The Crafted Webmaster » Resources http://www.craftedweb.com website marketing for artists and crafters Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 © info@craftedweb.com () info@craftedweb.com 1440 website marketing for artists and crafters info@craftedweb.com No no http://www.craftedweb.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg The Crafted Webmaster http://www.craftedweb.com 144 144 Links for Artists [June 13 - 19] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-13-19/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-13-19/#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 03:35:29 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-13-19/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!


]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-13-19/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [June 6 - 12] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-6-12/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-6-12/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:47:50 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-6-12/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-june-6-12/feed/ 2 Art Marketing: Getting out into the real world http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/art-marketing-getting-out-into-the-real-world/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/art-marketing-getting-out-into-the-real-world/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:54:35 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/art-marketing-getting-out-into-the-real-world/ While the internet is a great tool that allows you to connect with potential customers and prospects all over the world…it’s still important to get out into the real world and make face to face connections. And strangely enough, the Internet can help you with this too! Here’s a couple of ways to use the Internet to turn your digital connections to real-life connections.

1. Join or create a Meetup group- Meetup is an online networking site that helps you find groups of people organized by occupation, interest, or affiliation. It’s free to sign up and you’ll be able to search and join local Meetup groups in your area. If you’re feeling a bit more adventureous or if you can’t find a group that suits your interests, you can organize your own Meetup group. There is a fee to be a Meetup organizer, but if you can defray the cost of the fee by charging group membership if you want. I created Meetup group for artists in my local area last year and met a lot of great artists and exchanged some great information.

2. Organize or attend a tweetup- If you’re a Twitter user, you may have heard of a tweetup. Basically a tweet-up is a real life meeting of Twitter followers. Most of the time tweetups occur between local twitter followers, but it’s not unusual to have followers from all over the county attend a tweetup, especially if they’re organized around a large event like a show or conference. For more information, Mashable has a great article on how to organize a great tweetup.

3. Search for events on Upcoming- Upcoming is a Yahoo! owned social networking site that allows you to search for and promote events. You can search for events that are going on in your community, you can connect with other friends and colleagues that use Upcoming and see the events that they are attending and share your own events. You can also use Upcoming to promote your own events

4. Search for events on Craigslist- If you’ve been online for any amount of time, you’ve probably have heard of Craigslist. Basically, Craigslist is a big online classifieds website that are organized around large to medium cities all over the world. If you live near a city or regional area, chances are that you’ll find a local Craigslist section for your area. In addition to being able to sell your lawn furniture and look for a job on Craigslist, it’s also a good place to find local events and local groups looking for members. Just find your local Craigslist section and search under the Community section. There you’ll find listings for classes, groups, and events. Again, just like Upcoming, you can use Craigslist to promote your own events for free.

So take some time to get from behind your computer and meet some folks face to face!

So what are your ideas? How do you make sure you network with people in real life as well as through the Internet? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/art-marketing-getting-out-into-the-real-world/feed/ 0 Selling Art Online: Don’t forget the shipping! http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/selling-art-online-dont-forget-the-shipping/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/selling-art-online-dont-forget-the-shipping/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:41:02 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/selling-art-online-dont-forget-the-shipping/ I found this great article by Meylah about how to avoid 5 common shipping problems that a lot of online artists may encounter when shipping out their art. In the fever to actually get your work sold, shipping may be be something that’s somewhat of an afterthought. But you’ll realize how important it is when you get an angry call from a customer claiming they never got your shipment or claims that the art arrived damaged.

The 5 common shipping problems discussed include:

  1. Packages not arriving
  2. Customers perceiving that shipping is too slow
  3. The shipment arriving damaged
  4. Something was missing from the shipment
  5. Customers perceiving that you charge too much for shipping

I usually avoid #4 by setting up a dedicated shipping section in my studio and having several shipping packages set up at once. So when someone orders something I all I have to do is wrap the product, print out the invoice, and add it to the prepared shipping package. If you have people helping you with shipping, having a checklist for them to follow will help avoid this problem too.

With customers complaining that you charge too much for shipping, usually explaining upfront before they purchase how much shipping will be and what you’re charging for. Remember that shipping includes more than the actual shipping charge. Remind customers that shipping charges also include packaging, especially if your art requires special packaging, insurance for expensive items, and other handling charges. Telling people this upfront will cut down on those who complain when they see the postage was $2.00 when you had charged $4.00

You can check out the rest of the article here.

