Welcome to Valley Oak Paper
I design handmade greeting cards.
Affiliate programs
The way affiliate programs work is that if you as a shopper click on an affiliate link, your browser saves a cookie. If you buy anything from the affiliate site within the referral window, the affiliate (blogger) gets a percentage of the sale as commission. The length of the referral window differs from merchant to merchant, but 1-3 months is common.
Getting traction
Said and done, these codes are now live:
TWO20: Buy 2 cards, get 20% off
THREE30: Buy 3 cards, get 30% off
FOUR40: Buy 4 cards, get 40% off
These codes are very generous. I’ll probably adjust them in a month or two.
Update post
The weather is finally getting warmer here in the Bay 😎 Area. I celebrated by going for a swim in the community pool. It’s been such a cold and wet winter, we’re all longing for sunny days. 🏝️
Shop open for business
I’ve opened the shop here on ValleyOakPaper.com. Currently there are three boxes for sale. This is a bit of a soft launch, because I’m still setting things up. But it’s important to get stuff out there well in advance of the holiday season.
Product photos and Etsy ads
There are things I can spend money on that help my shop. Like a remote control for my phone that will make it easier to take video and photos. There’s still so much to learn and improve on the photography front. Like taking good photos and videos of cards with a lot of glitter and sparkle.
Steady as she goes
The next reveal is on Sunday. The theme is “Single layer spring.” It was a bit of a challenge for me because I like my layers.
Blogging out of turn
Usually I post a crafty tutorial on Tuesday or Wednesday. But business is top of mind for several reasons. So I’ll blog while the iron is hot, so to speak.
Defining my niche
Most succesful Etsy shops have a specific niche that they cultivate. It can be a product category such as jewelry or clothing. Some specialize in a material or manufacturing process, like resin. Still others sell a wide range of products but they cultivate a specific audience such as art deco lovers or gamers.
For exposure
I know this headline is going to get some people’s hackles up, but hear me out. In my situation doing things for exposure actually makes sense. My fledgling business needs all the exposure it can get. Everything is a marketing opportunity for me right now.
Packaging dilemma
I added an option to select packaging on one of my fairy cards. Then I ran a survey on social media about it. The results were mixed.
First paycheck! Woot!
When you do research, you always want to start out by casting a wide net.
