I have not had many sales, but I can tell you what I've done so far to get them

[artlifeoriginal]

My first sale was from a Buyer Request. They are now under ‘see available projects.’ Take a look in there.
It was my first sale, but my third communication with a Buyer. The first sent me a few messages. I think we had a miscommunication. After the last message I sent, I never heard back. Or maybe they found a Seller they were able to work with better. Oh well, I tried. The second asked me for a shorter deadline than I was comfortable with, and unlimited revisions. I told them I couldn’t offer them that, but I wished them luck in finding a Seller that could meet their needs. I was writing detailed offers. I tried for short and simple, and got one! In all, I have sent over 15 offers. Most do not respond.

Simpler is better. Truth is better.
What do I mean? Well, I sent a short, simple offer and managed to land a Buyer Request (see above). I realized that when I was trying to be complete, I was just being wordy. If you find yourself editing your Offer text to make it fit, you’re writing too much. Same thing with Gigs. It’s better to present what you’re providing in a memorable and engaging way than to provide every little detail. I’m into too much detail normally. For instance, the average person probably doesn’t care the exact pixel dimensions of a photo. They want to know if it’s what they want, not every detail of what it is.

I market myself and my Gigs.
I do this on social media, and occasionally to people directly (it makes me feel a little silly, but I still try to do it). I know that people will tell you it doesn’t benefit you to advertise on social media. What they really mean is that it doesn’t benefit them. You have to try something in order to find out what’s best for you. Some people seem to do great by having good, on topic content, and then the customers ‘find’ what they’re selling. That doesn’t work for me. I can see (yes see) a response to my advertising. Maybe not direct sales, but a response. Granted, I don’t post the standard link from my Gig. I write something simple and fun, then include the link. Don’t forget hashtags or whatever your platform of choice uses. Sometimes I post relevant photos. Sometimes I just post something that people will find useful or fun. One of my recent social media advertisements was a rhyming poem for Mother’s Day. Did I get a sale from it? Not yet. But I’m sure people saw it. You need to sell, but you also need to be seen.

I work on improving my Gigs regularly.
Does this mean I change what I’m offering? Nope. Once I’ve posted one, that’s what it stays – so far. What I do is work on how I present it. I may change a detail (adding commercial rights or something like that), but I don’t change the idea of the Gig. I look at other Gigs sometimes, and in the forums more than that. I noticed that my Gig descriptions were complete but boring. I’m working on that. If you need inspiration, look at the Top Rated Sellers. Don’t copy, but find a Gig that speaks to you, figure out why, and find out how you can apply that idea to your own. After all, your goal is not just to attract any Buyer, but a Buyer that you can work with, and will be pleased with your Delivery.

I post on the forums when I have something useful to say.
Sometimes I ask questions related to what other people say. I will say that it can be easy to do it too much. Don’t go down the list and respond to everything, but participate in a discussion, at least occasionally. I was actually afraid of the forum at first – bad experience elsewhere. When you’re told that you had better be quiet about bullying or you’ll get kicked off a site you pay to use… but now I’m off topic. You don’t have to agree, but you should try to avoid ‘flame from the mouth’ syndrome (I can have a little trouble with that).

When I’ve done everything I can think of doing, I wait.
Sometimes you realize you have nothing else you can possibly think of doing. In my case, I do not find it useful to send out a bunch of advertisements in one day. You shouldn’t give up or just stop, but if you can’t think of something else to do every single minute, that’s okay. If you’re like me, you just pick up any of the other hundreds of projects you’re working on.

When I get a sale, I do the best I can, and try to finish early.
I know this sounds lame, but it’s true. I used to let anything get in the way of what I was supposed to be doing. I need to stop that. I’m getting better at it. Example (warning: I’m tooting my own horn) – I waited to Deliver a Gig until it was closer to the deadline (don’t do that). Then I had an accident. The hospital said I was (probably) okay, so I came home and delivered it. Because it’s a job, and I was okay. Hey, it still beat cleaning bathrooms one handed. When you work as a custodian, and you have to have your thumb sewn up and bandaged, and the doctor says “you can go back to work, just don’t use your thumb, or get it wet” – don’t. Give it a -little- time. Probably more than 24 hours. Knowing how to mop and change garbage bags with one hand is nice. Having to do it is not.

[baddison]

I think this post kind of turned into a diary entry for you 🙂

It started off talking about gigs and how you’re getting sales and left off with bandages on your thumb from an accident. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Very cute - I enjoyed sneaking a peek into your day - good luck and I hope your thumb heals.

P.S. I tend to do the same thing when I write (outside of professional gigs).