I did tell you that consistency is not my strongest quality, didn't I? CafePress, along with all my internet businesses, has been ignored for over a year. As an excuse I must say it has been a busy year with lots of moving, travel, and school. The reality is that it is so much easier to be lazy and spend money rather than to sit down and focus on making money online. I have a string of motivation this week so I think I'll see what I can get done before the motivation ends.
I'm on a YouTube fix right now. It is easier to watch a video and take notes than it is to sit in front of my computer and read articles, at least right now. I'm disappointed in how few videos there are for CafePress tips that I've found but there are a lot of videos about Zazzle, which I think is a similar type of store. I'm assuming that the tips given for one store will work the same for the other store.
Today I'm going to talk about a video I found by Plus Your Business called "How to make a six figure income on Zazzle.com". It was an interview by a Google+ guru interviewing Elke Clark, a lady that left her science career for a creative life and has been selling on Zazzle for ten years, making thousands of dollars a year. She was (as of last year) one of the top 10 sellers on Zazzle and loved her job. The video didn't have a lot of actual tips but it did stress that the more images and products you put up, the more likely you will get a sale and the more passive income you can get. She also stressed that you should do keyword research before putting up your images. Using SEO in titles, tags, and descriptions is very important to getting found. She was also experimenting with the affiliate program the company had then and talked about how charitable Zazzle has been. Frankly, I didn't get a lot of tips from her interview except her passion for what she does. She also published and article on the site that interviewed her and you can read it here. In the article she gives some great tips. Here are some of them:
Consistency is the key so try to post daily. Treat it like a job, not a hobby you do when you have time.
Think about what people want she says that the painting that may not sell as a painting could make an awesome phone case.
Identify a niche that has buyers and you can easily create lots of images but also keep an eye on trends. It may not make a lot of money over years but a fad niche could make a lot of money over one month. Also, don't delete old products. You never know when the fad may come back or someone is feeling nostalgic. Simple images also sell forever. Her example is three early images she used put on a pin, a sticker, and a shirt. It was an image she took at a zoo and added words to through the site. In eight years she made nearly a hundred dollars from those three images but three images put on cards with words added made her nearly $9,000 over three years.
She also recommends that everyone learn to use editing software. There are a lot of cheap software available online but to get stellar images, you need to use the expensive stuff. You can start using the cheap stuff online, but once you start making money, it is highly recommended that you spend money to get the expensive stuff. People are more willing to spend a lot of money on great images than on amateur shots.
She recommends participating in the forums on site. You can stay informed on any changes and make friends with other designers. Artists are great because communities like this one have plenty of success to go around so no one needs to be competitive and secretive.
As she says in her final tip: "Do what you love and you will be successful."
At the bottom of her article is a downloadable PDF on how to start a Zazzle store. It's 28 pages and looks like a pretty simple book that would also translate easily to CafePress tips with chapters like Choose Your Niche and Choose Your Name Wisely and Keep Your Store Active. I recommend her article and her PDF for simple yet effective tips on creating and maintaining an effective virtual store.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Possibly Useful Membership Site
This is an interesting marketing message "3 benefits of CafePress you may not know". It mentions three lesser known benefits (I was rather surprised by then) and then recommends that you buy his video/audio package and/or access to his membership site. It does seem like a lot of good information for not too much money, but I'm trying not to spend money at all right now. I will keep it in mind though (which is why I'm posting about it here). He says that he made one huge mistake and had a 3 day argument with the government where he nearly got fined a lot of money. In his package he says that he explains how other people can avoid that mistake and 12 other mistakes on print-on-demand sites. If you want the quick way to making an income on CafePress and don't mind spending a little money now or monthly, I suggest you check out this site and see if you think this product is worth it. Here's the link:
http://pressfoo.kajabi.com/sp/1368-fe1368
As a reminder, I have not tried this so I can't tell you how well this works or how helpful his product is, only that it sounds helpful.
http://pressfoo.kajabi.com/sp/1368-fe1368
As a reminder, I have not tried this so I can't tell you how well this works or how helpful his product is, only that it sounds helpful.
