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Maine Creates is an online community for the creative people of Maine, a marketplace representing their products, creative services, knowledge and ideas connecting buyers and sellers within Maine and throughout the world.
Matt Zito, founder MaineCreates.com
Member, Maine Creates LLC |
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Buy Maine -TM |
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| MaineCreates.com Top 10 at Google & Yahoo Search Engines |
| 2008-11-06 18:07:39 |
| Comments(30) |
| Weekly update: MaineCreates.com
We have started the online marketing and advertising campaigns for MaineCreates.com. In the following days and weeks, I’ll be emailing about what we are doing online marketing wise, how we are different and why I believe MaineCreates.com will have a huge impact on our creative people over the long-term and truly change the creative economy in Maine.
“Maine Handmade Products” MaineCreates.com #4 listing at Google.
Notice our advertisement for MaineCreates.com in the Right column. We have over 800+ advertisements running online. If you search around on Google you’ll start to see our ads.
If you have not opened up an online shop yet, please open a shop and start listing your items for sale. We need all our members to start listing items for sale, as this will only help all of us sell more of what we make. I suggest that each member open a shop and list between 5-10 items. It costs only $0.75-$6.00 to list a item for sale. Most items for sale will cost around $1.00. If you have any questions about selling online at MaineCreates.com please give me a call. We are still testing our online payment system for the next 30-days so if you have any questions please call my Cell# 460-0740.
Marketing
Our web site reached 1,275 unique visitors in the last 20-days. The web site has already received a page rank of 3 at Google. This is good considering how young we are as a web site.
Top 10 listings at Yahoo. We rank in the top 10 at Yahoo for the following keywords.
Maine handmade products
Maine made provisions
Homemade provisions
Maine Creative Services
Buy Maine
Maine Goods
Sell Maine
Top 10 Listing at Google.
Maine handmade products
Over the next three to six months the web site will increase its rankings and our page views will increase as we have implemented our search engine marketing strategy. We are just getting started. It's time to join us, open an online shop today. If you need help call me and I will walk you through the process.
MDZdesign's “Earthy Stone Necklace” is already displaying #4 at Google. Word has it that a Hip shopping Blog in NYC is checking out the necklaces and may write up a review about MaineCreates.com to its 500,000 women member online shopping community. Jewelry makers, please start listing items in your shop. We had an email a few weeks ago from a web site visitor wanting to buy Maine sea glass earrings.
We currently have four members with shops and selling at MaineCreates.com. We are working hard to sell their items through both our search engine marketing and our online advertising. Open an online shop today and we will help you sell more of what you make.
Internet factoid- Did you know that Jewelry is the #1 item sold on the Internet?
Look for upcoming emails on
Our online Advertising, what we are doing.
How our web site system advertises and markets your item strategically on the Internet.
Why you want to start adding items for sale NOW in your online shop.
How to create an informative listing that gives your item the best opportunity to be found online by Buyers.
Buy Maine TM an upcoming offline marketing initiative that supports a Buy Local - Sell Global philosophy.
Local Pickup - Shipping option for people in your community to Buy online and pick up from you directly. |
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| How to Open a Shop at MaineCreates.com |
| 2008-10-20 14:48:49 |
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| To open an online shop you must first join MaineCreates.com. You can join here www.mainecreates.com/addprofile.php
How to Open a Shop at MaineCreates.com?
Step #1 – Login to MaineCreates.com – click on “Add a Shop” tab.
Step #2 – Click on Amazon Payments button – Open Amazon Payments account at Amazon.com.
Step #3 – Verify email address by clicking on confirmation link sent by Amazon.com, Login to Amazon Payments.
Step #4 – Login to MaineCreates.com, Click Listing Fee Agreement, agree to Listing Fees and name your shop.
Step #5 – “Add Items for Sale” to your shop.
How much does it Cost?
We have partnered with Amazon Payments to run the marketplace payment system. You need to open an Amazon Payments Business Account to Sell at MaineCreates.com. The account enables you to "accept credit card payments" online from Buyers and enables you to pay your listing fees and commissions to MaineCreates.com automatically.
Fees to sell:
There is a listing fee for each item you list for sale in the marketplace. The listing fee amount is based on the dollar value of your item. The listing fees can be viewed here. The listing fee is a one time charge. The listing fee charge is debited to your Amazon Payments account at the time you upload it. You can view listing fee charges in your Amazon Payments account.
