back issues

 Issue 09 – March 2013

• Face to Face: Melissa Stramel (Lilac Lane Patterns) and Heather Jones (Olive & Ollie)
• Advertising with Facebook Offers: Todd Gibson explains the potential for positive ROI, low-cost and simplicity of this new form of online advertising. 
• Increasing Traffic to Your Website: Marsha Doyenne (Fabric Essentials) shares ideas on spreading your customer-gathering web both online and off. 
• App Watch: FootBook, FabricU, American Folk Art, and Aurifil smartphone apps
• Crimson Tate: Interview with Heather Givans, owner and personality behind the Indianapolis quilt shop, Crimson Tate.
• Angela Walters: Meet the talented and busy longarm quilter, designer, author and teacher. 
• Introduction to Paid Search: Tom Henell explains the perks of paid search results, in addition to search engine optimization.
• Release Me!: PR Consultant Jaime Guthals shares tips on writing and sharing your shop’s news with the media. 
• Just What the Doctor Ordered: Brett Myers takes some of the mystery out of using Google Analytics. 
• Achieving More Accurate Color with White Balance: Learn to find the right balance for true crisp colors in your product photos.
• Think Like  A Shopper: Take a different perspective on your shop and increase your shoppers’ confidence.
• Shopping Cart: A sampling of fabrics, books and more with Pantone’s Color of the Year: Emerald. 

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Issue 08 – January 2013

• Face to Face: Liesl Gibson (Oliver + S) and Sarai Mitnick (Colette Patterns)
• Lessons Learned: Three shopowners share their experiences with customer service, social media, and retailing online. 
• Increasing Your Online Value: Marsha Doyenne explains how to increase the value of your shop to customers on your website and increase sales 
• The Dos and Don’ts of DIY SEO: Tom Henell gives examples of what you should (and shouldn’t) do to increase your page ranks. 
• Sew Sisters: An interview with Judy Baldwin of Sew Sisters  about their Canadian blogathon. 
• Business Building with Blog Tours: Add traffic and sales to your site by participating in blog tours. 
• Meet the Designer — Kim Christopherson: Owner and founder of Kimberbell Designs creates cute designs with marketing savvy.
• Video, Pinterest and You: Monica Lee explains how to market your business on Pinterest 
• Shedding Light on Exposure: Melissa Burt shares the fundamentals of photography
• Shopping Cart:  A sampling of products to get your and your customers organized
• AppWatch: Astrid, Listary, Any.Do apps for your smartphone 
   

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Issue 07 – November 2012

• Face to Face: Rachel Low (Pins & Needles NYC) and Keli Faw (Drygoods Design)
  
  

  Issue 07 - November 2012

• Reputation is Everything! How to protect and nurture your business’ reputation
• New Kids on the Quilt Block: Blend Fabrics, Dear Stella Design and Frond Studios all celebrate one year anniversaries
• Lessons Learned: Six new shop owners share their experiences after one year of online and storefront retailing
• The West Seattle Fabric Company: Profile of a Seattle shopowner who uses Facebook to drive foot traffic
• Meet the Teacher — Katie Pedersen: One modern quilt designer’s approach to teaching designing, and collaborating
• Selecting Keywords for your Website: Learn how to increase your search engine performance through keywords
• Building Business with Twitter: Melanie O’Brien shares when and how to use Twitter to build relationships with your customers
• Investing in Your Shop’s Photos: Learn what kind of equipment you need to improve your shop’s photos in the digital age
• Copyright Law 101: Attorney Ashely Dobbs leads us through the murky waters of copyright law for online retailers
• Increase Your Marketing Power with YouTube: How YouTube videos can lead to email newsletter sign-ups
• Shopping Cart: That’s a first! First books, fabric collections, and tools. 

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Issue 06 – September 2012

• Face to Face: Marsha Cowan (Bernina Sewing and Design and Terry Skrabanek, Lone Star Quiltworks) 
• Dear Stealla: I have 2000 business cards printed , now what? 
• Meet the Designer — Laurie Wisbrun: Find out how Laurie founds herself as a fabric designer after 20 years in the business world. 
• Social Merchandising: Learn how to use social media in merchandising on your website and increase sales.
• AppWatch: Flickr, Over and WordPress
• Quilt Expressions: Interview with Karen Hanson, owner of Quilt Expressions in Boise, Idaho. 
• It’s About the Marketing & Selling: The Four Ps of marketing: Price, Product, Place and Promotion.
• Tone Up Your Newsletter: Monica Lee shares tips for building your email newsletter lists.
• 10 Subject Lines that Will Get Your Newsletter Read: Write to encourage readers to open and read. 
• Tools for Blogging: Ways to find the time to create and maintain an engaging blog. 
• Five Tips for Maximizing Your Search Engine Optimization: Learn how to manage your SEO Strategy .
• Benefits & Cost of PayPal: Compare benefits and costs of accepting PayPal for online purchases.
• A Matter of Time: Infographic featuring time management with technology.

