Since it is mid-month, I was spending a little time looking at some of the listings in my online stores.
For those of you familiar with using eBay as a seller, you're probably familiar with the fact that you can add items you like to your "watchlist" as a way to save them.
This image went viral on Facebook in 2015, being shared 100s of times and garnering 10,000+ likes
Meanwhile if you're more familiar with Etsy, on Etsy you can "favorite" things as a way to save... well... favorite things.
One of the things I've noticed in the course of more than a decade of marketing Alchemy Stones is that they get put on an awful lot of watch lists and an awful lot of favorites!
Viewed in isolation, of course that's a pretty great thing! It means people really like them well enough to actually take some sort of action! And "action" is what's needed to generate sales.
However, the other thought that came to me as I was looking at this batch of new "likes" is the fact that just because you really like something doesn't mean you actually want to buy it or own it. And that particular dilemma seems to be one of the problems I repeatedly run into with my mandala painted stones.
What I do know is that when people say they "really like them" they aren't just being nice and trying to encourage my creativity, they sincerely really like them.
Alas, it has always been quite difficult to translate that positive feedback into actual sales.
Of course, I recognize that this is an issue many artists face, across many different forms of art. Art is — and probably always will be — a tough sell.
And that's one of the unfortunate little issues I am going to be working to resolve during the latter part of this summer and into the fall before we get into the holiday selling season.
I know there's nothing wrong with "the product," and experience tells me that when we go to outside events where potential buyers are face-to-face with the stones, we do quite well. The bridge I have to find a way to cross is how to translate this into online sales, in a world where an ever-increasing percentage of commerce happens online.
Time will tell how well that goes!
Thanks for stopping by! Do leave me a comment if you feel so inspired — interaction and engagement are always welcome!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!
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Thank you for supporting independent art!
2022.08.15 AS-TXT-117/085