Let's Talk Design for Sale Online

About two years ago I ran across Cafepress and they offered what I thought was the perfect idea! I could create designs, upload them to Cafepress, go about my business and watch the sales come in. Isn't that what they tell you? Well as with everything, it is not that easy! Unless of course you are happy with making 10 - 20.00 a month :)

Like my Dad always told me ... "anything worth doing is worth doing right." And the first rule of retail (and cafepress is a form of retail sales) you must merchandise and promote your products!

While the internet has opened the opportunity to have a more customers than one could have ever imagined...how do you reach those customers? How do you get google to pick up your website?

That was the hard part for me to learn! I didn't really understand how the internet worked, so I had to change my brain waves to get it! Especially as a designer that thinks of everything as an image.

Because you see ... Google or any of the search engines, does not see images! Search engines only see digits and symbols, ie.; TEXT! Very weird for a designer to understand :(

So now I figured out (with the help of many books, the great people on the GREAT GEAR message board, and lots of internet searching) that not only did I have to create nice graphics, I needed to learn how to describe these graphics, come up with keywords, and use TEXT to sell my pretty graphics!

In writing descriptions you have to be very good at using keywords that are directly related to your products, and use as many variations of those keywords as you can in a short description. Example: I specialize in Cheerleading Products at this time, so lets say I have a cheerleading t-shirt I am posting for sale ... the text should read something like this: These unique Cheerleading T-shirts & Cheer gifts will be the perfect gift for the cheerleader in your life. (Notice the keywords in bold)

You will find links on this blog to many of the resources that helped me!!

Tonight I will leave you thinking about TEXT and how you are going to sell your products using words.

As many have helped me over the last 2 years, I would love to pass it forward and help anyone reading this that has questions on opening a Cafepress or Zazzle store. I am still learning, but I am far beyond where I was 2 years ago! Post comments or email me, and we can talk :)

Julie
www.ididitdesigns.net

New Zazzle Store

If you have been to the website lately you heard that I am opening a new store at Zazzle! You will see alot of the same designs, BUT ... Zazzle offers different products and allows you choose what product you want the designs on, and gives you an opportunity to personalize designs without having to contact me to get it done!

I am excited about this store, hope you like it :)


Julie
http://www.ididitdesigns.net/
www.cafepress.com/ididitdesigns
www.zazzle.com/ididitdesigns


create & buy custom products at Zazzle