Prim Talk Radio Show #80

This Week's Show Contents:

• 
  

  Angie Owner of Heartland Graphics I will be sharing a great Thanksgiving Recipe and also a segment on how to draw quality traffic to your site.

  
  


• 
  

  Michelle Lammers from Scrappin with Army Wives talks about how you can involve your kids to help you out with your crafting business

  
  


• 
  

  Linda Pinda from Linda Pinda Designs Linda is sick this week and will be back next week

  
  


• 
  

  Heather from Cotton Pickin Prims is here to talk about how she lost weight due to a New Year's Resolution and and how she plans on losing more!

  
  


• 
  

  Michele from
  Briar Patch Prim is here to tell you how to make dried fruit

Visit our site at www.primtalkradio.com to listen to our latest show

How to get your kids to help on your crafting business by Michelle Lammers

Greetings and welcome to my segment this week. Last week I took a break from doing a segment. I had
to get ready for a big craft fair on Saturday. To say the least I was thankful that I had plenty of
goodies for the customers to buy. Since I did the craft fair I thought that I would talk about how we
can have our children help us out when possible.

All three of my children seem to be very helpful children when it comes to certain things. They like to
help me get the truck loaded, which can be like a jigsaw puzzle. Once the truck is loaded, we can get
moving towards the craft fair. I have found that if I can set up the night before it makes a great
difference, I am not rushed the morning of the craft fair. Once we get to where we can set up. The
kids can be very helpful in helping unload the truck. I have a couple of heavier pieces that I need help
both setting up and taking down.

Now that the vehicle is all unloaded it is time to set up. You can give the children small tasks that they
will be able to accomplish without to much fuss. One of the things I have found that my youngest can
do without problems is my ornie tree. I have a very simple post that has pegs that can have the ornies
put on it. After putting the ornies on this, they can help put some extra ornies on a small primitive tree.
I have found that this works in my area as it shows what the ornies look like on a tree but you don’t have
to carry a large tree and set it up.

After that simple task is done, they are great to hand you things that you need. I have found that the
more that you include the children with the process of doing craft fairs, the more understanding they
are. Now that you have finished your set up of the booth, then it is time to go home and rest for a few
hours until the next morning. I usually like to have one of my children help me at the craft fair. I don’t
take my youngest as she can be a handful and talks about silly things to the customers. But the older
ones can be great helpers for you. If there is a small break they can sit with the booth while you run to
the bathroom or to get something to eat.

Once the fair is over my children are great helpers on getting things packed and loaded into the truck.
This is just another aspect of the craft fairs that they can learn about. I find that it is important that
I make sure that I load things back the way I had time before. That way if I need something I can
find it without issues.

So now that the vehicle is loaded and we are on our way back home it is a great time to ask them how
they thought it went. Mine always like to know how it went, so we talk about it. This is a great way for
them to see what the customers were buying. We even come up with new ideas for the next time. Some
craft fairs are better then others, so this helps the children understand why we can be frustrated.
Sometimes it feels that if we work hard and can’t sell much. Then there are the other times that it
works out great and we do well at the craft fairs. Having your children see both ways helps them
understand that it is a hard venture, but can be a rather rewarding one in the end.

I realize that not everyone will want to include their children in the process of the craft fair set up on
take down. But I would recommend at least giving it a try once to see if it works for you and your
children. They may get an eye opener and understand what we go through durning craft fair season.

Thanks for listening to my segment this week and I hope that you have a great week. If you have any
comments about this or a past segment please feel free to stop by my site and send me an email. Visit
at www.scrappinwitharmywife.com Happy Crafting and Craft Fairs!

Prim Talk Radio Show #66

Today’s Show:

• 
  Angie
  host of
  
  
  
  Heartland Graphics
  
  will be sharing a segment on how to sell on Ebay for the Holiday Season this
  is Part 2


• 
  We have a Featured Crafter Interview
  today with Michele from
  
  Holly Tree Primitives we encourage you to
  click on her banner below and visit her great NEW site today!


• 
  
  Michelle Lammers
  
  from
  
  Scrappin with Army Wife
  
  talks trying to find time to spend with
  your kids, some alone time for yourself and some alone time with your husband.


