Has the Pinterest bug hit you yet? I’ll admit it, like many other technological things (the internet for one) I was a little slow to hop on board. And now, of course, I’ve quickly become a bit of an addict.
My main reason for not jumping into Pinterest right away was the time involved…let’s face it, like Facebook and Twitter, you can’t just hop on for a bit. And, like Facebook and Twitter, to use them as a marketing tool, you have to be consistent. I’m often lagging with my blog, Facebook updates and Twitter posts, Pinterest seemed like “just one more thing.” But, it quickly spread and since part of my job as a boutique web designer is to understand social media, I felt like I had to get a better hold on what the hype was.
I’m not sure I’m there yet…I mean, I don’t know the possibilities for using it for your business. I do know that as I’ve been surfing around the internet I want sites that I can easily use Pinterest with. Things like no right click scripts, or flash images do get in my way of pinning. It’s not going to determine if I shop there, but it is going to determine what I pin. According to Venturebeat (and this isn’t the only article I’ve seen with stats like these) “Pinterest drives more revenue per click than Twitter or Facebook.”
I believe that it’s a no brainer for boutiques and boutique websites – make it easy for your customers to use Pinterest and create a Pinterest presence. For designers or those in more of a service industry, it’s a bit trickier, but I think that there are and will be more creative ways to use Pinterest as a business tool…I just haven’t exactly nailed that down…yet. For my business, I think it can be a way to showcase services and I will be using it in the near future as a way to help clients with color choices, an idea I got after reading this blog post:
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/02/hey-photographer-pinterest-is-not-for-you/
and then this one:
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/02/pinterest-is-still-not-for-photographers-round-2/
I love how the photographer in the second piece uses the boards to work with her clients! But, I also think part of the success of Pinterest, as with Facebook and Twitter before it, is the ability to engage with your audience.
Let me know what you think…are you using Pinterest, do you get it, does it seem to be driving sales (how would you even determine that)?
We now have pre-made Etsy banner sets for sale at My Quick Boutique. These pre-made sets are M2M our unlimited boutique website templates and we offer a color or font change if you would like them updated to match a different theme. These premade Etsy Shop sets do not require the purchase of the matching theme. We will be adding more sets so check back often!
Our latest custom boutique logo, designed for a client who is opening a new photo studio. She wanted something simple, elegant and pink!
Our latest pre-made boutique website template is DREAM. Pretty colors with soft accents and a ribbon detail in the header. With colors as pretty as a magical playroom and lots of M2M add-ons coming soon! This boutique template works with many compatible hosts, including one of our new faves – 3dCart – you can see why we love this eCommerce software HERE. Check out the template at at myquickboutique.com.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Consider a custom boutique website design from Modern Sugar. Fill out or design questionnaire for a free consult.
Photo courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids.
I have been asked many times over the years where I derive my color inspiration for site designs. Inspiration comes from EVERYWHERE. I can’t walk through a store, look through a magazine or surf the web without color ideas popping out at me. Some of my favorite places for inspiration are anything Martha Stewart (cliche but true), Pottery Barn Kids and other kids bedding and decor sites, matchy matchy clothing sets (think Janie and Jack or Gymboree) and baking websites, among others.
Often I’ll see a picture, and the website will start to form in my head.The inspiration for my new boutique website template Butter Cream at myquickboutique.com came from the photograph above from MarthaStewart.com. The fun little color tabs and the idea to showcase the colors this way came from a Photoshop freebie offered by PuglyPixel.com (gorgeously cute little websets and grahpics – some of them free!).
Here’s the latest boutique website template – take a peek and we’ll be adding lots of M2M products to go with!
Not quite what you’re looking for? Consider a custom boutique web design from Modern Sugar. Fill out or design questionnaire for a free consult.
Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com.
So, my little guy had surgery, again, last week. He previously had tubes put in when he was 13 months, but they have since fallen out, and after 5 -6 ear infections this year alone, the ENT said he needed tubes again. They also decided to take his adenoids out, hoping that would negate the need for tubes a 3rd time around.
The surgery was pretty quick – we got to the hospital at 7 and were on our way home by noon. The first time around the first couple of days were very hard. Aiden was in a lot of pain and had to take narcotic medication to help ease the pain. This time around the surgery seemed much easier on him. He was up and moving around happily by that afternoon. But…he has since developed a fever. They aren’t sure if it’s just a virus or an infection from the surgery so he’s on antibiotics and possibly we will have to trek back to the ENT. He’s quite miserable now, poor thing. So he’s been home from pre-school this week, I’ve been squeezing in work where I can and putting in some late nights, all while trying to stay sane. With any luck he’ll be on the mend soon.
We had 10 entries – thank you so much ladies for playing along! Congratulations to Chastity who is starting a brand new business and will have a free starter account from 3dCart for one year, along with a boutique website template to go with it!
I have a quick little contest! In conjunction with 3dCart I am giving away ONE FREE STARTER ACCOUNT for One Year (total value of $431.88) plus ANY template from My Quick Boutique customized and installed onto your new 3dCart site. 3dCart is easy to use, has fantastic support and combined with a boutique website template will help your brand STAND OUThttp://modernsugar.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1023&action=edit&message=6!
How do you enter? There are 5 ways to receive an entry and winners will be randomly chosen via random.org March 29th at midnight (and in all honesty that really means early morning March 30th, although maybe I’ll stay up late to pick a winner). You can get up to 5 entries by doing any of the following:
like us on facebook
mention this contest on your blog
sign up for our newsletter (in the blog sidebar)
tweet the contest on twitter
leave a comment on this post naming your favorite boutique template from My Quick Boutique
Then use the contact form to let me know how many entries and what names or emails were used for each – if you already like us or have signed up for our mailing list we can count those as entries – just let us know!
Sassy ‘Lil Sprout is a turnkey online boutique, filled with drop-ship products, ready for you to start selling online. We designed Sassy ‘Lil Sprout with a client who found herself without time to run it. It’s a super cute little store, with just enough items to get you started and on your way to owning the store you’ve always dreamed about!
Sassy Little Sprout includes:
- Semi-Custom boutique web design – design is based on a pre-made template but has been customized for added uniqueness
- sassylilsprout.com domain name paid for through 12/10
- website hosting setup through Merchant Moms ($12.95 a month)
- mal’s cart setup (completed after purchase)
- approximately 130 drop-shop products already added and in stock on the site
- 7 high quality drop ship vendor accounts setup for you (estimated 100 – 200 additional products available with current vendors)
- front page setup complete with intro text and product collage
- email and phone support to learn how to use the included Content Management System (CMS) (unlimited email support and up to 2 hours phone support)
- Up to 1 hour additional customization time.
Optional Add-Ons
- blogger template (we’re happy to upgrade you to WordPress if you prefer – just ask!)
- twitter already setup with matching background
- web banners for advertising
- business card design
- newsletter account setup through Constant Contact with matching newsletter template (approx $15 a month for mailing list service)
Pricing: $900
Please contact us if you are interested in purchasing Sassy Lil Sprout!
Coming Soon
Natalie Reis
05/15/2012
Marketing
No Comments