There is a 10% commission to MaineCreates.com when we sell your item. The commission is paid to MaineCreates.com automatically when the item sells at MaineCreates.com. You can view commissions paid to MaineCreates.com in your Amazon Payments account.
Example of the costs you would incur at MaineCreates.com for selling an item:
Oceanic - Stone Necklace
$37.00
-listing fee $1.00 (upload it for sale)
-commission $3.70 (when it sells)
Total fee $4.70 or 12.7% of the retail cost.
If you have any questions please call me at 207-460-0740, I can answer any questions you may have. Later this week look for details on "how we are marketing" MaineCreates.com.
Please Open a Shop today. I am suggesting to our 95 members that they open a shop and add between 7-12 of their items for sale in the marketplace. It is important that we have items for sale over the Holidays as Internet users are starting to use our web site, Buyers and not just Maine creative people.
PS: A lady emailed me yesterday asking about earings made in Maine. To all our Maine Jewelers that make earings, please start listing your earings for sale. |
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| Two Worlds Merge at MaineCreates.com |
| 2008-10-14 11:57:53 |
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| We just launched the new web site design and online shops at MaineCreates.com. A member just emailed me and said, "Matt, very nice! I like how you’ve merged the two Maine Creates worlds." This is exactly what we have done. We have converged the creative people of Maine and what we create into a dynamic online community.
What’s happening at MaineCreates.com? An update from Matt Zito.
-new web site design launched
-online shops e-commerce - sell what you create
-new image gallery
-new profile page
-Amazon Payments partnership
-the shop Blog
-weekly updates
-mission statement
New Site Design Launched
Buy-Sell-Connect. We have completed the major upgrade of the web site to now include the Buying and Selling of our member’s products and services. What you now see is the “end product” of my original vision for MaineCreates.com. A creative marketplace that includes a platform for the world to “Connect” with the creative people of Maine, our creative work, ideas, and products and services. There is nothing like it in Maine. Visit now www.mainecreates.com
Online Shops- Sell what your create!
Your online shop represents your current work for sale. Sell online now!
Open an online shop--->login to your MaineCreates.com member account.
Click---> “Add a Shop” at Maine Creates (brown tab) on the left after login. Follow the three-step process. Please call me with any questions about setting up your online shop at 460-0740.
We have added 7 main categories that all creative disciplines fall under, Fine Arts, Handmade Crafts, Jewelry, Accessories, Provisions, Maine’s products and Creative Services. There are several sub-categories under each that narrow the focus on a specific product or service. If your product or service is not included under one of the sub-categories please email us and we will add it for you.
Mini Profile Blocks – We have created mini profile blocks that combine “Items for Sale” highlighted in the top left corner, the members personal image with their name, and where they live. I have included the members “shop,” “Blog” and “Connect” request link as small icons integrated into the mini profile blocks. This new Hybrid block element brings together all three major connecting components (your profile, your Shop, your Blog) that ultimately facilitate the buying, selling and networking among our members and buyers. The mini profile blocks are visibly placed on the home page.
New Profile page and Gallery- The profile page design combines your Creative work description with My gallery, your work for sale, a Shopping Blog, My Shop and Connect features. Large tabs on the profile page enable users to easily navigate to your Shop, Blog, and to Connect with you in your network.
My Shop's Featured Items- the shop page highlights all your items for sale.
Your Item for sale- includes up to 5 images of the item, the product or service name and a full description of the item. Your shipping policy and rates are displayed as well. Buyers "Click and Buy."
Buying & Selling - The sale of your items take place on Amazon.com via Amazon Payments. Amazon is the superior online shopping and e-commerce company on the Internet today. MaineCreates.com has partnered with Amazon.com to run our online payment system. Sales of your items go directly to your account from individual Buyers and are guaranteed via the Amazon Payments system. The Buying experience for Buyers is the same at Amazon.com so millions of Buyers will be accustomed to the checkout. The fees you pay MaineCreates.com are automatically deducted from your Amazon Payments account, there is no billing, the listing of items for sale and your shops selling experience at MaineCreates.com is a seamless automated process. You can login to your Amazon Payments account to view funds deposited into your account from sales, fees taken out for listing and selling and you can transfer funds to other bank accounts. The MaineCreates.com account, admin area has full reporting details for your sales including a connection to the Buyer of your items including their shipping details. You will need a Amazon Payments Business account to sell at MaineCreates.com.
