Advice please??? on a 'buy' button

OK my stats show a large number of readers and regular readers, many of whom never leave comments.

This is your chance to advise :>)

Tina suggested putting a 'buy' button on the blog and I quite like the idea, though I don't want to turn this into the primary function of the blog (Tina never pushes the sales angle though the option is always there)

What do you think?

does it put you off?

should I?

and how???? not sure how to do it!

Comments

Jeanette Jobson said…
I don't find 'buy' buttons offputting. They are simply a part of life if you want to make sales.

Often a buy button can take you to a dedicated sales site or blog so that could be an option for you too. Or for simplicity's sake, just have your button underneath an image for sale and let it take the viewer directly to the pay point.

How? PayPal is the usual host for this and you have that already if you're on Etsy. Just go to the Merchant's options on your paypal account and select buy button or whatever you wish your button to say, then fill in the details.
12:40 pm
Robyn Sinclair said…
It's a great idea. Do it!

Just go to www.paypal.com and type 'buy now button' into the search field on the top right hand side of the page and you will be led through the process in simple steps.

I'm sure before the day is out you'll have more experienced advice than mine.
2:17 pm
Rose Welty said…
Vivien, I know some disagree, but I do think that it is possible to add a button to buy (or a link that leads to a button) without destroying your integrity as a blogger. After all, you have "buy my work at Etsy" in the sidebar right? You are trying to make a living with this...people don't have to click the button, they don't have to buy, you just want to make it convenient should they want to.

I really don't see the harm in that. I recently added a link in my posts that leads to a blog that has buttons, I have not seen a drop in readership, rather an increase. No one has complained.

Paypal is easy to use, I'm sure you'd do fine with it. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Sorry for the ramble...it's only my opinion, but I don't think that you should feel bad about making buying your art convenient.
3:02 pm
Ann said…
"Buy" buttons don't put me off personally. Like you said, it can be nice to have that option there. A few months ago I set up a blog just for sales and that's where I put the "buy now" buttons. On my studio blog I simply post a link if that item is for sale, which seems less intrusive.

Are you thinking of selling directly from your blog? I would be interested in hearing more of your thoughts on this. Currently I am weighing the advantages of doing that versus selling through a site like Etsy. I really like the Etsy site but doing both feels like too much.
5:30 pm
laura said…
I have no idea how it's done, but I've seen the button on other blogs, and I don't find it intrusive at all. I think it's a good idea, in fact, making it easier for those who want to buy: sometimes you see something you just have to have!
8:07 pm
vivien said…
oh this is SO helpful :>) thank you all - Jeanette, Robyn, Rose, Ann and Laura - and please keep adding anything that will help - this is outside my field of knowledge

I don't find them offputting if the selling isn't aggressive but simply 'there' IF people are interested as several of you say too.

Thank you Tina too for chivvying me to look into this!

I'm so grateful for the explanations - it may the weekend before I tackle it but I will look into the 'how' and your instructions.

And Rose - ramble as much as you want with useful info and offers of help :>) thank you!

So I need to decide through this blog or another with a link - simpler through this if I don't make it pushy, less clicks .... or does it make older work harder to find??? but that can be sorted with a tag can't it? (thinking as I write here!)

Yes I have a paypal account - and I've had enquiries about sales through the blog and it would be nice if it became another outlet - it's hard times for galleries just now with some going broke so it seems sensible to look at options.
8:20 pm
dinahmow said…
Everyone else has far more expertise than I, but I'd like to say that this is a low-key sales pitch and would not put me off. What does annoy me(and I've dropped some sites because of it) is commercial advertisement pop-ups.One of those introduced problems that caused a crash of my system.
But I think an Etsy button would be fine.
And I keep promising to feed my piggy bank. Stupid pig is on an anorexia trip!
8:57 pm
Sydney Harper said…
I usually lurk so I'll speak up. :) Personally, I would much rather see a price and a buy button underneath a painting than wonder if I should try to find the painting on another website. Actually the chances of me doing much searching for it would be slim. You don't even have to say anything else about it in your blog. If you don't like buttons, you can always put a direct link to the picture on another sales site. I think it's better to make it as easy as possible for someone to make a purchase.
1:03 am
Gesa said…
Hm, possibly the odd one out here, but I think I DO find buy now buttons under painting offputting. I like the idea of having a separate sales blog a lot: so you can integrate a link to your sales blog underneath the piece that is for sale (but also upload older pieces). Part of the offputtingness is in the sales button design (not so much the fact that it is for sale); and for this the dedicated sales blog idea as Jeanette, Casey and others have pursued is far cleaner and more attractive in my mind. - I think if I want to buy someone's art, I'll check the blog/website for information, the existence of a buy now button hasn't so far tempted me to press it any easier than having a look around the blog.
8:51 am
vivien said…
I agree about ads Dinah - I wouldn't go that route for sure

Sydney thanks for the input - and I could really relate to your cat story on your blog :>D

Good points Gesa
12:00 pm
Rose Welty said…
Vivien...just thought of a point a friend made to me...she doesn't care at all about the "studio talk" part of my blog...she just wants to see the pictures I have for sale - for that reason I have a separate sales blog. My regular blog, which gets far more traffic, links to it - but for those of my customers who just want paintings, there is a place they can go for that. :D
5:52 pm
sionwyn said…
the only time I find "buy me" buttons/links intrusive is when a formerly-interesting blog becomes a series of ads with little or no other content. I have wondered about "buy now" buttons myself, but it's one of the many things I've put off for the moment.

I'm not especially fond of blogs as de facto gallery sites, unless you host it properly & install a theme that works for your blog software - and in many cases you'd be as well to use a properly themed gallery like Coppermine instead. If you decide against just popping a "buy now" button/link on works as you post about them, I'd suggest you look into a proper website to link to. I hope that made sense, I'm feeling a bit fuzzy today heh
3:09 am
Sarah said…
yep...paypal buy button is great, easy to install and easy for anyone around the world to use. I think people like to know the price as well. Also I always include post and packing within the price, as personally I hate having to add that on at the end.
8:09 am
vivien said…
Good point Sarah :>) I think I'll do that

I do use a proper website as well sionwyn - but not for selling from (I use it to show galleries and don't think it's a good idea to let them know I sell direct!) This was for smaller works mainly, more affordable ones that I was thinking about. I'm wondering about links to a separate site .... decisions decisions!

Rose that's an interesting point too
7:41 pm
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