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/selling-art-online-dont-forget-the-shipping/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [May 30 - June 5] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-may-30-june-5/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-may-30-june-5/#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:41:02 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-may-30-june-5/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-may-30-june-5/feed/ 0 Tools for Twitter: Tweetdeck 0.34.2 http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/tools-for-twitter-tweetdeck-0-34-2/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/tools-for-twitter-tweetdeck-0-34-2/#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:55:38 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/tools-for-twitter-tweetdeck-0-34-2/ I wrote about Tweetdeck a while back ago on ho I how I use it to help me keep up with my Twittering a while back ago. And since then, Tweetdeck has made a lot of changes and added lots of features. If you’re using social networking to market your artwork, and you haven’t tried Tweetdeck yet, you definitely need to give it a try. Here’s a run down some of it’s most useful features:

  • It integrates with multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Google Buzz, and Foursquare. You can manage all of your social networking accounts from one tool
  • You can create and manage Twitter lists
  • You can set locations with your tweets
  • You can make status updates to your Facebook pages
  • You can now pre-schedule status updates to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
  • Has the following link shortening tools built in, is.gd, tinyurl, twurl, and bit.ly
  • You can forward your updates as emails
  • You can upload images to Twitter using the following services; YFrog, TweetPhoto, TwitPic, and Mobypicture
  • You can record and tweet videos using your webcam and TwitVid directly from TweetDeck
  • You can also sign up for a free account at Tweetdeck.com so you can sync your Tweetdeck settings across multiple computers


TweetDeck

If you haven’t downloaded Tweetdeck yet, you can download it here.

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/tools-for-twitter-tweetdeck-0-34-2/feed/ 1 Links for Artists [Feb 21 - 27] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-21-27/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-21-27/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:30:54 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-21-27/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-21-27/feed/ 1 Links for Artists [Feb 14 - 20] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-14-20/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-14-20/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:00:52 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-14-20/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-14-20/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [Feb 7 - 13] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-7-13/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-7-13/#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:00:48 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-7-13/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-feb-7-13/feed/ 0 Social Networking: The buzz on Google Buzz http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-the-buzz-on-google-buzz/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-the-buzz-on-google-buzz/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:36:08 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-the-buzz-on-google-buzz/ If you’re a Gmail user, you might have seen a new option pop up under your Inbox. Google Buzz appears to be Google’s next entry into the social networking arena. Like the social networking website, FriendFeed, Google Buzz allows you to share photos, websites, video, and more with people you email using Gmail or friends made on other Google apps.

Is this yet another social networking tool that you have to learn about and get familiar with? Well, I can’t say for sure yet. Google hasn’t rolled it out to everyone on Gmail yet, soI haven’t gotten a chance to play with it. I will say that it looks interesting. And since Google also owns, YouTube (video), Picassa (photos), Blogger (blogging), Google Reader (blog reading and sharing), and Wave (social collaboration), they are definitely positioning themselves to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Might be something to keep an eye on. Stay tuned, I’ll report back when I’ve had a chance to experiment.

Here’s the official video about Buzz from Google:




Update: Google’s ears must have been burning because, just as I was about to post this, I got a notice that Google has added Buzz to my Gmail…so I’ll getting back to you pretty soon! :)

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-the-buzz-on-google-buzz/feed/ 0 Social Networking: Facebook Changes http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-facebook-changes/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-facebook-changes/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:42:03 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-facebook-changes/ If you’re a Facebook user, you know that the powers that be love to change things around. Looks like they’re at it again…but this time it’s for the better. Facebook has made some pretty good changes on how you navigate around on the Facebook site. If you haven’t logged onto Facebook lately, take a look at some of the changes. You’ll be able to find things easier. And to help you out, I’ve made a quick video to outline what’s changed and how to get around on the new Facebook:



]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-facebook-changes/feed/ 2 Links for Artists [Jan 31 -Feb 6] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-31-feb-6/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-31-feb-6/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:00:31 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-31-feb-6/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-31-feb-6/feed/ 0 Email Marketing: Creating Email Signatures with Wise Stamp http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/email-marketing-creating-email-signatures-with-wise-stamp/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/email-marketing-creating-email-signatures-with-wise-stamp/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:49:39 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/email-marketing-creating-email-signatures-with-wise-stamp/ Making sure that all of your outgoing mail contains a standard signature with a link to your website is a great way to passively promote your website to everyone you send an email too. But, if you’re using a web-base email program like Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail, you may or may not have that option. However there is a free tool that can help. One of my Twitter followers, @DocJerry clued me in on a free Firefox add-on called Wise Stamp that allows you to append a custom signature to your outgoing Gmail, Yahoo!, or Hotmail emails. Plus, it also has built in support for your social networking accounts too! Check it out by watching the video below:



]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/email-marketing-creating-email-signatures-with-wise-stamp/feed/ 2 Links for Artists [Jan 24 -30] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-24-30/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-24-30/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:37:14 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-24-30/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-jan-24-30/feed/ 1 Marketing on Facebook: Creating a Email Newsletter for Your Fan Page http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/marketing-on-facebook-creating-a-email-newsletter-for-your-fan-page/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/marketing-on-facebook-creating-a-email-newsletter-for-your-fan-page/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:33:15 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/marketing-on-facebook-creating-a-email-newsletter-for-your-fan-page/ Do you have a Facebook Fan page? If you do, then getting people to visit it regularly to see your updates is one thing that will make it more effective for you. While Facebook allows you to send updates to your fans whenever you wish, those updated don’t ever reach your fan’s email box and the Updates section is rather buried in the Facebook profile system. So it’s up to your fans to remember to visit your Facebook page…and sometimes they may not visit as often as you like. Fortunately, there’s a free Facebook Application that can help!

