New Client Directory

Hi Everyone,
Checkout the new client directory. You now have spage to list information and pictures relevant to your business. To have your items added simply email them to me and I will add them. If you have any questions just let me know.
Thanks
Adam Grace

More Free Advertisement!!!

In conjunction with a new link exchange site I am offer you guys free link placement on www.marketplaceforcrafters.com. The normal lifetime listing fee of $1 will be waved. To take advanted of this offer please visit www.marketplaceforcrafters.com and click on submit link. It will take your to a page where you should enter details about your site....fill them in completely. Take up every bit of space you can. I will tell you why in a moment. Now, when you get to contribution, leave it at $1 (you won't have to pay it.) Now just click next step. It will bring you to a terms screen. Click agree. You are now done. Do not click the paypal button. I have provided a list of my current client's domain names so you will be approved without payment.

Now as to why you should use this service and fill in all the details.... This service banks on listing your site to search engines for you therefor filling in as many search terms as possible is very important. The more people that use the service the higher your rankings will move up in major search engines so tell your friends about it. Even further, it can't do your rankings any harm and its isn't costing you anything. If you have any questions just email me.

Thanks and I hope this does you guys some good.
Adam

THE FREE LISTING OFFER IS FOR GRACEFULHOSTING CLIENTS ONLY IN CONJUCTION WITH MARKETPLACEFORCRAFTERS.COM.

Taking Product Pictures

First off, I have to apologize for the delay in the release of this post. Honestly, the ACT was given on Saturday and I was trying to focus on it. Now that it is over, I can get back to doing what I really love…helping out small businesses. Below is my tutorial on taking product pictures. Here is my disclosure: I am not a professional photographer. I am simply giving you tips from one artist to another as to what might work when taking product pictures. Keep in mind that while my products may look great on a certain camera setting, yours may not. The same goes for backgrounds, etc. All in all, you will just have to experiment, keeping these tips in mind, and see just what works for you.

As the owner of an online store, you run into lots of barriers. One of those barriers is the lack of the hands on experience for you customers. This in mind, it is important to take quality product pictures that show exactly what you are selling. You put lots of time into your business….don’t “skimp” on the photography. Put lots of time into it as well. Ultimately you are selling that product picture….

Pointer One~ Your Equipment
* Get a Newer Digital Camera
While you may have paid $400 for that 2.1MP Camera in 2001, it is outdated. I know that you (and me for that matter) hate to go out and spend money on things that we already have but honestly, you can get a great digital camera (<4mp)>Pointer Two~ Your Equipment’s Settings
You want your camera’s resolution as high as possible. Don’t worry about file size. Your pictures can be resized later. Right now we are focusing on getting quality images, not small images. We also suggest using your macro setting so you can get close up shots.

Pointer Three~ The Background and Lighting
So, you have the camera, you have your product, you have your settings correct. Lets move on to the background.

When selecting the background keep in mind that your are selling the product. Using a background that is too busy will distract the buyer from the product. Use a wall or make a backdrop for you item. Try not to use solid black or white unless those colors really compliment your product. Put lighter objects against a darker background and vice versa. If you use cloth backdrops, avoid wrinkles.

If you can, take your product pictures outside using natural light. This helps keep you from using that flash which can cause lots of color distortion. The best days to take your pictures are the ones that are slightly overcast, the light is better balanced. Can’t get the lighting in just the right places? User white poster board, papers, etc to reflect the light onto your product.
If you have to take the pictures inside, take a few minutes to set up some lighting. Use a desk lamp or side table lamp. Anything that can get the right lighting in your pictures. Now, I know I just said anything but if you can get halogen light bulbs, it will help with the coloring of your product.

Use a piece of coffee filter on your flash to help diffuse it if you must use your flash.

Avoid Glare at ALL Cost!

Pointer Four~ The Technique
* Move in. The close the picture the better. This allows the customer to better see the detail.
* Keep the product in the center of the frame.
* Make sure the focus is perfect. Out of focus pictures are worth absolutely nothing to your customers.
* Take pictures of one item at a time

Pointer Five~ The Amount
Take lots of pictures of each angle. What you see in that view finder may not look the same on your computer screen. Use different settings and different angles.

Now, hopefully you have lots of pictures that look absolutely amazing. Go through them and pick the very best one. Found the one you like? You don’t want to upload that huge 2MB file so you are going to want to resize it. Here is the best free software for resizing images that we have found.

http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm

We suggest 600 Pixels being the larger side.

