Mother's Day Is Coming. Are You Ready?

Ever since my mom died over twelve years ago, Mother's Day has never been the same. To this day, I am so envious of anyone whose mother is still in their lives, and I tell those who are estranged from their mothers to make peace because once she's gone, she's gone. I miss my mama. I'd be a millionaire by now if she were alive because she would have marketed my little soaps so well, she'd have you thinking your life wasn't worth living if you didn't use my soaps!

Last year I didn't market or advertise at all for Mother's Day. I really lost out on that one, but this year, I'm being more proactive and starting early. I'm joining the Blog Fire carnival and I've bought an ad spot on the Mother's Day gift guide at Art Fire. Here are a few lovelies that would make great Mother's Day gifts:

Bubble Baubles

I Love You Rose Soap

Yarn Soap Trio

The Soap Seduction Top Site

I'm embarrassed to reveal that I forgot that I had a Top Site. Are they still even popular? If you're not familiar with a top site, it's basically a banner listing of shops with a brief description of that shop. The goal is to rise among the rankings and be at the "top" of that top site and generate traffic to your site. The way you do that is by placing a link to that top site somewhere on your shop's pages or blog. The reader or viewer clicks that link and it takes you to the top site, and that counts as a "hit". The more hits you have, the higher you rank. Conversely, when someone visits that top site, they may see your banner and click on it to visit your shop or blog. It's all about "Hits In" and "Hits Out".

If you've got a 468x60 banner, join my top site. If you have a top site, post it in the comments, and I'll join it. Let's build something wonderful together!

Autumn Is Coming....

and I'm so overwhelmed!!!! When I officially started my business last summer, I didn't know you had to plan seasonally. Duh!! All the major retailers do it, but I never gave it much thought. I didn't change my product line to reflect that it was fall or winter or spring. I offered the same ol', same ol'. When Halloween came, I had no cute ghost soaps or pumpkin candles. When Thanksgiving came, there were no turkey soaps. When Christmas came, there were no trees or snowmen, and looking back on it, my sales really suffered. Speaking of sales, I had none. I just threw my stuff on a website, and basically said, "Here it is. Take it or leave it!" I wouldn't even consider starting a blog-more work!

Well it's a new year, and I've acquired a lot more business savvy, and I've grown as an artist. I've learned how to take better photos and offer more variety in my products. I'm going to really step up my game this holiday season. So, I put this out there: How do you prepare for the busy fall and holiday seasons?

Etsy Vs. Website

I've asked this question on one of the many ning forums I belong to: To Etsy or Not to Etsy?That is the question. I currently run a website and an Etsy shop, and to be perfectly honest, I love my Etsy shop much more. It's more user friendly in terms of adding and listing products, but more importantly, I have a built-in audience. The downside is the competition. There are hundreds upon hundreds of soap makers on Etsy who are far more successful than I in terms of sales. I have really put in a lot of effort in the last month trying to revamp and re-build my website. I want to establish a name for The Soap Seduction on its own, but I can't shake the Etsy attraction.

If you're in the same or similar predicament, how do your prioritize? Do you put all your energies in your own website and use Etsy as an enhancement or do you give both equal attention? Which do you promote? Which should you promote? So many questions......