Let Your Readers Comment: Get Rid of Word Verification

The new word verification system has a lot of people annoyed. Most of them are difficult and some of them are impossible. But you do not have to use Word Verification. When the interface (look of the dashboard) recently changed some bloggers discovered that word verification was automatically put back on. Change it.  Here is how:

When you open up your Dashboard, click on the arrow that is circled in the photo below. It will give you a pull down menu; click on Settings.

In the new page you will see Settings toward the bottom of the list and then Posts and Comments. Click on that part. Where is says Show word verification, click No!

You can always choose to moderate the comments but read here how that can actually hurt your blog traffic. Most people rarely have problems with spam and if you do then check to see if it is on one post. If it is, close out the comments on that post. And the whole purpose of a blog is the interaction. So let your audience comment!

QUESTION: Have you changed your word verification yet?

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Today's guest blogger is Erika. She is the creator of Artful Rising where she
encourages you to get-your-rear-in-gear to Create. Inspire. Change the World. Join the conversation today and receive your own ebook on following your dreams.

Shipping Internationally - Small Business Tips

Last week I talked about Shipping From Home and how it can be great for your business. This week is all about Shipping Internationally. I've been shipping quite a few packages out of the country lately and I encourage you to add International Shipping to your shop if you haven't already. You could be missing out on a lot of sales!

Do Your Research

My first tip is to do your research! Each country will have different shipping rates, customs fees and import laws. You are responsible for knowing whether your item can be shipped to a certain country.

Setting Your Rates

That being said, it is pretty easy to get a "general" rate for most international shipments. I have found that rates to Canada are pretty comparable to US rates when shipping First Class International. And all other countries are about double. Keep in mind that these are general rules and different weights will be different.

Choosing a Shipping Option

I use USPS First Class International for almost all of my packages. This seems to be the most standard and most cost effective option. I have shipped international packages with Priority and Express when the customer requests it and I just send them a paypal invoice for the additional shipping. There are only two problems I have run into with First Class International...There is no tracking information available after the package leaves the US. And you have to go to the post office to ship your package (unless paypal changes back to shipping through ebay). And keep in mind that shipping times may vary greatly from one country to another. I always tell my customers that shipping can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Depending on how long the item stays in customs can determine how fast your package arrives.

One main reason I use USPS for all international packages is because UPS and FedEx will charge your customers a brokerage fee upon delivery. If you use these services, make sure your buyers are aware of this fee ahead of time!

Update Your Policies

It is also a good idea to add a note to your policies that buyers are responsible for customs fees. Most buyers are aware of this, but it is a good idea to have a set policy. Buyers who have never purchased from the US may not be aware of this and you need to have a clear policy for them.

Custom Forms

There are two different customs forms depending on the size of your package. You can find this information at the usps website, or ask your postal clerk when you bring your package in. My biggest advice for customs forms is to NEVER mark a package as a "gift". The newer style of forms has a "merchandise" option...otherwise, mark "other". You can be charged a hefty fine for marking a sold item as a gift! And make sure to put an accurate description and cost on the form as well. This can help your package make it through customs quickly and safely :)

I hope you found these tips helpful and will consider shipping internationally if you don't already :)

Stay tuned for more articles on shipping tips for this blog -- Shipping Series.
* Shipping From Home
* Shipping Internationally
* Shipping with UPS
* Shipping Suppliers

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Edi is the creative mind behind Memories for Life Scrapbooks (and Laser Engraving). She has been paper crafting for over 15 years and recently purchased a laser engraver that is keeping her creativity at an all time high!

Shipping From Home -- Small Business Tips

Memories for Life photo

When selling online, shipping is a big part of our business process. You want the best rates, the best service and the fastest shipping for your money. You also want your package to arrive safely!

Today I'll introduce you to the main way I ship my packages. In the coming weeks, I'll have posts on Shipping Internationally, Shipping with UPS and Shipping Suppliers.

When I first started selling online, I took every package to the post office. Luckily I live in a small town, so there weren't usually lines, but I didn't enjoy the 20 minute round trip every time I needed to ship a package. So I did my research and began printing my shipping labels at home with Paypal and having my mailman pick them up. I haven't looked back!

It really is easy to print your own labels at home. All you need is a cheap scale and a printer! I got my scale off eBay for less than $20. I recommend a digital scale just because they are more accurate, but even a kitchen scale will do the job. And you can either print your labels on regular paper and tape them to your package or purchase adhesive labels made specially for printing shipping labels. (Also another eBay purchase.)

Avery Shipping Labels

After you've got your supplies and you're ready to print your first label, simply follow the steps through Paypal and watch the magic happen :) Go online to usps.com and Schedule a Pickup so your mailman will know you have a package for him/her. My mailman is great and allows me to just leave him a note in the mailbox as to where my package is.

I encourage you to buy a scale and see how easy it is to print your own labels from home. You'll wonder how you ever survived without your scale before! And if you're a little worried at first, just take your first few prepaid packages to the post office to have them make sure your scale is correct and you've done everything right.

Postal Scale

Happy Shipping :)

Stay tuned for more articles on shipping tips for this blog Shipping Series.

*Shipping From Home

*Shipping Internationally 

*Shipping with UPS 

*Shipping Suppliers

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Edi is the creative mind behind Memories for Life Scrapbooks (and Laser Engraving). She has been paper crafting for over 15 years and recently purchased a laser engraver that is keeping her creativity at an all time high!

