Previously, I shared with you some tips on possible email vendors and ways to gain subscribers. I mentioned that you can ask paypal checkout customers if they would like to subscribe to your newsletter. This is how to set it up.

Should You Do This?

In general I would say, “Of course!” But after reading some etsy posts, I have decided to stop doing this. This is because the new etsy checkout system prevents this information from showing in your details section of your paypal transaction. (See below for information on how to retrieve the information.) Because of this, your customer is always asked whether she would like to receive your newsletter. However, you will not know whether she wants to subscribe.

Say you do set this up. You asked the customer (via paypal) if she would like to subscribe to your newsletter. She says yes but you don’t know it because she purchased via etsy. So then, you later send an email and also include another invitation to your newsletter. She may simply ignore the question because she is thinking, “Duh, I already said yes! Why do you keep asking me?”

I sell on several venues but I’ve decided that that the etsy problem is hampering the results of my paypal subscription option so I’ve deactivated this feature.

If you sell on artfire or zibbet, then I highly suggest adding this option to your paypal checkout.

Setting It Up

Go to paypal and log in.

In paypal, click on “Profile”.

Then, if you are in the new profile setup, click on “My Selling Tools”

Then, once you click that, you will find “Custom Payment Pages“. Click on “Update”.

Click on “Options”.

Then, at the bottom you will see “Offer Promotional Emails”. Check mark that.

Finding Your Subscribers

This is the more time consuming part. To find your subscribers, you must click on every payment detail.

Then, while in the details screen, you scroll to the very bottom. If you see “Subscribed (email address)” then you’ve got a winner.

If you don’t see any of this at the bottom, that means the customer did not check mark the subscription box.

There is nothing more annoying than to search through your wallet to find no business cards right in the middle of a great conversation about your hat or necklace that you are wearing. Just this week, I have experienced this three times!

I was at the post office and I had one business card to show the clerk to get my mail so when the customer in line right in front of me commented on my crocheted hat, I had nothhing to give to her – a lost connection!

Then, while waiting for my bf at the hospital, I began speaking with a patient there after she asked what I was doing. What a perfect opportunity to show my business card but!!!! eek….. I had no business card to give as I left them all in the car. What a shame.

Then today, I was at the Tax Collector’s office and the clerk saw my note to visit Modern Mouse (in Alameda, CA) and she asked if I was the owner (I am not but I know the owner). We began talking and she told me she was helping her friend fill out a form to consign his artwork there. So what a perfect person to hand my biz card and again a lost connection.

So, the moral of the story is carry a load of business cards where ever you go as you just never know when you will need them.

So what kind of biz cards should you have and where should you get them? Its all up to you. If you only need a couple and quality is not too important, I suggest purchasing the free cards provided on vistaprint.com . I say purchase because you’ll have to pay shipping and that in its self starts adding up. If you need a 1000 or more I highly suggest gotprint.com as they provide quality cards at a very good price. I purchased 1000 one sided business cards for a total of $25.03 (that includes tax and shipping). The quality was great as well – very thick and sturdy and the colors were brilliant.

I have been trying several different ways to get the word out about Tantalizing Stitches. There is always advertising on websites but why not advertise on your own car? Many large companies do this by placing their brand on their own delivery trucks so why not place your own brand on your car?

I have convinced both my brother and dad to allow me to do this to their car so I have three cars running around the Bay Area with my brand.

I have found that the best price for large car magnets are offered at 123print.com. I purchased four very large magnets (12″x24″) for a total of $46.16 – this includes shipping and tax. And now, I’ve just received an email for 20% off the medium and large size: just use this link – http://www.123print.com/Car-Magnets?redir=EE943A – Its an affiliate link!