So after researching what in tarnation is a BNR or a BNS, I decided to give it a go. A person in my Etsy circle was participating in a BNS run by a team dedicated to creating these things. So, I took a gander and decided to play!
The curator was actually a team called "ParadiseBnR". I noticed that they have a long history of creating these things, and that their treasuries get a lot of hits. I read the rules, and it seemed easy enough. And, they are budget-friendly!!!
ParadiseBnR Rules:
*$4 min. purchase from featured shops (after discounts)
*Post your transaction link (no need to call out)
*Your name goes on list for next round
*Next Round starts right away
List updated by team members all day.
I caught the BNS sale early on in round 39. The featured treasury items were all shades of pink and was very pretty, but i don't really do pink. So I took a look around in all the featured shops to see what I might want to buy. I found a wonderful woman who sells the cutest hair clips.
This is what I bought:
I purchased from the artist Rotifera. You can see her shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Rotifera?ref=seller_info
So, in the chat that appears below the ParadiseBnR treasury, I posted the link to my transaction. Once I proved my purchase, I claimed a spot in the next "round".
To review, I purchased an item in a BNS. Because it is a "Buy and Stay", the artist I purchased from stays in the current BNS treasury. Because I bought from her, one of my items appears in the next treasury created by ParadiseBnR. The current round/treasury will "close" once the 16 slots in the next treasury are taken. The next treasury is created and that is the next "round" of sales.
My work was featured in round 40 created by ParadiseBnR. You can check out the complete treasury here:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/ODQ2NDg4MHwzNzkxMDQxMDE/closed-paradise-bns-rnd-40-4-min-open?index=8
Now, the round 39 treasury was open for sales for a long time. Since ParadiseBnR has members all over the world, they stay open 24-hours. Most other BNR/BNS sales "close" at a certain time (like midnight) so everyone can go to bed and get some beauty sleep!!! I kept checking every hour or so to see if round 39 closed. I was anxious to see what the curator picked out of my items to be featured in my spot in round 40. Of course, they must have set some kind of record as to the longest sale ever (or at least it seemed that way because I was waiting with baited breath)!!!
Once round 40 was created, I was highly disappointed. As an artist, everyone has their "favorite" pieces of their own work. Well, the item that was featured was on of my
least favorites! I was glad and thankful to be in the treasury, but of course as this was my first BNS, I wanted it to be a good representation of my work. Hmph. But not to worry..... I still made a sale!!!
Someone bought a pair of my earrings during round 40 and I thought, "Geez, this really does work!! All these people are looking at my shop!" Unfortunately, the customer who bought from me did so towards the end of the sale. So then I was debating for the rest of the sale, "Should I try this again?" Then I realized, I bought something for 5 dollars and then someone bought something from me for 5 dollars. What have I got to lose?
Of course this revelation hit me when there was only one spot left for the next treasury. So, panic-stricken, I clicked and clicked on everyone's listings and scouraged each shop for what my next purchase would be. I found the most PERFECT item ever from H20Works:
If that doesn't explain my new "Etsy Life", I don't know what does!!!
So, again, panic-stricken, I posted my transaction link and JUST made it into the next round!!! You can see round 41 here:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/ODQ2NDg4MHwzODA3NjAwNTE/closed-paradise-bns-rnd-41-4-min-open?index=12
And this time, I felt better about the item they featured. ParadiseBnR does an excellent job creating these treasuries. Don't get me wrong, they are a fabulous group of people. It's just that my own insecurities about my work sometimes get the best of me! I suppose that happens to all artists..... as I have heard many times before, "You are your own worst enemy when it comes to starting a business". All that doubt can grab a hold of you sometimes!
Anyway, I did not make any sales during round 41. Round 41 occurred on a Sunday morning, and the speed of the sale was incredible!!! In less than 3 hours, the sale was over and so was my exposure.
The results of participating in these sales were incredible!!! I didn't realize how many people these sales reached. In any given weekend day, without advertising or doing anything else, I was recently averaging:
- 12 people looking at my shop each day
- 30-40 pageviews each day
- 1 person flagging my shop as a favorite (maybe)
- 1 or 2 items being flagged as someone's favorite each day
During my participation in the two BNS sales:
- 50-55 people looking at my shop each day
- 200-250 pageviews each day
- 8 people flagging my shop as a favorite each day
- 35 items being flagged as someone's favorite (total over 2 days)
See the difference?!?!
THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
I will never again doubt the power of the BNR!!!
