Birdcall: Artist Chat with Sherry Beltram
Joining me today from her home studio in Colorado is jewelry artist Sherry Beltram. Sherry’s exuberant work reflects her love of embroidery and natural materials. In her own words, “My two grandmothers gave me a love of all handwork. Making jewelry is my passion and my peace.”
Sherry sells her work through her DreamDazzles Etsy site, while her Instagram page helps her connect with followers and highlight current and favorite projects.
Hello Sherry! Thank you so much for sitting down with me today. Let’s get started with your virtual environment: you have an Etsy site and an Instagram site as well, is that right?
Right. Etsy, Instagram, and I also supposedly have Pinterest, but I haven’t done anything with it for quite a while.
Do you also sell your art through in person markets?
I did before Covid, I haven’t started again yet, but yeah, I would love to get back into local arts and craft shows.
Why did you decide to sell virtually?
Well once we moved up here, for one thing the vendor fees for the shows up here were about three or four times what I was paying when we were back in Oklahoma, and so it’s a lot more to do them up here. The churches don’t do as much as they did in Oklahoma. And I just decided I would try and sell online rather than go try and do the shows that I used to do. Plus we were traveling a lot and it was harder to do shows when you’re on the road a lot.
It sounds like your primary platform is your Etsy site. Did you use any other platforms before using Etsy?
Yes, Ruby Lane.
If you don’t mind my asking, why did you switch from Ruby Lane?
Mostly because the fees were higher on Ruby Lane.
I see. Did you set up your Etsy, Instagram and Pinterest sites yourself or did someone work with you on that?
Yes, I set them up myself.
What was the most challenging aspect of setting up your virtual environment?
Mostly it was just getting everything (as far as Etsy goes) just getting everything up there and getting descriptions and figuring out what price to put on things when you include the cost of Etsy itself, plus mailing and packaging and all that. So, it was a lot of math and trying to get, as I said, descriptions that hopefully might appeal to somebody. A lot of time involved in photographing too.
It sounds like you have a few virtual platforms that you use. Do you feel that it’s necessary to have all of them?
I think probably, I think those three are probably pretty critical. Although I’ve been seeing things lately other people are using, like other platforms. I just haven’t taken the time to delve into some of them, but yeah, I think those three. I also have a business account on Facebook that I have occasionally paid to advertise on, but I haven’t done that in quite a while.
Can you share with us what aspect of selling virtually you enjoy the most?
When somebody says I like this, and I want to buy it!
That sounds pretty good!
I don’t know, I do kind of enjoy the whole process of setting up a shop and everything. It’s tedious, it’s a lot of work and yet it’s, I do kind of enjoy, getting it all set up and, you know, you have a feeling of satisfaction when you get it done, and every time you put something new up.
Oh, that’s great. And on the other hand, what aspect of selling virtually do you enjoy the least?
Well, the aspect I enjoy the least is again, the descriptions of the process. I am not good at all at self promotion, and it’s figuring out how to describe something like that. You know, that will make it sound good. I really need a PR person.
On a related note: what do you find especially challenging about selling your product virtually?
It’s a lot of work to keep up with: you have to keep renewing things and putting new things in so that your shop stays kind of in the front. You know, where people see it more often instead of just letting it kind of go dormant. It it is a lot of work to do it right, really you’d need to do something at least a couple of times a week: add things, change things around, refresh things. That’s something else I haven’t really gotten into yet, but I should.
Do you mean refreshing things?
Yeah, and doing things with it a couple of times a week, just to, you know, let somebody know I’m still here and I’m still doing things.
Gotcha. Do you have any stories of a virtual sale that was especially positive?
Well, I’ve had a couple of people who did special orders, like, I’d made a bracelet or necklace or something and wanted things made to match, which always makes you feel good. Then I’ve had one order (actually a person in Australia) who ordered from me twice, which I thought, Gee!
Wow, they really must have liked your work to pay the shipping to Australia twice!
Yeah, and there’s been a couple of other people that have done more than one order. So it always feels good when, you know, somebody has come back to get something. And when you get a good review that makes you feel good.
Have you had any negative experiences with virtual sales?
Only one negative experience. Really it was a review and that really wasn’t anything that was wrong. Somebody ordered something, some earrings and after she got them, she posted a review. It was like, 3 stars or something that said they were way too big. They are beautiful, but they were way too big. And so you get a 3 star review when everything else you’ve got is like, 4 stars. That irritated me that she didn’t get in contact with me first, and say, “hey, these are really too big. Can I send them back?” I would have been happy to do something about that.
