'How to' Compose a Tweet

 

Being active as a small business owner of SewDanish on Twitter is a lot of fun, but time consuming. How do you get people (and potential customers) to actually click on your tweets?

It is all too easy to drown and disappear in the massive flow of ever changing tweets.

 The other day Cory from AquarianBath , and a friend of mine from the UniqueWomenInBusiness (UWIB) group, contacted me. In UWIB we, amongst others, cross promote each others businesses on twitter. In a Google doc we collect tweets that we want team members to exchange.  Cory wanted to let me know that the SewDanish tweets, that she schedules on average get around 30 clicks and asked what my ‘secret’ was.

 

For a while, I have been paying close attention to what type of tweets catch my eyes and actually make me click through on a link. In general those tweets are very short, to the point and quite often involve a question. I guess, I get very saturated with lots of words and empty noise.

The way I’m building my business tweets within the 140 characters is:

      ·       a short, sharp punch line
      ·       shop name and possible tag line
      ·       the active link
      ·       #tags
      ·       the twitter @name.

I feel it is very important for branding and trust worthiness alike, to have the shop name written out properly in the tweet. Personally I don't think, that the twitter @name is a strong enough tool for shop branding. The @name is internal twitter lingo. One cannot count on having the shop name in the active link, as most links are automatically being shortened.

Not having your shop name in the tweet, can leave the reader feeling insecure and deciding to skip the tweet all together. I know, that I don’t click unless I’m certain that it is a legit link.

 

I have as well been paying attention  to what #tags are being used on twitter. I think the busier twitter gets, the more people are using the #tags for searching for a like minded audience/customers. In my tweets I have been experimenting with the #tags trying out various combinations. As an added bonus to the clicks, I have gotten new followers, which I directly can trace back to the use of #tags.

 

The missing Aminals :-)

'Animals'.... hmm... that's quite a challenge. 'Animals' is the theme for our monthly blog hop in the 'Unique Women In Business' (UWIB) group. Looked at my shop SewDanish - Scandinavian Textile Art to see if I could find anything remotely resembling animals or animal prints.

I knew that I wouldn't find any. I don't think that I have ever used animals neither as a design source nor as inspiration for a piece of work. Some years ago I made a quilt, and on the finished quilt (which I didn't like particular) I stamped cat paws, as if a cat just had strolled over the quilt 'I was here and left my mark.....' It was actually rather cute and made the quilt slightly more interesting. Unfortunately that quilt is in storage in the US, so I'm not able to show it to you. I like animals and love watching nature programs on the television, but in real life I have little experience with them. Mind you, we have our lovely old, ginger Maine coon cat who just turned 18 years old last month, so that's gotta count for something :-)

On a recent vacation we stopped at the Greek island of Mykonos. Quite a busy and touristic place, but it definitely still had a lot of Greek island charm.

I spend a lovely afternoon by myself wandering the back streets and ally ways of the main town. Took loads of lovely photos of white painted houses with their colorful trims.

In the lazy heat of the afternoon I came across this family of two adult cats and their 4 tiny kittens. They were semi feral and lived in an abandoned shed. They quietly accepted me hanging out with them and I had a lovely time watching them.

Summer Fun Bloghop With SewDanish and Unique Women In Business



Denmark, June 2011

We are now well into July. Amazing how quicky the time flies when one has fun :-)
After lots of travelling (Italy, Turkey, Greece followed by a trip to Denmark) in Juni and July having a wonderful time, I'm now back home in Britain for at least a little while.


Effesus, Turkey, June 2011 

Shortly after returning back home, we went on a hiking trip to Wales with friends. Had the most superb time, and for Wales, we had the most amazing weather. Did about 25 miles up an down the mountains over just about 3 days, so not too shabby.


Wales,  July 2011

Ever since the weather hasn't been all that fantastic. Actually it's been rather cool with a lot of rain. All the rain we didn't get in the spring with the beautiful weather we had for weeks on end has now caught up with us. At least the garden is happy :-)



Back home in GB :-)

 But to be honest I don't mind the iffy weather that much as it gives me more time to stay indoors, catching up on heaps of stuff that has been postponed with me not being home and not feeling guilty about it.


Freshly dyed threads and fabric

What a great feeling to being almost on top of things. Have done a lot of fabric and thread dyeing this past week. I now have this wonderful pile of color piled up on my worktable. Some of the dyed threads will be listed shortly in my little shop SewDanish others will be used in some of the many project that I'm itching to get on with and finish. 
Hope you are all having a lovely summer where every you are and enjoying what ever you are doing. Take care and stay safe.

