Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Is Bust a Bust?

Last month, I purchased one of 30 cooperative ad spots with Etsy for Bust magazine.   Boy, I make that sound so easy.  It was actually more like I scheduled my entire morning around being home and at my computer that day.  Sat staring at the computer screen for half an hour waiting for the spots to go on sale.  Had two separate alarms going off to remind me the day before and every hour the day of.   In any event, I won the lottery so to speak, and snagged a spot in the ad.

This past Tuesday I was informed (by a Twitter friend, of course) that the issue had hit the newsstands.




That's me-- first row, second photo from the left.

My thoughts on the ad so far?  Well, first of all, there's nothing like picking up a magazine and seeing your work in it.  Pretty darn cool and almost worth the money just for that reason alone. Business wise?  Traffic to my shop has definitely increased in the past few days.  Many more conversations going on, and yep, I've been making sales.  Can I tie any of this to the Bust spot?  Truthfully, no, I can't.  And I don't feel comfortable asking people how they found me (I'm just so glad they did!).

Will I do it again?  Yes, I think I will.  The ad is placed towards the front of the magazine (page 19), and was eye catching as I flipped through the issue.  I do love that I am placed in the top row near Etsy's name, but this was just luck and cannot be requested.  I also like the fact that many categories are featured and there is a nice variety of work represented.

The magazine seems to be a good fit for me and my designs.  And I think if you are considering this ad spot, you really need to know who your market is.  Take some time, look into who Bust's subscribers are, read the magazine.  Ask yourself if these women would buy your product.  That's what I did before spending the advertising money.

Bust ad?  Definitely not a bust for me.


11 comments:

  1. don't be afraid to ask people how they found you! if it's through the ad, great! but it might be from another customer, who you could thank for referring someone to you work.

    it would also be good to know if it was from twitter or facebook so that you know if those marketing strategies are working for you.

    tara - http://www.scoutiegirl.com

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  2. I know how you feel about asking, Of course you can always word your question so that they have the option of bowing out of telling you.

    A simple convo with a hey how did you find me? added when you receive the sale or when it's about to be sent off isn't too pushy.

    Congratulations on having the time and energy to get in on the co-op ad spot; you're right, seeing your work in the pages of a magazine is pretty fabulous

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  3. Thanks for giving that info. I have wondered about those ads. I have never seen that magazine on any of the shelves around here. I will make a bigger effort to look for it locally when I am out and about.

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  4. Bust can be found at Barnes and Nobles, Borders and larger chain bookstores. I found it in the women's magazines. I admit, I never looked for it before I appeared in the magazine. And you're all right that I need to get better about asking where people find me. So hard to do, I feel like such a pest.

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  5. How cool, it looks great! I'd be pretty excited to see my work in print. :)

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  6. That is so cool that you got a spot! I feel like this is 6 degrees of separation...I, Claire, know someone who got one of those ads :)

    I hope it does wonders for your shop!

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  7. just a question, where did you go on busts website to buy the ad? when and how did you do it? i see an ad schedule but i dont understand it.

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  8. I think it's a great looking ad. I will probably do one if I can win the "lottery", lol! Congrats, hope it brings you many sales!

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  9. I love the add but, I really like your blog and especially why I'm not following you. So true.

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  10. Beesipea,

    The ad is purchased through Etsy. The listing doesn't usually appear until the instant the ad goes on sale and they sell out in seconds.

    Here's a link that might help you out:

    http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/etsy-cooperative-advertising-program-bust-magazine-octoberno-4485/

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