All Things Littleput

Critique #6 Ninaninamenina.Etsy.com (the final one, phew!)

Congratulations to Ninainameina.etsy.com for being the last shop chosen for a critique. To read more about shop critique week click here. 

For the many many many of you who I could not critique I've decided to keep the service going privately. Read more here.

Now, down to business!
 
Nina, I love your work, it is very sweet and inviting, feminine and playful.  I want to start by saying, your banner is too simple and as with WoolyBison you could do a lot to "fill" the look of your shop with 3 featured items. 

 

 Your shop announcement is perfect, why say more? 

As Lindsay May pointed out in WoolyBison's critique, you could put more in your shop title (where you simply state me.nina).  

Shop titles are searchable by google and a great little intro to your buyers. A simple statement of what you make is inviting and valuable. 

Location: A quick little nitpicking thing, most people don't know where Modesto is, but they do know California. For all sellers, adding specifics to your location will give your international buyers (and national ones) a sense of where you are in this big land of ours.

I am going to start with your darling headband:

This is lovely!  And very easily a wedding item (which as I keep saying, is a non-overcrowded category).  If the headband fits, tag it!  

I also like the simplicity of your descriptions. There is a sense of confidence in not writing too much. 

I would add international dimensions and with hair wear, it is always nice to know if your accessories work on all styles; curly, fine and so on.  Overall, your short and sweet descriptions work well for your style. A+

I want to point out:

  

that ^ this is a MUCH stronger listing.  The simple image of a beautiful woman wearing your bobby sells the story behind the product.  I think with all accessories, showing them on models is such a benefit.  Your 5th photo is romantic, sweet and lets me know what my hair will look like when I buy your work.  

Your pictures are clear and descriptive and I don't mind the wood background but again I want the story. If you can't use models, using different colors in your background will warm up your shop.

And everyone should keep in mind, when you sell something worn, you are selling a sentiment. 

Having a sense of enchantment in your shop is going to do a lot for branding, especially if you move into the weddings category.

Again, the difference between what you have listed and what I want to see; it is night and day. 

 

(I did crop your 5th photo a bit to highlight the flower.)

I want to go briefly into expanding your market. I mentioned weddings a few times and you have a strong line there, especially with custom accessories.

But you also have the option of focusing more on children's items.

 
These are darling and you could easily make bracelets to match. (Do be careful about choking hazards and your age range, you may stick to soft flowers for toddler items and keep the buttons for the 3 and up set).

Kids is a huge market and even in the tightest economy, the well photographed little darling accessory for "little darlings" is an easy sale. 

So the tough part, I'd like to see you tighten up your shop a bit by picking where you want to market.  Though your lines mesh, in branding it is best to pick a strong audience at first and then expand from there.

Ask yourself, do you want your shop to be the place for romance or the place for playful? 

Should you choose kids as the brand image to pursue I'd like to see you make your shop a little brighter and more lively, for the adult, a little more earthy and warm.

I am leaning a bit more towards the adult work (but I don't have a daughter) but kids is a viable marketplace and it's really up to you.

Either way, my advice is to make a decision about who you want to sell to and jump in with both feet.  

As your business grows, having a few items from either direction will enhance your lines and your sales. Good marketing is targeted and while your items are similar in material and design, the audience is very different. 

Your work is really lovely and I think you can do well, either way. 

I do hope you'll grow your shop and your products.  You are on the right track and I think you have the sense and style to run with it.  I really look forward to seeing your shop grow.  

PS!!! If you want to do both children's and adults you could create 2 shops and stylize each one of them very differently.  This will show your buyers your range of craftsmanship and it is never a bad idea in the artist business to show off :)

----

Thank you all for reading and learning here with me and thank you to all the shops who volunteered for this public review.  This has been truly fun for me and helped me set some of my own goals as an  Artist Consultant. 

I am very excited about my venture into creative business marketing and I can't wait to grow my own business along this new path.

I look forward to taking some of you with me :D  

Critique #5 WoolyBison.Etsy.com (its shop critique week!)

Congratulations to Woolybison.etsy.com for being the fifth shop chosen for a critique. To read more about shop critique week click here. I will try to squeeze one more shop in later today before moving on.  

So jumping right in, as I always do:

 
Wooly, I love love love your bags!  Your photographs are bold, just like your work and you do an excellent job of photographing them to display their quality and handmade nature.  

