Featured Products and Sales Ending Soon

There are some wonderful new commercial use digital scrapbooking products on sale in the store right now, as well as a few storewide designer sales that will only be going on for a few more days. Here is a round-up of the deals -

What Your Tribe Is and Why You Want One

Last week, I mentioned that the focus of Facebook Fridays and what I am doing on the CUDigitals blog coaching you on tribe building. Today we will learn WHAT that means and WHY it's important.

First, let's look at a few hard truths.

If you are ONLY in this business to vacuum out whatever profits you can without caring about your customers and fans, I think you are missing the boat. If you believe that you only need to create dazzling products, load them in a big store and collect your pay every two weeks then you are probably in a for a disappointment.

These things MAY have been true in the past but they are not now. And I would argue that these ideas would never have been a great way to build a business even if they did work.

When you care about your customers and fans, YOU get additional satisfaction beyond monetary rewards. YOU contribute to the digital scrapbooking community in tangible ways. YOU bless individuals by showing an interest in their lives and their stories. 

THAT is worth spending a little time on each day.
And. It can translate into profits.

LOYALTY matters.
Being REAL matters.
RELATIONSHIPS matter.
YOU matter.
and so does your tribe.

Your tribe is not only your paying customers but everyone who takes the time to get involved with your design business by following your blog, commenting on it, reading your status updates and newsletter, looking at your gallery pages, etc.

This includes people who do nothing but download your freebies.

Not everyone in your tribe buys your products - but they still matter. They matter not only because everyone matters, period, but they matter for your business, too. When they comment and participate and click and share, they help your page engagement and SEO for your blog. (How well you rank on search engines). Many who never buy will still share and influence others to come to your blog, store, page, etc.

I have seen many good designers get very disheartened when they feel like they don't get enough thank you's or comments on freebies. In reality, every one of those visits equals TRAFFIC and that matters for your business even when it does not translate into a sale at that moment.

Besides have really good products, getting noticed and getting traffic are extremely important in this business. 

And you simply need MORE than product previews and sale prices on your blog and social media in order to achieve that. You need something MORE than an announcement about how excited YOU are to have a new kit out. You need something MORE than another sale on the products that didn't sell that well last time around.

I know I'm laying out some hard stuff here, but you need to know this! If you make a small commitment to care about your tribe and contribute to their lives, you have not only become a greater human being (which is certainly a good reason in itself!) but you receive the benefit of knowing you are doing lovely things ... and the sales typically follow, too!

There are many CUDigitals customers who keep coming back and keep opening our newsletters because I have taken the time to do MORE than peddle products. This was also true for me at DigiScrapAddicts and for my personal design business. I built a following NOT just on my products.

You need to do the same. IT WORKS.

It's not a quick fix. Certainly, you can increase your FB page engagement pretty dramatically just by posting more often and posting something USEFUL besides ads. But building a following & taking care of your tribe may take a little more time.

The GREAT NEWS is that it does not take that much more time out of your busy day to implement and is probably much more effective than posting to a bunch of FB ad groups, yahoo groups or other ad outlets.

And don't forget - CUDigitals is here to HELP YOU!!

• On Fridays on this blog, I will post tips and strategies for improving your Facebook presence. Next week, I will show you some great tricks for scheduled posts inside Facebook
• EVERY DAY on the CUDigitals Facebook page, I will provide you with inspiration or content that you can share directly to your page and/or an idea that you can use to create content for your page. 

This content is specially created JUST for digiscrappers. Simply follow our page and watch for ideas to use. It honestly could not be any easier for you.

This week, I encourage you to make a commitment to share on your Fan Page as prompted. 

Let’s have fun building your tribe together!
top image credit: freedigitalphotos.net

Do’s and Don’ts For Cold Calling A Digital Scrapbook Store Owner

Are you looking for an opportunity to sell your digital scrapbook designs in a different store than the one you are currently in? Sometimes a "cold call" to a store owner is in order. But do you know what it takes to get noticed?

As a store owner, I have been approached many times and in many different ways about whether I am taking on new designers. In all honesty, some inquiries are impossible to answer because the person did not even leave their contact info. Sometimes you only have ONE chance to make a good impression so here are some possible do's and don'ts when asking if any designer positions are open.

Most store owners want more than
"Do you take new designers?"