'Spring' - 2nd UWIB Blog Hop

Welcome to this second blog hop, initiated by the Unique Women In Business group (UWIB). Please enjoy all the lovely 'Spring' posts and blogs.

People often ask me: which is your favorite season? To be quite honest, I'm never able to give a straight forward answer. I simply love all the 4 seasons and their characteristics. Having spend most of my life in Denmark and England, living with four distinct seasons, they simply get in your blood.
Some years ago I spend +3 years in the Middle East. A fantastic time from a cultural point of view, but I did miss my four seasons. There it was hot for 6 month and then slightly less hot the following 6 month. It was actually a rather strange feeling, as it was such a different rhythm to the year. It was lovely not having to wear loads of layers and winter boots, but still.

I find the transition between the seasons very exciting. You start to get small tasters of what is to come. Spotting the first snowdrops in the garden, a slight warmth in the air, the birds singing in the morning etc. Those subtle changes that spring is definitely on its way, are just so wonderful.

My husband and I went the other day for a long hike in beautiful countryside of Suffolk, England. On our way we discovered the first tiny violets and buttercups flowering like small bright dots. When out and about I instinctively look for natures sure signs that the winter is soon to be over. When I grew my mother, sister and I always went out for long walks. One of our favorite past times, were spotting the first wild flowers in the early spring. Very fond memories. The spring photos in this post were taken last week in the Abbey Gardens Bury St. Edmunds where I live. I just love Bury St Edmunds and the Abbey gardens VERY old and colorfull history! 

Unique Women In Business: UWIB Etsy Team Page and UWIB Blog
Participating blogs in this second Unique Women In Business blog hop:
Enjoy your hop :-)

Rita Wetzel       |  RitasCreativeNest.com
Jenn Nolda       |  brynnsbeautifulbows.blogspot.com
Ann Rinkenberger  |   harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com
Robin Koehler       |  nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
Linda Reynolds:     |  bellalindadesigns.net
Audrey Fetterhoff  |  AudreyGardenLady.blogspot.com
Wendy Kelly         |  blog.vintageday.com
Janet Bocciardi      |  honeyfromthebee.com
Linda Stranger       |  capecodjewel.blogspot.com
Karen Terry/McDuffie  |  jmjcreations.blogspot.com
Judy Woodley    |  wellspringcreations.blogspot.com
Trudy Miller       |  mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com
Cory Trusty       |  aquarianbath.blogspot.com
Nancy Pace       |  nancyswildwirejewelry.blogspot.com
Lois Stifel          |  foxygknits.com
Jenn Brockman |  alexshares.com

The color green, 1st UWIB bloghop.

                                    Large green contemporary bowl


In this first blog hop initiated by the Unique Women In Business (UWIB) the chosen theme is 'green'.

At the end of this post you will find a list of clickable links with all the participating blogs as well as links to our blog and Etsy team page. Please join the fun and visit all these lovely blog and remember that comments are much encouraged :-) Enjoy!

Green  is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue. On a color wheel based on traditional color theory the complementary color to green is considered to be red.

                               Woven, green golden basket

The word green is closely related to the Old English verb growan, “to grow”. It is used to describe plants or the ocean. Sometimes it can also describe someone who is inexperienced, jealous, or sick. In the United States of America, green is a slang term for money, among other things.

                                         Keyring handsewn fabric origami

Culturally, green has broad and sometimes contradictory meanings. In some cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth, while in others, it is associated with death, sickness, envy, or the devil. The most common associations, however, are found in its ties to nature.

Green is also associated with regeneration, fertility and rebirth for its connections to nature.

                                    Green flowers and soap                                   

The text above is an exurpt from 'Green' found on Wikipedia.





Hand dyed ribbon

 Links UWIB: Etsy team page and UniqueWomenInBusiness blog

Participatings blogs in this first Unique Women In Business blog hop.
Enjoy your hop :-)
jmjcreations.blogspot.com
nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
bellalindadesigns.net
WellspringCreations.blogspot.com
ritascreativenest.com
AudreyGardenLady.blogspot com
pocketfullofcolors.blogspot.com
harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com
mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com
aquarianbath.blogspot.com
delicateadornments.blogspot.com
nancyswildwirejewelry.blogspot.com
vintageday.com
capecodjewel.blogspot.com

The Etsy Twitter Team, HeartsAndLaserbeams and VintageDay

I recently joined a new team: The Etsy Twitter Team. And what a blast it has been! A couple of weeks ago The Etsy Twitter Team was briefly accepting new members. I have for a while been considering joining another team, so I took a good look at the team blog etsytwitter and did some other research. I really liked what I saw, so I applied and got in. Yeah!
It has been absolutely great. I'm still in the process of adding team members to my twitter, looking at blogs, etsy shops, facebook pages as well as adding the team tag. It will take a while before I have made the round, but I'll get there :-)The very heartfelt welcomes and embracing have been stunning. Thank you all!! You have made me feel very welcome :-)

Like in most teams there are a few requirements, and one of them is a monthly mandatory sign in. At the same time we were asked to twitter the shop above your own. The shop above me was Vintageday a shop with beautiful vintage jewlery. There are so many beautiful pieces in her shop, that is was difficult to choose.