My Blog - our new shopping Blog or shop blog, applies “what you create for sale” into your Blog post. Blog about what you create, then enable the reader to Buy it immediately from your Blog post. You control the adding of items for sale into your Blog from your Control Panel. Online research shows that Blogging about your products for sale is the best way to "Connect" with the Buyer. You can greatly increase sales of your items by adding a Shop Blog to your creative profile.
Spotlight your Profile and shop- these three new pages at MaineCreates.com highlight our members and their items for sale.
Fine Works - Highlight fine works that cost over $125.00.
Member of the Week – Highlight your creative profile at MaineCreates.com exclusively on this page for 7-days $15.00.
Under $25.00 – All items priced under $25.00 are highlighted on this page.
Item of the Day – Highlight an item from your shop exclusively on this page for $7.00.
Login to your account at MaineCreates.com to purchase Member of the Week and Item of the Day to highlight your shop and profile at MaineCreates.com.
Support MaineCreates.com
Add our member badges to your web site today. You can pick up the html code here.
http://www.mainecreates.com/Support.html
Weekly updates- I will be moving towards providing weekly updates about MaineCreates.com. The transition to online selling will bring about many questions and new developments, so look for more updates concerning the progress of the site. I will also be discussing the marketing we will be implementing to promote the community.
Our Mission
My goal with MaineCreates.com has always been to "ultimately invigorate the creative economy of Maine by providing a networking platform for creative people and ideas to prosper." What you see today at MaineCreates.com is the final component of the platform in enabling online selling, the ability to sell what they create to the world.
How to help us grow?
Please spread the word about what we are building at MaineCreates.com and how we are developing a community of creative people through the use of technology, online networking, and selling to invigorate the creative economy of Maine.
If you have any questions feel free to call me directly at 207-460-0740.
Cheers!
Matt Zito
founder, MaineCreates.com
Maine Creates LLC
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| Oceanic - Stone Necklace designs |
| 2008-10-06 16:10:22 |
| Comments(0) |
I live by the ocean in a small town called Gouldsboro on the coast of Maine. I have been working with stone for the past two years. My wife and I built a little low impact green home on a bluff overlooking a salt water cove into the West Bay. I worked with stone in the house build and didn't stop there. This summer I started my first line of stone necklaces, I aptly branded as the Oceanic line. I trained for a short period of time and learned the craft under the guidance of another one of our creative members here at Maine Creates, named Obediah Buell. If you get a chance stop by his shop he is an amazing sculptor.
I live by the ocean in a small town called Gouldsboro on the coast of Maine. I have been working with stone for the past two years. My wife and I built a little low impact green home on a bluff overlooking a salt water cove into the West Bay. I worked with stone in the house build and didn't stop there. This summer I started my first line of stone necklaces, I aptly branded as the Oceanic line. I trained for a short period of time and learned the craft under the guidance of another one of our creative members here at Maine Creates, named Obediah Buell. If you get a chance stop by his shop he is an amazing sculptor.
I like the simplicity in stone and the warm and calming feeling it gives me when I just sit back and look at it. My wife built a little studio in the back yard and this is now where I cut the stone and assemble my necklaces. I started out like everyone else I think and gave my necklaces away in the beginning. Then one day a lady said, hey, where did you get that, and I said, I made it. She said she wanted one, I said $50 and that was my first sale. I still give away many of my necklaces to our local art organization Schoodic Art s for All and I donate to art center auctions one or two pieces of pieces if they ask.
I really like the cut of this stone and I angled the cut so that it was some what offset. One side is a little high, and the other side is little low. It balances just right on the jump ring and the jet black color really pops. Ummm I just love it and hope you will too. |
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| Online Shops Launch in Beta |
| 2008-10-05 20:14:45 |
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| Well it's been a long time coming and tonight we launched the integration of online shops into MaineCreates.com. We will not publicly launch until the end of October when we have had about three good weeks of solid testing and improvements. Our members are invited to set up an online shop. You can register by logging into your MaineCreates.com account and clicking on the "Add a Shop - sell at Maine Creates" tab to the left of the Control Panel Tab.
You will notice that the admin to manage your account is now on the main page. Just place your cursor over the "Control Panel" tab and you will see all the features below. I am currently working on a FAQ page as well and will post here soon. |
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