ADOP - One year later + branding stuff + news

I have a few updates that I wanted to post so I decided to to one monster post. That way if you're totally uninterested it's very easy to just ignore this and move on with your day. See, I'm always thinking of you.

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Part One - A year later



A little while ago I passed my one year anniversary with ADOP. Woah. Years go by way too fast when you're counting them, I can't stand it. But, a year it has been, and there have been some pretty awesome little milestones for me during this time. To name a few:

• Officially opened ADOP on October 5th, 2011
• Made my first sale within just hours of opening
• Sold three pieces to a production company back in November of 2011 to be seen in this movie. (No, I haven't mentioned that yet because it was so long ago and I didn't want to jump the gun, but it happened...I can't WAIT to see it!)
• Launched my kids line of paintings which has now officially been more successful than my abstract line 
• Opened a Society6 shop for prints, iphone cases, etc.
• Had my first (and second) art show at The Grey Room
• Had three shops contact me to have ADOP carried in their stores (a little more on this later).
• Was mentioned in Hamilton Magazine, Style at Home, House & Home, and a ton of other really amazing design/kids/lifestyle blogs (thanks everyone!)
• Sold two pieces to a production company to appear somewhere in Season 6 of Mad Men (still in shock over this one)
• And lastly, as of yesterday, I sold my 100th painting between direct Etsy sales and private commissions. Yep, 100. Ok, so maybe it's not that good, but I remember vividly thinking I would never sell a single piece, so to have sold 100 in my first year is way beyond what I thought I could do and I am very very proud :)

It hasn't been all sunshine and daisies. One of my paintings was destroyed in transit (it was just a fluke, everyone was reimbursed and I made a new one for the client, but it sucked). Also, a local gallery scammed me - they sold a painting of mine and refused to pay me for it (currently working on my claim), and THAT sucked. But, it's been almost all great things for ADOP, and I love my little shop :)

Ok, enough about that. Sorry if this sort of thing comes across as self-indulgent, I mean for this blog to be like a living history of bits of our lives, and this is a big part of it now, so I can't help it!

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Part Two - Branding Package

This is a bit of my current branding/marketing bits, and a few people have asked about where I get things so I thought I would share it here. I'm a Marketing graduate so this kind of thing is my fav.

My logo design is all done by me...it could not be more simple so I whipped it up pretty easily. I recently redesigned my Dad's logo too, I guess it's just like a weird nerdy hobby of mine.

My business cards and thank you cards are printed through Vistaprint. I LOVE that place, they always have crazy sales and the prices are great. Now this is not good if you want the letterpress neon sided cards, this is your average business card that may not be Alt-approved, but if you get the thickest stock they offer it's pretty good. With my simple design it works just fine, and I just bought 1000 for $20, free shipping. Love that. 

The tags and shipping labels are just printed at home using cardstock and labels. So simple. 

I order my twine from The Baker's Twine. They used to be on Etsy and it's been so long since I've ordered this stuff I just realized that they aren't anymore. But, still, great stuff, great price.

My custom pencils are something that I include with every purchased painting, and I order them from Ebay. I really love them and have had great customer feedback about them!

As for the stickers, I won't disclose this because I'm actually quite unhappy with them. I ordered them from an Etsy shop and the colour smudges right off. Not good. So, I'm on the hunt for a new sticker supplier. If anyone knows of one, please share!

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Part Three - Some news




Lastly, I wanted to share that ADOP has custom paintings available on By April and May! I loooove the April and May blog, and when Jantine approached me about creating some paintings just for her shop I was over the moon. Be sure to visit her shop and buy something!

NOTE: Yes, I realize that I come across as times as a little sales-y at times, and I would like to state for the record that I have NEVER been paid or asked to write about anything I write about. I'm just that girl who gets all excited about her stuff and wants everyone else to go buy one. I don't know why. But, this is a 100% ad/sponsor free blog, so don't be mad at me.

