Welcome, Guest Login
You must login or register to post.

Pages: 1 2 
I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now what?? (Read 6627 times)
Miles_139130
GCU Administrator
artist
*****



Posts: 53
I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now what??
Apr 15th, 2010, 11:18am
 
Keep Going!!!!!   This truly is the most important part of the equation...  Persistence!  
 
Focused effort on creating and distributing content with 'sell this card' links in it can definitely create a sale or two, quickly.  In fact, we are seeing some of these sales come in, and want to be sure to say GREAT JOB!  We hope you are enjoying the additional stream of income.   Wink
 
Now, with that being said, 80-90% of people will try once or twice, and then with seeing little or no results, say "This doesn't work" and such is their reality.  There is however another option... Another path, if you will, and it's never crowded on the extra mile.  
 
Continuing to create new content, consistently over time, will lead to 3 results.  When these three things come together...  Consistent residual income becomes consistent...  Which is the goal, right?
 
1. The process of creating and publishing content begins to require less 'effort'.  As with anything we start in life, we must go through initial failures to begin to figure out ways that work well for us.  Just like when I started snowboarding... I spent day after day wet and cold, with a sore bum.  But... as I persisted, I started falling less, gaining more and more confidence and now explore the far reaches of any mountain I can!  
 
2.  Your content has a chance to get crawled by the search engine spiders and indexed.  This magic process can take days, weeks, months, or even years and is totally up to Google, and the other search engines.  In the search engine world, things rarely work quickly.  If you continue to create quality, unique content consistently, over time more and more pages will get indexed, reaching your messages out to more and more people.  At first, a few people will see your content, if you keep with it, that number will go to dozens, hundreds and can reach thousands or even tens of thousands of people per month!  Were talking tortoise v. hare here....  The tortoise wins in this game, every time!
 
3.  The sales will start as a drip, grow to a trickle and eventually, you can create a continual flow of sales!  All you will need to do is keep creating great cards and publishing quality content, and the sales will continue to flow.  In the beginning, I admit, as budding internet marketers, we are underpaid for the effort that goes into it.... But, with enough persistence and patience, a magical thing can happen...  You can become very well paid for the simple act of creating and publishing content.
 
 
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
DENISE_132110
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 769
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #1 - Apr 15th, 2010, 2:45pm
 
thanks for more encouragement Miles.  I have had two good sales from this feature... both were from my first style of setting them up with subjects but i will try the story/how to  style again .  right now i am sort of on hiatus from my online stores.. a lot going on locally and i need to get a handle on some clutter at home.  can not do all things well.  so i will jump back in but it may be a few weeks.
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Corrie_131338
Gold Member
*****



Posts: 1610
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #2 - Apr 15th, 2010, 11:13pm
 
This is very true, Miles. Persistence and patience are a must. There's no such thing as overnight results.
 
An idea to promote your blog or lens or website - cross pollinate! Every legitimate inbound link helps boost your search engine ranking. For example, we have a blog about cancer - whenever we make a new Squidoo lens on a cancer related topic, we post a link to that lens on our blog. Every lens related to cancer also has a link to that blog on it.
 
In addition, you can make the URL of your blog or lens part of your signature. If permitted, use that signature in related forums. Don't just spam, which is rude, but actually participate in discussions.
 
Finally, whenever you update a blog, ping it! Pinging is a way of notifying search engines that you've added new content to your blog, and will help drive traffic to your site. There are plenty of free pinging services out there like pingates.com,  or pingomatic.com. Get in the habit of pinging after every update.
 
Corrie
http://www.corrieweb.nl
Need more info and how-to on GCU?
GCU 101 - http://www.squidoo.com/gcu101
Card Design Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/designcardsatgcu
Marketing Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/makemoresalesatgcu
Retail Sales Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/sellcardsretail
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #3 - May 22nd, 2010, 3:54am
 
Hi Miles
 
I've read your post several times because on first reading I wasn't at all sure exactly what you were advising. Now I think my difficulty comes down to what you mean by 'content'. Wonder if you could clarify this for me? embarrassed  
 
Thanks
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
martin_138364
Full Member
artist
***



Posts: 150
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #4 - May 22nd, 2010, 7:20am
 
Hi Judy,  
 
What Miles means by content is writing about your subject, so if your blog is about cats you could write about different breads or how to look after your cat. Search engines like fresh new information, if you write about a subject that you love it will come across in your writing. If you get information from other websites, do not copy and paste as search engines hate copied info, so rewrite it in your own words this will also keep your style more consistent on your blog.  
 
