Friday, November 12, 2010

Introducing... Art4friends!


1. DaWanda Shop Name: art4friends
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/art4friends
3. When did you open your shop? 03.10.2007
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes
5. What Category are you under? Art
6. What do you sell? Art, cards, button badges and more!
7. Describe 2 of your current products.
"Rose - Fine art Print" is a print on beautiful paper of an original graphite drawing mixed with digital collage.

"2008 Monthly Calendar" uses the same digital images into a lovely monthly calendar!

8. Tell me a bit about you... I am Renee Anne, a student who is currently studying to be a teacher but is currently loving her little on-line pursuits. I wish I could spend every day creating and drinking tea and coffee.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? blog! http://www.art4friends.blogspot.com/ come and say hello!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

How DaWanda can save your mood or My first purchase!

Everybody surely knows that. It is a Sunday evening, there are lots of things you could, should or would do, but you just cannot be bothered to. Nothing on TV, no good book to read, your boyfriend is stuck in some PC game you do not like and not even your bunnies want to be cuddled. Of course you could get creative and craft something, as you have got some free time to spend; but no, you just do not feel like it and how could you produce something nice, catchy or simply beautiful when your mood is bad and a huge black cloud hanging over your head?

There is a magic cure against bad moods that every woman knows best and every man fears. Shopping!
But where to shop on a Sunday evening?
At DaWanda, of course!

When I opened my shop on DaWanda, I promised myself never ever to buy something and only to sell as I wanted to make some money and not spend a lot of it. For some time I even managed to refrain from looking around in the other shops, but of course after a while, it got me. And then this Sunday evening came and whilst having a look at the new arrivals, I stumbled across the shop from loobyloucrafts. I found a gorgeous head band there and looked at it for several minutes. A head band… I had always played with the thought of getting such a nice accessory! And it is made of Japanese fabrics. And not too expensive…


(An example from Loobyloucrafts's Shop)

The decision was made quickly and so this lovely head band became my first purchase. I paid via PayPal the day after I bought it and am now eagerly waiting for it to arrive. And who knows, perhaps I will even participate in the "you and your DaWanda pressie" photo contest!

So what did I learn from that? Virtual shopping at DaWanda works in the same, bad mood curing way as "real life shopping" and it even makes two people happy - you and the DaWanda shop owner you bought something from!

Written by Lea of http://de.dawanda.com/shop/Shileah

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If you have a story like this please contact the Editor.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A DaWanda Group on Facebook

For those of you who network through Facebook, there is now a DaWanda Group. It is based on the French DaWanda site, but is an open group so other language speakers could join.

DaWanda group on Facebook

Now all we need is for someone to create a DaWanda shop application, so that we can show off our shops!

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If you know of any other social networks where DaWanda sellers are already spreading the word then please leave the link in your comments. Or, if you have just set up a social network group, then please contact me with the link and information, so that I can show you off... please use the 'Contact Editor' link for the English Editor of the right hand panel ---------------------->

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Introducing... Bigib Designs!


1. DaWanda Shop Name: Bigib Designs
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/bigib
3. When did you open your shop? December 2007
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes
5. What Category are you under? Boutique
6. What do you sell? Jewelry. Recently, I started selling bookmarks in a cardTM, and children related items like first communion/name bracelets and mommy's reminder bracelets.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

Reminder bracelets - Originally it was designed for remembering to breastfeed, now it has more uses, for example as a medicine reminder, parking meter reminder, bottle feeding reminder. It's made from memory wire and beads. I used it myself when I breastfed my daughter. It's been a very useful tool for me.

Captured Heart - It's a sterling silver disc, pierced, cut, domed and adorned with heart shape PMC(Precious Metal Clay). The PMC is "sandwiched" between nylon coated steel wire. Great for Valentine's day gift.

8. Tell me a bit about you... I was born and raised in Indonesia, currently living in the US. I'm trained as an Architect, I am self taught in jewelry making. In 2001, I became a full time mom. My friend invited me to a jewelry party. I then took wire wrapping class and started making jewelry since 2002. What's so unique about my pieces, other than they are beautiful, I try to add value to my designs. Say for example interchangeable earrings that can be worn in several ways, or double sided pendants.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? http://www.bigib.com/ and http://bigibdesigns.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 8, 2010

Promoting Tips & Tricks Part III: Newsletters

Two great ways to bring more attention to your DaWanda shop are blogs and newsletters. They work in different but complementary ways to reach people:

A newsletter requires a small initial effort from your customer -- they have to sign up. (I do not recommend signing people up without their permission, unless it's your mom, in which case she's on your list whether she asks or not). Once they've accomplished that, though, your newsletter shows up in their inbox, once every X, without any further effort on their part.

