One cold and dreary morning in early February, I was lurking around in the Etsy forums...reading posts about how to grow your business, reach your target market, bring business to your shop, etc. I typically avoid thinking about such things in relation to myself and my shop; I've done OK with people finding me, and I'm one of those anxious, fear the unknown sort of people. Or I used to be!
On a whim, I googled home decor blogs. I thought maybe I could find a high-traffic blog and pay for an ad slot as a small step in a bigger direction. I found several, of course, but the one that jumped out at me the most was thedecoratingdiva.com. Before I could think about it too much and chicken out, I sent them a short message introducing myself and my shop and asking for info regarding a potential site/product review. I logged off expecting nothing, but pleased with my itty bitty step.
Fast forward a month and a half. On Monday the 23rd I was flipping through my email, and clicked on my junk mail folder (which I almost never do). Inside that folder was a return message from the decoratingdiva! The message was sent on March 19th, and said that they would like to include one of my rugs in an upcoming article...I just had to have certain information sent to them by 3/23. THREE TWENTY-THREE????!!!! Had I missed the boat?
I sent a reply right away, and asked if I could send the info by that evening. The answer was yes! So, info was gathered and sent, and I sat on pins and needles waiting for the article to come out. What would it say? How would my rug fit into the picture?
On Friday, March 27th, the site was updated with the new article. I almost passed out when I saw the title: Top 12 Stylish Eco-Friendly Rugs - 2009! My big ole rug is #5 on the list; someone pinch me!
The moral of this fairy tale: don't let fear of rejection stop you from exploring new avenues. Do you have a success story too? Please leave a comment and share...you may inspire someone to greatness!
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17 comments:
Congratulations! I went and checked out the article. Those are some lovely rugs! How awesome for you :)
Congrats! I'm a chicken too! Maybe I'll have to do some poking around myself, after all you never know do you!
Love the rug!!!
Great story, Jen!!! I'm so impressed with you! Number 5, wow! :D
I would love to get my name out like that, I just haven't had any idea how to do it. A woman from one of my street teams has a few marketing tips she's going to share, so perhaps there will be a gem there that I can use.
I hope the feature brings you in some great traffic and sales! :D
*pinch*
Congratulations, hon! That is SO wonderful. I'm really happy for you, and proud!
This is amazing!!!
Congrats Jennie, may the well deserved exposure bring you tons of work!!!
:)
Congrats Jennie!! I am not in the least bit that your lovely rugs are getting attention, they are beautiful and you are so very talented.
Can I get your autograph? = )
Hugs ~ Claudia
That is awesome! congrats to you!
Thank you for sharing your experience; I am encouraged to get myself out there......Congrats to you! Ginger
Congratulations...thank is so great.
'Before I could think about it too much and chicken out, I sent them a short message introducing myself and my shop and asking for info regarding a potential site/product review.'
I believe that this part of the process is so key! We tend to over-think innovative ideas! When you take action you never, ever know the outcome!
Congratulations on taking action! I wish you success! Let us know what your next step will be!
Michelle-
WoW! You have inspired me!! I need to put myself out there more!
I'm so proud of you for deciding to just go for it! And I am immensely proud to know that your work was chosen to sit side by side with some design luminaries! Not that I ever doubted that your work deserved such honours!!!
You've been published, you're listed amongst stars... can't wait to see your next move!
Hugs and love,
chloe
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations on taking the step and on the result!!
What a wonderful story of inspiration! Congrats!
Congratulations, Jennie!
oh my gosh! that's so exciting!
your rug looks gorgeous in that post. :D
and what a great story. i've been kind of overwhelming myself trying to look into marketing options, and it's really great to hear such a success story.
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