I think that many people starting a blog try to put up to many posts in the begging and then quickly get burned out. If your followers expect one or two posts a month they will not be unhappy if one month they get three or four, however if you give them a new post every day for a month and then nothing for six months you will soon lose them.  
 
I hope that this has helped.  
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #5 - May 23rd, 2010, 3:41am
 
Thank you very much for clarifying that for me, Martin! I can see now that if I'd read the other threads that Miles has posted, I wouldn't have needed to ask that question.  embarrassed
 
My blog is mainly a 'log' of my attempts to sell my greeting cards in various ways, including through Greeting  Card Universe, hoping that others will benefit from reading about my experiences, what works and what doesn't. So, although I think this is 'useful content', it's rather indirect. I do though, whenever I can, share tips and advice more directly, but as a relative newcomer, I don't feel I have all that much expertise....yet!  
 
What I've been finding is that by writing about things as they happen, I often can't use the links to my GCU cards as they are still waiting for approval. Maybe I'll have to try to arrange a kind of 'time lag' in my blog?
 
Any comments on how I could improve my blog would be very welcome -
 
http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/
 
Thank you  Smiley
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
martin_138364
Full Member
artist
***



Posts: 150
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #6 - May 23rd, 2010, 7:16am
 
Hi Judy,  
 
You have a nice blog and it is a good approach talking about your self and what you are doing, it gives the reader another level of understanding about your art. It is also much better that the hard sell in the long run.  
 
When you share tips, you need to try to remember that very many people do not have the expertise that you have now and as you grow, they will grow some steps behind you.  
 
As for the time lag, why not post about an idea that you are thinking of trying (but have already done) and then when the cards are approved follow up with a post about how you achieved it. I see that you post quite frequently so you might need to put a few other posts in-between.  
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Corrie_131338
Gold Member
*****



Posts: 1610
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #7 - May 23rd, 2010, 8:01am
 
Martin's advice is great, Judy. One more thing to consider - you can use the Sell This Card link and earn commission on any artist's cards, not just your own. Of course, calling attention to your own cards is the first best choice, but if the selection in your store doesn't yet support a blog posting you want to make, why not do a search on GCU? You might come up with a few good 'uns.  Grin
 
Corrie
http://www.corrieweb.nl
Need more info and how-to on GCU?
GCU 101 - http://www.squidoo.com/gcu101
Card Design Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/designcardsatgcu
Marketing Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/makemoresalesatgcu
Retail Sales Tips - http://www.squidoo.com/sellcardsretail
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #8 - May 23rd, 2010, 9:05am
 
Thank you both very much for your advice.  Smiley
 
I've been thinking about various topics for a squidoo lens that don't particularly fit with my blog (such as preparing your child for learning to read, gardening on a tight budget etc) but which could link to some of my cards. I had a look at a lens about making a lens and there was just so much information there, it seemed really complicated! I'm reasonably computer literate compared to most of my female friends but to be honest, it terrified me! embarrassed
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #9 - Jun 21st, 2010, 2:58pm
 
Hi
 
I'm getting a bit alarmed  Shocked !
 
Ever since I started posting links to my GCU cards in my blog, my store visits per day (and sales) seem to have dropped to an all-time low!!!
 
Is it maybe a 'slow' time of year? Or perhaps everyone's watching the footie?
 
Can anyone reassure me?
 
Judy
 
http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Miles_139130
GCU Administrator
artist
*****



Posts: 53
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #10 - Jul 26th, 2010, 5:13pm
 
Judy,
 
I want to reassure you that building links to your store and your cards hold nothing but opportunity for your visits and sales.  
 
The summer is traditionally our slower time of the year, but this means it is a great opportunity to focus on the upcoming holidays!  A couple of web 2.0 marketing pieces for the holidays and some new cards can help make the holiday season of 2010 the best one yet!
 