Your banner is fine, although I would be happy to see it show off your work a little better. You don't have any featured items and the difference between visiting your shop in list mode vs gallery mode: (scroll up then down)
is pretty substantial.  

If you like the non featured look I'd suggest a product shot in your banner.  If you feature three items, I'd still say the banner is somewhat generic but your short shop announcement lets your customers see your work right away so it isn't a huge issue.

Next, on to the shop announcement: You say "Everything is handmade individually in my studio here in Seattle from recycled suit jackets, as well as both new and vintage wools, and lined with cotton and other found/rescued materials."

And I find this a bit confusing, especially as someone interested in supporting reclaimed materials.

Are all of your works made entirely from reclaimed materials?  Are they all made from jackets, the outsides at least? Do you buy some materials for your bags or repurpose the entire thing. I'd like to see a statement somewhere that reflects how much you actually reuse: Ie. 

I reclaim 100% of the materials for each of my products. 

Or,

My products are made from repurposed materials. The occasional "new" piece of fabric is added to enhance the structure... 

I assumed after peeking your shop a ton that you do use all reclaimed materials but I had to do a lot of looking to come to that conclusion. Save your customers the time and always answer their questions before they think to have them.

You have an incredibly captive audience with the reuse of found materials. I love that the bag were coats and skirts and they live on as a new product.  What a great story!

  
This bag is awesome! I do want to point out that although you tagged this bag as unisex and for men, there is no mention of that in your description.  Also, if you are going to make lots of unisex bags (and you should!) it would be great to have a picture of a bag with a man. I actually see this worn by a guy, on a bike, wearing a wool jacket. You can get a bit more playful with your branding, it will draw more attention to your work. Also, gifts for guys are hard to come by on Etsy, this is a huge market that you are just grazing, I'd love to see you embrace it.

One additional note about your listings, you sell internationally (yay)so be sure to convert your measurements to CM as well.  Here is an easy Conversion Site.  CM conversions are welcoming to international customers and trust me, they appreciate it when we take the extra minute to do the math for them.

I have to say that I love what you did here with the skirt in the 5th photo. If you could do that for all of your listings, you wouldn't have to tell buyers you reclaim, you would be showing them.  A picture really is worth more than 1000 words (especially in advertising). 

One more quick piece on your photos: 

I'd like to see something inside the open pocket, just to give me a sense of how much I can actually fit.  I do get a sense of scale from the 5th photo but as you know, people love to fill their bags; just how much of my home can I take out with me in one of yours?

Lastly, your pricing is too low, not terribly low, though I do think you could double your retail and still do well, but we'll be conservative for now...

When I think of you making the bags, I also think of the time it takes for you to find and deconstruct the materials.  I think with the labor involved in repurposing you could bump everything up around $25-$45. As your customer, I expect you to be paid for all of your time (and gas money) and I want you to charge accordingly.

Additionally, as a consumer, a higher price is going to speak to me about long term durability. If I am going to buy a bag that is more than $50, I want it to last.  The difference between $125 and $150-$165 is the underlying statement of longevity, craftsmanship and use. 

I am really quite fond of your work.  I am assuming the bags take a long time to make and since each is one of a kind, being a top seller on Etsy is probably not your priority. 

I'd love to see you fill your shop, sell tons more and become the next big name in bags, but at the same time I'd be content to see you raise your prices and get paid better to sell fewer and work less.  (how do you want to do it?)

If you do think you want to be a top seller, or a more frequent seller, use that small price increase to pay for advertising, you're certainly ready to show off your shop.  

Also, there are TONS of blogs and magazines dedicated to reclaimed work.  Hash out a press release and submit it, tell the simple story: from coat to carrier bag (cute ain't I?).  There isn't a "green" blog or paper out there that wouldn't want to reward you for your innovation and skill and I am sure a well written press release, or simple "how to" could get you a lot of publicity.

Your products are stunning and you deserve both more attention and a higher salary.  I honestly had a hard time not putting your whole shop into my shopping cart.

I absolutely love your work.

Okay Readers, back me up, higher prices, bags for guys? What resonates with you?  What did I miss?

I'll be back tonight (late) or early tomorrow with the final shop.  

Happy Monday!

Critique #4 FormandFunktion.Etsy.com (its shop critique week!)

 
Congrats to FormAndFunktion.etsy.com for being the fourth shop chosen for a critique. To submit ->your<- shop please comment below or read more here.