• 
  
  Mary
  Jo Elliott our newest staff member from
  
  
  Fine Country Living Primitives
  
  talks to you using Pip Berry Vines and Wreaths in your prim decorating, she
  also has a wonderful summertime recipe she will be sharing with everyone!


• 
  
  Heather our newest staff member from
  Cotton
  Pickin Prims is here talk to us about getting your booth ready for
  the upcoming Fall Craft Shows


• 
  
  Grab
  our
  Advertising Special 6 months
  
  of Front Page advertising plus mention on every show for 50% off normal prices
  the total is only $50 for six months!
  
  Click here to order!

Click below to listen to our show
OR
Click here to visit our site

Prim Talk Radio Show #61 Friday June 15th

Today’s Show:

Debbie from
Two Old Crows talks about Painting Wicker
Furniture

Angie host of Prim Talk Radio will be sharing tips
of creating a Basket of Roses
from
Primitive Times Magazine from Neenee which can be found on 10 and 11 of
our June Issue and also "How to Make Primitive Signs"

Michelle Lammers from
Scrappin with Army Wife
talks about how to keep your kids busy during
the summer

Lauren from
North Country Essentuals

does not have a segment this week

Aurelia Williams our
Personal Development Coach is back with
great tips On to create a Meal Plan and To Do Lists

Renae from
Prim Clipper is back to some quick Father's
Day Craft Ideas

Carmen from
Carmens Country Candles is will be back
next week with her segment

Our newest intern is Victoria my daughter she will sharing a Father's
Day Craft Ideas called "Daddy's Little Girl Frame"
Click here to visit our site

Click here to listen to our show

Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs!

BLOGS, BLOGS, AND MORE BLOGS!

Have any of you noticed how many blogs there are now for individuals, crafters, small business, corporations, etc.?

Everyday when I'm listening to the news I hear someone say, "Just go to so and so's blog at....." And, I love hearing that!

That tells me that blogs have become more and more commonplace as tools for individuals and families to stay in touch, as tools for small businesses and their customers, as tools for the news media, as selling tools, and as tools for mainstream businesses. Everyone and their brother has a blog and I think it's FABULOUS!

What I also love is how many crafting bloggers there are out there. And, most are around my age - which I also think is FABULOUS! WAY TO GO BABY BOOMERS!

If you key the word blog into Google you'll get 1,030,000,000 results. That's a LOT OF BLOGS.

There's a reason why blogs have been increasing in popularity exponentially over the past few years and it's because they are FREE, they are easy to use, they are extremely easy to update, and they are highly personal - which most customers LOVE. If you were to apply the reality TV versus regular TV analogy to blogs and websites you'd understand why reality TV and blogs are so popular. They are both highly personal and both involve people interacting with each other.

Plus, they can and do function for some bloggers as very professional websites. You can have your own domain name and you can use a shopping cart. In fact, I'd say that there isn't much you can't do with a blog. There is a way to do just about anything you want to. That makes blogs much more versatile than a website as they are much more flexible. And, they are a LOT easier to change and update.

The Internet is ever changing and to be in business on the Internet you need to be fluid and ever changing. That means utilizing what's popular with users and customers. BLOGS are extremely popular and easily adaptable to any kind of commerce, especially e-commerce and e-products.

I, personally, love shopping with someone who has a personal or small business blog. I love the feeling of getting to know the person I'm buying from. I don't know if you feel the same way, too, but I always feel more comfortable buying from someone who has taken the time to tell me something about their product(s) and their life or business. By doing so they make me feel feel more comfortable doing business with them. And, that's what writing blogs for small businesses does. Hopefully, if the blog reader is comfortable with the blog owner they will buy their product.

If they do that's FABULOUS! Bring on the blogs. The more the merrier!


Copyright © 2007 - All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals, Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns, and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer. http://lindawalshoriginals.com

Raising Your Family and Your Home Business

Being a working Mom is a tough job, trying to juggle your home life with your work life can be like juggling at times. When you start to feel like you just do not have enough hours in the day to devote to everyone and everything, what do you do?

With a little organizing and time management, you can have that family time that you are struggling to achieve and still have time to keep your business running smoothly. A great key to running your online business is to involve your family in helping run your business. For example your children could help you package boxes, or help you seal envelopes or help you shop for supplies, this allows them to feel important and also gives you extra quality time with your children.