Hopefully we have given you some tips that will help you out. If you have tips you would like to add, email us. We would be glad to add them to our blog.

Adam Grace
GracefulHosting

Public Speaking Tips

Public Speaking Tips
So, public speaking is one of those things that comes natural to some and not to others. It DOES NOT come natural to me. This in mind, it takes a lot for me to speak publicly and manage to keep everyone awake. Below are a few tips that might help those who do not have that public speaking talent and there might even be some tips below that help out the most proficient public speakers.
1. The most important part of public speaking is having something interesting to say. You need something that is going to keep people listening but something that in turn represents you.
2. Don’t just talk about you and your business unless that is what you were invited to talk about. You are probably there to entertain and teach more than anything, not talk about yourself and your new items.
3. You need to be entertaining. You can still slip some valuable info in your speech….you will just have to work hard to keep it entertaining.
4. Understand who you are speaking to. Keep your speech interesting to that group. For example, you would not speak on market trends to a group of High School Students just like you wouldn’t talk about your experience in high school to most adult groups.
5. Look nice. You should always be dressed nicer than the audience. By not dressing nicely, you are conveying that you really could care less.
6. Integrate stories. You will feel more comfortable speaking. (Don’t go too far off the path with your stories, however.)
7. Before you give a speech, speak with a few people in the audience. Then, you will know someone in the crowd. You won’t feel like you are talking to just strangers…you know some of them.
8. Don’t talk bad about anything or anyone. You don’t want to upset someone who may feel otherwise.
9. Try to speak earlier in the event. People will be more attentive if they have only heard one speech before you than if you were the last person out of ten that day.
10. Shoot for a smaller room. You will feel more comfortable and when people are talking about how great your speech was, they will remember how packed the room was.
11. Practice speaking. Say your speech to yourself in the mirror, in front of friends, anyone…
I hope these tips will help you with your public speaking. They sure helped me.

Money Saving Tips for PayPal

You’re a PayPal person, huh? Who isn’t these days. Near every person who has been on the internet more than three times has taken the few minutes registration requires. This in mind, it makes perfect sense that a retailer would accept PayPal payments. Only issue is, the fees are expensive if you don’t have the right account. Being a PayPal person myself, I have learned a few lessons since I signed up.

Go for the personal account. If you are a small business who won’t be accepting that many payments every month, sign up for the personal account. It will save you all of the fees that PayPal charges per transaction. Are you a larger business who exceeds the personal account’s limits? Just accept the fact that you are going to have to pay fees and just sign up for the business account…skip over the premier. If by some chance you have already signed up for a something higher than the personal account, we have tips coming. If you signed up for the personal account, you can stop reading here. You are pretty much set. If you have the personal account, we suggest upgrading to the business account. The business account has more features than your premier account and the fees are about the same. Now, you signed up for the business account…..First step, sign up for the FREE PayPal security key. It gets annoying having to use the key every time you login but it helps prevent you account from being hacked which could save you thousands. Next step, go for the FREE PayPal debit card and put your bank issued debit card away. With your PayPal debit card, you will earn %1 on every purchase that you run as a credit card. Yeah, laugh all you want at 1% but when I am paying them 2.9% per payment I receive, that 1% looks really nice. Another great feature with your PayPal card is that it will pull from your backup funding source, such as your credit card or banking account. Now, you never need to carry another card. I do suggest you use your bank issued debit card for getting money from ATM’s to avoid that $2.00 processing fee. Also, check your PayPal account every so often. PayPal will sometimes have deals where you get a percentage off your order through certain companies. Next money saving tip with PayPal is take advantage of the investing options they offer. You are allowed to move your money freely all while earning close to 2.5%.

Maybe these tips will help you save a little money all while earning money. Please remember that we are not financial experts and we are simply making suggestions. Any fees, expenses, losses, etc, that you may incur from the use of our advice comes at your own risk.

11 Low Cost Marketing Tips & Strategies

So, I am an avid reader of Entrepreneur (Entrepreneur.com)... a two year subscription cost less than $30.00. Well, the latest issue, October 2008, had an article in it that talked about low cost marketing ideas. I thought to myself, ‘Great!!! This is exactly the knowledge that many of my customers have been asking for.’ So, I wrote my own article better focused to small business. Here it is.

