Things you can do to increase brand/store awareness...
These questions come up periodically, especially on XStreet forums and the SL forums. So I thought I might address them here. Should you announce your new items every time you make something or should you hold back on them and wait to announce a few at a time? Which groups should I send the notice to? How often should I release stuff? What's a good way to get the word out?
So.... Here's what you should do:
Releasing items:
Release an item once a week or at least every other week. If you are prolific and create bunches of stuff then keep your notices and stuff to 1-2x a week. Here's a list of what you should do once you are ready to announce it to the world.
- Announce it in your blog. Get your blog on the Fashion Planet Feed. I don't know how many readers it has, but it's immense and just joining it lets you get a wider audience.
- Announce it in your group - create a notecard with a colorful description of the item(s) listing the items or parts that come with the item, how much it is, what colors are available, whether it's copy/mod or mod/transfer. Include pictures of the item in with the notecard so people can see how beautiful it really is. Include your Land Mark, a SLURL to your store, the URL to your blog and the URL to your XStreet listings for that item.
- Announce it to Fashion Consolidated, Fashion Life, Fashion-R-US and the plethora of other groups out there for this. For those of you who do not do fashion related items - there are groups that you can announce to, just look around and ask around to find them out.
- Announce it in SLUniverse: In the forum, in the SLShopper and in the blog there (you can use that as your blog or RSS feed your blog into that one)
- Put all of the items here on XStreet, announce it in the XStreet forums. Make sure to cross-link your items as well as provide a link to your blog and such (use the BBCode to do this). For an example - here's one of mine: Blue Rose Corset & Panties (BTW, you can use BBCode on SLUniverse too!)
- Announce it in the SL forums under shopping/new products
- Prepare a folder with your items and a notecard with the description and send it to various bloggers. Make sure that you provide images and the URL, Slurl etc in the notecard.
I think that's about it. I'll post another article on which groups are good for what and the "Do's and Dont's" of each group. I'll also cover more about cross-linking and why you should do it etc.
If any of you designers/merchants want more information - feel free to contact me in-world (send a notecard please and make sure to include your name) and I will try and help you out.
Tired of your sculptys showing up as blobs all the time?
Here's a quick fix that I found on the XStreet forums:
1. Show the "Advanced" menu with Ctrl-Alt-D, or Opt-Ctrl-D on a Mac.
2. Select "debug settings" near the bottom.
3. In the blank space, copy and paste the word:
RenderVolumeLODFactor
Thank you Catwise Yoshikawa for posting that. Now I will never have bad looking sculptys (at least to me).
St. Patty's Day Fun...
Right now at SWA's sim we're hosting a little get together. We've got streaming music going and lots of freebies and sales going on all throughout the SIM. Many of the Soigne vendors are participating and have freebies and specials happening all over and ALL green items at SWA are ONLY 25L.
Don't miss out on a chance to get some great things for such a low price! It ends tomorrow!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Soigne/132/124/24
St. Patty's Day Freebies & a chance to win 1500L
I have a few freebies for St. Patricks Day:
Green Leather Vest Set - with gold Laced Camisole this is the same as the other sets but in green!
Siren Sun Dress in green with white shamrocks. Yep - lovely shamrock dress. Two Sweaters to go along with it and a pair of gloves as well as two different sunhats.
Both of these prizes will be in the lucky shamrocks - if you've ever played the lucky chair then you know how this works - The lucky Shamrock will spit out a new shamrock every few minutes with a letter. If your name begins with that letter then you click it and you will get the lovely prize!
GOING Green for only 25L
All Green items at SWA at the main store and on XStreet are now only 25L. This sale will last until March 18th. If you need green items for the upcoming Saint Patricks Day event - then hurry up and get your green on!
SWA on XStreet
Second Wave Apparel @ Soigne
Even the dresses and sets are on sale for this price - so this is a great way to add stuff to your wardrobe!
Here are SOME of the items that are on sale - click on the image and you will be taken directly to that item on XStreet:
Green Zipper Jeans just $L25 on XStreet
Yep! The green zipper jeans are only $L25 on XStreet until March 18th! If your Irish or even if you just love the Irish (doesn't everyone?), then you should get these!
Beautifully detailed zipper jeans on 2 layers (pants and underpants) and sculpted leg attachments - but wait! That isn't all - you get both a silver zipper pair AND a gold zipper pair - so 2 pairs of jeans for such a low amount. And with all of the Saint Patricks day events going on these are perfect!
Click here to go directly to the item on XStreet: SWA..::ZipperedJeans::..Evergreen
Ruffle Top Available on XStreet - Now you can gift!
Heya!
For all of you who don't want to leave your location atm or just like to buy presents - the ruffle top is available on XStreet now. Not all of the colors have been uploaded - but I'm working on it and they should all be available by tomorrow AM.
Although if you prefer - you can always go directly to the store: Second Wave Apparel @ Soigné
Click any of the images below to go to that item on XStreet:
Cute little ruffly frilly top...
Cutest ever top with extra ruffles. So sweet and demure - you'll think you're sixteen again.
The top comes on 3 layers and the jacket layer has the extended portion that will go over your pants - plus the top has both a jacket and a pants layer with just that extention if you are mixing it up with other clothing. Only L$75 and it comes in a plethera of colors and materials.
Second Wave Apparel: Soigné
Hair: Calla - She has a shop at Soigné
Skin: SODA Emma Glow (You can pick it up at the same SIM - Soigné)
Poses: Anna Lutetia
You should treat your files like Jesus does souls..
Save them!
I just recently went through a horrifying ordeal that made me kick myself and oh! I was cursing up a storm. Stupid GIRL! Shoulda, woulda, coulda!
Well - I live in Georgia, and we recently had a snowstorm (yeah I know all you that live in the white crap up North are laughing) which knocked out the power. I was doing stuff on SL at the time and the folder that I was in on my drive just happened to hold the past 2.75 years of SL creations. When I logged in today - the folder wouldn't open. OMG! OMG! OMG! It's gone.. Total depression set in and I just about threw up... You can't imagine the consternations and all the thoughts that went through my head.
But... I am not one to give up. After consulting some of my guru friends (Thanks Simone I owe ya big time) I did recover my files... It was gut wrenching though. Thinking about all the files I've created and how much work I put into them. It isn't even like I would need them absolutely but a few I use frequently and as a base for other items (the jeans, the vest, leather pants) so to loose those would mean I'm back to square one. Yuck. Not that I mind creating things - it's just I'd rather focus on the creative aspect of an item and not necessarily the technical side.
I'm just posting this as a word of warning for all of you who create things. Please, save your files to DVD and/or another drive somewhere. Don't be lame, save.
That's what I'm doing right the heck now... Burning DVDs baby.
