This series has been a long time coming! I happen to have this amazing friend, Christine, who makes & sells beautiful jewelry in her Etsy shop, All My Heart Shop. Seeing how amazing & successful her shop has grown since she first started has been such an incredible thing for me to witness & I couldn’t be happier for her. Seriously, I think I get more excited about things to do with her shop then she does. A while back I asked her if she would be willing to share all of her tips & tricks about Etsy here on the blog & from that point on we have been brainstorming things she could share & today is finally the day where we start the series & I’m so excited for her to be able to share her insights with all of you who have ever thought about opening an Etsy shop or those of you who have an Etsy shop who are just wanting to learn more. There will be many many posts in this series dealing with everything from SEO, selling tips, packaging, social media & so much more. Today’s post from her is all about things she wish she knew before she started selling on Etsy. Let me turn my blog over to Christine so she can start sharing what she is so passionate about…
Hello all! I’m Christine and I am the girl behind All My Heart Shop, where I design and create hand stamped jewelry. Liz and I have been friends for the past 4 years or so. Before she wrote her first blog post, and before I stamped my first piece of jewelry. Wow, how time has flown and our love for making lovely things has grown. I was ecstatic that Liz asked me to be a contributor on her blog, but to be honest I was a bit hesitant because by no means do I believe I am a professional at this Etsy business owning stuff. But I want to share with you 8 of the things I wish I would have known before I started my Etsy shop. I learned most of these tips and tricks by making mistakes, and a lot of them. But that’s how we can learn and grow our business right? Well, I want to help you jump some of these hurdles that I’ve come across in my Etsy journey. So today I am sharing just that — 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Etsy Shop.
1. It’s all in the name.. Username that is.
When I first decided that I wanted to take the plunge into opening an Etsy shop, I was so incredibly excited that I started working at it right away. Researching, ordering supplies, and even practicing. But one of the many things that I didn’t know in the beginning, was that I shouldn’t open a new shop with my pre-existing username. Your username can never be changed on Etsy. Not even if you decide to open a shop! Crazy, I know. So choose your name very carefully because it will stick with you forever. I’d recommend picking a name that goes with what you will be naming your shop. I got lucky because my shop name was available as my username as well.
2. Branding, branding, branding.
Brand your shop. There is a plethora of designers on Etsy offering pre-made or even custom Etsy graphic kits. Be sure that your banner, avatar, custom listing photo, as well as you business cards all have the same look. Make your packaging match the ‘theme’ of your shop as well. When people see your logo, you want them to say, “Hey that’s so-and-so’s shop, I love her work”!
3. Post the best photos that you can.
Etsy allows you space for up to five pictures — try to use as many as possible. But if you only have a few good ones, only use those and leave off the not so great pictures. The saying that first impressions are everything holds true on Etsy!! This is because Etsy is an image-driven site, shoppers make quick visual decisions based on needs, personal taste, and the quality of your shop’s images. Try to create clean, clear, clutter-free product photography. Use similar backgrounds and lighting when you photograph your items. For example, I tend to use wooden backdrops inside of a light box and you will never catch me taking a photo without my tripod.
4. Think as if you were the customer.
When listing an item, try to put yourself in your buyers shoes. Remember that when a customer is viewing your item, they will be relying solely on the item’s description and photographs to truly understand what they are purchasing. What keywords will they use to search for your products? Is your product personalizable? Is it for a specific person or occasion? Include this information in your item titles, descriptions, as well as you 13 tags.
5. Don’t list every single item at once, spread them out!
I recommend when first posting items, list only a few things the first day. Then, every single day following, list a new item until all of your items are listed. By using this strategy, your newest items will be higher up in Etsy searches. This helps keep you more visible to shoppers for a longer period of time.
6. Connect with an Etsy Team.
Etsy has a wonderful thing available called Teams. These are groups of Etsy sellers who are connected by some common thread. It could be that you’re all stay at home mommies, that you sell similar items, or even that all of your names are Christine. I can almost guarantee that you’ll find a team that fits you perfectly. If you can’t seem to find an Etsy team, start looking at different Facebook groups. They have thousands of those as well. Once I joined in a team, I felt such a sense community and I learned so much from my fellow teamies. So much to the point that I actually refer to them as my friends and honestly can’t picture owning my shop without their support!
7. Provide stellar customer service.
This one is one of the most important things to provide as a business owner. Treat your buyers like youd expect to be treated.. and then go beyond that! Don’t hide anything from your buyers. Be direct about shipping turnaround time, whether you offer refunds or exchanges, how you handle customs and duty fees, and the types of payments you accept. Answer convos and emails as quickly as possible. If you wait over the recommended time of 24 hours, chances are your customer has moved onto a new item to purchase.. And chances are it wont be from your shop.
8. Be patient.
As much as you want to dive right in to your new creative business, keep in mind that it most likely wont take off immediately. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep making improvements to your shop, this is the never ending task of a successful Etsy shop owner. Sales can go up and down for no reason at all.. Stay positive during slow times and work on creating more or bettering your shop image or listings!
It’s been fun to take part as a contributor on Liz Marie Blog today, and I look forward to a series that will help you start and grow your Etsy business. I hope you were able to learn something new today, and use the information to kick start your Etsy shop. Happy creating!
XO, Christine
shop//Facebook//Instagram//blog
I hope you guys like this Etsy tips & tricks series, & if you have any questions, requests, or comments leave them in the comments below or on the facebook page!
The post Etsy Tips & Tricks-8 Things To Know Before Selling On Etsy appeared first on lizmarieblog.com.