by Guest Writer Pamela BakerIt doesn’t seem that long ago that we were just learning the mechanisms of a mouse and keyboard while still trying to figure out what do to do next! Then along came the internet, which opened up a whole new world to those of us who had just mastered the art of just turning on our computers. “Surfing the net” was a foreign term 10 years ago. Now we have absolutely everything imaginable at our fingertips. A whole new world of learning, research, chatting, shopping and marketing has opened up.
Next came YouTube, where one can put any sort of video online for their friends to see. An adventure in which my boys are well in tune with. When I first saw some of the crazy videos people posted, I admit I was in awe of the whole idea, never thinking that one day I would be the one posting video’s on YouTube. As I mentioned before how the internet has opened a whole new world to us, it seems marketing by way of YouTube is the latest undertaking for some of us here at Etsy.
With what began as a mere thought only a few weeks ago, has now become a whole new trend. My group on Etsy, “The Boomer’s” started using "print screen" to save some of Treasury’s we had done; and then turned them into a videos, posting them on "YouTube". I though an even better idea would be to market some of the items from my shop onto YouTube. So after deciding which pieces of my jewelry I wanted to show, I uploaded the photos’, added some music, “U2” (one of my favorite bands), and the computer does the rest! Since I have posted the video only 1 week ago (Aug 6th ), I have already gotten some custom orders; just today I received two more requests for necklaces from my shop. I am posting the link to my "YouTube" Video to give you an idea of the prospects that this may lead to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uM69mwGjq8
Ok, I will admit it cannot be summed up in two sentences. There is a little more involvement to the whole process. If you are interested, make sure you have Windows XP or Vista. Go to your Programs and click on Accessories. You will have either Movie Maker or PhotoStory3 already listed. Some may prefer another program called Photo Gallery, which can be found in your Programs/Windows Live/Photo Gallery. Personally, I find PhotoStory3 the easiest to work with for myself. If you don’t have any of these, just Google which program you would like and then upload it to your computer. Once you have mastered that you are on your way. The rest is simple – just follow the instructions – upload photos- each Program will let you edit your picture once it is uploaded. Next, you can add titles onto each photo (if you wish); thirdly, you can add any song you may have already uploaded onto your Computer. A good program for this is Limelight. If any of you have teenagers, you can bet there are plenty of songs already on your computer. Oh yes, I almost forgot the most important thing, signing up with YouTube (doesn’t cost anything!) – http://www.youtube.com/ Now you are almost ready to start showcasing your work. When your photos are ready to be uploaded to YouTube, make sure you save them in a movie format (on mine, after the title I just have to type .wmv). Now that I have given you a sample of our new marketing techniques on Etsy, along with a little tutorial, the rest is up to you. Good luck and see you on "YouTube."!
****Since submitting this article I have put another video (as of yesterday) of my work onto YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GhFcGZ1tQk
Written by Pamela Baker of http://MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com
Posted by Sara's Texture Crafts
Labels: Craft Business, Craft Tip of the Day, Guest Writer Articles
2 comments:
I'll have to read, when my eyes are adjusted and I wake up. Thanks, I know I'll enjoy it.
Thanks for the info! I have to go play with it now :D
Post a Comment