Advertising: Love It or Hate It?

Image above from Thompsondesigns

Today I figured I would talk about advertising a bit and share some links with you. This is an area that I am not the best with and am pretty picky about where I advertise. In the past, I have used Project Wonderful, CraftCult, and soon will be advertising with Etsy Item of the Day.

I have found the most success with CraftCult, but keep in mind that this site is pretty much seen by only sellers on Etsy. I found that I got a pretty nice increase in traffic and hearts the two times that I have used CraftCult. The site operators are very quick to respond and the pricing is fair in my opinion. I usually purchase the $15 for 7 days. I have found that when I see new ads, I click on them, but when it is a shop that has purchased the 4 week ads and I see them over and over, my eye tends to skip over the ad. Have you used CraftCult before? What do you think?

I just sent my payment to advertise on Etsy Item of the Day. Jackie, who operates this site and is responsible for finding all the awesome items and features, has been wonderful to work with in the past when I was featured (check out the sidebar box to the right of this post)! I will update when I hopefully start to see some traffic coming in! Have you been featured on Etsy Item of the Day before? Have you advertised on this site?

Project Wonderful is a great site as well. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it does not. I personally have not tried full force to advertise using PW, but I have PW space available on my blog in two spots that people seem to get a great response from (at least those who have advertised with me and shared).

ADVERTISE WITH ART 2 THE EXTREME

In addition to offering Project Wonderful advertising, I am starting to use Etsy minis to advertise on my other blog, Art Lessons and Parties by Nicole. I set up this blog to begin offering art lessons, workshops, and birthday art parties.

If you are interested in advertising on my other blog, spots are $5 for 30 days. You get your Etsy mini on the sidebar (1x1 thumbnail) and then on the "Shop Handmade" tab (1x1 Large Gallery Etsy Mini). The first three people to sign up for a space will get an additional month FREE! You can e-mail me at art2theextreme@yahoo.com if you are interested in supporting my new blog.

Post your comments and suggestions below! We would love to know who you advertise with and what has or has not worked for you in the past!

Random, but Useful Links and Information!

So I have been pondering what to blog about today. I have come across some great links and information over the last 24 hours, so I thought I would post the links in one post. Take what you want from it...

MOO Business Cards

MOO is giving away 50 free business cards until supplies run out.  I LOVE these, even though normally they can be pricey. The only "bad" thing about the promo is that MOO adds a small strip of advertisement at the bottom of your image. I just spaced the info side out so I could cut off that part. 

I have blogged about MOO before and some samples of past cards here. I was new to them back then, so they might not be that great...

They are so useful for other things...

-Here are some awesome magnets by adding the sticky magnet stuff to the back.

-Creative ways to use your MOO cards

-There is even a Flickr Moo Group to share your photos and get more ideas

Cafe Handmade

In looking into my Project Wonderful blog advertising/sponsors, I came upon Cafe Handmade. I have not looked into it too much, but they have these really neat spaces you can purchase for Virtual Craft Shows. The pricing is not bad either!

Has anyone used this site before or have any comments about it?! I would love to hear!

Facebook Fan Pages

I am still comprising a list of YOUR Facebook fan pages! If you have not taken the time to visit this thread, check it out and post your link! We have about 100 shops already listed!

DO NOT JUST FAN AND RUN.... becoming a pet peeve of many of us Etsians. It does not work that way... Commit to it and take time to comment on other pages. Then karma will play its way to you and it will have a snowball effect from there!

Need help with your page? Check out this thread for lots of tips, tricks, and ideas to make it work for you!

Have you found any interesting links to share with us? Comment below and I just might post them along with you and your etsy shop! I have a feeling I will be blogging again today, so stay tuned....

Spring Break is Almost Here.... BEACH TREASURY!

My latest treasury is a beach theme since tomorrow at noon starts my spring break (I am a teacher)! Here are some really fun items for you to enjoy and think of warm thoughts. Too bad I am not going anywhere....

A DAY AT THE BEACH TREASURY LINK

I have also opened up Project Wonderful Ad Space if anyone would like to advertise on my blog, which is slowly, but surely gaining viewers! Let me know if you have any questions!