Mama-press: January 2012

Mama-press: Blog Hop

Mama-press: Blog Hop: Welcome to Monday Morning Blog Hop #21! Anyone can link up to anywhere...your blog, website, or Etsy shop. Stop by and say "hi"!

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5 Tips for Increasing Google AdSense Revenue

The following is a guest post by Heather Smith, a freelance copy writer and editor of Nanny.net. Her bio immediately proceeds the article.

It’s hard to deny the opportunity to make some side money from your blog, and if you’re looking for an easy way to get some revenue directed to your website, Google AdSense fits the bill. And who doesn’t want to make some relatively effortless money while doing something that they love to do? Still, as simple as Google AdSense is to set up and implement into your blog or website, the earnings can be rather bleak (though some IS better than none). So what can you do to take your AdSense income to the next level?

Make Your Ads Visible & Cohesive

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately, many people place their ads in spaces that don’t utilize it to its fullest potential. For instance, putting your ad in the footer is a surefire way to make sure that it ISN’T utilized because it’s unlikely that many people will even see it. You want it where people see it and are more likely to click on it. Likewise, you want the color scheme of your ads to match that of your website to give it a more cohesive look.

Quality, Quality, Quality!

Having quality content on your site is a common theme when it comes to any and all things on your blog and AdSense is no different. You don’t want your blog space to only be geared towards advertising – that’s a turn off for Google and for readers alike – you want a space filled with quality content that ads will complement. You also want the ads to promote products and services that are actually useful to your readers and appeal to your same niche market.

Ad Units Matter

The size of your ads does make a difference. You don't want to use the banner type ads that everyone recognizes as ads and actively ignores. Instead, use the 160 x 600 Wide Skyscraper ad, the 300 x 250 Medium Rectangle ad, or the 728 x 90 Leaderboard ad. These are the popular ad sizes to use, so stray from the normal banner type ad.

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Interview with a Handmade Wholesaler, LaDy LaDuke

I'd like to thank Courtney Gillard, co-founder & co-owner of LaDy LaDuke, for taking the time to complete this interview. After reading, be sure to check out their handmade items for Mothers & Women! They can be found at LaDy LaDuke website and Mommy Lady Club blog.

1: How long has LaDy LaDuke been in business? 3 years this January 25th.

2: When did you first start wholesaling? Immediately. As soon as we had our product ready, we approached a local boutique.

3: Please describe how you gained your first wholesale deal. We approached the Boutique Owner, and asked her is she was interested in carrying our product, and described it to her. We had one available to show her (with a clothing label). She became interested, and purchased our first wholesale order, before we even had our first retail sale.

4: To how many wholesale buyers have you sold your products? 8

5: Do you sell to brick-and-mortar shops, online shops, or both? We sell to both. We’ve had 2 brick and mortar boutiques carry our items, but they both really struggled through our economy. One had to close shop, and the other had to stop buying. The rest have been online, including drop ship scenarios.

6: Roughly what percentage of your wholesale buyers made the initial contact with you (as opposed to you calling on them)?

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10 Ways to Gain Trust Online

For many of us, a great portion of the purchases we make, business we do, or acquaintances we meet is done online. With people easily hiding behind a computer, how can we tell if we should trust them? As a blogger or mompreneur selling online, here are 10 ways you can gain trust online:

