number
-call/email the owner and try to set up an appointment with them. this way you won't catch them off guard. i've found it helpful to provide a little portfolio of pictures over email so they have an idea of what products you have
-do your research; only cater to the store if it carries things that are truly your style/kind of item
-if you set up an appointment with an owner, be on time at the very least. seems obvious but goes a long way
-don't have too high expectations-you're not going to get $200 straight up for a pair of plastic earrings
-stores typically buy for around half of the price they're planning to sell for; price items accordingly
-i can't stress enough the importance of having a set price. it's fine to negotiate for a few dollars, but never come in without a price and expect to sell your item-how will they know to price it right if you don't?
-don't get discouraged if they say no. hey, their loss!

those are just a few of my basics-feel free to email me with any more questions you may have and i'll try my hardest to answer them!

-gracie