How-to: make more CD sales

Tips from me to you

Okay, so you’ve got a personal shop on Murfie, but you’re just letting it sit there…that don’t impress me much. (Just kidding, I think it’s special either way.) The fact remains, though, that taking charge of your destiny will always get you there faster. In this case, that means promoting your collection of CDs to make more sales. Here’s some tips on how to do that.

1) Use social media. If you’re on Facebook (which is like everybody), do a status update about your shop. Just provide a little info (and wit or humor to make things interesting), and include your shop URL. [What’s a shop URL?] If you’re on Twitter, share your collection in a similar manner. If you do nothing else, dropping that URL is what matters most: that’s what gets folks to visit your shop.

Facebook and Twitter are just the biggies. There’s plenty of other social media platforms out there, like Tumblr, Google+, and Delicious. It all depends on how creative you want to get.

A final thought. Brevity is best when it comes to social media. Don’t try to write a novel.

2) Blog (or microblog) about it. It’s in vogue these days to manage a personal blog. If you already manage one, you’ve got a built-in advantage on your hands: write something about your shop in a post and publish it. Then share the URL on…what else?…Facebook and Twitter! If you don’t have a blog, services like Blogger and WordPress make it easy to create your own.

3) Check out classified ads services. This is probably the most direct way to S-E-L-L your CD collection. Create and post an ad on a site like Craigslist. It’s free, and we’ve already got an FAQ for you on how to post an ad on Craigslist. Other free services include Oodle, Adoos, eBay Classifieds, BuyMyStuff, and Backpage. As with social media and blogging, it’s super important to include your shop URL in your classified ad, on whichever service you end up using.

Your turn! If you’ve got an unconventional approach to selling the CDs in your personal shop, pray do tell us in the comments section below. We’d love to hear about your strategy. Remember: sharing is caring!

Overwhelmed by 99 probs?

10 ways to be nice to our planet

In sharp contrast to my typical devil-may-care ‘tude (“Dream on, Ashley”), I’m gonna get a little heavy here. The world’s got >99 problems. There’s no way around it. Sustainable development, climate change, poverty, species extinction, energy security…the swarm of social, political, economic, and environmental issues can get a little overwhelming. What’s more distressing is the feeling that we are powerless to do anything, that individual action would be ineffectual, that no one is actually capable of making a meaningful difference. That’s a little scary. But you know what? I don’t think that’s an accurate representation of our capability and willingness to force change. I mean, nobody can do everything, BUT everyone can do something. And small steps can make great strides. “If you think you’re too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito” (Betty Reese).

So to get the ball rolling, I thought I’d brainstorm a few easy, painless ways we can all (all!) help out:

1) Recycle, including old electronics (no explanation needed).
2) Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging waste.
3) Unplug electronics when you’re not using them to kill standby/phantom power.
4) Use reusable drinking containers, instead of disposable coffee cups and plastic water bottles.
5) Turn off the lights when you leave a room to reduce energy use.
6) Don’t take 10 minute showers – consider cutting your shower short by a few minutes to conserve water.
7) Lower your home thermostats, including water heater, to conserve energy.
8) Buy energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy.
9) Use a reusable rag or towel, instead of napkins and paper towels.
10) Use reusable lunch bags and shopping bags to cut down on paper and plastic.

Obviously, there are a ton of other ways to help our planet, so we’d love to hear your suggestions. A good idea goes a long way, so have at it! @murfiemusic