It is the season for gift-buying and coming up with something unique for the “creatives” in your family can sometimes be a challenge.  Well, here’s a great new idea for gift giving that will fulfill any artist’s dream – give instructional DVD’s about creating wire jewelry!

Learning is fun for artists especially when he/she can practice hands on.  So, this holiday season, give a learning series of DVD’s filmed in high definition with jewelry expert Dale “Cougar” Armstrong teaching her techniques.  The DVDs, along with the widest range of wire jewelry making supplies and tools, can be found at http://www.wire-sculpture.com.  There are many to choose from including buying an entire series for beginners or for creating many different styles of rings.  Each DVD introduces the artist to materials, patterns, and complete instructions to create various jewelry pieces.

As a stocking stuffer you might also add some wire jewelry supplies or tools that your creative friend or family member will want to get started creating wire jewelry.  You might also call Wire-Sculpture to inquire about recommended products or tools that would complement the learning DVDs.

Magazine subscriptions are always a nice way to introduce a new hobby to someone – consider signing up him or her for one.  Books with pictures and instructions are also a good way to go.

Whether your gift buying is to help someone find a new outlet for their artistic talent or add to an existing collection of wire jewelry supplies, be sure to check out the specials available on the website.  Wire-sculpture.com provides a 100% product satisfaction guarantee or your money back.

Finally, there are pre-packaged kits to buy as well including the materials for making wire wrapped pendants, earrings and/or necklaces.  All the materials and instructions are provided.  Be sure to check to see what tools are also required.  These make great stocking stuffers too!

Happy Holidays!

Buying gifts, especially wire jewelry, during the busy holiday season can be a challenge if you choose to go the retail route, in and out of stores.  It is particularly difficult to find custom pieces “in a store.”  So, why not take your journey to buying online?  This article will help you find the right pieces for your loved ones.

First of all, you need to make your list of whom you are buying for and what they might like.  Ask friends or other family members about your idea to buy a piece or set of jewelry for someone to find out what he/she thinks would be a great piece of jewelry whether it be a ring, necklace, earrings or a matching set!  Ask what their favorite colors are if you don’t know and if they like dainty things or robust?  This will help you narrow down the “look and feel” of the jewelry gift idea.

Next you will want to search online for jewelry “stores,” and maybe not so much a store but a designer of jewelry.  There are many jewelry designers, each with a website on line complete with pictures and pricing.  You can peruse to your heart’s content without interruption or pestering by a salesperson.  Wire jewelry is very popular because of its unique designs and wide range of creative possibility – with almost every piece being custom. So, search for keywords like, “wire jewelry designers,” or “shop for wire jewelry,” etc.

Be sure to search far and wide to see what’s out there and to get a sense of price, quality, and other features.  Compare and contrast and narrow your search to what you believe are the best value closest to what you envision your special one will love.

You can then share your various selections with your key people who are assisting you in finding the right piece(s).  There are often share buttons or you can grab the URL and email it to someone.  They can comment before you make your choice, just in case you are not sure.

Before you buy, check the return or exchange policy.  Don’t forget you can call the designer direct if you have questions.  Most online merchants, at this time of year, will gift wrap your purchase before shipping for free.  Be sure to ask about insurance so that if the item goes missing, you are covered.  Finally, be sure to print a copy of your receipt and hide it so that if your special someone frequents your receipt area, they won’t find it!

Happy Holidays!

When using the Internet as your vehicle to advertise custom wire jewelry that you design and create, you need to find a way to reach customers.  How exactly do you do that?  Well, you first start your outreach utilizing free tools.  After you have exhausted those you then start looking for low cost ways to get more customers.  This article will guide you through the freebies and then lay out some very low cost ways to get found too.

First, you need an attractive, easy-to-use website to refer prospects to, so don’t overlook this valuable asset.  Be sure to “optimize” your website so that the words on the page match with the keywords that define your business.  Name your photos by what they are, not, “pic1, pic2, or pic3″ since the search engines read them too.  After you’ve got a website that will engage and manage sales, you will want to start some advertising campaigns.  As mentioned, you will start with “free” advertising.  Search the web for FREE “jewelry-related” websites where you can list your website, creating a profile about your business and upload pictures.  Sometimes, these websites offer an upgrade for a premium listing.  Before you start paying for them, be sure to research and find the best ones that will help you achieve your goal.

Then after you’ve exhausted your search for places to list your website, set up your Facebook, Twitter and Blog (using WordPress) and apply badges to your website so that people can quickly follow you / become a fan, etc.  Write articles frequently (weekly) and post to your Facebook page daily if possible – Tweet daily as well.

Also, list yourself in Google local maps by going to Google and clicking on the “maps” link.  You will find a link to list your business, following the instructions.  You can also add yourself, under the proper category, into the DMOZ database.  Ask your webmaster to help you add a site map and track your website views by adding Google Analytics to each webpage.  If you don’t know what this means, ask for help from your webmaster.

