- Shopping Cart Abandonment -What causes online shoppers to put things in their cart, only to abandon the cart and not follow through with a purchase? The results of a survey shed some light on the reasons why.
- The Sky’s the Limit -After more than 40 years in the quilting industry, entrepreneur Marti Michell is not slowing down. Trace her remarkable career from an at-home business to the World Wide Web.
- New Year’s Resolution: Clean Up Your Website Marsha Doyenne outlines four broad categories of maintenance and remerchandising to tackle as you freshen up your website for the new year.
- Create an In-Store Pinterest Display -Get creative and trumpet your most popular pins to your in-store customers and give a boost to both your sales and your Pinterest following.
- News: New Rules for Pinterest Promotions /
Foursquare Offers Ads to Local Businesses
- Picture Perfect Profits -Is a picture worth a thousand dollars? It might be if you work Pinterest to your advantage. Here’s how to turn your posts into profits.
- Profiting from Panels – Marsha Doyenne explains how to turn precut panels into impulse buys and shares a range of projects to inspire your customers’ creativity.
- Essential Elements of Effective Emails -We pare down some of the best information about email marketing to give you the essential elements to consider when planning your campaign.
- Using Angles to Add Interest -Garner more attention to your wares on social media with the more eye-catching photos that come from shooting at interesting angles.
- How to Gain Followers on Instagram -You have the photos, so the next step is getting people to see them. Brenda Ratliff outlines five of the most effective ways to increase your Instagram following
- Converting Transactions Into Long-Term Customer Relationships -Marsha Doyenne brainstorms ways to cultivate customer loyalty online.
- Jumping on the Downton Wave- Edwardian England meets Andover Fabrics with a new fabric
collection inspired by the women of Downton Abbey fame. - Instagram Should Be Your New Favorite App -Find out what makes the popular photo-sharing application
the perfect social media service for shopowners. - Simple Lighting Techniques: Exposure
Just a few key pieces of equipment can help you harness the sun to improve your photos. - 5 Ways Shopowners Can Use a Smartphone to Create Engaging Content -If you’re struggling with content ideas for engaging with your customers, you may find just the help you need in your smartphone.
- 4 Facebook Mobile Marketing Tips -Learn how to use your mobile phone and Facebook together for the most effective mobile marketing.
- Social Marketing That’s Funny, Inspirational, and Just Plain Silly
- Understanding Search Algorithms– Tom Henell explains how ever-changing algorithms affect your site’s
appearance in online searches. - Meet the Men: Meet Jason Yenter and Thomas Knauer, male fabric designers in a female-centric industry.
- AppWatch: Knit Handy, Quilt Wizard, DRAWings Snap Apps to encourage creativity in knitting, quilting and machine embroidery.
- Getting Down to Business: Pinterest Get the most from this powerful marketing tool with your business account.
- Trending: St. Louis 16-Patch -Shopowner Steffani K. Burton shares how to make the quilt that is all over Instagram.
- 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.
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.