Posted by on 10/18/2013 to
Crochet on Etsy
Selling
on Etsy can be a lot of fun. It’s a great way to share your craft with other
people who appreciate handmade items and it can become a way to bring in an extra income.
You can find just about any kind of crocheted item on
Etsy. There are traditional and
contemporary hats, full size afghans, baby blankets, amigurumi, jewelry, and
lots of other assorted goodies. You have to find your own special niche. Or
find something that you would like to make, but put your own special twist on
it.
Browse the categories on Etsy and see what others are
selling. It is best to research so you don't flood an already overly-saturated
market with more items that people simply don't want to buy. Research what is
selling the best and what isn't. Etsy's Pounce and Time Machine features are
great for this...just sold items will give you an idea of what is popular and
items about to expire will give you an idea of what is often passed over:
If you do decide that Etsy is a route that you would
feel comfortable taking, I wish you the best of luck. It is an absolutely
wonderful community!
There is no magic
Etsy button!
My number one tip that I tell new Etsy sellers,
is to remember that Etsy is not magic. Just throwing up a bunch of 20
cent listings with no business plan will not bring you the success you are
looking for. If you treat your Etsy business like a hobby you will
reap hobby money, but if you treat it like a real business you will bring in
the money you are striving for. Remember, you reap
what you sow.
Lots of people have been asking me lately what they should know about
setting up a shop on Etsy. Here I’ve gathered together the articles that
have been golden nuggets of advice for me in a sea of information. Know
at the beginning that making amazing products is only half the battle, the
other half of your time will be making sure that the right people are aware of
them. I’ve found that the marketing part of owning an craft business is
just as fun and creative as the making part. If you start reading these
articles and it all seems boring and you’re disappointed that there are no
quick-fixes, then you’ll want to take aside some time to really evaluate what
you want to do with your creative impulse. Maybe selling online isn’t for
you? If you start getting excited by the articles and absolutely can’t
wait to dive in, then - go for it!
The first set of articles that you want to bookmark and begin your
reading adventure with is the
Etsy Seller’s Handbook. Just what it sounds like, everything and
anything you should know about selling on Etsy! (321
Etsy Tip Articles)
Find out who your ideal customer is so you know how to market to them, and
what to make for them.
Take great pictures. This can be achieved with the most
modest set up. All you need is a basic
digital camera, a window, a white piece of paper and two pieces of white
matboard that bounce light back at the item. You can edit with free
photo-editing tools, my favorite is pixlr.com. The rest is just using your artistic eye
to create great shots!
Before you start writing your item titles and descriptions, learn
the principles of Search Engine Optimization and find out what keywords to use. People
can’t find your items without it! Especially think of keywords as they relate
to your ideal customer. Would the sort of person you’re trying to sell to
type in “colorful afghan” or “colorful blanket” or “cute colorful blanket”?
Think about it!
Now you can begin writing your Etsy item descriptions.
Be sure to include all the technical specs of your item, how wide, how
big, what size, what color, how heavy, who is it for, etc. Write the
description as if there’s no picture to show your item.
Make sure that when you’re writing your Etsy descriptions, that
you’re telling your story, that way customers can relate to you and see why your items are so
special, which will make it more likely that they’ll buy from you because they
trust you.
Now you can start promoting your Etsy shop through authentic
and meaningful social networking.
This will include writing a meaningful, helpful and informative
blog.
You want to write about your craft, but not in a BUY MY STUFF screaming
sort of way. Write in a friendly, this is my inspiration, how I work,
what I know, the service I provide sort of way.
Have patience! It takes a while to get established and start
making sales. It was 2 months
before we sold something on Etsy and a full year before we started to feel like
we were getting the hang of things and here we are years later after setting up
shop, and we finally feel like we may just know what we are doing and that this
may in fact become a viable source of income.
It takes time to build your customer base and to get your name out
there, but it’s worth it!!
Happy crafting friends, and good luck to you!
1 Comments
Elisa
Date
10/19/2013
I just started my Etsy site and this information is going to really help me. Thanks for posting all of these articles.