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Issue 05 – July 2012

• Dear Stella: How do I brand on a budget?
• Face to Face: Kelly Jackson (I Have A Notion) and Dawn Farrier (The Creation Station)
• Panning for Gold Online: Marsha Doyenne explains why and how to cross-merchandise your online shop
• Making Strangers into Customers: Monica Lee shares tips on building your email newsletter list
• Suppose Quilt Boutique: Interview with co-owner Jo Thomas about what makes Suppose Quilt Boutique stand out
• Facebook Adds Apps: Pages Manager, Camera and Admin Roles
• Social Local Mobile Stats on the mobile phones-to-customer connection
• Credit Card Payments on the Go: Popular mobile credit card readers explained
• 2012 Online Shopper Survey for Quilters: Who is spending where and on what? 
• Getting Found on Yelp and Google+: How to put these local search engines to get new customers in your doors
• AppWatch: 1Password, Dragon Dictation, FedEx Mobile, and UPS Mobile

Issue 5 is sold out.

Issue 04 – May 2012

• Dear Stella: How can I get people to connect with us on social media?
• Face to Face: Nancy Mahoney and Kat Southern (StudioKat Designs)
• Panning for Gold Online: Marsha Doyenne takes a look at website merchandising
• Taking the No-Sew Route to Customers: Monica Lee shares ideas on expanding your customer base beyond quilters and sewist and into the crafters’ world
• Meet the Designer–Patty Young: Interview with the effervescent Patty Young about her path, her patterns, her designs and where she’s headed next
• Embracing Technology with The Quilt Patch: Interview with Kathy Seal, owner of The Quilt Patch about her new-found loves: the iPhone and social media
• On Your Mark: Learn how to watermark images so customers can find you
• The Power of Pinning: Using Pinterest to bring visitors and customers to your site
• Online Quilt Learning: Pepper Cory explains how quilting lessons can help, not hinder, your sales
• Mobile Customers are Different: Interacting with mobile customers takes a different slant
• AppWatch: Evernote, Snapfish, Super8

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Issue 03 – March 2012

• Dear Stella: Is there a trick to getting my business to stick in customers’ minds?
• Face to Face: Barbara Jones (QuiltSoup) and Ellen Medlock (Ellen Medlock Studio)
• Panning for Gold Online: The importance of product name and image consistency
• Google’s 60+ Policies Become One: What it means when they merge
• Building an Online Community with Sew,Mama,Sew!: Interview with Kristin Link about the community she’s built via her blog and social media for her Sew,Mama,Sew! shop
• 5 Mistakes to Never Make: Monica Lee shares some common goofs in blogging and ways to avoid them on yours
• Show and Tell: Using videos to reach customers
• 10 Tips to Improve Your Newsletter: Quiltropolis shares ideas to increase newsletter response
• AppWatch: Instagram

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Issue 02 – January 2012

• Dear Stella: Is the market already saturated?
• Old School vs. High Tech: Group coupons win out in the marketing battle
• Mobile Marketing: Tips for getting your e-newsletter mobile ready
• The Anatomy of the Perfect Mobile Email: Ten Things to keep in mind
• Putting the Social in Social Media: Blogging for creativity, networking and sales
• Are You on Pinterest? Here’s how Pinterest works and why you need it
• Google+ Now for Businesses: Social media with SEO rewards
• Connecting with Customers on Strawberry Patches‘ Blog
• Panning for Gold Online: Turn old inventory into cash using vendor archives
• Free eCommerce Software Explained: Comparing free shopping cart software
• PCI Compliance: Small businesses facing increased scrutiny
• AppWatch: Slice, Block Fab, Checker Mobile, Fabric Stash, Quilting Calculator

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Issue 01 – November 2011

• The Basics: Getting your website up and running
• 5 Questions to Ask When Buying Web Services: Be prepared to make the right choice
• Adding e-Commerce to Your Site: How the addition can make a real difference in your sales
• Convert Abandoned Carts to Sales: Why shoppers abandon their carts and how to avoid it
• Set Up an Email Newsletter: E-Newsletters are a must-have marketing tool
• Boost Your Sales with Smart Data: How Web analytics programs identify the design elements that lead to the decision to buy
• Getting Creative with QR Codes: Using QR codes creatively to drive business
• Principles of Writing for the Web: Keep these in mind when writing for an online audience
• Come Out on Top with Google: Why Search Engine Optimization is as important as ever
• Buy the Book: HTML 5 and CSS, Enchantment, Social Boom, The Social Media Bible, and Websites for Quilters.

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