Another year is already half over. Where does the time go? Gee whiz, I know time flies but this is going super sonic or something. Time marches on. Summer is upon us bringing new things to concentrate on. We have our outdoor activities, vacations, and the thought that winter and Christmas is right around the corner. So with Christmas in mind, as an independent crafter, it's time to start promoting Christmas. All the projects that you do only for the season come off the shelf and back to the work table. HoHoHo and here we go again. There is nothing like a summer craft show, 80+ degrees outside, and a table full of Christmas. But it produces sales and orders for that one day of the year when we all get to be young again. Even if it's only in our minds and is short lived.

Not just another Monday

Another week-end is gone and now begins another work week. Hmmm, I just remembered, I worked all week-end so where is the begining and the end of work? Just one more perk for being self-employed I guess. I'm not complaining, this is what I choose to do and I do love doing this. I always thought that a 40 hour week meant that you only worked part time, so the hours I devote to making and selling my products doesn't bother me. If you truly like what you do I don't think that you are bothered by time invested.
So I guess I was right. It's not just another Monday.

Marketing Online

I'm a complete novice at online marketing but I need to keep a record of my "progress", or at least I hope I'm making progress. It's a different and difficult world online (as if my life offline was easy). As of today, this is what I learned about selling my handmade goods online.

(1) I didn't do any research into how to successfully sell online, list and sell right? What a fool. It would be nice if it worked but much to my dismay, it doesn't.

(2) How to get customers to my site? $64 question and my answer may not be worth 2 cents. Do I use free ads or do I pay and where in the heck do I do this?

(3) At first I wondered, what the heck is social networking and how the heck is this going to help me sell my woodcraft? To repeat myself from earlier, what a fool.

(4) So now that I know a little about social networking, and a little how to promote my woodcraft, what's next? Keep learning you FOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok. So I guess what I've learned most about so far is myself. Since I hate to call myself a fool, I had better get back to work and learn how to do a better job of online marketing.

What works best?

When it comes to promotion, what works best? Do we keep posting on social networks, or do we pay for advertising, or do we use both? The world is our marketplace, how do we promote our product to the consumer who wants and needs it? I know I'm completely baffled by all of it. Doing craft shows was easy, you go,set up, sell, pack up and go home. That was not complicated at all. The internet is something completely different and I'm not sure I'll ever get the hang of it. Generating hits and getting sales may be out of my league. This competing with the"big guys" is far tougher than I thought it would be, learn as you go may be to slow.