Shortly after I recieved an email from HeartsAndLaserbeams
heartsandlaserbeams , who had signed in below me. She had a great suggestion to do a bit of cross promotion this week, hence this blogpost. Sandwiched in between two lovely shops, I thought that was really neat idea. HeartsAndLaserbeams, is a fun shop with a combination of lighthearted and humorous items, that puts a smile on your face. You will find a selection of lovely drawings from which is was really hard to choose. They are all lovely and again with a slight light hearted edge. The wonderful 'Apples Rock' badge at the top of this post is just one of many designs, that can be found in her shop

UWIB 'THINK SPRING' promotion is here!

A beautiful treasury by Unique Women in Business (UWIB) member Ayca, showing some of the great items to be found during UWIB' THINK SPRING promotion 5th - 8th March. Please use the tag 'uwibspring' when searching on etsy. If you go to our blog UWIB you will find a list of all the participating non-etsy shops. Please check them out :-)
I'm offering free shipping on all items in my UWIB SpringPromotion section in SewDanish. All shipping costs will be refunded asap.

'Unique Women In Business' THINK SPRING event

The Internet business group 'Unique Women In Business'(UWIB )that I belong to, is having an exciting THINK SPRING event from 5th-8th March. Lots of wonderful shops on and of Etsy will be participating in this superb event with special deals, discounts, free shipping etc. I have already had a look on what is being offered during this event. I promise you, there are lots and lots of great deals on handmade items to be had. So this will be a perfect occation to think about presents for upcoming birthdays and other special events, or what about just a something nice for yourself :-) Please go to the UWIB blog for the more details about the event and the entire list of participating non-Etsy shops. On Etsy please use the tag 'uwibspring' when searching for all the great deals and participating shops.

Between the 5th and 8th March I'll be offering free shipping on all items found in my 'UWIB spring promotion' section in my SewDanish shop. All shipping costs are on me and will be refunded ASAP that I receive your order.

Interview with SewDanish

I'm so excited!! I've just recieved a google alert that made me aware of, that I'm /SewDanish , is featured on the lovely Unique Women In Business (UWIB) blog with an interview. If you want a more background about me, my fiber art and shop, please take a look. I hope you'll enjoy it :-) The UWIB blog can be found here. Unique Women In Business

Unique Women In Business #UWIB

You might have seen the occasional twit from me about UWIB, Unique Women In Business. I belong to quite a varied mixture of teams and groups and 'Unique Women In Business' is one of them. It is a great group of about +100 ladies. All the ladies are shop owners, many are on Etsy, but quite a few are not. It is a really nice mixture of shops. I first came across UWIB in the Etsy forum. I did a bit of research and was debating on and off for a while to join or not. One of the few group rules is, that to stay a member, you have to make a purchase from a group member each month. I'm not a huge shopper and didn't really like the thought of being tied down to having to buy something. But after a while I decided to 'take the plunge' and joined. When you join your initial purchase has to be with the one who referred you, after that you can choose any group member you like. To leave the group you just don't make your monthly purchase and you are out. Very simple :-)
But seriously, I'm so pleased that I joined. I have now been a member for about 6 months and I'm enjoying myself tremendiously. I have been building up a nice little collections of ACEOs made by fellow members. It is so much more than just 'spending money' group. Lots and lots of great info, links and support are being shared. If one has a question, you can be certain that somebody knows the answer or can give you a push in the right direction. Some group members are very active in making fantastic treasuries and spotlights, something I yet have to figure out how to do. Looking at my Google Analytic quite a bit of traffic to my shop comes from UWIB's blog and UWIB members blogs. It is such a lovely group of energetic ladies. Erin Keys who is the group moderator is doing a superb job keeping track of it all. You can find the link to UWIB blog and a selection of links to UWIB members shops in the right hand side column of my blog. On Etsy you can also do search on 'UWIB', as members will have tagged their listings. Feel free to contact me if you would like more info on the group. I'll be happy to answer your questions :-)