I read an article on The Twitter Handbook Blog titled Twitter is a Must for Tradeshows and wondered if any of you have been using Twitter at your craftshows and narkets? Twitter would be the perfect tool to not only get people out to the show but more importantly - to your booth!To market yourself in this manner requires:

1. A Smartphone with a good Internet connection - no connection no joy.

2. A Twitter application for the phone.
There are many applications out there and I believe ALL of them are free. Find one that works best on the phone that you purchase.

3. Local followers

I may have lost several of you just by typing the word “Smartphone,” You’re thinking you can’t afford it and wouldn’t know how to use it. Yes - there will be a slight learning curve to using it but nothing you can’t handle. It’s very much like computing and if you navigated your way to this blog I feel certain you can learn to use a Smartphone.

Most mobile networks offer wonderful deals on the price of a new Smartphone with a new contract. It’s usually the monthly Internet fees that turn people pale. But here’s the thing, most of you are working from home in order to be around for your family. A Smartphone offers you way more flexibility than a computer does. I can take my daughter to the park and send and receive important emails via my Blackberry while I’m there. I can Twitter during long graduation ceremonies or boring sermons at church. Oops! Did I say that out loud?

If that’s not enough for you, a Smartphone will make accepting credit cards at craftshows, markets and parties a breeze AND you can deduct business phone expenses from your taxes.

Let’s talk about local followers for a minute. I know that many Twitter users do not focus on locale for their online businesses but if your doing business offline and locally, it’s very important. TwitterGrader displays a list of top Twitter users in your area. Connect with them to start building your local list if you haven’t already. To find local users on TwitterGrader, type in your Twitter name to get your score. Once your score displays, you’ll see a list of info displayed below - including your location. The name of your location is a link to others that share your location. Click on it to display the top Twitter users in your area.

So now that you have the phone, the Twitter application and the followers, how do you use Twitter at a craftshow or market?

1. Tweet dates and times of your shows
2. Offer free stuff to Twitter followers that show up at your booth
3. Hold special drawings for Twitter followers
4. Work with other craftshow vendors to host a Twitter scavenger hunt at the show. I’d go to any show that did that.

The list I posted isn’t very long but it gives you the general idea. The key is to be creative and offer your followers and shoppers a new experience. YOU will have a lot more fun while you’re there too.

I haven’t done much writing lately but I have been reading. I wanted to share a few  articles with you that are relative to your success online.

How We Reduced Chargebacks by %30 - 37 Signals
37 signals reduced their chargebacks by changing the way their charges showed up on customer credit cards. Great idea!

1000 True Fans
Build your business one fan at a time. This article really hit home with me. Don’t miss it!

ToldYa - Mashable
Mashable reviews ToldYa - a social media storefront to sell on Facebook, My Space and more…

Google’s SEO Starter Guide
Straight from the horse’s mouth…Google tells you how to get better listing on their site.

That’s it for today. Happy reading and see you soon!

Poppies. I love them! These whimsical little beauties make me wish I were Dorothy running through a sea of red poppies right before she fell asleep. Actually - I wouldn’t mind the long nap either. And where better to take a nap but in a field of flowers? (Sans bugs and snakes of course.) A nap in the tub with a dozen of these floating around might be the closest I ever get.

Made with glycerin and goats milk, the handcrafted designs must take a great deal of time to produce, but they’re well worth it.  Sun Basil Garden’s Etsy shop is filled to the brim with creative soaps to inspire you. Check them out!

I read an interesting article this morning on Lifehacker about gift cards and deadlines. The article points out that people are more likely to use gift cards if they expire quickly. Now as a business honoring those gift cards,  you may not care if they redeem them or not. You’ve already made the sale. But there are several reason you should care. One reason is that the recipient, having tried your products, may convert into a regular customer. Secondly, the person that sent the gift will get much more satisfaction if the recipient tells them that they used and loved your products. If giving a gift card to your shop was successful, the giver will be more likely to send them as gifts again.

Read the article - interseting stuff.

Are your product images working as hard to sell your products as you are? Product images have a big job to do. They have to provide enough information for the shopper to make an educated purchase and they have to display your products in a manner that entices shoppers to buy. The first link listed below has some great tips on cropping. The second link is to a video that discusses what you should be thinking about when you shoot your images. Good stuff!

My handmade Registry: Who made the cut?

Optimizing E-Commerce Images

While cruising through my RSS feeds, I found a post on  Craft Gossip with a link to an all natural deodorant recipe. It’s a very simple recipe of cornstarch and coconut oil that I won’t be able to leave alone.  Adding some Mango and Shea butters will most likely be my first experimental tweak. Check it out and see what you can do with it!

Craft Gossip

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Sushi is graphically beautiful. Today I am paying tribute to one of my favorite treats by highlighting some of the products I found around the web. I can only imagine the patience it takes to make these  If you know someone that makes them - leave us a note with a link in the comments section!

I found these on Amazon in the Globally Cute Shop.

Midohana - Japanese themed soaps on Etsy

Bunny Bubbles Sushi Sampler on Etsy

By N. Funk Ceramics (It’s soap/)

And finally - Sushi Beeswax Votives by Hansen Soap Co

Due to health reasons, Linda from Soapier.com is selling her business. It’s sad when things like this happens, but I’m hoping someone can help her out. If you or someone you know would like to purchase a well established business, please pass this info along.

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Logan Creek Soaps created the following video highlighting their regular market customers.  This has to be so much more effective than testimonial text on a web site. The video lends credibility to the testimonials that text cannot. What a brilliant way to market your products on YouTube and on your web site.

I’ve wanted to start a weekly topic called “Fav Forum Posts” for some time and have decided there is no time like the present.  My favorite forum post this week was a shrink band tip discussion from The Dish Forum.  Member tips include ideas on how to get even shrinking around soap bars and lip balm tubes without burning your fingers!

For further discussion on shrink wrapping CP soap - see a recent Teach Soap Forum topic here.

Have you seen a blogworthy post in your favorite forums this week? Send me the link to the post and to your website or shop and I’ll post them both on the blog.

Have a great day!