The most important thing to remember while juggling your home life and business life, is you took your online job or business in order to spend more time with your family. As hard as it may be at times to peel yourself away from that computer, your family also need and deserve your attention.

One of the tricks I have used in my household is while my children are in the showers in the morning and getting ready for school I will check my email, for pending orders or questions from customers. After my children are downstairs my time is theirs until they head off to school to catch up on important things they may be doing in school that day, or things going on in their personal life.

Once they are out the door I divide my time from 8:00 am between working on the computers and still getting in that occasional load of laundry or dishes in the sink. You know us mothers always multi tasking lol Next I will stop for a brief lunch and relax with some TV or reading, then I am back to the computer from 1:00 pm till the kiddos come home from school, from the time my children walk in the door until they head off to bed I try very hard not to get on my computer at all. This is family time, time for me to catch up on things happening in school and their lives, and time to catch up with my husband. This is not to say there are not the occasional nights when I am so behind that I have to work on the computer but I always try to wait until they are in bed, then I can get in another two hours or so of work.

Try to keep things in your home running smoothly with a schedule, such as dinner will be served each night between 6-6:30 pm so the children and family are in a routine. Make sure to schedule time to include your daily chores that need to be done in with your work schedule or before you know it you have 10 piles of laundry waiting for you and dust bunnies over running your home.

By including your children in your new online venture and by also allowing them the time they need, your life at home should be a smooth sailing. The key to working from home and balancing a family is to make sure your family comes first, your email will still be there waiting for you in the morning, and if most of your customers will understand and respect you for putting your family first.

Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved - Article Written By Angela
Wenke of Heartland Marketplace
and Heartland Graphics.

Primitive Times Magazine

Are You Providing Good Customer Service? By Angie Wenke

As with any company or business you are trying to run and be successful at, Good Customer Service is the key to your success. As any new small business owner who is starting out on the internet knows, creating your website and search engine submission is a key role in your success, equally important is how you treat your incoming customers. So the question is you giving your customers the best possible Customer Service?

So often I have ordered from sites that offer handmade products had to wait and extremely long time for my order, with little to no communication from the owner on where my order was. With most Primitive and Country sites you offer handmade products such as handmade dolls, or hand poured candles or ornies or Country signs. All of these take time to create and a lot of them are custom made to your customer, be sure on your site you let your customers know an approximate order time.
To finish this article please stop by our Site and download the NEW issue of Primitive Times Magazine FOR FREE

Primitive Times Magazine

More Website Promotion Tips:

In the past two issues of Primitive Times, we have discussed some ways to promote your craft website without spending any money. You will increase your website traffic using the free methods of website promotion discussed in previous articles. However, to increase your likelihood of success, you will also want to invest in some paid advertising. Unfortunately, a tried and true fact of business is that you do have to spend money to make money. Since most crafters are working on a budget, it is very important to spend advertising dollars wisely.

To finish this article please stop by our Site and download the NEW issue of Primitive Times Magazine FOR FREE

Primitive Times Magazine

From Words To Riches - Using Content To Generate Traffic And Convert Visitors

Content, when used in the right way, does wonderful things to your visitor stats and your sales figures. Even if you have an online store or a sales page as your main site, adding content to your site provides more ways for visitors to find you, and puts them in more of a buying frame of mind.

Most people know that search engines love content. But more than that, search engines like big sites. It is easier for a bigger site to rank well than a small, mini-site, at least in the current climate. And of course, adding pages regularly gets the search engines to spider your site more frequently.

But providing authoritative content also provides you with indirect benefits. It gives people more opportunity to find something they might want to link to. Essentially, you're creating more 'link bait', which is just a way of saying your site is providing such useful information on a given subject that people want to link to it with a one-way, non-reciprocal link. This gives you traffic from their site, and more relevance within the search engines.

Secondly, your content can create a sense within your visitor that they must have the products or services you recommend, sell - or that appear in the contextual advertising on your page. Even if you're not using affiliate marketing and don't have your own product, relying instead on contextual advertising as income, content pre-sells your visitor. Sure, you can throw up a keyword stuffed article, and perhaps some people will click on the ads just to get off the page. But with google at least, their Smart Pricing will limit the income you could be making. If the visitor you deliver to their advertisers is less likely to buy because they are frustrated, or didn't find what they were looking for in your meaningless or poor quality word-maze, the amount you get per click will go down.

