How to Succeed on Etsy
Having an Etsy shop can help bring in sales for your handcrafted items, but just having a shop might only bring lukewarm sales. There are a few things you must can do to succeed on Etsy. Knowing how to market your shop can make your sales skyrocket. While it’s certainly possible to spend hundreds buying ads to splash all over the Internet, there are also free or inexpensive ways to get your shop noticed by potential customers which will help you succeed on Etsy and establish a profitable business.
Blog about Your Craft
Having a blog related to your craft can be a great way to talk about your work, especially if you let the passion shine through. Your blog shouldn’t focus solely on your Etsy shop, but rather on your craft. To really draw in interested people, you’ll want to make your blog as focused as possible.
Instead of sewing, you should blog about designing and sewing custom doll clothes, for example. Obviously, you don’t want to narrow the focus so much that you have little to say about the topic but it should be clear what you do make.
Again, only blogging about your Etsy shop isn’t a good idea so offer something of value to your blog readers. If you design and sew doll clothes, offer basic tips for sewing, how you choose fabrics when you’re designing. Answer questions people often ask you on your blog. Show pictures of work in progress. Let your readers feel like they’re there with you as you make your creations and they’ll feel connected to your product.
Guest Post on Related Blogs
Like they say over on Handmadeology, “A little recognition goes a long way, and writing for other blogs in the handmade scene can increase it greatly. Just by writing articles for other blogs, readers understand that the blog publishing your article sees you as an expert in the topic you are writing about.”
Another great benefit to guest posting on related blogs is it gives you a link back to your store, your blog, and even your Facebook page. You get a chance to briefly talk yourself up, and show off a bit.
Done right, your passion will shine through, you’ll get new fans who are interested in seeing what you’ve got, and you’ve made yourself more visible to other craft bloggers, which can lead to being featured on more blogs and sites.
Have a Facebook Page
As an absolutely free way to show off your work and link back to your Etsy shop, having a Facebook page about your craft is an essential tool in your marketing arsenal. Build your page with your store name, use the about section to talk up your passion and use pictures often to show off your work. This is also a great place to post a link to your blog.
The most important thing to remember about your Facebook page, however, is that you need to post often. Don’t forget to respond to your fans with answers to questions, and thank them for any comments. The key here is to engage with your fans, while posting often enough to keep them interested in what you might post next.
Name Recognition or Branding
Even with Etsy, name recognition counts. When potential customers recognize your name, they’re more likely to feel confident about making a purchase. Customers want to feel they can trust a seller before making a purchase, so every time you make a post online where you might be seen as representing your store, keep it polite and professional.
If you get complaints, which everyone eventually does, respond to them in the most positive way possible. This will show you’re both responsible and trustworthy.
Get Involved in the Community
Make sure to “favorite” your favorite shops, ” follow other sellers and add them to your admirer list. Join Teams where other members are able to favorite your items and see your items. This is very important. Some people say they have tested the outcomes of getting involved in the community and it indirectly affects your product listings coming up on the first pages.
Keep Adding New Items
Adding items to your store helps you get more visibility on Etsy itself. But don’t just dump a ton of items at once, or you’ll limit how well this technique works. Spread out your new listings throughout the day. If you notice a certain window of time tends to bring more visitors, then you can post a couple new listings in that window.
Many Etsy shop owners swear by adding new listings on a daily basis, but it’s only a piece of the puzzle. Make sure to include it in your marketing and advertising plan, but don’t make it your only plan.
If You Buy Advertising, Buy Smart
You want any money you spend on advertising to come back to you, bringing new customers. Unfortunately, the Internet is a big wide place and just buying ads is no guarantee that interested people will ever see it.
Try focusing your ads to blogs and sites that are craft centric, especially those that are similar to your product for the best return on investment. Pay attention to which ads do the best for you, and then when you decide to buy more ads, you’ll know where to focus your efforts.
Create an Attention-Grabbing Store
Once you have their attention, you’ll want potential customers to stick around long enough to make a purchase. Make sure your photography and description of your product clearly show what your customer is getting. Make sure to make use of all tags for your listing and that cannot be stressed enough. You will notice that top sellers maximize their listing and the results in the etsy search are in their favor.
If you have specific items you are particularly proud of, feature these often. It’s important to have plenty of items for potential customers to choose from, so try to keep a good stock in your shop, in a range of prices if possible.
Having a solid plan for marketing and advertising your Etsy store is essential to succeeding on Etsy. What do you do to get out in front of your customers and bring in new sales?