How to up your game:
1. DO the legwork or research to find a store email for the owner. If there is only a contact form on the site, that is a possibility but I would recommend trying to find an email. Some possible methods are

• Contact a designer who is selling there that you already have a relationship with
• Place an order (even a freebie) to see the email that order confirmations come from
• Check the from address on newsletter mailings from the store. Hopefully this is a store that you already LOVE and are connected with.

2. DON'T use Facebook/Twitter messages (public or private) or post blog comments to ask about designer openings. First, they don't always deliver to the store owner.  (The dreaded "other" folder on Facebook) Second, they are a terrible way of communicating. I keep copies of all designer correspondence in my email - I don't want to have to go over to Facebook to track someone or something down

3. DO prepare some samples for the store own to look at. Make it EASY for us to get a look at the quality and originality of your designs. I personally like to see three complete products to make a judgment about whether a designer is a good match. Include links to zip files where the store owner can download and review your products.

4. DON'T provide a coupon code for the owner to grab her choice of products from your store. I personally do not want to go register at a new store and go through the checkout process to have a look at someone's work. The onus is on YOU to show off your favorite work.

5. DO provide links to your entire web presence - each of the stores where you currently sell, all of your social media links and your blog. Many store owners are looking for a designer who is actively involved in contributing to the digital scrapbook community and doing more than just dropping off products and expecting the big money to roll in.

6. DON'T spam every store you can find on the web looking for a new spot to sell. A good fit for a store and designer is a two way street. Make sure you know a little bit about the store by looking at who sells there, the types of products they offer and the types of things they post on their blog, forum, social media, etc. If you specialize in grunge and messy art, don't apply to a store where everything is neat, sweet and coordinated.

7. DO share a little bit about yourself and why you are interested in having a spot in the store. I especially like hearing from designers who KNOW what CUDigitals is about and mention specifics about why they would like to join our team.

8. DON'T hesitate to follow up if you have not heard back in 3-5 business days. Emails DO disappear and end up in spam fodlers. This is a regular part of doing business online and it follows recommended job hunting techniques in the real world: submit your resume and then follow up a few days later to help get noticed.

Here is an example of an email you could send to your dream store.

Dear __________, (find out the owner's name, if possible - or change this to Good Morning etc)
My name is Christine Smith and I sell digital scrapbook kits under the design name KikiLaRoo's Super Scraps. I'm writing today to find out if you have any designer openings at SuperCoolDigiStore.com.  I have been a fan of your site for a while and really appreciate the quality of the kits in your store and the wonderful array of challenges and events in your forum. As an active and motivated designer, I think I could bring a lot to your design team in addition to my products. I have been designing digital downloads since 2009 and especially enjoy teaching new scrappers how to get through their photo backlog by creating simple page designs that are accessible to all skill levels. 

I invite you to review some of my products and have a look at my current stores and blog.
{{add your links here: downloads, stores - YOUR designs ~ not the top of the store, blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, ScrapStacks, galleries ETC }} 

If you have any additional questions about my products or other aspects of my work, I would be happy to discuss them with you.  

I look forward to hearing from you ~ You can reach me at youremail@host.com
Thanks for your time!
Christine Smith

Next, if you are NOT accepted and receive a somewhat generic rejection letter, go ahead and take a BIG leap and reply to that email. I know, this is stressful but getting feedback on your work is a GREAT way to move forward. You may say something like the following - 

Thanks for letting me know you don't have a spot for me. I appreciate your taking the time to look at my designs. Because I am serious about this business, I would really welcome one or two comments on how I could improve my work. I truly value your opinion! Thank you so much~

There have been times when I have had to say no to a designer whose stuff looked INCREDIBLE in previews but had considerable quality issues or even copyright issues. When I explained the issue, they were thankful to get some direction and info about their designs.

If a store owner takes the time to give you feedback (and not all will), really study and think about what was said. They see the sales reports and KNOW what sells. 

---

Would YOU like a fresh pair of eyes to review your work before submission to a new store? Or do you just want to get a feel for where you could improve your designs as well as the marketing aspects of your business?



I am now available to assess your design business with an eye toward increasing your visibility and profitability. I have worked in this industry since 2006 as a profitable designer as well as an established and respected store owner and am available for personal consultations of your designs, store(s) and web presence. I know that profit margins can be thin in this business so my consultation rate is kept extremely low. For a small investment of $29, I will review your stores, 10 of your digital downloads, all your social media, newsletter and your blog. I will provide you with a report of the things you excel at and the areas where you could focus your energy in order to improve. (You do not need to sell CU products in order for me to help you.) I truly love this industry and enjoy seeing others improve and succeed. I believe that better designs and better presentation benefit ALL who participate in this fantastic hobby and business. Let me help you  by giving you specific feedback that you can apply right away to improve your designs and web presence!