Using Hootsuite to Grow Your Audience

Today we are going to be talking about a very helpful social media tool, Hootsuite.  Hootsuite allows you to group your social media accounts and to organize and schedule your posts.  It's pretty awesome.  Let's get started.

The first thing you need to do is create an account.  It's free and easy.  Just go to the site and create a new account.

Next you will need to set up your social media accounts.  On the side of your screen, find settings and select social networks.

Once there, you can click add social network.  From there, you can enter in your different accounts (I have twitter and facebook set up).

The next thing I recommend is linking it with your blog feed.  To do this, click on RSS feed on the side of the settings window.  You can then click on add new feed.  Enter in your feed and whatever settings you want.  I have mine set to post every day and to start with the text "New Blog Post."  I chose to post to both my twitter and facebook.

Okay.  Now that you have everything set up, let's post something.  On the top of your screen you will see a little window that says "Compose message."  That's where you enter in your text or links.  Next to that, you will see a little icon to select which accounts you are posting to (only twitter, only facebook, or both).  You can also click on the calendar to schedule.

 

Scheduling posts is awesome because you can plan out your whole week and then not get bogged down by constant social media.  I like to share fun links throughout the week and will try to spend an hour setting them up for the rest of the week.  You can see the list of your scheduled posts on the side.

You can also schedule posts with the publisher tool on the side.  There you can see an entire list of your scheduled posts.

Those are the basics.  I hope that helps.  I've found the program to be pretty user-friendly but feel free to ask any questions you have.

QUESTION: What do you use to help you keep in touch with your audience?
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Today's post is written by:

Jenny studied biology in school but is now following her dream of being an artist.  She is the owner/artist of A Bird in the Hand Art where she focuses on colorful jewelry and home decor pieces.
Blog  Facebook








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Be sure to read the rest of our Audience series:
1.) Determine Your Target Audience
2). Be FANatical in Your Search for a Solution
3). Using Hootsuite to Grow Your Audience

Determine Your Target Audience

by Heavy Metal Picks on etsy

 Do you have a clear idea of your target audience? You may think this information does not matter but it is important to the growth of your business. If you don't have a clue about who is buying from you then how can you serve them better? Or grow?

I did a bit of research and discovered that the folks reading my blog, Artful Rising, are considerably younger than I imagined. They are also more likely to have a college degree, have at least one child, and are female.This is important to know if I thought I would start blogging about fixing up car motors or where to retire right at this moment--the reception would not be that great. It also might explain the positive response to the opening of my second shop -- with a focus on inspirational products which ties in with my blog.

 At the beginning of the year I completed worksheets created by April of Blacksburg Belle. (I tried to find her old posts but cannot find them on her site). The questions helped to narrow down my interests and what I wanted to accomplish with either my blog or a shop. In addition, etsy has recommended that you create fictional profiles of what your customer looks like (hair color, education, interests, job, hobbies) and this ties into your business.

Things to ask yourself:
*what is your intention with your blog/shop?
*what does your ideal customer look like? (grandparent, parent, teen, geek, etc)
*what is the best way to grab the attention of your ideal customer?
*what is the best way to keep their attention?

Please note that it is not recommended by marketers or by busy/successful etsy sellers to market to everyone. You cannot create a product for everyone and you will be much better served aiming for a niche audience. Example--a steampunk jeweler would not try to sell to my mom.

Read the follow-up post on the Artful Rising blog on how you can grow your business by giving your customers what they want.

QUESTION: Do you know your target audience?

Be sure to read the rest of our Audience series:
1.) Determine Your Target Audience
2). Be FANatical in Your Search for a Solution
3). Using Hootsuite to Grow Your Audience 

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Today's guest blogger is Erika. She is the creator of Artful Rising where she encourages you to get-your-rear-in-gear to Create. Inspire. Change the World. Join the conversation today via the weekly Artful Rising Newsletter and receive your own ebook on following your dreams.

Creating a Blog Navigation Bar

You have most likely come across this situation; you like a blog post and want to look around but cannot find a HOME button or method of navigating around the site. You either have to mess with the URL or worse, you just leave the site.

navigation bar of this blog

A navigation bar is important to let your visitors search your site, it helps with clutter in valuable sidebar real estate, and it lets you decide what you want to showcase.The Blogging Business Artisans have five tabs on the navigation bar: Home, Challenges, Join, Members, and Contact. These important areas are at the top of the blog and do not have to fight a reader's attention with things in the sidebar.

But you need to have a HOME tab or button somewhere on your site.

Luckily, Rose of Random Creative, wrote a very thorough article on the importance of a navigation bar and the how-to. She has numerous links and resources highlighted so it is well worth checking it out!
Read the article here: http://randomcreative.hubpages.com/hub/Blog-Horizontal-Navigation-Bar-What-to-Include

QUESTION: Is your site easy for readers to read and navigate? Are you sure?

Blogging for Business

print by Jennifer Ramos

Some of us dream of making money from our blogs and hoping that we will be among the few that garner enough income to warrant quitting our day job. There are millions of blogs and websites we compete with and it may seem daunting or impossible to capture a bit of market share. And if you are like me, there are many questions you may have on what to consider in trying to make money from your online site.

Here are two helpful posts:

• Yes, I Make Money From My Blog by Beneath My Heart. She shares the different ways she makes money; perhaps one of these will work for you?

• Josh dishes on Homemaker on a Dime about worked and didn't for him. And he is honest that you need traffic first!

There are many more sites on this topic but this ought to give you a taste. What other articles should we check out?

QUESTION: Where are you traffic wise? Can you generate income from your blog?