Friday, March 7, 2008

6 MONTHS ON ETSY!

Today is my 6 month Etsiversary and I've got a lot to celebrate. My little shop has made it to over 1300 hearts and over 200 items sold in this short amount of time. Thank you all for your continued love and support!!

I'm no expert but everyone is always asking me what my secret is (there really is no secret) so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you some of the things that I've learned over the last 6 months.

PHOTOS:
They don't have to be perfect or professional looking but they should be bright and clear and properly convey the item for sale. Having good photos means more sales and more featured items in treasuries, gift guides, storque articles, on blogs, etc.. Try to take clear shots of your items from different angles, front side and back side. Try to use up all 5 of your photos and if you've got extra photo space upload a photo of your packaging or even a photo of your business card. Try to crop your items square keeping in mind that not everyone shops using gallery view. Make sure that people can clearly see what it is you are selling in the thumbnail view otherwise you might get passed over for another item. Use backgrounds that are neutral and don't draw too much attention away from your item. It's also a good idea to find consistent backgrounds and props that work with a majority of your items. Consistency in background and the way you display your items will help people recognize that the item is from your shop. It takes a lot of time to learn the skills of taking good photos and although my photos are not even close to perfect they are decent enough to get me into a few treasuries and blog features.


PROMOTION and NETWORKING:
For those of you who think that listing items and sitting back waiting for the sales to roll in is the way it works on Etsy be prepared to be disappointed. Promotion and networking are key factors to success in any online business. If you don't tell anyone you exist how will they ever find you? How can they tell all their friends and family about how much they love you if they don't know about you? Here's a list of some things that I do:

1. Chat.
Make sure you have a recognizable avatar and post in the forums. This one is easy because most of us are always there anyways asking/giving advice and chatting. This is a great opportunity for the community to get to know you a great way to start creating a brand for yourself.

2. Blog.

Write about ANYTHING and people will read it. If you're like me and not much of a writer/reader then post photos of your shop items and use it as a gallery or portfolio to display your work.

3.BnR/BnS games.
Join in and have some fun. If you're new to Etsy this is a great way to meet some sellers and ask them for advice while getting some shop exposure.

4. DeviantArt.
Not sure if you guys know about DA but it's basically an international community of artists. You can upload your photos, create a journal, add friends, participate in the forums, etc.. A lot of people on there do sell on their stuff and they update their contacts by writing journal entries (basically a blog but it gets send to all the person's subscribers as a message). You can also link your Etsy shop and your blog in your signature. I do believe that this is where a lot of my international sales come from.

5. Facebook.
I have the Etsy facebook application up on my profile. I haven't actually done this yet but start a group on facebook and invite tons and tons of people to join and get your friends to invite people to join. It's an easy way to get your name out there and you can send the entire group messages about a sale you're having or whatever.

6. Flickr.
Add contacts! Join lots of groups! Add your photos to group pools! Post in the group threads! Comment on other people's photos! Basically network with other people.

7. Indiepublic and We Love Etsy.
Post in the forums, make some friends, welcome people to the site, comment on people's avatars, their photos, their shops etc...

8. Listing items frequently.
I list about 2-5 items daily at random times. There isn't just ONE great time to list your items. Etsy is an international site and no matter what time you list your items someone is always looking!

9. Livejournal.
There are LOTS of communities on there that you can join and post in to advertise your shop.


See? No secrets here! I hope this helps someone!

27 comments:

What is Wrong With Me 2 said...

Great tips Tiny Fig-- thanks for sharing your knowledge, and congratultions on your successes :)

Anonymous said...

that was awesome! I'm so glad I read it.
See you in the forums!
I have a blog and signed up for different sites but the blog thing just hasn't clicked for me.
Renee AKA LittleSun

woolies said...

I do most of these, and will start to do the ones that I don't! Also, recommend using project wonderful to advertise on blogs for pennies per day.
Your product is absolutely adorable!
congrats!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Well anyone who can think up something so unique as making bread charms can only be successful.

Your tips are excellent and your blog is fun.

Congratulations and I wish you continued success. I think you should make some little pancakes too. I've searched everywhere for a little pancake charm with no luck.

sewserious said...

Great advice and tips! Thanks so much for sharing and of course, Congratulations!! :)

designsbyone said...

thank you for sharing all this valueble info!! i hope you continue to have good luck on etsy :)

Sheila said...

Great tips! Thanks so much for posting them!!

And happy etsy-versary, too!

maoiliosa said...

happy 6 month etsyversary! :D

you deserve all the success you're having and MORE! love ya, tiny! :)

Tizzalicious said...

Happy Etsyversary! :D And thanks for all the great tips!

Kii said...

Thanks for the great tips. I am adding you to my art blog. :)

Unknown said...

Congratulations!!!!

Great tips too!

Home Hooked said...

Great tips! You have such a cute shop. Congrats!

Jennifer Joy Creative said...

Awesome blog, thanks so much for the advice. I just joined Indiepublic and I love it! Thank you!

Unknown said...

Thankyou for sound advice, specially welcome when your new to all this as i am.
Sue
www.susie1205.blogspot.com

Rosebud Collection said...

What great ideas..Thank you for taking the time to share them with all of us..Much luck to you.

Lindentreephotography said...

Thank you for posting your great ideas.

EtsyBlabbler said...

I see you in the forums all the time, your stuff is so cute! Great advice and congradualtions!!

Amy said...

Thanks for the information ! I have tried some of these such as having my own blog. http://amylucid.blogspot.com and I have tried joining some surf rings/groups. I also have a myspace page that has my esty mini on it with most of the jewelry that I have listed. I have also booked a few showcases, spring, jewelry and storque. I have been on etsy since September 2007 and have only had one sale. I didnt know if joining in on forums would bring in buyers from the outside, not other esty sellers? Any suggestions you have for my store would be appreciated ! Thanks !!
Amy @ www.lucidjewelry.etsy.com

JLC Studio said...

Thanks for the tips!! I think it also helps to have such a cute and unique product...way to go!! (I love my bread buddies magnets by the way!)

Martha Hughes said...

Great article - will try and use a few of your tips that you suggested that I haven't yet tried. I have a question: what does BnR/BnS mean? I've seen it used before but I've not come across the definition.

Thanks for the info. It's people like you who are willing to help who make my day.

Best regards,

Martha

SavageBabble said...

Really good article. You have done really well and your shop is adorable!

Carry Grace said...

These are all great tips! Thank you for sharing!

Gingery Stones - handcrafted jewelry said...

That was really good ;)
I have too flickr, Facebook, etc., but never improoved.. ok, i need to go to work on them! :)
Thanks for this post!

Mei Tan said...

Great informations, thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Great tips Tiny Fig! Thanks!

http://cloud9designstudio.etsy.com

My Art Garden said...

at tips.Love your blog! So cute :)

My Art Garden said...

I meant to write ,Great tips!


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