1. Create a Blog ~ I had been meaning to set one up myself for so long but I just never got around to it. I was always busy doing this or that. Make Time! You can literally set your blog up in less that five minutes. I suggest blogger.com . Their software comes with templates, a semi custom domain name and many more features. Now that your blog is setup, blog. Don’t just set it up and then forget about it. Link the blog to your website, offer specials, list new offerings, give hints and tips….anything to pull your customer in. Take it a step further by commenting on blogs with a similar niche such as candle making, bath & body, etc.

2. Gain Customer Loyalty ~ Face it, in the small business world, you have to work hard to keep your customers coming back. The average consumer’s mind is always thinking ‘Why should I buy handmade for more when I can get mass produced for less.’ Give them a reason to buy from you. Make sure that all items leaving your location are of the best quality, are packaged nice, and even include a handwritten thank you note. Offer a 10% coupon on every fourth order, give a five dollar gift certificate to a customer after their first purchase, offer a 10% coupon just for signing up. All of these things cost you absolutely nothing unless the customer comes back and orders again and chances are, you will make your money back. Customer service is also super important. Respond to ALL emails in the nicest manner you can. One of my favorite things to point out to other small business owners is that customer service is your most important product and that it comes free to every person you speak to.

3. Send Out Newsletters ~ Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly….send out newsletters. Tell your customers about new products, sales, etc. It also helps remind them that your business is out there.

4. Offer an Affiliate Program ~ Chances are, happy customers will promote your business without any incentive but just think what would customers would do if they knew that for every sale they generated they earned 10% commission or a free product of a certain value.

5. Take Advantage ~ How often do you send out packages? How about emails? Chances are, you send them everyday. Take advantage of that. Have custom stamps or packaging made (photostamps.com.) Add your logo, website, and even product information in your signature in emails or on forums. Use all of those invoice and packaging slips to your advantage, too. Most of the time the bottom half will be blank. Print sales info, new product info…anything you can think of in the blank space. If you don’t have empty space on the front, use the back.

6. Customer Reviews ~ Get your customers to place reviews on your website. People do actually take the time to read them. Offer an incentive to consumers to get them to write reviews. You could even add a note to packaging slips or invoices telling about the incentive and how to go about writing a review.

7. Partner Up ~ Find other small businesses and team up with them. Place links to one another’s website on your own. Purchase ad space and divide it. Place information sheets in one another’s retail location or in out going packages. Mention each other in your blog.

8. Banner Exchange ~ Find banner exchanges and sign up. If it only gains you one sale then that is one sale you might have missed before.

9. Use the Internet ~ Create a website. Super cheap and easy to do. Have one already? Make sure it looks very professional. Don’t “junk” it up. Add product and business relevant info only. Don’t add tons of banners to your home page. But you just said sign up for banner exchanges?!?! You are right, I did. Create a separate page for links and add those banners there. Your home page needs to look neat, clean, and professional. The average website visitor lands on your home page first so you need to show them why they should stay on your webpage right there. Have a custom website design done. Sounds pricey? NOT. There are many web designers out there that can design you an amazing template for around $50. Checkout www.gracefulhosting.com/cart/index.php?page=templates . There are a few designers that I recommend. Stay active on the web. Find forums and post regularly (make sure your signature has your web link in it.) It may surprise you but people really do click those links and check out your site even if it is just to get a heads up on the competition.

10. Etsy? eBay? ~ Etsy? I say yes. While your website is a great way to make sales, Etsy is just as good. What makes it a good place to sell is that it is targeted to crafters and buyers of handmade items. You may not be able to add custom info pages but that is why you have a website. Just link the two together. You should also use the Etsy forums regularly. There are people that swear by posting there. eBay? I say no. eBay may see lots of traffic but most of the people that are visiting eBay are looking for bargains, second hand items. Just like you wouldn’t buy retail space next to the liquor store, you shouldn’t rely on eBay as a income source unless that is what your business is all about.

11. Advertise ~ Google Adsense is a very cheap way to advertise. You don’t pay unless people click so no need to worry about how pricey it will be. You can also set a budget for advertising and Google won't go over that amount. You can also place ads in newspapers and magazines both local and nationwide. Buy ads in local school publications. You may not gain sales from the ad but you are showing that you support your community which is very positive for business in my experience.

I hope that these tips and strategies will help your business succeed. If you like the tips I pointed out here, let me know. Leave a comment. Email this link to others, become a follower. I hope to provide info like this more often so check back. Thanks for taking the time to read.

By: Adam Grace
agrace@gracefulhosting.com
Owner of Graceful Hosting & Southern Scents
Copyright 2008

Note~Nothing in this article was taken from Entrepreur Magazine except the idea.