TPT Conference Tips

So if you read my first blog post you know that I shared some things I did to begin selling on TpT, which was also in preparation for going to the TpT conference in Las Vegas.  Well now I'm back, and wanted to share some conference tips.  Whether you are a beginning seller like me, or have been selling for a while but want to take it to the next level, the conference will get you motivated and give you tons of information on how to get started or improve your store/sales.

Tip #1:  Just do it!  This conference has workshops for Beginners, Bloggers, Powerpoint tips (one thing you'll learn REAL fast = use Powerpoint or AdobePro to create products on TpT), a workshop for every social media outlet, as well as workshops for Copyright, Common Core, Branding, Apps, Motivation, and many more.  In fact, it's pretty hard to choose which sessions to go to.  If you can, coordinate with friends so you can "divide and conquer" and share information.  So don't worry that you don't have 25+ products in your store, this conference will help you to get started.

Insider Tip:  I didn't realize this until a day or two before the conference, but you have to download and print all of your own session handouts - they do not provide them for you.  The good news is that you can download handouts for all of the sessions, not just the ones you are signed up for.  Many people print them all out and get them bound into a notebook (Staples will do it for about $5) or they put them all into a binder.  This is a good way to keep all of that good information in one organized place.

Teacher Swag

How can you not be inspired by this girl?

 Tip #2:  NETWORK!  Get on Facebook or Teacher Blogs to find out what "meet-ups" are happening during the conference, and GO!  All you have to do is sign up, and you're in!  It's such a great way to meet people, and everyone is really friendly.  Oh, and did I mention there are lots of prizes :)  Meet-Ups gave me a chance to link up with other sellers so that we could promote each other's blogs, TpT stores, Facebook Pages, Instagram, etc.  

The incredible Megan Favre - my blog designer

My Canadian Friends eh!

Primary Pack meet up with my girls!

I was able to link up with Sasha and donate to her Blog Party

 

Tip#3:  Get that darn button!  The bigger the better!  Everyone wears these as a "name tag" to identify who you are when chatting.  You can order them online at Zazzle, Staples, or many other websites.  OR you can get a button making kit and make your own :)  My friend Amy made mine (thank goodness!), otherwise I think I would have been the only person without one.  She also made us these great California blogger buttons so people could see where we were from.  It's nice to find fellow Californians so we can plan some meet-ups of our own during the year.

Insider Tip:  Bring lots of business cards - probably about 200 - with your social media information.  You exchange these with other teacher-authors and then can go home and follow their pages / communicate all year :)

Tip #4:  Save up!  Have I convinced you yet?  If you are thinking about going to the conference next year, The Krafty Teacher made this cute freebie to help you save up...

Insider Tip:  You can download all of this years conference handouts by searching TpT conference on the TpT website.  Here are some of my faves:




Did you go to the conference this year?  PLEASE PLEASE feel free to add your tips below :)

We're having a party...and you're invited!!

I'm teaming up with my blogging friend, Sasha's Creations and Things, to celebrate her new blog design.  Sasha is hosting a blog party and giveaway all week, and there are lots of great prizes for you to win!  I will be giving away my Dolch Sight Words Word Searches:

In this product, I have used all 11 Dolch Sight Word Lists to create 22 word searches that are perfect for beginners.  My students always LOVE doing word searches, and this gives them another way to practice those darn sight words :)

So head on over to Sasha's ADORABLE new blog, and check out all the other wonderful prizes she is giving away this week.  Good Luck!

Want to Sell on TPT? Here's What I did to get started...

OK so I figured summer was the perfect time to get started on this TPT thing.  I've been curious about it for a while, and when my friends Amy and Rochelle invited me to the TPT convention in Las Vegas this summer, I had to go!  I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into, but I figured I better get legit real quick.  Here's what I did to get started:

Step 1:  Come up with a name for your store, blog, and all other social media.  This, my friends, could quite possibly be THE HARDEST PART!  Can I get an "Amen" if you agree.  Struggling over a name that is cute, catchy, and signifies how you want to be portrayed in the blogging / TPT world! I asked friends for help on this, and have to thank my brother-in-law for coming up with my store/blog name (thanks Jim!).

Step 2:  Design your blog, or hire someone to do it for you.  I'm no techy, so I asked the wonderful and talented Megan from A Bird in Hand Designs to help me with my blog. She designs several blogs for TPT'ers and you can purchase one of her standard layouts and have it posted pretty fast.  I figured when I make all that money from my TPT sales, I can upgrade to one of her custom designs :)

Step 3:  Set up social media accounts.  This is how you will get the word out there about your TPT products.  I already have personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, so I went ahead and added new accounts for my blog.  On Facebook, I created a "page" for people to follow that has my blog address.  It's a place I can post info about TPT products that I create and it also has some really great TPT pages like TPT tips and tidbits - it's an awesome resource and a good place to connect and post questions!  On Instagram I created a new account, and go back and forth between my personal account and my blog one.  Instagram is fun because I can use it to follow all you teachers out there!  On Pinterest, I can post pics of my products with links to my store.  You can have links to all of these accounts on your blog :)

Step 4: Order business cards.  These will come in handy for the TPT conference!  Design your own or find a design you like.  Etsy has lots of talented designers - here's mine:

clementinejayne

Step 5:  Upgrade your TPT to a sellers account.  After you do this, you can start selling right away.
 
Am I ready for TPT and the 2015 conference????  I'll let you know!