A blog, on the other hand, needs no signup and is there whenever your customer has a moment to look. They do have to go and look, though, and in that way a blog requires more ongoing effort on the part of your customer.

A newsletter needs to be intermittent -- I recommend once a month or once every two weeks (mine goes out once a month). Much more often than that and you risk your customers feeling spammed and alienated, much less and they'll forget who you are. Your newsletter should be short, concise, and focussed; too long and they'll get bored.

You should post in your blog often -- every day if you can. Frequent posting means there's always something new to read, which will keep people coming back to look. And if you vary your topics a bit, that's just fine -- indeed, if done right it'll bring even more readers.

You'll likely wind up with a lot of overlap in your audience for each, and that's what you're looking for. The rest of this article will focus on your newsletter; the next (possibly the next few) will talk about your blog.

How do you get people to sign up for your newsletter? Leave signup links anywhere you can -- in your shop announcement, in any directories you're listed in, in the sidebar of your blog. Shortly before each edition goes out post a reminder and directions on how to sign up in your blog. Post in the forum of any group you're a member of, with the same information. Put a signup sheet at your booth whenever you do a show. And when anyone buys from you, whether online or in person, ask them if they want to subscribe.

Again, with the exception of a few people -- your Mom, your best friend, your significant other -- do not add anyone to your mailing list without their express permission. You don't like junk mail and neither do your customers (if you do, you can have all of mine).

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So you've built a list of people who want to know about your stuff, and it's time to write your first newsletter. What do you write about?

I always include at least the following:

* Descriptions of new products. Keep it short but make them sound appealing. It's perfectly fine to crib some verbiage from the description you wrote when you posted it in your shop. You may also include a bit about upcoming products here.

* Shop news. Any upcoming sales or specials go first. I also include a blurb about any new shops which are carrying my products, my upcoming event calendar, and maybe a pointer to a good review or just something nice someone said about my stuff.

* An informational or educational article related to what I make. I've explained the difference between an infusion and a decoction, talked about spring greens, and given a step-by-step description of how to make an herbal tincture. The idea here is to give your customers something interesting to read that isn't just advertising.

* A monthly contest. I've asked for entries as diverse as 'how do you keep cool in the heat' and 'what's your favourite recipe that uses herbs' and for a prize, I always offer a gift certificate to my shop.

The contest will help draw interest to your newsletter (everyone likes getting something for free) and if you post about the winners in your blog, they'll be getting a bit of attention, too. You don't have to offer a gift certificate but with the highly individual nature of what I sell I feel it makes more sense. And there's always the possibility that they'll wind up buying more than the gift certificate will cover.

I always put a little something personal in the intro, and from time to time I'll add something about what I've been up to -- a show I did, or something funny about the kitten. I don't do this often, though, and I keep them very short, perhaps three lines. I've also written about things I feel my customers might be interested in -- fundraisers for a good cause, for example, or legislation affecting the use of herbs.

Don't feel you're limited to the above, either. What you put in your newsletter will vary depending on your target audience, the feel of your shop, your writing style, and any number of things I'm sure I've forgotten.

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Speaking of writing style, you'll want to find a style that works for you (and for your target audience) and stick with it. Not slavishly -- but your customers should find the 'voice' of your newsletter to be familiar every time they read it. Don't be surprised if it takes you a bit of time to find your voice, though. I'll talk about this more in my next article.

As with item descriptions you must be sure to use grammar, spelling and punctuation correctly. Use your spellchecker but don't trust it as a final authority (amusingly enough, my spellchecker doesn't recognize the word 'spellchecker'). Reread what you've said to be sure that it's what you meant to say. Ask a friend to proofread for you (if appropriate, offer to pay them in 'stuff'). Do it right, and your customers will pay attention to what you're saying instead of trying to figure out what the heck you're trying to spell.

Others will disagree, but I don't like including anything in my newsletters but plain text. While pictures and fancy HTML formatting do get attention, they can easily backfire. Different mail software will display email in different ways, so what you've sent out might not look like what you meant it to, and there are a lot of people out there who want their mail simple and without frills.