Monday, March 23, 2015
A Pretty Complete Guide to Success on CafePress
While doing more research, I found this page:
http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/120436.aspx
It is a rather good guide to making an income on CafePress although it does say a lot of the things I already knew. The author mentions that CP has a free newsletter option that can be used to tell your customers about sales and new designs. I had heard that before but had forgotten. A big thing on websites is to build a mailing list from the beginning because customers that bought from a store once are more likely to buy again so a newsletter option is something that should not be ignored.
This article is definitely something you should read before planning your store as it gives you more useful tips on how to get success on CafePress with good details.
http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/120436.aspx
It is a rather good guide to making an income on CafePress although it does say a lot of the things I already knew. The author mentions that CP has a free newsletter option that can be used to tell your customers about sales and new designs. I had heard that before but had forgotten. A big thing on websites is to build a mailing list from the beginning because customers that bought from a store once are more likely to buy again so a newsletter option is something that should not be ignored.
This article is definitely something you should read before planning your store as it gives you more useful tips on how to get success on CafePress with good details.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Tips on Sharing Your Product
Yesterday I mentioned that Zazzle may be a good place to put up designs since it seems to be more artist friendly but gets less traffic which means fewer sales. I searched for tips for Zazzle sellers and found an interesting one here:
http://www.layerform.com/how-to-make-money-on-zazzle/
The writer suggests putting designs on Pinterest and a social media site called Wanelo to get interest in your designs. I'm on Pinterest but what is the other site? Wikepedia says:
" Wanelo (“wah-nee-loh,” from Want, Need, Love) is a digital mall where people can discover and buy products on the internet. The site has over 12 million products posted by users from over 300,000 stores, including both large brands and independent sellers, like those found on Etsy."
Hm, its slogan is "the digital mall on your phone." That has definite potential to market CafePress or Zazzle designs, although most of its users are women. I will have to figure out how to share these designs without getting marked as spam. One tip on social media marketing that I learned was that for every 1 post that is marketing, I should put up 3 posts that are helpful to my followers. I'm not sure how that would translate on a digital mall. I'll have to think about how to integrate this tip into my plan for success on CafePress. Do you have any tips for marketing your store on social media?
http://www.layerform.com/how-to-make-money-on-zazzle/
The writer suggests putting designs on Pinterest and a social media site called Wanelo to get interest in your designs. I'm on Pinterest but what is the other site? Wikepedia says:
" Wanelo (“wah-nee-loh,” from Want, Need, Love) is a digital mall where people can discover and buy products on the internet. The site has over 12 million products posted by users from over 300,000 stores, including both large brands and independent sellers, like those found on Etsy."
Hm, its slogan is "the digital mall on your phone." That has definite potential to market CafePress or Zazzle designs, although most of its users are women. I will have to figure out how to share these designs without getting marked as spam. One tip on social media marketing that I learned was that for every 1 post that is marketing, I should put up 3 posts that are helpful to my followers. I'm not sure how that would translate on a digital mall. I'll have to think about how to integrate this tip into my plan for success on CafePress. Do you have any tips for marketing your store on social media?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Thoughts from The Stock Photo Guy blog
I did more Goggling on success on CafePress and found an interesting post on The stock Photo Guy's blog.
This blog post says what I've noticed. He says that he can't find anyone who's made a living off of CafePress, just a few bucks here and there. He says he made about $800 in a year with only a few hundred hours put into it for designs and marketing. He also says it takes him 2-3 hours to put up each image, which is what I've found true. That isn't even talking about the marketing aspect (I think his main marketing at the time was his blog which as I understand is only half of the marketing recommended to get success on CafePress). Here is his link:
http://blog.johnlund.com/2011/02/can-i-make-money-with-cafepresscom.html
I mention this because of a comment he got which I will copy and paste. Most of the comments agreed with him, or called him an idiot for attempting to make money there to begin with. Here is the interesting one:
Like everything else "You get back what you put into it." That sounds like a lot of work, which this commenter admits, but $650 dollars a month on one store in two years would remove my current debt. But do I have a good concept to market or the time and dedication? That would be awesome if by the end of college I had that income and don't need to market anymore as I go to grad school, but I'm not sure I have the dedication.