Yesterday I did a video tour of a service called Nutshell Mail. It allows you to keep track of your social networking activity through email updates. In addition, Nutshell Mail also has a great Facebook Application for fan pages that allows your fans to sign up for email updates of your Facebook fan page. This app automatically sends out an email to fans that sign up for your newsletter every time you update your page. So once the application is set up, you don’t have to do anything except continue updating your fan page!

Want to learn more? Check out this video that I did on how to install and use the Nutshell Mail for Facebook app below:



]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/marketing-on-facebook-creating-a-email-newsletter-for-your-fan-page/feed/ 0 Social Networking: Nutshell Mail, a new social networking tool http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-nutshell-mail-a-new-social-networking-tool/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-nutshell-mail-a-new-social-networking-tool/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:25:57 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-nutshell-mail-a-new-social-networking-tool/ If you have accounts on more than one social networking account, it can get pretty easy to get overwhelmed and behind in keeping up with a Twitter account, a Facebook Fan Page, and your regular Facebook profile page. If you’re finding it hard to keep up, here’s a new free tool that can help.

Nutshell Mail is a free service that gives your email updates about what’s going on with your social networking accounts. This is a great tool if you already have a regular routine for checking your email. You’ll be able to read and manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Myspace account all through your email!

To learn more about Nutshell Mail, check out the video tour below:



]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/social-networking-nutshell-mail-a-new-social-networking-tool/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [Nov 8 - 14] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-8-14/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-8-14/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-8-14/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-8-14/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [Nov 1 - 7] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-1-7/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-1-7/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:38 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-1-7/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about last week:

  • Now Reading: Ten Great Ecommerce Ideas for November 2009- http://ow.ly/yUUW

  • Now Reading: Artist Website SEO Strategy #1: Help Google Read! – http://ow.ly/yV2E

  • Now Reading: Paying for Development: Hourly Rate vs. Fixed Cost- http://ow.ly/yV41

  • Now Reading: How to Market Handmade Jewelry Locally: Low Cost Ways to Sell More Handcrafted Jewels- http://ow.ly/yV5c

  • Now Reading: 10 Simple Ways to Build a Strong Artist Brand on Twitter – http://ow.ly/z3QF

  • Now Reading: How To NOT Flush Your Art and Money Down The Toilet- Avoiding The Scam Artists- http://ow.ly/z3TK

  • Now Reading: biz ladies 09: trademark 101 for designers- http://ow.ly/z3Vx

  • Now Reading: The Foundation of Your Online Art Marketing Strategy is- http://ow.ly/z3Ws

  • Now Reading: How to Take Great Photographs with a Flash (and a Diffuser, if you have one) – http://ow.ly/z3QR

  • Some great advice: 101 Ways to Promote a New Blog- http://ow.ly/z3ZI

  • Twitter Lists In Detail or, “Yo Dawg, I Heard U Like Lists!” – http://ow.ly/z9dD

  • Now Reading: Get More Mileage Out of Your Blog Archives with Twitter Teasers- http://ow.ly/z9cn

  • Great advice for artists: Why Higher Pricing Sells – http://ow.ly/zciM

  • Now Reading: 6 Mistakes to Avoid on Email Subject Lines- http://ow.ly/z425

  • RT @TGenDS: AWESOME article on pricing handcrafted jewelry. A lot of things people don’t take into consideration. http://bit.ly/12Sbou

  • Now Reading: 8 Things to Consider Before Using Twitter Lists- http://ow.ly/z9b7

  • Now Reading: 15 Reasons Why Consumers Will Leave Your eCommerce Site- http://ow.ly/zALq

  • Now Reading: WHY charge a handling fee? – http://ow.ly/zeAw

  • Some great artist advice: The Benefits of Gallery Representation- http://ow.ly/zAMQ

  • Now Reading: Turn Twitter Friends into Real Friends- http://ow.ly/zTjo

  • Now Reading: Sell on Etsy? The Number One Mistake Etsy Sellers Make and Three Ways to Fix It! – http://ow.ly/zTqu

  • Now Reading: The Trouble with Online Photography Portfolios- http://ow.ly/zTsL

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-nov-1-7/feed/ 1 Links for Artists [Oct 4 - 10] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-oct-4-10/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-oct-4-10/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:29:09 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-oct-4-10/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-oct-4-10/feed/ 0 Links for Artists [Sept 27 - Oct 3] http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-sept-27-oct-3/ http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-sept-27-oct-3/#comments Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:00:17 +0000 Nicolette Tallmadge http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-sept-27-oct-3/ Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

Like this link list? Visit my Twitter profile and follow me to get these links daily!

]]> http://www.craftedweb.com/resources/links-for-artists-sept-27-oct-3/feed/ 0