Form wanted to know specifically about her brand image and her photography, and I will certainly cover both of those.  Jumping right in:

I think you could shorten your shop announcement a little bit. It's not bad but this: 

"_{If you see something you like and would like to convo me about it, please feel free! I am happy to make things that are exactly what you’d like."}

works better as: "I love convos about my work and designing custom pieces, feel free to contact me for something special."   It'd shorten your announcement up just enough and it says very directly that you like to do custom work.

Your banner speaks more to me about your style than your photos do. I love the color and boldness!  

When I get to your images, the background is a little anti-climactic. (the photos, not the product)

Your Jewelry is gorgeous!  Absolutely exquisite.  Your pieces are bold, unique and have so much character! 

I want to address 3 things that will really liven up your shop (and hopefully your sales!)

1. Your descriptions: What I didn't know (until you told me) is that you hand cut and etch the center-pieces before adding the embellishments.
You absolutely need to talk about your process in your listings.  

You said this to me when I asked: "I make the center hearts (cut them from copper sheet, etch and tarnish them) and then use them with purchased parts such as wings and other metal findings (which I often cut up and use not as they were intended)."   

This is the perfect way to tell the world how involved you are in your work. Additionally, with all the commercially made jewelry, knowing about your process makes each piece so much more valuable!

2. Photographs.  Yes, they are clear and the lighting is good but I get no sense of romance from them.  Remember, women buy jewelry for how it makes them feel. Your cold stone slab is not a bad color but there is no emotion to your photographs. Remember your banner? :)(look up)

Your banner is reflective of your jewelry, I want you to keep it in mind every time you think about shooting your work.

At the very least I'd say go for a more enchanted background in your pictures; a dark colored vase, a handful of black roses, a rustic old jewelry box.  

If at all possible (and my preferred choice for most every jeweler) I want to see your work on a model.  "Who is that fabulously elegant woman and what is she wearing around her neck?"

I want to see a woman on the town, out for an evening of romance.  I think the right setting with a model (think a magazine shoot, busy New York street, train tracks, crowded subway...) could embolden your image (brand) 1000 fold!

Also you need at least one photo that shows scale.  Most people can't picture 2 inches. Scale photos really help buyers see themselves in your work.

Side note: Since your ear wires can be changed out, do photograph your earrings on people (I see them worn by women with dark and curly hair) just note that the earrings you send haven't been worn.

3. Pricing.  Your prices are too low.  Part of the reason I had to ask about how much work you do is because most of your pendants are under $40. 

There are designers on Etsy that put together a 2-3 findings and charge $45+.  You're making a good portion of your work by hand. I'd say at the very least, charge $50 for the necklaces and $65 for the earring set. You could easily get $75-$100 for your more intricate pieces.

 
Think of rebranding your shop like this:

Your work is elegant and exquisite (like your banner).

You deserve to be paid like a designer. 

Designers use models to showcase their work.

I hate to get all "Stewart Smally" on you but you're good enough & talented enough. Your shop and your prices really need to reflect that.

So Form, if you have any questions or thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Readers, as always, feel free to chime in. (I get the feeling Form is going to need a few of you to back me up on her pricing, and you all know, I am not wrong. :) )

I'll be back tomorrow with critique #5. I am hoping to do a few more after the weekend. I wish I could get to everyone but sadly, there is only one of me.  (if there were more than one, I'd make her do the dishes.)

See ya!

Critique #3 Peaseblossom.Etsy.com (its shop critique week!)

 

Congrats to PeaseBlossomStudio for being the third shop chosen for a critique. To submit ->your<- shop please comment below or read more here. 

First off Pease asked me if I had any ideas for a product she could make, she is pretty strong in her style but just hasn't found something that she can do that will really take off.  I'll do a quick overview and see what jumps out at me as I go along.

Pease, your sense of style and your photographs are lovely.  I get a very "romantic" feeling about your shop.  Your banner and avatar are perfect for the work you present and I get a strong sense of your aesthetic with just a quick glance.

I do need to point out that your sold folder is chock full of large leather journals:

But you only have 5 listed currently.  I know they take time to make but to increase your daily sales I think you need more and more and more! 

I do love your Mini-notebooks and key chains:

but they are impractical and in general people who buy handmade books are looking for style + function. 