Ok guys, that's enough out of me. Thanks for reading for those of you who stuck it out (Mom).

Opening an Etsy Shop - Tips and things to remember

I'd like to start by saying no, I don't think my Etsy shop is a huge success...I have a longgg way to go. But, I can say that I've done my research on opening an Etsy shop and I have learned a few things that I need to keep in mind going forward, so I thought I would share! My friend Rach is opening a shop very soon and we've been chatting about this sort of thing lately, so here we go!

• Do your homework. Read books, look up helpful articles, learn from the experience of others. I really recommend How To Sell Your Crafts Online and Craft Inc.
• Stay organized. Set up Google Docs to track your inventory, sales, expenses, etc. Update it as you go (little piles of things to update will just stress you out).
• Get an iPhone. Yep, I'm serious. Apart from the fact that I've a devoted lover of the iPhone (I put my iPhone through the washing machine, and it still works. For real. The warm cycle.)...it also is beyond helpful for an Etsy shop owner. The Etsy App is amazing. You can access your Google Docs so easily, check mail, stay up on Twitter, Facebook, etc. And although I'm sure you've all been really swayed by the "We need tools, not toys" Blackberry commercial, the fact remains, iPhone is better.
• Have at least 20-25 items to get started. Shops that have too few items get passed over too easily. People like to browse, so if they see your five items and that's all there is, they're just going to keep looking elsewhere. 
• Have something that people will need to have. There are SO many shops on Etsy, you want to have something unique that people can only get from you. 
• Define your customer. Make sure you know your target market, where they have out, and how to reach them. And don't forget Etsy shop owners...I myself always check Etsy before I check a regular store. That's part of the beauty of being in the Etsy community!
• If you can't take a decent photo, you really shouldn't bother. Once again, no, I don't think I have the most awesome photos, but I try my best. I'm really into white backgrounds, but whatever you chose make sure it's simple, and consistent for all of your products. If I go to an Etsy shop and their pictures are awful, I don't even bother. It matters...a LOT.
• Give your shop a cute, consistent look. People should be able to easily recognize you throughout all of your various social media spots (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram...the usual), so make sure your Etsy banner and avatar work with your overall look.
• Don't ignore your packaging. Don't just whip your item into an envelope...think about the details. Labels, tags, whatever you want to use. Make it feel like your customer is opening a present. Who knows, maybe then they will order another one.
• Think about SEO and make the most of it. If you don't know what SEO is, well put a hold on everything else and start researching it because you need to know about it. This is a good place to start.
• Confirm your shipping methods and costs before hand. Look into different options and compare prices. Consider what you will charge if your customer buys more than one item. Make use of the shipping profiles that Etsy incorporates.
• Renew your listings often. This will keep your items at the top of the lists, so it can really increase your traffic. I've heard that it's best to renew roughly between 6:30 pm and 11:00 pm. 
• Be careful when choosing your tags. For example, someone may search for you by name, but they may not have changed the search option to 'Shops'. So, make sure at least one of your items has a tag with your name and your shop's name.
• Have your own website. This may not be completely necessary, but it's still a good idea. One day you might be a wild success and choose to move your things away from Etsy. If you're so lucky, you'll be ahead of the game.) 
• Have a blog. I mean, everyone should anyway if you ask me. 
• Have a business plan, and a marketing plan. And use them. 
• Get to know treasuries. Creating them is a big part of being part of the Etsy community. Don't use your own shop in them, but use it as an opportunity to draw attention to your favourites. And make them cool...don't just randomly pick items or search for 'blue' and add the first dozen items that come up. I'm still really new to this part, but you can see the two I've done here.
• Do something for your shop every day. Whether it be updating your expenses report, posting on your blog, renewing a few listings...do a little something (or a lot of somethings) to keep things moving.

Well, that's all for now. As time goes on I'll be sure to share more tips that I come up with. And if you do open a shop, add me to your circle so I can buy things!!