Saturday, October 19, 2013

NEW GMA Website Re-launch!



I’ve been a busy bee this past month or so working on a complete makeover of my website.   

 CHECK IT OUT HERE!

I've been restructuring, redesigning, prepping art, adding watermarks, writing blurbs and FAQ answers, diving back into Dreamweaver and going: “Wait…how does this work, again?”.  I closed my Shopify account.  I switched web hosts.  I added social media thingies. I created an email newsletter sign-up.  I even inserted widgets!!!

My experiment with Shopify, which allowed me to make items directly available for sale from my website, was ultimately unsatisfying.  It was too limiting in look, layout and organization.  With Shopify, my only option was to make the site product-based.
But I want my site to focus on the art, not the products. 

So my new site is more of a gallery – click on an image thumbnail and you’ll get a closer look at that design, complete with detailed art description, and links to available products featuring that image.

The one thing I have not been able to make work are the Pinterst Pin-It buttons.  I’ve been through several tutorials and tried several different techniques to get the darn things to work right, and so far I’ve failed.  I read that it may be because I have an SSL certificate, which makes the site secure for online transactions.  In any case…this is boring technical stuff…

If you are a Pinterest user, and want to pin my stuff, please do so from your end.  I know you have your ways!

The Facebook and Twitter Share buttons appear to be working, though, so please make use of them!  Share away!  It really is a HUGE help to me when folks spread the word about my work.  :)

And FYI: you can Share a particular product directly from the product pages - look around for the little Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. icons, or "Share" buttons and BAM! Instant gratification!

I’ve also added an email newsletter sign-up, and will be launching an email newsletter soon.  Thusfar I’ve mainly used Facebook to connect with folks, but after speaking to a social media marketing consultant (THANK YOU, Sunnny D!), I now know that my Facebook posts don’t actually reach all of the fans on my fan page.   
I often feel like I’m spamming my fans with too much stuff, but it turns out that most of what I post is only seen by a small portion of people.  How mysterious and sometimes annoying you are, Facebook!

So, if you want to be in the loop and get the scoop on new work, new products, new adventures and special offers such as coupon codes, giveaway drawings and sale alerts, sign up for my newsletter.

You can do it RIGHT NOW!!!




I also re-organized my Zazzle shop, which has cases and covers for cellphones, iPads, iPods, laptops, Kindles, etc.  These are really nifty and eye-catching “costumes” for your devices that protect them and turn them into expressive accessories.
You can now pick a design you like and see what products are available featuring that image.
I realize some of these products are a bit pricey.  I can’t do much about that. The prices are largely set by Zazzle, and I add a small markup, which is my cut, and it’s not much.

BUT…Zazzle regularly has sales and coupon codes that give significant discounts – up to half off! -  and those discounts don’t affect my cut.  Score for both of us!
If you sign up for the email newsletter, I’ll let you know when relevant sales are happening so you can save some $$$.

That’s about it for now.  Thank you for all your support!  

WWW.GYPSYMYSTERY.COM

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