If you want to keep them up, think about buying offsite advertising, this darling product needs to be aimed directly at it's target audience. Find book clubs, literary blogs and places where bibliophiles congregate and you will surely improve your sales. As with knitters, women who love to buy unique things, love to show them off. Word of mouth will be a huge asset to you. 

 

I need to point out that you're missing a huge market with bridal items.  I only found one album (above) (I showcased the 2nd photo because I think it is more interesting) and if there is money in bookbinding, it's earned in making fancy albums and guest books. Custom orders for are a huge way to increase your market and I really think you're onto something amazing with your leather flowers:

I want to see you use more to embellish the book covers. You could create intricate bouquets as covers for the books and sell them in custom colors. I'd love to see sets of albums, guest books & flower brooches (for the brides maids) all made to order to match the weddings.  Custom work means you can charge more and work with a larger client base, plus a happy bride is a chatty one and again, you will gain a lot from word of mouth.

For the bridal items, I would step away from the ring binding:

as it detracts from the elegant nature of your work and stick with the stitching, either ribbon or leather.

If you can combine hand stitching with intricate covers made in floral bouquets you would be offering something incredibly elegant (and new!). 

I think you can do it, I want to see you push your high end work and stay focused on binding, especially the larger items. Your prints are nice so keep them but I noticed you had a tiny bit of beaded jewelry too, don't do that! :D 

Do be open to more focused bridal work, buying advertising and making more more more leather journals. You've got a gorgeous and unique style and I think it will be really well received in the weddings market.

(Ps. Set aside an ad budget, your photos are ready to be seen elsewhere!)

Pease, if you have any questions, please let me know. Readers, I'd love to hear from you too.  

I took the day off yesterday and will try to get to another critique tonight, I know many many many of you want one.

Critique #2 BuffaloGirls.Etsy.com (its shop critique week!)

Congrats to Buffalogirls.Etsy.com for being the second shop chosen for a critique. To submit ->your<- shop please comment below or read more here.

Quick Overview:

Your shop announcement is the perfect length.  I love being able to see your featured items right away.  By looking at your banner I can tell that you are excited about your graphics work which is great.  I am going to jump right in however and say as a visitor to your shop I don't get a strong sense of who you are as an artist or what you want to do.

The cards plus the lichen plus the socks don't communicate a sense of confidence to me and the mix of the different mediums (and findings) throw me off a bit, I have no idea what you're striving for. 

As a buyer I want to know about you, where do your passions really lie?  The Cards you make are give me some sense of you as a designer but the Tiny Socks tell me a different story. So lets talk first about the cards.

   

I'm really drawn to the bird imagery and you are hitting the right market by selling cards for knitters on Etsy.

I think your photos could be dramaticized a bit, like the one on the top left. Your buyers can't really get a sense of their texture or weight by seeing scans and I think you could add a lot of dimension to your shop by finding more tactile ways to photograph them.  I like your style and if the cards are something you're excited about I'd take out the socks and find all sorts of ways to show them off.  You've got a market for them but your display doesn't scream pride. (by the way, I have lots of issues with this myself, I even wrote a forum post about this yesterday). 

If you're really a fan of the socks I think you may have a good idea there, but it needs a little working. 
  I like that they are a hand knit lucky charm, that they can be worn or used as a gift bag.  I also love them as mini-stocking ornaments around the holidays. But you need to sell the concept a bit harder.  Like my photo blocks, the more I talk about their use the easier it is for my customers to conceptualize my idea behind them.

I'd also like to point out that you are ->this close<- to an awesome idea here.  What about "occasion" cards that are made with the hand knit socks?  

You could do 100's of themes by combining your graphic skills with your love for knitting. Baby shower cards, worn out socks for fathers day, holiday stocking cards (how cute to have candies inside!) clean whites for graduates? Mini toe socks for the hippie child in your family...  Graphic designs could be used to enhance the message of each sock. Create a card, attach a pin back or button to use the sock as the cover and add imagery and text that really drives home the coolness of giving someone a themed mini sock lucky charm card.  :) 

It's just a suggestion but I see as taking your products to the next level.  Additionally, if you're passionate about both mediums you can combine them in a more fluid way.  There is a huge demographic of women who enjoy knitting. Knitters are also thoughtful enough to by expensive cards for special occasions and generally have the income to splurge.

If none of this resonates with you, no worries. :)  I do think you'd be best to separate out your different products into two separate shops and really show excitement about your work both through your photographs and the stories you tell.

Please let me know if you have any questions and what you think about my critique.