Here's another success story from the comments of that same post:
Here's an interesting comment from the end of the comment section:
Okay, I just spent about 3 hours on research today, now I need to focus on actually doing homework and maybe some web-work. I hope this was helpful in finding your own path to success on CafePress.
This blog post says what I've noticed. He says that he can't find anyone who's made a living off of CafePress, just a few bucks here and there. He says he made about $800 in a year with only a few hundred hours put into it for designs and marketing. He also says it takes him 2-3 hours to put up each image, which is what I've found true. That isn't even talking about the marketing aspect (I think his main marketing at the time was his blog which as I understand is only half of the marketing recommended to get success on CafePress). Here is his link:
http://blog.johnlund.com/2011/02/can-i-make-money-with-cafepresscom.html
I mention this because of a comment he got which I will copy and paste. Most of the comments agreed with him, or called him an idiot for attempting to make money there to begin with. Here is the interesting one:
- Cafepress is just like anything else: You get back what you put into it.
I started a Cafepress account 2 years ago and received little return.
Since that time, I have loaded several designs on several different
products. I have also done a lot of homework, such as teaching myself
basic HTML to redesign my website as well as SEO strategies for driving
more traffic to my websites to increase sales. It is true that a $5.00
commission on a t-shirt is not much. However, it can be if you sell 100
or more each month.
This year, I have been receiving consistent commission payments of $650-700 per month. Now, I know I cannot quit my day job, but my 2 Cafepress stores account for $7500-8000 in additional annual income. I have a goal higher than this which I think I can accomplish in the next 1-2 years.
You cannot build a successful store overnight. But, with some time and dedication at a steady pace, almost like running a marathon, the results can be rewarding.
Like everything else "You get back what you put into it." That sounds like a lot of work, which this commenter admits, but $650 dollars a month on one store in two years would remove my current debt. But do I have a good concept to market or the time and dedication? That would be awesome if by the end of college I had that income and don't need to market anymore as I go to grad school, but I'm not sure I have the dedication.
Here's another success story from the comments of that same post:
- Almost 7 years ago I started a CP store. The store grew from $4 per month to $1,100 per month in 2 years.
For what it's worth, we were awarded 'top shopkeeper of the month' 10 times over a 2 year period.
We also had a zazzle store and it paled in comparison to CP sales.
The year CP cut commissions nearly in half 4 years ago, my store went from $1,100 per month and $1,790 on xmas to about $275 per month and $600 on xmas. Since then I have built it back up to about $6000 per year.
To get it back to $1000 per month requires time, 20 hours per month, I'd rather spend doing something else.
Would love to turn my shop over to anyone who wants it - for a price of course.
Just had enough.
Here's an interesting comment from the end of the comment section:
- I have been selling on Cafe Press , I started about 6 months ago
I have done research
My Conclusion is to make $3000.00 a month on Cafe Press you need to upload/design 20 images per day at least 6 days a week for a whole year.
I will let you know how it turns out in 12 months :)
Okay, I just spent about 3 hours on research today, now I need to focus on actually doing homework and maybe some web-work. I hope this was helpful in finding your own path to success on CafePress.
Research with "The Last Straw" shop
What do I do when I need an answer to something? I Google it, like most people in this generation. So I Googled "success of cafepress" and the first site I found was:
http://www.cafepress.com/thelaststraw/1949281
The site seems to be a page on her CafePress shop with a lot of tips. Her shop looks pretty nice. there is a lot of variety and nice "pixel art" as she calls it. Let's see what she says in her list.
(To be fair, she explains these more, I am merely comparing my original thoughts with her headings. If you want more details about her explanations, click the link above. I don't want to copy and paste her page which she created from her experience, just to analyze my store based on her list.)
"Find your niche" At the moment my niche is "Travel" but I know I need to find a more specific niche. But first the research.
