Let's talk about advertising - BigSkyArtworks

Our second interviewee has also given advertising a try off Etsy, and BigSkyArtworks has lots of insights to share with other Chatters about the experience.

Q.  Where did your ad appear? How long did it run?
A.  My ad appeared on Craftopolis. The ad ran for one week.

Q.  What did the ad/s cost?
A.  $15. Not a bad price, I think.

Q.  What results did you expect?
A.  I was, of course, hoping for a flood of sales. I got none. However, I did have massively increased views at the beginning of the week, and I was suddenly placed in five different treasuries. Shop hearts climbed considerably during that time, too.

Q.  How did you measure your results?

A.  I used the counter on Craftopolis, and kept track where my views were coming from through Google Analytics.

Q.  How did the ad do? Was it effective quickly and/or over time?
A.  I would say the ad was fairly effective in increasing the visibility of my store. However, since I did not experience any sales as a result, I'm not sure that increased visibility really matters. It may make a difference in the future, when people are surfing Etsy for holiday ideas.

Q.  Would you advertise again?
A.  Yes, I think so - although I probably would try a month-long package, and make sure it appears during the busy season.

Q.  What, if anything, would you do differently in future advertising?
A.  I would like to find a venue that, unlike CraftCult or Craftopolis, doesn't cater exclusively to crafters and sellers. Although many of my buyers have also been sellers, there is a limited buyer pool if you are focusing only on people who sell on Etsy. On the other hand, the Craftopolis ad was pretty affordable - just over $2 a day. It was a good way to get my feet wet in the advertising department.

Q.  Anything else you'd like to add?
A.  I know from years in the newspaper business that advertising takes time. It isn't a magic bullet; it simply keeps your store out in front of the customer, so that when she IS ready to make a purchase, she'll think of you. I will continue to find ways to promote my business, and I'll probably buy more advertising - but I really prefer promotions that don't cost money. I'd love ideas about how to get people to blog about my store, for instance. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about advertising. :)

Next time we'll talk about advertising with heartsabustin!