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!