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #11 - Jul 27th, 2010, 1:32am
 
Thank you, Miles. Smiley
 
My store visits have gone up again a bit since I posted - though of course I don't know how many of those are me getting the links for the cards for my blogs.  
 
I've started a second blog, just for my GCU cards and Zazzle products by them, alternating them or combining them - http://mugsmousepadsandmore.blogspot.com/
 
And I've been taking opportunities wherever possible to include my own or other artists' cards in my main blog - http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/
 
I've also joined Twitter and use Hootsuite to shorten the long GCU URLs when I tweet my cards.  
 
Which all takes a lot of time that I could otherwise be designing new ones! But if that's the way to go...
 
BTW, I don't know what you mean by 'web 2.0' marketing pieces.  embarrassed
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Miles_139130
GCU Administrator
artist
*****



Posts: 53
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #12 - Jul 27th, 2010, 8:44am
 
Judy,
 
A web 2.0 property is anything from a blog to a web page that allows you to publish your content at it.  There are thousands of web 2.0 sites that allow you to do this.... and it appears you are comfortable with blogspot.com!  You can read more about the process of marketing with web 2.0 and also find a list of other web 2.0 sites that allow you to publish your content for free in this thread http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1268412490  You can also learn more about web 2.0 at wikipedia by visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
 
Also, regarding the traffic from your links you are publishing....   There is proper 'etiquette' when it comes to 'how' you are linking to your GCU store and cards.  You can see this thread for information on the best practices when linking to your store and cards.... http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1280190071
 
Lastly, there needs to be a balance between creating cards and promoting cards.  Just like there is with any business (no successful business owner ever creates a product, never promotes it and expects it to sell...) ! My recommendation is to make a 'batch' or 'series' of cards that are all related to a similar theme or topic... This could be 5 cards, 12 cards or 100 cards... Your choice.  Then, while the approval process is taking place, you have time to create a few web 2.0 properties that relate to the 'theme' or 'topic' of the series of cards.  Once your cards are approved, you are able to grab your 'Sell This Card' links, add them to the content you already created and promote the cards by publishing your newly created web 2.0 property.
 
Time and time again, we see the top earners here at GCU are the ones who are actively promoting their cards and their store via blogs, lenses and pages!   This is why we continue to try and help you understand the best practices when it comes to promoting your store and your cards!  Your success is our success!!!
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
Judy_139270
Gold Member
artist
*****



Posts: 857
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #13 - Sep 9th, 2010, 10:03am
 
A little update -
 
I joined Twitter towards the end of June and tweeted my blog posts and by the end of the first week of  August my GCU sales were double what they'd previously been for months (still very low though).  Smiley
 
Towards the end of July, I started a second blog purely for grouping my cards (and Zazzle products) according to topic or style. By the end of the first week of September my GCU sales for the previous month had doubled again, and that's without counting a big order of invitations. Grin
 
Now I'm wondering whether it's the tweeting or the new blog, or just the time of year - or even coincidence, or all of the above! Practically all of my sales have been through a search on GCU so does that mean it's nothing to do with all my blogging and tweeting?  undecided
 
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged
suzan_139596
Junior Member
artist
**



Posts: 53
Re: I've made a blog and a Squidoo lens... Now wha
Reply #14 - Sep 18th, 2010, 1:13am
 
this topic gave me a lot of idea on how to promote my cards.... so far i have only 1 sale ... im not sure how to promote to buyers out from my plc (Malaysia) as for the shipping fee is too exp.... is ter any idea to get customers outside after i created a blog or website?
Back to top
 
 
Email   IP Logged

About Us     Artists     Artist FAQ     Blog     Card Sellers     Contact Us     Content Disclaimer     Forum     Paper Card Categories     Privacy Policy     Shopper FAQ     Holidays 2011

Click to verify BBB accreditation and to see a BBB report.                        
© Copyright 2000- Greeting Card Universe - Powered By Bigdates-Solutions.com   

GCU Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.1!
YaBB © 2000-2005. All Rights Reserved.