If you have a budget you can also leverage the power of Google’s AdWords – read more by visiting the advertising link on Google.com.  Facebook ads are as effective, maybe even more.  Go to Facebook and read about their advertising program.  Beyond these then there are the “yellow page” online directories where you might consider a listing.  Each website offers one free listing to each business, so it behooves you to get included. What you are creating when you add your website to other websites across the web are “link-backs” which increase your popularity in search engines, yielding better results when people are looking for wire jewelry you create.

When you advertise, be careful to always use keywords that are directly related to your product.  The keyword “jewelry” is very broad and if you want to attract people broadly and pay for it, then that’s great.  But, if you want to attract people looking for exactly what you sell, narrow your keywords.  For example, if you design and create gemstone rings made with silver wire, then use these keywords in your campaigns.  Your conversion from viewers to buyers will be higher.

Finally, getting “hits” to your website is an effort that is ongoing and requires a commitment on your part.  If you do, you will be rewarded with business selling the wire jewelry pieces you design and create.

You’ve probably been hearing from every direction that you need a blog if you are going to remain competitive in your wire jewelry business.  But you ask, how, where, what?  You are not alone since it is new, directions can sometimes be more technical and hard to grasp and it seems overwhelming to write.  So, this article is to make it really simple to get and use a blog!

Step one is to pick a blog solution (software) that is online and easy to set up.  You also want to pick one that actively optimizes their blog so that YOUR articles show up in search results.  One that I personally like the best is WordPress.  You can do a search in Google right now for the term: “teach kids a new hobby,” and you will find that my blog post in WordPress shows up first!  See why I like it?

So, step one is to open your account by going to:  www.wordpress.com and creating your blog.   Select a name that represents your business.  Be sure to validate your account and then put your username and password in a safe place so you can access your account.

The next step is to click on “new post” so you can submit your first article.  The first piece of information you will enter is the title.  The title is extremely important.  Think about what someone searching will enter as a key word or words.  For example, my title for teaching kids a new hobby did not even have jewelry in it.  You may want to cast a wide net like I did for new readers, but to start, use words that relate directly to your business.  So, if you make “ornate gold wire jewelry” then use those key words in your title.  Some articles you will be broad in your title and yet others will be narrow.  Experiment by doing both and then viewing how many people have read your articles and lean toward the style that attracts the most.

Next you will cut and paste or just type in your article.  You will want to use the keywords you used in your title in your article too.  The key words that are directly related to your business you will want to link back to your website – once or twice.  There is a link tool just above the box where you enter your article – highlight the text and then click on the “chain link” icon.  Enter your web address and best to open it in a separate window so that someone does not leave your blog.

After this you will copy and paste the first paragraph or so in the “excerpt” box.  Finally, you’re ready to assign the keywords and categories to your article.  Create a few different categories such as “special offers,” or possibly types of jewelry pieces.  Don’t forget to add tags related to your jewelry and your business.  This helps the search engines pick you up – based on the keywords entered, the keywords in your article and the keywords in your title.

Now it is time to click the “publish” button and visit the page to view it.  The link to the “visit site” is at the top next to the URL that you selected for your blog name.  That’s all there is to it.  So now that you have clear, easy and concise instructions on how to create a blog – go for it!

Many of you have heard that social networking is a low cost and effective way to connect with people online and hopefully build those relationships to yield sales.  This article is about how to use one of those tools, Facebook, to keep your fans informed and up-to-date with new wire jewelry pieces, specials, or events you will be attending showing off your wares.

First of all, you must create a Facebook account.  If you already have one – that’s great but the next step is to build a “page” in Facebook where you can have “fans” sign up to follow you.  Think of it this way, Facebook friends are personal and Facebook fans are about business.  So, after you have created a personal Facebook account, now it is time to add your business page.

Sometimes it is difficult to actually find how to create a Facebook page.  I find the best way is to click on “pages” and scroll down to find the link to “create a page for my business.”  You will need to name it.  Be careful to include your business name or something very close to your business name since people will more easily identify your posts if you use it.  You’ll also pick your category and create your page.

Remember to add a photo to your page profile that represents your business.  There is the temptation also to create a brand new account in Facebook just for your business, but you’ll find that it’s not best to have 2-3 accounts with friends and fans spanning across all of them.  It is easier to streamline to one.

After you’ve created your page, you will want to post to it daily.  You will also want to put the badge to sign up fans, on your website and in your blog; every where you can.   Give people a reason to follow you as a fan – tell them that they can stay up-to-date with your specials or when you release a new wire jewelry piece or line you can announce it.  Use Facebook to notify all of your fans of anything new including when you post an article to your blog – in fact LINK your blog and Facebook with Twitter.  Doing so increases the buzz about your wire jewelry business.

Finally, you may need to start increasing your fan base by inviting friends, family and other associates to become a fan.  It’s a good thing to get started with several hundred before it grows organically.  Once you have a following you can send updates to your fans easily by sending an email to them – see the sidebar of your pages with all of the options available.  Get your Facebook page today!