Include a profile picture on your about page. When I visit a new blog, I typically check out the "about" page. I want to see who is writing. Do they have any credibility? Do they look like a nice person? It is not to judge, it is simply to put a face to a name.
Include your credentials. If I am reading a site about social media, search engine optimization, or entrepreneurship, I want to know that the writer knows what s/he is talking about. If you are selling products online, cite your sewing experience or crafting resume...that way your reader will have more confidence that you are skilled at your craft.
Write well. There is no bigger turnoff that a site with poor grammar or spelling. My theory is if the writer doesn't have a basic elementary level understanding of grammar, how could she be an expert in her field?
Reference other places you can be read online. If you've written guest posts on other blogs, or articles on professional websites, cite them. It adds to your credibility.
Don't portray yourself with the "If you follow me, I'll follow you" mentality. It doesn't come across well, and it leads people to think you are not building genuine relationships, rather just building your numbers for the sake of appearance.
Watch what you write. A co-worker once said "be careful who you piss off, because you never know who will be your next boss." Now, he wasn't saying this to me (I would never piss off anyone...of course!). However, there is much truth to it. If your online persona is one which is vulgar, crass, or whatnot, fine. Just remember anyone down the road can look up what you write and will judge you accordingly.
Make worthy comments. When commenting on another's blog, don't simply write "great post!" This comes across as being very disingenuous. Make a thoughtful comment. It really only takes a few extra seconds, and shows you actually read the article.
Carefully consider the services you offer. I have seen many sites pop up that will give you a "shout-out" on Facebook for a small fee. I'm always leery of sites like this. What are their true intentions? Do they really want to help you, or are they out to make a quick buck? Be sure to research their audience and engagement levels to see if you would get your money's worth.
Don't over-inflate your ego. I have seen a couple very small start-up businesses where the founder uses the title "CEO." Perhaps this could be a proper description, but it comes across as a bit pretentious and egotistical (in my humble opinion).
Respond to comments. I read somewhere that you wouldn't call a friend, then hang up once she answered. The same goes for comments. When you get a comment on your blog, respond. It shows you are present, you care about your readers and their comments, and you are engaging.

Can you think of any other ways to gain trust online? Please share below!

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How do You Stand Out from the Crowd?

With all the competition on Etsy and Facebook (for business pages), how can you make yourself and your product stand out from the crowd?

Did you know:

Only 3-7.5% of fans see your Facebook page's status updates (source) Just check out your insights
As of April 2011, there were over 16,000,000 Facebook fan pages
Most people visiting Facebook business pages (pages of very small businesses...like mompreneurs selling from home) are doing so in order to network, not to buy
There is a very low conversion rate for a Facebook fan to actually purchase your product
As of Jan. 1, 2012, there were 6,310,692 items for sale on etsy, from sellers who ship to the United States. Of these...4,726,781 are handmade (source)

How can you make a sizable enough income to help support your family, or allow you to quit your day job and fulfill your dream of working from home? The answer is either increase sales or increase prices. However, when many of these items can be considered commodities, for which there is sizable Facebook competition, raising prices may not be an option (by the way, did you know as of 1/2/12 there were 43,491 tutus and 375,375 hair bows/clips being sold on etsy (from sellers shipping to the US)?). If you differentiate and offer superb quality, perhaps raising prices is realistic...but then the question is how do you get your message of superior quality out in a sea of tutu or hair bow sellers? The 2nd option is increasing sales. How can you easily and quickly increase sales? I don't mean finding a ton of extra customers, each buying 1 hair bow. I mean finding a few extra customers, each buying several hair bows. Increasing volume! When in the trade of selling handmade product, there is one great way to increase volume. Wholesale (refer to my recent article 6 Basics of Selling Wholesale). Selling to boutiques. Getting your product into brick-and-mortar shops and online retailers. These sales mediums typically buy a set minimum quantity to gain a discounted wholesale price. This means you sell more. Of course your pricing must pan out (read #4 in my 6 Basics of Selling Wholesale post)...but you can probably make that happen...

Until now, there has not been an easy way to get your products in front of these brick-and-mortar shops, or online retailers. Yes, until now....
I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to learn an easier way to get your products into boutiques. Many have signed up to my email list on my Facebook business page. You can sign up there or comment here...and I will add you to my pre-launch email list announcing my new business. It's very exciting...and will be announced this month!

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Happy New Year

I wish a happy new year to everyone! Health, happiness, peace and prosperity to all. May 2012 be YOUR year! I'm thankful to everyone I have met through my work at Mama-press. I appreciate your support and value our new found friendships!