Readers, as always, your input is truly appreciated, feel free to comment with suggestions, ideas or inspirations.

Toodles Noodles,  see you tomorrow.

Ps. Buffalogirl, lose the lichen. :)

Critique #1 Balanced.Etsy.com (its shop critique week!)

Congrats to Balanced.Etsy.com for being the first shop chosen for a critique. To submit ->your<- shop please comment below or read more here.

Balanced.  Your photos are lovely.  I was very impressed with your over all shop. Quick overview:
Your shop announcement is too long.  This is what I see when I click the page. I'd like to see your products right way. And the information about currency exchange is best in your polices, not your announcement.  Your banner is lovely and you get bonus points for using your product as you avatar.

I think overall you are much stronger in your intricate bead work than your simple earrings. Very few people can make the bracelet above, lots and lots of people can make the earrings below.

 
 I'd like to see you focus more on your talent in fastidiousness and really use your shop to showcase the amazing skills that you have.  If it were up to me, I'd lose most of the simple beaded earrings and really use the shop as a gallery. Your talent is amazing and the more"generic" earrings detract from that.

(You may be thinking, but the earrings sell!) They may be what moves fastest in your shop but putting more energy behind your specialized work is going to improve the sales of your more unique items.  I think people will seek you out for what you are really good at if you push it. Focusing on your strongest skillset can really improve your overall business.

I would like to state that you've done a nice job of blending the more simplistic necklaces with your style:

And again your pictures are really lovely. (there is a sense of romance too them, so yay!) The stone and large bead necklaces speak more to me about your style than the earrings do, I would keep them but again focus more on what makes you stand out from the crowd.

For your photos, you might also look into using a live model, women like the idea of looking beautiful in their jewelry and the right picture of a live model can really sell that. 

Lastly, I want to point out to you that you have an amazing and unique product here:

 

with your Lattice ribbon bracelets.

I think these really speak to who you are as a designer. They are something uncommon in the realm of jewelry (which is rare) and they are incredibly lovely.

I'd love to see this line developed into something more significant; wider cuffs, chokers & headbands. 

What excites me about them most is that they are truly bridal. Weddings are a niche market where you could really thrive. I'd suggest you list more of these (if you like to make them) and be sure to put them in the weddings category (not the jewelry one). You can also create combined "bridal suites" with some of your more intricate earrings and really enhance the "bridal" aspect of your brand.

(Side note, lots of American brides would LOVE to state they got their wedding jewelry from Ireland, it gives them a story).  

 

(My favorite!)

I would recommend you use a more delicate angle for your "model" photo. You want to make sure you constantly repeat the idea of femininity and romance in all of your images. 
 

Overall I am very impressed. If you lose some of the more generic earrings, add lots more of the lattice and intricate beadwork and push the bridal jewelry message I don't see how you wont increase your customer base and your business.  

Balanced,(and readers) be sure to ask me any questions below, I am happy to address as many as I have time for.

Readers, lots of eyes are better than just mine.  Feel free to comment on ideas that this critique sparked for you. I am really interested in your input as well.

How exciting!

Ps. you can see balanced on Etsy.com Here: 

Critique 2 will be posted tomorrow so stay tuned!

Hey Kids! It's shop critique week!

  As some of you know, I've started teaching a series of classes helping artists get their online businesses into ship-shape. Some of my classes are based on Etsy selling and I know that many of you readers come here for the art business tips.

So I thought I'd try something new, share the love and hopefully give a few of you a boost or at least some inspiration towards doing more with your Etsy or online shop.

If you would like to have your shop critiqued (by me!) simply comment below. {But first, read the rules.}

I will choose 4-5 shops over this week, at random. I will email you if I choose your shop and will post your critique publicly here (on my blog)

•Make sure your email address is linked in your comment.
•If you have a web page and not an etsy shop, include that, I'm talented I can do website critiques too.
•I will be posting screen shots of your shop/website for all to see, you must be okay with this.
•Please have at least 10-20 items in your shop/website for me to look at, empty shops will be glazed over.
•If you like my advice (and take it) I'd like to use your improvements as a before and after example at a later date.
•If I do not choose your shop, stay and read anyhow, you never know what advice might resonate with you.
•Remember, I am available for private consultation. See the shiny new green links? (scroll up, look left :) )

Go, comment and tell your friends, hopefully this will go wonderful for all and I'll do it again in the future.

See you tomorrow!