"Be Original" Um, They are pictures I took myself, how much more original do I need to be? That is what I thought at first, but obviously I was wrong. I need to figure out how to be more original, whatever that means.
"Add Image Tags" Hmm, let me check...Yep, I have tags, but they are really vague. I should change those when I redo my shop. Research first... And I don't have my shop on Private (which she mentions). She ends this section with a CafePress page to help people understand image tags. That will be helpful.
"Open a Premium Shop" I'm not willing to spend money on something I don't know can pay it's own way so I will wait until my shop is making $5 a month before I shell out the $70 a year. Her other suggestion is to open multiple basic shops and link them. I've been debating that but I need more information on how branded a store should be. (and if I can figure out how to draw or think of good sayings for a shirt)
Next she says to Get a Counter. Here she mentions "marketing and linking and word-of-mouthing" and wanting to know if it works. That seems to be my major problem. What is this "marketing" I hear about? How do I market an online store? As to the counter, I'm hooked up to Google Analytics for my shops and websites. However, she does mention affiliates with other CafePress stores. That might be worth looking into. (once I figure out my audience which is later in my process.)
"Do the Math" She talks about keeping track of monthly income, which I think is a great moral booster and great for tax season. (yes, you should pay taxes on online income, I'm just not sure all the steps.) However, it is not so motivating when it is at 0 all the time, unless it makes you want to raise the number.
Set Goals I am all for setting goals, I have dozens set right now. I'm just horrible at meeting them. At the moment my goal for March (as far as CafePress, or CP as I prefer. I have many other projects between school, blogs, and life) is to map a route to getting a steady income on CafePress then adjust my shop to fit that plan. In April I plan to market and get my first sale. Beyond that will be a steady raise to financial freedom (not all from CP. I figure CP will be just a little extra spending money throughout my life, not a well paid job. I'm not that creative.)
Next she talks about affiliates, both creating your own and linking with other people's designs. Affiliates are people who link to a product and if that product is bought, they get a small percentage. It may be a good way to see what actually works, what people want to buy on CafePress. If you find something your audience may want that someone else has, you can link to it in your shop. Depending on the design, it may not be against intellectual copyrights to create something of your own that would fit that place in the market, or a more specific item to fit your specific niche. Play around with possibilities. I think it could be possible to create a shop of affiliate products but I'd have to check the rules first... She has some links provided. She also recommends creating a blog to drive viewers to the shop. In that case, which is the site I market? The blog or the CafePress shop?
Go to community forums. I agree that forums (on CP or in the designated niche) are great ways to market a shop. I'm just not good at getting involved anywhere. I need to work on this no matter what online income stream I focus on. The most important thing is to make sure your comment is relevant and useful. There is nothing more annoying than when I go on a blog and see a "this post is awesome! come visit my store/site that has nothing to do with your niche!" Yes, I understand backlinks are useful in search engine rankings but it detracts from my blog and informs me that you didn't really read my post. I especially "love" the comments that are put there by programs or robots. They are in broken English and what I can understand has nothing to do with the post it is on. Thank you soo much marketers. Okay: the meaning of the rant is to always be relevant when posting on a forum. Commenting on a travel site when you are selling tabloids probably won't get you as much sales as commenting on a celebrity blog would.
Next she recommends paying attention to CafePress Wire for trends, looking at top ranked shops (which is on my list to do), and to keep trying new things, and to join t-shirt ranking sites. That last part only works for people who have t-shirts to sell, which I don't yet. I need to figure out how to get some as those are more commonly bought online than pillows or huge pictures in frames. decisions, decisions.
Obviously, that isn't a list of everything to do for success. As she points out, new shops mean more competition for her shop but it is a useful list to get me thinking. What do you think of my interpretation of her list? What do you think is necessary for success on CafePress?
http://www.cafepress.com/thelaststraw/1949281
The site seems to be a page on her CafePress shop with a lot of tips. Her shop looks pretty nice. there is a lot of variety and nice "pixel art" as she calls it. Let's see what she says in her list.
