We Have a Lens!

There is one downside to Etsy: it is huge. I mean frickin' enormous. It's not too bad for me - there aren't as many decoupaged boxes out there as there is jewelry. Poor G. puts a necklace up, and within hours, it's five pages back in the search, never mind where it is after a few days.

Of course, I hear the key to successful internet selling is marketing. To really sell stuff and be successful, you have to get out there and advertise. Hand out business cards, tell people about your work, drive traffic directly to your shop rather than relying on the marketplace to do it for you. This blog is one step towards building public relations and grabbing some interested folk.

Another is building a Squidoo lens.

What is a Squidoo lens, you ask? Squidoo is a free online community that allows members to build a one-page website (called a lens) on any topic they want and potentially make a little pocket change while doing it. You can also make as many lenses as you want - just remember that quality is way better than quantity. Plus, they're a great way to draw attention to the things you love.

I'm a minor Squidoo addict. It's kind of a hobby of mine. I've got lenses on Greek mythology, Mackinac Island, fantasy fiction, and my cat, just to name a few. So it's only natural that I decided to make a lens devoted to our beloved Willheit Shoppes. Not only will it hopefully get Willheit a little more exposure, but it's a nice way to put all the neat little tidbits that don't fit anywhere else in one place and still link back to the shop.

Eventually, I plan on getting a list of cool Etsy shops up there, not to mention a link back to this blog here, but that gives me something to add in future updates. In any case, check out the new lens!

And if Squidoo lens-crafting seems like something you'd like to do, then create your own lens now!