The key, of course, is writing good content. A starting point is researching useful information, information that answers questions your target audience may have. You can use books or magazines, or reputable online sources, to help build your articles with these detail that makes them credible.

Having a good article is not enough, however. It must be presented in the right way. This takes into account the tone you use writing the article, the words and style chosen, and the way the article is presented on the web page. The reader should feel the benefits without getting the impression he is being sold something. It should speak to him - or her - with references to things that are part of their lives. It is here that knowing who your target customer is really helps.

Finally, the words should be arranged on the web page in an easy to read manner. Making good use of white space, short paragraphs, and bullet points are a great way to break up text so that it doesn't appear overwhelming. Just be careful not to jar your reader with too many font colors or types, and caps for anything but the first letter in a word.

Article by:


To learn more about generating internet web site traffic with content, click here. Rebecca site covers online business ideas for home.

Strategies For Article Marketing

You’ve read all the articles telling you that you should write articles, but there are hundreds of article databases out there. How do you decide where to submit your articles? I have a couple of strategies that bring me results.

First, I always read just a few articles from any directory I’m considering submitting to, to see what type of advertising is being used on their site. I do not want my family friendly articles on sites that allow what I consider to be questionable advertising. If the advertising is not family friendly, I will not submit my articles. I have also deleted my articles from sites that changed their advertising policies and began accepting non family friendly advertising. Continue to monitor sites that carry your articles.

Next, I submit only a few articles to a directory and then I monitor those submissions to see how long they take to go live. There is no way to know if a directory is active until you submit your articles. Just like any other business, directories come and go. Just because it was active last year, does not mean it is still active this year. Don’t waste your time submitting more than 3 articles at one time in the beginning. There are so many wonderful directories out there, that I refuse to invest my time submitting to directories that take months to approve my articles. If I submit my article today I expect to see it live within a few days. Remember the reason you are writing articles is to help others and get your name out there. If your articles are not live, your name is not being seen.

I prefer to submit to directories that allow me to check my stats on a regular basis. I want to know how many others are reading my articles. If your articles are not being read, then your name is not getting out there. Why are your articles not being read? Have you chosen a topic or written on a subject that folks are not reading? Or did you submit your article to a directory that is not getting enough traffic for others to read your article? Two very high traffic directories are www.ezinearticles.com and www.searchwarp.com I monitor my stats daily on those two directories. I also submit every one of my articles to both of these directories. They are the first two directories to receive all new articles I write. The stats from these two directories tell me that my articles are being read and are wanted by others. So, if I view my stats on another directory and see that my article has only been read once or twice, I do not continue submitting articles to that directory.

The last thing I do is to use both Google and MSN and search for my name. I want to know what directories are getting their pages indexed quickly and where my articles are showing up. I submit my articles to the directories that are getting me the exposure.

By using all of the above strategies, my articles are being read and folks are clicking through to my site.

Article by:


Audrey Okaneko has been marketing online for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.scrapping-made-simple.com

AD:Link Popularity

What is the best way to link popularity on the web? Google is a great way to improve your website popularity but understanding Google can be very confusing. Google is the number one search engine currently and drives the most traffic to websites, so it is adviced that you concentrate your advertising on marketing with Google.

Google looks at several factors when advertising sites on their search engines such as, link popularity. Google also uses a page ranking system which shows you how your site ranks in the Google data base. One of the most important factors Google looks for when is link popularity! Meaning how many sites are linking back to your site. Google will weight more importantance on a site that has 1000 links versus a site that has a 100 links. Google also looks at where your links are, how you have them arranged, your meta tags for each page and keywords.

Therefore it is a good idea to receive links to diffrent sections of your websites, offering popularity for more than just your front opening page.

Prim Banner Exchange

Another great program from the owners or Prim Traffic is Prim Banner Exchange. This is another great FREE advertising solution! Simply put you put a line of HTML text on your site that will rotate banners. For each banner you show on your site you earn a credit towards having your banners shown.

This is a great FREE Advertising tool as once again the banners that will showed are Craft and Country related so it will not deter from your sites appearance.

Stop by Prim Banner Exchange today