(To be fair, she explains these more, I am merely comparing my original thoughts with her headings. If you want more details about her explanations, click the link above. I don't want to copy and paste her page which she created from her experience, just to analyze my store based on her list.)
"Find your niche" At the moment my niche is "Travel" but I know I need to find a more specific niche. But first the research.
"Be Original" Um, They are pictures I took myself, how much more original do I need to be? That is what I thought at first, but obviously I was wrong. I need to figure out how to be more original, whatever that means.
"Add Image Tags" Hmm, let me check...Yep, I have tags, but they are really vague. I should change those when I redo my shop. Research first... And I don't have my shop on Private (which she mentions). She ends this section with a CafePress page to help people understand image tags. That will be helpful.
"Open a Premium Shop" I'm not willing to spend money on something I don't know can pay it's own way so I will wait until my shop is making $5 a month before I shell out the $70 a year. Her other suggestion is to open multiple basic shops and link them. I've been debating that but I need more information on how branded a store should be. (and if I can figure out how to draw or think of good sayings for a shirt)
Next she says to Get a Counter. Here she mentions "marketing and linking and word-of-mouthing" and wanting to know if it works. That seems to be my major problem. What is this "marketing" I hear about? How do I market an online store? As to the counter, I'm hooked up to Google Analytics for my shops and websites. However, she does mention affiliates with other CafePress stores. That might be worth looking into. (once I figure out my audience which is later in my process.)
"Do the Math" She talks about keeping track of monthly income, which I think is a great moral booster and great for tax season. (yes, you should pay taxes on online income, I'm just not sure all the steps.) However, it is not so motivating when it is at 0 all the time, unless it makes you want to raise the number.
Set Goals I am all for setting goals, I have dozens set right now. I'm just horrible at meeting them. At the moment my goal for March (as far as CafePress, or CP as I prefer. I have many other projects between school, blogs, and life) is to map a route to getting a steady income on CafePress then adjust my shop to fit that plan. In April I plan to market and get my first sale. Beyond that will be a steady raise to financial freedom (not all from CP. I figure CP will be just a little extra spending money throughout my life, not a well paid job. I'm not that creative.)
Next she talks about affiliates, both creating your own and linking with other people's designs. Affiliates are people who link to a product and if that product is bought, they get a small percentage. It may be a good way to see what actually works, what people want to buy on CafePress. If you find something your audience may want that someone else has, you can link to it in your shop. Depending on the design, it may not be against intellectual copyrights to create something of your own that would fit that place in the market, or a more specific item to fit your specific niche. Play around with possibilities. I think it could be possible to create a shop of affiliate products but I'd have to check the rules first... She has some links provided. She also recommends creating a blog to drive viewers to the shop. In that case, which is the site I market? The blog or the CafePress shop?
Go to community forums. I agree that forums (on CP or in the designated niche) are great ways to market a shop. I'm just not good at getting involved anywhere. I need to work on this no matter what online income stream I focus on. The most important thing is to make sure your comment is relevant and useful. There is nothing more annoying than when I go on a blog and see a "this post is awesome! come visit my store/site that has nothing to do with your niche!" Yes, I understand backlinks are useful in search engine rankings but it detracts from my blog and informs me that you didn't really read my post. I especially "love" the comments that are put there by programs or robots. They are in broken English and what I can understand has nothing to do with the post it is on. Thank you soo much marketers. Okay: the meaning of the rant is to always be relevant when posting on a forum. Commenting on a travel site when you are selling tabloids probably won't get you as much sales as commenting on a celebrity blog would.
Next she recommends paying attention to CafePress Wire for trends, looking at top ranked shops (which is on my list to do), and to keep trying new things, and to join t-shirt ranking sites. That last part only works for people who have t-shirts to sell, which I don't yet. I need to figure out how to get some as those are more commonly bought online than pillows or huge pictures in frames. decisions, decisions.
Obviously, that isn't a list of everything to do for success. As she points out, new shops mean more competition for her shop but it is a useful list to get me thinking. What do you think of my interpretation of her list? What do you think is necessary for success on CafePress?
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