Sponsor indieBerries: Some sweet things...

image via Pinterest | Original source: Amanda Glass

As you might have read - I recently opened up indieBerries to sponsorship. Since it's the first time that I have done anything like this on the blog - I thought I would share some "sweet things" that some sponsors had to say:

My First "Main Sponsor" was Keri from Midlands Musings. Being the "Main Sponsor" her packaged included her very own solo cartoon blog post. This is what she had to say about her sponsorship experience on indieBerries -

"As the very first sponsor for indieberries, I was a bit of a guinea pig for the lovely Ché Dyer's new Sponsor feature. But I didn't think twice - you simply cannot argue with Che's stats - with 82 000 views a month, it's a no-brainer. She has a large amount of followers and receptive readers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, who are eager to interact and engage with Ché's sponsors. Not only did I get a gorgeous cartoon with my main sponsor position, but a significant number of new readers and followers of my blog. 

The day Ché published my cartoon and sponsor post, I received three times my average page views and about twenty - thirty new followers on my blog's social networks pages. Sponsoring with Ché is an absolute pleasure - she delivers on what she promises and nothing is a hassle for her. She even designed me a lovely blog logo to fit into my sponsor space, because my logo was not the right size. The interaction you receive with Ché's readers is fantastic - they adore her and trust in what she tells them. Which they should - because she really is a lovely, smart and intelligent person. I have already booked my next main sponsor post for April 2014 - that's how much I loved my sponsor experience with Ché, her blog and the indieberries readers."

Another sponsor, Dee from Deecoded - took a medium space Ad Package and had the following to say about her experience:

indieBerries is my favorite blog so when Ché announced that she was accepting sponsors, I signed right up! It's the best thing I ever did for my blog because I got tons of traffic from her! I sponsored around 10 blogs this month and only her site gave me hundreds of page views. I also really loved how she described me and my blog on her sponsor post, she really made people want to check me out. I'm definitely sponsoring her again! 

image via Pinterest | original source: Coco Rocha
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If you're interested in sponsoring indieBerries this month - 

take a look at my sponsors' info page here

Or pop me an email che.strawberries@gmail.com

Subject: Sponsor

__________{in other news}____________
Things are a mad house here for the market on Saturday!
Come say hi if you are in the area -
Details are here!
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His Idea versus Her Idea

We have been married for almost 8 months now... 

Marriage teaches you some stuff.

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In light of this - I would like to do the following blog post dedicated to "His Idea versus Her Idea". You will learn a lot about us.... and you will probably be surprised. lol.

His Idea of doing washing: Let's separate everything into colour spectrums. Like blues together. And reds together. No. No socks, we wash separately. Only with other socks. Actually I just need to wash those two blue shirts so I will just put those two blue shirts in by themselves.
Her Idea of doing washing: OMF. Can't we just whack it all in together, get done with it and do something fun instead? No, let's shove more things in there.

His idea of hanging up clothes: Let's hang our T-shirts up on hangers so that they dry straight and un-wrinkly.
Her idea of hanging up clothes: I'm done with this. Let's do something fun.

His idea of packing clothes away in the cupboard: Let's fold them and put them...
Her idea of packing clothes away in the cupboard: *shove*

His idea of a delicious meal: Something cooked up, at home with a myriad of herbs and spices complementing the natural flavours of the dish.
Her idea of a delicious meal: A restaurant. Any restaurant. Take-Away works too.

His idea of cleaning the house: "I'm just going to get the vacuum cleaner"
Her idea of cleaning the house: "Wow. I've never seen that - where did you find that?"

His idea of good Sunday TV: Football. (only when there is no rugby, obvs)
Her idea of good Sunday TV: Pinterest.

His idea of home decor: South African flag, hanging on a box - which has not been unpacked since moving in.
Her idea of home decor: Washi tape, drawings, pictures, sparkly things, throws, throw pillows, more washi tape, more scatter cushions, cuddly toy-animals.

His idea of good bed-linen: THIS THREAD COUNT IS LIKE A BAJILLION!
Her idea of good bed-linen: Who cares? It's not like I can sleep anyway.

His idea of a classy night in: "Let's get out the wine carafe"
Her idea of a classy night in: "Should we not just save time and drink it straight out the bottle?"

His idea of being thoughtful: Not turning on the light at 5:40 when he wakes up for work. Which leaves him getting ready in pitch blackness. With a flashlight.
Her idea of being thoughtful: Attempting to cook supper - without blowing up the kitchen.

His idea of a night alone: David Attenborough. In 3D.
Her idea of a night alone: Internet. ALL the internet.

His idea of love: her.
Her idea of love: him

So basically then - a perfect match in every sense

indieBerries goes to Market!

Welcome to Tuesday! And a brand new edition of indieBusiness Bites! 

(Initially I had scheduled these "business-type" posts for every second week - but I am finding more and more things to say on this topic of "creative business" - so am thinking of bumping it up to every Tuesday - what say thee to that?)

Anyway - this week I want to talk about markets!

If you have been keeping up with the indieBerries world - you may already know that I am doing my VERY FIRST EVER market this Saturday at Holy Cross Prep School (post code above) from 11h00 - 15h00.