That’s frustrating. Is there anything you wish you’d known about selling virtually before you started?
I don’t think so. I mean, I had read ahead of time, how much time it takes to really do it well. You don’t really know that until you get into it, you don’t understand what it really takes, but I did know all that ahead of time cause I did a lot of research beforehand.
If you could wave a magic wand, is there anything you would change about selling virtually if you could?
No, I don’t think so.
Would you create a little PR guy to write descriptions for you?
I would create a little PR guy to write imaginative, witty or fun, descriptions of things, whatever. Yes!
Nice. Do you plan to grow your online business?
I would like to yes, it’s just sitting down and doing it, which, you know, with everything that’s happened in the last few years, it’s been a little hard to sit down and really do what I wanted to do with it but yes, I need to.
What percentage of your overall sales do you think your virtual sales account for?
Right now, 100% since I’m not doing shows right now. I’m hoping next year, maybe to get back into at least the local show in town, which I had done before. It’s always in August and we’ve got this trip, so we couldn’t do it this year. There’s always something going on in August, it seems like.
How long has it taking you to grow your virtual sales to its current level?
Oh, let’s see, I’ve been on for…probably really only been on since 2016 or 17 maybe is when I started setting it up and it took maybe a year really? For anything to start selling.
When did you start with Ruby Lane? Have some of your customers come with you from Ruby lane?
Not that I know of. Ruby Lane: that’s been a long time ago. And actually, I was doing fairly well on Ruby Lane, but Ruby Lane, a lot of it is antiques and stuff like that and not necessarily hand made items. Etsy is mostly more of a handmade type thing, which is one of the reasons I decided (in addition to the cost), to switch.
Have you had any shipping issues selling your products virtually?
I have not and actually, Etsy makes it really easy to ship and you get a discount to ship. One time I had something break in transit that the person sent back, but I fixed it and it turned out fine. For the most part, no, everything’s been fine on shipping. Even to Australia and Canada and Czechoslovakia and there was someplace else too, but they all evidently got there okay.
Have you encountered customer complaints virtually and are they any different than what you might have encountered from in-person sales?
No, other than the one review. Haven’t gotten any complaints.
Great! Are there any decisions you’ve made with your online business that especially benefited, or especially harmed your business?
No, I don’t think so.
What technology do you use to support your virtual presence? Do you use a light box or special camera or lenses to photograph your work, or anything else technology-wise.?
I have a white box that I used to use. I don’t use it any more (and two lamps and everything that went with it), but I’ve found out the last couple of versions of the iPhone do just as good a job. The room I take the pictures in (my craft room) the light is pretty good anyway or I can go out on the deck in the shade. So I’ve quit messing with all the lights for the most part. So, yeah, mostly my iPhone. I do use my other camera occasionally and I use a tripod sometimes and occasionally I use a little extra light that I have to shine on something, but otherwise, it’s pretty low tech and it turns out pretty well.
Do you just do you edit your Etsy site with your phone or do you use a computer or iPad?
Computer usually. I edit the photos on my on my desktop also, which is something else that takes umpteen hours, because I take probably two or three photos of say, if I put a necklace on a on a bust or something and I’ll take it facing this way, and I’ll take another one facing this way, and I’ll shine a light on it and take another one. So I might have three at the same type of photo. Then you have to have several different photos of something: you know, the whole thing and close up. And so, when you’ve got, you know, 15-20 photos of the same item, and you’ve got to go through and edit and prop and do all the other stuff to it. So, a lot of time too, but yeah, I always do that on my desktop.
Do you have any advice for someone planning to sell a creative product virtually?
Do what I don’t do and get on your site often. Add new products, move things around, update your descriptions, refresh things. Really, I’ve read that you should, at least twice a week, do things to your website to make sure it stays closer to the top of results when somebody’s Googling for a “red and white necklace” or something. You know, so yours will stay toward the front and not be 10,000 people back. You have to be willing to take the time to do it. And learn how to take good photos, because the photos really help.
Well those are all my questions! Sherry, thank you so much for taking time with me today. As you are aware, I’m a big fan of your work (I’m wearing your earrings right now as a matter of fact!) and I always love seeing your newest creations. Thanks for sharing your virtual sales experiences as an artist with all of us!
Photos courtesy of Sherry Beltram.
