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Hey all,
Thanks for being here! So you have set up your Etsy page and have added some listings! Hurray! So now you can sit back and watch the sales roll in, right?
Well not quite....it can take 6-9 months for a shop to make their first sale!!
Here are a few ways you can give yourself the best start:
- Filling in your profile fully
Add a banner at the top of the page to showcase your best work. This will need to be 1200x300 pixels and can be created in Photoshop or a free programme like Canva or Gimp.
Add a logo, or if you don't have one yet, use a photograph of yourself that is clear and smiley. People buy from people they like, so look friendly and approachable! :-)
Fill out your About section. This is really your opportunity to tell your story. Prove you are not a scammer, bot or dropshipper... some prompts could be: Where do you live? Do you have kids or pets or relevant hobbies? Why did you start making art? When did you begin? What is your journey to get here? How is the art made? What inspires you?
Make sure you create a clear impression to sums up what you do and how you do it in a few short sentences. Just doing this will set you apart from many new shops and will give you the best chance to shine.
Don't trade outside of Etsy
Most of us start off trying to sell to friends and family. If your Auntie Rita wants to buy from you outside of Etsy for cash, ask her politely to do it via Etsy instead. List it as a product and ask her to buy there. So many people trade for cash outside of Etsy when it makes so much more sense to have it all on the one platform. It means for tax purposes there is a record of what you have sold, it shows you are taking your art seriously and it also means you are less likely to be stuck on zero sales for months on end. If you are selling your products you need to be proud and show every sale off to other potential buyers. That is called social proof (I can get more into that another time!)
Download Erank
Erank is an amazing tool that supports your Etsy page and ensures you find the best keywords you can. When you begin creating listings you will be asked to put in 13 tags. These tell Etsy what your item is, who it is for and shows your item to the right people. If you sell charcoal dog portraits you want to be ranking for exactly that, not people looking to buy charcoal sticks or photographic portraits. The tags are what defines those things.
When you open an Erank account it will audit all of your keyword tags and give you a rating ('A' rating being a great set of tags) it will also show you the keywords in your niche that are trending. The better your tags are, the more Etsy will show your item to exactly the right person.
I recommend following Pam Duthie and Starla Moore on Youtube to get full walkthroughs of how to use Erank and what it can do.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
Kat Xx
Don't forget my membership opens on 1st June, a community which is designed to go through all these kind of subjects in way more detail, and provide a supportive space where you can grow you business. If that resonates with you come and join the waiting list here