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Since this is my first market, and I'm uber nervous excited - I have done a LOT of reading and research on the topic and there is loads to think about - so I thought I would share a list of some of the things that I have come across that have been useful/beneficial to me. At the end of the post -I will leave a whack of links to some of the cool articles/blogposts that I have drawn this info from.

(You may have seen this via my instagram account or on twitter, but these are a few of the goodies that I will be selling at the market - handmade Christmas gift tags, Christmas cards, packs of kids-colour-in-Christmas cards {below} I actually coloured in the fireplace pic - and I can confirm that colouring in is fun for kids of all ages. Warren's nieces did the snowman and Christmas tree)

(I have a whole bunch of goodies and have tried to keep a good mix of Christmas things versus "non-Christmas" things and also hopefully a range of prices to suit many pockets.)

Some market Tips I have come across that I have found useful:
(bear in mind, that it's my first market on Saturday - and half of these tips may be absolute rubbish - so check back after MARKET DAY 23 NOV to find out what REALLY worked.)

1. Make something in your market stall "snap-able". It's the perfect opportunity for you to use the marketing/advertising power of people passing by - who may upload pretty pictures of your stall to their social media networks. If you make a little section of your display super "picture-worthy" make sure you include somewhere in the background a clear image of your company name/logo/web address.
2. Include Press clippings. The indieBerries blog has been featured in numerous magazines and publications. I have read that it's a good idea to print out some of these, if you have, to display at your stand - it not only creates credibility, but also a great talking point.
3. Use it as an opportunity for great market research. I have mentioned to The Warr, on a few occasions that one of the things that I am most looking forward to about having a stand at a market is to be able to gauge people's reactions to what I have created. Noticing what they are looking at, what they are drawn and what is most loved. Having a blog only gets you a very small fraction of feedback on creative work because not everyone leaves comments and posts are very easily lost in the internet archives.
   The Etsy blog has a great printout for you to collect "market research" while you are selling your goodies.
4. Cross promotion. This is my own little two cents of wisdom - the items and creative goods that I have ready for the market are only a small portion of what I can do and the services that I can offer. As a result, I have decided to have a little section of my stand dedicated to "other shizz I can do, yo" (I probably won't label it like that, but you get the idea). I have decided to make a pin board of "portfolio type pieces" including illustrations, wedding stationery, logo work and other "stuff" that I can display as sample of what I can create. A passer-by may not be in the market for Christmas gift tags - but they may have a niece/sister/cousin who is looking for illustrated wedding stationery - and by having my work displayed (right next to the press clippings of awesomeness) - there is an opportunity for collaboration. {Similarly to this, le husband imports Nguni Hides to London and I have asked him for one as a "table cloth" - because it might be just the thing that someone is after, you never know!}
5. Encourage interaction and people engagement. I don't want to give away all my SURPRISES but I want to create a booth that encourages audience engagement and interaction. I have always found that people need a reason to approach or engage and I have a few ideas to help make it a fun and friendly booth - stay tuned!
6. Newsletter Sign Up. One of the things that I keep reading about is the importance of engaging with your "new" customers soon after the event - you will still be fresh in their minds and you could offer them discounts for having signed up to hear your news. I am thinking of doing a giveaway for my newsletter sign up - because everyone loves a chance at a freebie! A market is a great way to build up your customer community - especially if you are engaging, friendly and interested in them! (Ain't nobody gonna sign up for a newsletter from grouch-ville)

That's all I have for now! I will be bringing you more tips (pricing/inventory/payments/packaging) once I have done my first market and I can let you know how it REALLY went down.

(Greatest Fear: Only Warren and his sister buyin' mah shizz. Then I get all my own stuff gifted back to me at Christmas. That's pretty awkward.)

Below: a few other goodies that will be for sale on Saturday!

A few useful articles:

• How to translate in-person events into online sales

• What to bring to a craft fair

• Booth Inspiration from the indie craft parade

• Market Stand display tips and ideas
• Vendor Tips via Renegade Craft Fair: what to keep in your booth

Our house is SUPER NEAT AND TIDY.

Husband LOVES having to squirrel around until he can find a place to sit.

___________________{in other news} ____________________

Today we say goodbye to our main sponsor Moss Letter Company - (boo hoo! I have loved our naked frolicks in the wilderness), but we welcome an equally wilderness-lovin' lass - Little Outdoor Kylie on board! You will be hearing more about this month's sponsors soon!

In the meantime - you can check out the gratitude series that Kim is running on her blog, some delicious Christmas snack ideas on Berry Diaries and the art of vajazzling on Little Miss Medic)

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PS. I have already had a Doodle book order and a request for some card prices and pics from some awesome indieBerries readers (and they aren't even online anywhere!) - thanks for all the support y'all! It seems I can't get things done fast enough to reply to all your good cheer! 

Muchos MUCHOS Gracias! If you can, come say hi on Saturday!

[cartoon] why we should probably never pro-create.

 

Wasabi peas - you know exactly the kind I'm talking about  - (this kind if you are wondering) the burning hot delicious-in-your-face-kind. ie: 

We LOVE that kind.  

anyway I digress.
There we where eating Wasabi peas on the couch when....

WE ARE SO AWESOME!!!!

We should probably never pro-create.

*the end.