If you would like to schedule a consultation, please EMAIL me and I will find a time slot for you. If you are friends with a designer who is getting started or needing feedback, please share this post with her!

Introducing Facebook Fridays

Today marks the day of a new blog series and Facebook focus crafted especially for digital scrapbook designers. If using this social media platform is an ongoing source of confusion or frustration for you, this series will help you unravel some of the mysteries of how and why you want and need a Facebook presence for your business.

Each week, I will share a quick tip for getting the most out of your time investment with Facebook. Each tip will be a simple step for you to take so you can make progress on your page without sacrificing your design time.

Why now?
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of accompanying my husband to the Christian Music Broadcasters annual conference in Orlando. (He is a fundraising consultant for non-commercial Christian radio stations). One of the speakers taught on how to still get GREAT engagement with fans in spite of how the new FB algorithm works. 

It's important to realize that the days where your fan page was primarily a place to get new customers is gone.  If you didn't already know that, read it again. Facebook is for socializing, not marketing. YES, you can market on your page but if that's ALL you're doing then you will not see any results! 
The timing of hearing this talk at the conference was great for me. A few months ago, I decided to see what would happen if I changed the way our page was being used. I stopped posting the articles and tutorials I was collecting from around the web and began compiling them on our blog instead. Our FB page engagement went drastically down. 

After hearing the talk, I started posting interesting "outside" content like I had been doing previously. 
In the first three days, our engagement went up 150%. 

I want to help you bring YOUR engagement up as well. 

Not only is it fun and rewarding to build your tribe but it will lead to better sales as well. Loyalty is significant in this business. So is being human, helpful and accessible.

My purpose in this series is to help YOU connect with your fans and customers on your page. I will be doing that by blogging here on Fridays plus providing tips right on our FB feed every day that will help you build your tribe on your own page. Tribe building will be the primary focus of your Facebook activities.

So! You are invited to join the CUDigitals tribe as I tutor you with content ideas for your own page, helpful articles for marketing & business, tutorials for Photoshop & other program, creativity prompts, modern life tips...and some shout outs to new products & promos in the store. Simply watch our feed every day and you will never be lacking for content ideas to build your own tribe. Over time, you should see that translate into more business.

What's next?
Get started by following CUDigitals on Facebook. If you have already liked us but are not "following" the feed, make sure you are so that you get posts from us in your feed. 
Then, let me know you are getting the posts and using them by liking, commenting and sharing. I am looking forward to seeing who is benefiting from the the prompts. It honestly and truly is my pleasure to help you build your business. Let me know how you're doing and if you have any questions. I will try to answer them or work them into the blog series if needed. 

Let's see what we can do together!

top image credit: freedigitalphotos.net

Blog Updates Coming

While looking through some stuff on Facebook this week, I realized that it was exactly 3½ years ago that CUDigitals.com came into my possession. At the time that former owner Addie Gardner (current owner of coolscrapsdigital.com) gave me the site, there were just a small handful of designers, a working cart and a good domain name.

Receiving this site was actually a very interesting answer to prayer. Just a few weeks prior, our church had announced a capital campaign to raise funds to build a handicapped accessible entrance for our older members to be able to enter the sanctuary without fear of falling or navigating steps. I really wanted to be able to participate in keeping our services open to worshipers of all ages, especially those who had literally built our building decades earlier.

However, with our large family and my husband underemployed, I did not immediately see any way to contribute. I asked God funnel some money THROUGH me in a new way so that we could be a part of the giving.

So when the site became available and was gifted to me, I committed all the profits through the end of the summer to the accessibility project. My contribution was not particularly large but it was so gratifying to be able to put ANYTHING into it.

Many of you have been shopping at CUDigitals since then (and even before). It has been so wonderful to get to know some of you and work with the designers who sell in the store. I really love being able to support creative women in business. I know that each of you has a story to tell - not just through your scrapbook pages but through your designs and through your life. THANKS for let me be a part of that!

I hope you will stay tuned to the blog for some changes coming this week:

• Midweek reading is going on hiatus and the usual Thursday posts with tips, techniques and marketing tips will be done on Wednesdays from now own.
• A new feature, Facebook Fridays will debut in two days.

