Despite what you make have heard you can still make a solid living from selling your handcrafted goods on Etsy. The site is home to 31.7 million active buyers, 1.9 million active sellers, and 45 million products. In 2016, gross merchandise sales reached $2.84 billion.
However, up to this point, but you may have found it difficult to stand out amongst the competition. You’ve realized that if you want to capture the attention of the typical Etsy customer, you need to have a great marketing strategy in place.
Want to figure out exactly what to do to position your Etsy store at the top? If you take these five pieces of advice from CreativeLive teachers into consideration, you can start to rank higher on the site and boost your sales.
Use email marketing to transform your handmade business. Learn more
Use imaginative language in your product descriptions
CreativeLive teacher and jeweler Marlo Miyashiro is a proponent of descriptive copy. She says you need to use it to “describe each item in detail, including measurements, weights, and words that evoke the imagination of the reader.” Take, for example, this product description for an inspirational vertical necklace on Etsy: “Effortlessly chic and versatile, our vertical bar necklace is one of the most coveted pieces. Wear it alone, or layer it with our other necklaces to add a bit of glamour to your everyday outfit. Its refreshing and modern spin on the classic bar design makes it a unique gift for the special people in your life.”
Be hyper-focused on your store’s niche
You may be great at sewing blankets, making beaded bracelets and painting unicorns, but you need to pick one product and/or niche and stick to it, otherwise your branding is going to be off, says marketing consultant Lisa Jacobs. “Editing is key to a successful shop! You must think of the brand experience, and then ask yourself which of your creations fit that mold. Only then should it be listed in your Etsy shop.”
Take excellent photos
Jacobs also emphasizes great photography. She says that photos should be able to stand on their own and sell your products. Make sure they all have the same lighting, are in focus, are not taken extremely close-up and do not include busy backgrounds. Look at this and this page for awesome photos.
Connect your social media profiles
Do you want your Etsy shop to rank higher on the Google search engine results page? Then connect it to your social media accounts. Miyashiro recommends using your social media pages to communicate with your customers and build up your personal and professional brands.
Create a mailing list
While Etsy has serious rules around building a mailing list with customer information, you shouldn’t neglect this crucial aspect of your business. Jacobs recommends signing up for a service like Mail Chimp, and then include a link to sign up for the list in your shop announcement on Etsy, in an auto-responder on a “thank you” note when a customer completes an order and on social media.
2018 is the year that you are going to make your Etsy store shine. Find more customers, increase your sales and dominate the site by putting the above five tips into action.
Use email marketing to transform your handmade business. Learn more