Keep your newsletter short, concise, informative and interesting. Don't send it out too often, and keep it simple. Find your voice, and find ways to keep people interested in what you have to say.

Next up, blogs, and how they're not the same as newsletters at all.

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Written by Kate of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/omshantihandcrafts

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Taking a Break!

Hi Guys,

I will be taking a break from posting on this blog from the 8th of March to the 7th of April 2008.

Nearly a month I know, but I need to concerntrate on an exhibition I have coming up at the end of March; 'Stitch & Craft' 27th-30th March, Olympia, London and after that my tax year end. Don't worry though! If I have you on my feature schedule already, then you will be published as soon as I can after the 7th of April. If you would like to be featured please follow the instructions as usual -------> I will get back to you as and when I can.

In the meantime, enjoy browsing the many shops I have featured so far and check out some of those other articles too!

Bye for now,
Sara x

(If you would like to find out about my show, please visit me at Crafts of Texture: Diary of a TextileCrafter)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Introducing... Magpienest!


1. DaWanda Shop Name: MagpieNest
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/magpienest
3. When did you open your shop? March 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? yes
5. What Category are you under? jewellery
6. What do you sell? modern silver and gold jewellery
7. Describe 2 of your current products.
Cross over ring - a very sculptural ring made from a single piece of silver.
Silver bud necklace - Painstakingly made from 640 handcrafted pieces, this sterling silver 40 cm (16 inch) long necklace is perfect for special occassions!




8. Tell me a bit about you... I'm from nowhere. Well, I was born in a place I can't remember because I was so young when we left. I went to kindergarden in other country whose language I even forgot because I moved to another country at 6. I'm Dutch by nationality, but my English is better than my Dutch. I've lived in the UK for nearly 9 years now. Jewellery has a been a constant - I've been making jewellery for as long as I can remember and finally started working in silver and gold about 5 years ago. I absolutely love making stylish, modern and different pieces. I like the minimal look, but sometimes I can't resist crystals or decorative Japanese paper. I like making one-off and custom items. My favourite pieces to make and design are rings, but I'm getting more into earrings. I even got over my dread of needles and got my ears pierced just so I could test earrings to make sure the designs work! I'm always happy to hear from people if they have questions about any of my items :-)


9. Do you have a website, or blog? I have a website - http://www.magpienest.co.uk/ and a blog http://www.machi54.blogspot.com/

Friday, November 5, 2010

DaWanda have asked us to take a survey.

DaWanda have set up a survey for DaWanda sellers at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6T6i6rYBI9opEdbCpQ0GqQ_3d_3d

It's about social networks and social shopping sites. DaWanda want to get a feel for what kind of platforms sellers are using and how. They hope to gain enough insight to our on-line habits so that they can provide better tools and features to help with DaWanda promotion.

I think this is a great opportunity for us to get involved and help DaWanda understand what we feel we need and how much time we spend in social networks... which let's face it, is a lot! So do pop over and take part - Thank you!

Happy New Year!

We're back now for another fab New Year, but before we start...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

From your Editors!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Become a fan on Facebook!

If you are on facebook, do pop over and find this blog at http://www.facebook.com/pages/DaWanda-Shop-Directory/10157577260... there is plenty of space for you to advertise your shop on our business page!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

How to...... Create A Facebook Page for your Dawanda Shop.

1. If you are not already a member of facebook, you need to create an account.
2. Once logged in scroll down to the very bottom of the page, and along the bottom you will see 7 links, beginning with “advertisers” and ending with “help”
3. Click on the link that says businesses
4. You will then be shown 6 business solution options, chose “facebook pages”
5. Click on the “create a page” button
6. Select Brand/Product then the option on “online store” and enter a Name for your page.
7. You can then add a profile picture.
8. Under basic info you can set the date when your business/shop was founded]
9. Under detailed info you can add: your Dawanda shop URL, a company overview, a mission statement and a general product description.
10. Basic applications that come with your facebook page include places to upload photos and videos, a discussion board, a space to write announcements or notes (announcing new products for example), a place for people add reviews and add events that you may be going to (for example a market you may be at with your items)
11. Don’t forget to edit each application… you may not want others to interact or add things to your page and you can also delete applications that do not suit your layout.
12. Once you are happy with your page press ‘publish’.

Written by Jenny of Jenny B's Bottlecaps