As before, a weekly update via our newsletter list will go out as usual on Fridays and if you miss opening it, you can get another chance to catch up on the latest on Monday mornings.

Here are ways to connect with CUDigitals

Social Media Links

Newsletter – Sign up HERE
Contact us – Online form HERE.

New BIG Sales at CUDigitals

Looking for a spectacular deal on Commercial Use Digital Scrapbooking tools and supplies. Make sure you check out these designer sales in the store at CUDigitals.com

Featured Products on Sale

There is always a great selection commercial use OK digital scrapbooking tools on special at CUDigitals. New products as well as previously released items are available at a discount in our SPECIALS CATEGORY.
Here are few notable items this week

And don’t miss all the NEW RELEASES available – there are so many useful and delightful items to help you create wonderful digital scrapbooking kits!

Save Your Sanity with Blog Scheduling

Last month, there were two weeks in a row where I was going to be out of town. First was a long weekend camping with only my phone to check email. Next was a 6 day trip to Orlando for a conference and a little vacation the day before and after. I knew I would have Internet there but no extra time to write blog posts. Besides, who wants to write blog posts when they can sit by the pool at a Disney resort? NOT ME.

Even though it meant doubling up on my regular workload a little bit, I took the time to prewrite and schedule my blog posts for both weeks so I could enjoy my time away. This was great peace of mind. I ended up being a LOT busier in Florida than I had anticipated so had I left it until I was there, it would have been very stressful. Also I tend to say and do dumb things early in the morning or late at night so I got to avoid that, too.

As I noted last week, I use Windows Live Writer for blogging and it DOES have the option to set a post date in advance. You can also schedule posts from right inside Blogger or your WordPress admin panel. In addition to planning for a time away from home, here are some other times that you can prewrite and schedule a post.

1. Storewide sales and events such as store anniversaries, parties, National Scrapbooking Day, etc

2. Product releases that are timed with your store release schedule (e.g. every Friday)

3. Blog trains - these are usually a MUST for scheduling since they typically have a certain time when the post must go live

4. Weekly tips, news, articles, etc that you are writing for your fans, such as Tutorial Tuesdays, Freebie Fridays, etc

5. Flash Sales/short sales such as 2 days only, this weekend only, New Year's Day etc.

If you can get ahead of the curve a little bit by writing posts in advance, you can build a little bit of mental margin and wiggle room into your life. This is SO nice when the REST of life happens. If it's new release day and you need a blog post right.now.thank.you.very.much but you end up at Urgent Care with your child, that's just not fun. Marketing and blogging can be hard work for many people, so why not take the pressure off a bit and build in a few days extra just in case something goes wrong?

Once you get in the habit of thinking ahead a bit, you will reap the rewards of reducing stress and leaving room for things to go wrong. It's a no-lose situation!

Do you schedule ahead already or do you think you're going to integrate this into your business? Let me know in the comments, it's always great to hear from you!

Midweek Reading Sept 10

Welcome to this week’s reading picks. I’ve been crawling around the web collecting resources and articles for your digital scrapbooking design business. Let me know what you read or found useful in the comments – I always love hearing from our readers!

SOCIAL MEDIA

How to Use Instagram Hashtags to Expand Your Reach

PHOTOSHOP

Add Depth To Photoshop Shapes

Customizing Your Photoshop Workspace!

Type Tool Tip (scroll down)

PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS

Customize Your Shadows - A Photoshop Elements Tutorial

TECH TIPS

Quick Tip- Sharpen for Web

Changing Folder to Kit Preview on a PC

Free Programs to Manage Work and Life

Last week, I ended my subscription to Photoshop CC (my year was up) and made the decision to not buy PS again at this time, since I am not longer personally designing kits. I’ve been using Photoshop since 2006 so I felt a little strange not having this familiar tool at my disposal! I do need to create graphics for the blog and store so I installed GIMP and was able to quickly get up and running in the interface, which was very similar to the full version of Photoshop. I’ve actually been a big fan of open source software and free online resources for a long time because of what can amount to a huge amount of money being saved. Like many of you, I am working online to add to our family’s budget and have to think about some of the bigger expenditures and whether they make sense in the long run.
Today, I am going to share with you a list of the some of the free programs that have been in my arsenal for a while to manage work, life and everything else.
Blogging platform – Blogger
I know that some folks recommend that you get a self-hosted WordPress blog if you want to be serious about your business, but I have chosen to buck that trend for a couple of reasons. First, I have had 3 WP blogs and they have all been targeted for hacks. Not fun! Second, they need regular maintenance and updates. Third, since Google and Blogger got married awhile ago, the SEO capabilities have gone up since I am also on Google+.  I have never had any issues with hacks on this blog and the number of gadgets and good templates available are very satisfactory. The maintenance is almost 0. Hacking? Never.
Blog Writer – Windows Live Writer
I don’t really love the Blogger interface so I have been using Live Writer since about 2008 or maybe earlier. It makes it so easy to manage images, alt text, links and a lot of other formatting items. It also makes it easy for me to save drafts for multiple blogs. The ability to schedule posts and tag to categories are also part of this program.
Document Creation/Management – Open Office
Open Office has a suite of programs that lets you handle a large array of document needs, replacing MS Office and saving you a few hundred bucks.
Online Document Creation/Management – Google Drive
We became heavier Drive users last year when the kids started collaborating more on school projects and I needed to share more info with designers and staff at DigiScrapAddicts. This is a GREAT place to keep spreadsheets with CT contacts, checklists of items to complete for a kit, etc. because it can be shared with your team and/or accessed from any computer.
Notetaking, Organization – Evernote
I keep all my checklists in Evernote – how to do payroll, daily tasks for the site, blog ideas and a few hundred other items. It has been revolutionary. Evernote can also be used as a to-do list manager – see The Secret Weapon for more information.
Shopping Cart – Zencart
CUDigitals has been on zencart since before I acquired the site in 2011. I also ran my personal store and the redesigned store at DigiScrapAddicts on zen. There are security issues that need to be addressed with this cart and regular maintenance is a MUST but it is a robust cart that I think manages multiple downloads really well.
FTP Manager – FileZilla
This standalone FTP manager has NEVER let me down. It has a simple interface and ability to manage a long list of logins that might be needed for working at multiple sites.
Unzip Manager – 7Zip
This program handles large amounts of unzipping with ease. I especially like being able to dump a whole bunch of downloads into one folder, eliminating all the duplicate previews, TOUs and No Piracy graphics in just a few clicks.
Text Editor – Crimson Editor
This program allows me to open and edit .css and .php files without messing up all the formatting like notepad does. Not something I LOVE doing but every once in a while, I have to do this dreaded job and it’s easier with the right program.
Calendar – Google Calendar
This program keeps me going where I’m supposed to be going. I can share events with my husband and get texts and alarms for any and all appointments. LIFE CHANGING for me to not have to hold all that stuff in my head. If I am away from home, I can check my availability on my phone without having to run home and look at the paper calendar on my fridge.
What about you? What are your favorite free resources? Share in the comments, we love to hear from you!
top image credit: freedigitalphotos.net

Kim Cameron September Sale

Everything by Kim Cameron is on sale at CUDigitals this month (already discounted bundles excluded). Stop by the store to see her amazing collection of themed templates. I am so impressed by Kim’s ability to think up interesting and unusual themes – get your kits noticed by creating unique themes using these templates as a starting point. Kims templates + your creativity = awesome digital scrapbook downloads!

Midweek Reading Sept 3

Fall is here and that usually means school is in session! Even if you do not have students in your home, the learning can and should still continue. Here are some resources I recommend this week -

TECH MANAGEMENT

Download Instagram Photos and Videos to your PC

Monitor Calibration- Is Your Monitor Calibrated?

How To Download Free Fonts & Manage Them In Windows

GOOD TO KNOW

Best Online Photo Print Lab [Test Results]

Scrapbooking Quotes that Glam Up Your Scrapbooking Pages (Great for word art or sharing with your fans and followers!)

LIFE SKILLS

Working From Home for Creatives

How to Manage Idea Overflow

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Scrap and Tubes September Sale

Now through the end of the month, you can enjoy a great discount on all the items at CUDigitals designed by Scrap and Tubes. ZaZa has over 100 different CU digiscrap template sets in her product line and these sale price unbeatable! Be sure to pop over to the store to grab themed templates for all your upcoming design needs!
And don’t miss our recent blog tutorial on adding pizzazz to templates HERE.

Bekah E Designs on Sale Through Sept 7

Bekah has her store on sale right now (bundles excluded). This short duration sale lets you grab some really wonderful CU / Commercial Use digital scrapbooking tools for a great price. Bekah offers over 150 product packs ranging from delicious grungy overlays to carefully extracted realistic embellishments to styles (including color kits and chalkboard styles for Photoshop and PSE).

SHOP NOW at CUDigitals.