I feel so Treasury-ed that I just might have a contest.
I was just looking through my Etsy shops, wondering why my traffic has slowed down so dramatically. Do you suppose it’s because I haven’t made myself a presence on Ravelry? Is it because I checked out from blogging for so long? Left my shops empty? Could it be because I opened a second shop and diverted traffic?
I’m sitting here with several HUGE piles of roving and all this handspun yarn and I’m reluctant to post it to the shops. There’s a cost to just doing that, and if I have no traffic, that’s a cost with no offsetting income. Or am I totally missing it? I don’t know.
But there is something wonderful that happened yesterday, something I found out about this morning: I’ve been included in an Etsy Treasury! Thanks to a kindred rainbow-loving spirit named Erin, my rainbow roving has been tucked into her Treasury alongside lots and lots of gorgeous rainbows. Thanks, Erin! (I should probably note here that this Treasury expires around 3:56am Monday morning, 2/23. No immortality for me. :::sigh:::)
So…I’ve been dragging my feet about the ‘what to do’ here. I’d love it if any of you have suggestions. I realize that my readership is miniscule (but loyal and loving, fortunately for me) but that you all probably have some ideas that I’ve never contemplated. Should I make it a contest? (Let me think about that…it’s possible.) Go ahead…give me your best ideas on how to re-expand my business…it needs to be something I can actually do. If you’ve got any friends who might be more clever than I about these things (not hard to do) let them know that I could use their input as well.
Contest…contest…let me think…contest… Yeah, I could do that. Yarn? Roving? Maybe one of the knitting books I’m destashing? I need to think about a prize…
:::off to think about contest prizes:::
Wait…how about the roving? Huh? Whaddya think?
Perchance2Knit 
hi! I was glad to see a new post from you. I just love your rainbows – I have never heard of an Etsy treasury and I am sorry I missed it.
I am not sure what would be best to get folks over to take a look. I love contests myself just because they are fun, but I am not sure how well they increase readership. I would be happy to post on my blog to encourage people to take a look, but I am pretty sure I don’t have a large readership either. Maybe you could post a message in any Yahoo groups you are in to send people over to see what is going on (this is probably a good use for a contest). I would cheerfully do that for you in any group I am in that allows it and that might have folks who are interested in your yarn (sock groups, lace groups, what ever). Let me know!
You could advertise on Ravlery. The prices are fair. Also are you a member of the Etsy group over there? There is a post for each month where people list that they have updated their shop etc. There is also the Indie Designers/Dyers group and many more you can post on. Are you a member of Facebook? I have found many people there. It does seem to be a slow time that is for sure. I am having a 20% off sale on all my yarns and rovings. I thought that I would of had more sales than I have – especially for the prices – but I think everyone is holding onto their money as much as possible. You could have a sale as well. It could bring more people in.
This is the above mentioned Erin. I just wanted to let you know that not only were you featured in my Treasury but you rainbow roving actually inspired the treasury. I noticed it when you visited my shop earlier in the week and I just *had* to find a way to work it into a Treasury. Lo and behold the Wooly Rainbow Treasury was born. Thanks for making sure beautiful roving that sparked my Treasury creativity!
What about putting ads on Ravelry? I have no idea what it costs, but I know that the ads over there often catch my attention and I click through on many of them. The only reason I don’t buy after seeing a Rav ad is because I have no yarn budget right now.
I personally love you rainbow yarns especially the black rainbow. Have been waiting to catch a skein or two of the white rainbow with just the right amount of color.
We vacation every year in Copper Harbor and I get to stop at all these wonderful shops along the way in the U.P. Do you ever sell your yarn in shops?
Karen from Findlay, OH home of Big Ben of the Steelers!!