How to etsy 101

INDEX
• Getting Started
• Etsy Myths
• Setting Up Shop
• Branding / Graphics
• Biography / About
• Listings - Targeted Titles,
Descriptions, and Photos
• Getting Views … and Sales
• Follow the Rules or Lose Your Shop

Getting Started:
What are you going to sell?
This is the first question to ask yourself. Well, actually, “Who is
your ideal customer?” is the first question you should ask.
However, I’m betting you’ve already got product ideas in mind and
want to start there. That’s totally fine. Don’t choose a product to
sell all willy nilly. Spend time researching other shops with similar
products and thinking about how you will be different.
Look at the Etsy search bar and see what comes up when you put
your ideal product in: “personalized dog collars”. Take notes on
the listings you see:
• What do you like?
• What do you not like?
• What seems to be working for the top sellers?
• How are their listings created?
• What do their photos look like?
Your product line needs to be expandable. If you sell dog collars,
for example, you can add in dog leashes. Then dog toys. Then dog
clothes. Then, maybe even dog treats! I could see including a free
sample of dog treats in your customer’s orders to introduce the
upcoming product expansion.
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Stealth Mode Stalking
What’s trending right now? Are these things that are evergreen? You
don’t want to start a shop around a trending item because as we
know, trends come and go. But you can use Google Alerts (or the
front page of Etsy, even) to see what’s hot at the moment.
Stalk Etsy to find a few shops you love. Do not copy what they’re
doing. Instead, use them as inspiration. You’ll see things you love,
and things you don’t love. At the end of day, you’ll have a better idea
of what you want your shop to look like.
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Etsy Myths:
It’s Oversaturated
Etsy is oversaturated. Everything is oversaturated. I think the
word “oversaturated” is oversaturated. People say direct sales are
oversaturated, yet some people make millions each year in direct
sales. People say blogs are oversaturated, yet many are making six
figures (or more) with theirs. Stop using that word as an excuse to
feed your fear.
People will copy your ideas. This is absolutely true! However, if
they’re lazy enough to steal ideas, they’re not going to build the
foundation needed to run a truly successful business.
It’s cheaper to sell elsewhere. Dollar for dollar, Etsy has provided
me with far more income for my handmade goods and printables
than any other platform.
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Setting Up Shop:
What’s your niche?
Think specific. Yes, you need to niche down for Etsy. If you’re
going to sell graphics, you can sell graphics of all kinds but they
should to have a similar style. If you’re going to sell printables, you
can sell printables of all kinds but they should be organized (for
example, by theme).
While setting up shop, focus on your target market. Who are you
selling to? What do they need? I remember reading about Etsy
success and someone made this analogy:
You wouldn’t set up a restaurant/hair salon/clothing store, would
you? Probably not. Focus on building your product line - the best
products for your brand - rather than throwing random things at a
wall and hoping one or two things stick.
Completely fill in your shop’s “about” or bio page, your shop’s
policies, and your welcome message. You don’t need to drone on
and on (and on), but your customers want to learn more about you
before they shop so be thorough.
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Branding/Graphics:
It’s Time To Visualize!
Graphics you’ll need:
• shop banner
• shop icon
• profile picture
Branding you’ll need:
• Bio/about
• Social media (not all platforms are necessary; use your best
judgment)
• Branded email (yourshopname@gmail or purchase a domain
and forward it)
Use Canva to create your banner and icon as well as any other
social media graphics you may need (Facebook cover, Facebook
profile picture, etc).
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Biography:
Who are you?
The hardest part about Etsy for many of us is writing our About
page. Most people don’t like talking about themselves, and if
you’re anything like me, you will second guess everything you
write down. The first step, though, is writing a few things down.
Answer these questions to create an amazing Etsy bio:
Who are you? Why should I buy from you?
How long have you been working in this field?
What are some of your favorite things (related to your shop)?
Why are you unique? Why is your shop unique? Who inspires you?
Answering these questions can help you establish your expertise in
a market where it’s tough to stand out.
If you’re still stuck, this article explains how to write an amazing
bio. I like that this one says “be professional-ish”. You don’t want
to be a stick in the mud. Show some of your personality!
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Listings:
Titles, Description, Photos.
In order to get your items ranked high in Etsy search, you have to
understand a bit about SEO and targeting. Don’t freak out… it’s
fairly simple on this platform.
Photograph your items in their natural setting if possible. What
does this mean? If you’re selling dog collars, take a photo of it on a
cute dog sitting on some pretty grass! Get your customers excited
about your products. In fact, if you’re going to take a photo for the
collar, you might want to add in a photo with the leash as well as
an upsell! Then, include leash info in your listing.
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Views & Sales:
How to get traffic.
When people tell me they’re taking their handmade goods to
another platform and leaving Etsy, I always roll my eyes. No
matter how much you love or hate Etsy, hands down it’s the #1
selling platform for handmade goods. This includes printables,
graphics, and other digital items. Their search engine is amazingly
powerful and your items will rank if you play by the ‘rules’.
Good reviews can help your sales go up as well. I know when I go
shopping on Etsy, the first thing I do is stalk the reviews. Don’t
pester people for reviews, but there are ways to ask without being
annoying. For example, I’ve received business cards that say
“thanks for leaving a review!” or “please contact us if your review
would be less than 5 stars so we can make it right!”. On my
Facebook page, I do a drawing each month for freebies. I choose a
winner from those who have left a review.
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You probably already realize that you need to advertise on social
media to get more eyeballs on your products. You’ll need to do this
efficiently, as social media can become a huge time suck! If I was
starting an Etsy shop right now, I’d focus on building an email list,
a Facebook page, and a Facebook group. Depending on niche, I’d
also set up an Instagram. I wouldn’t do Twitter or Pinterest, but
some niches could possibly benefit from both. I know Pinterest is a
huge traffic driver, so don’t discount it until you’ve done some
research.
Another way to get more eyeballs on your product is to hire
bloggers to write product reviews. Chances are, you’re familiar
with blogging and have contact with at least a few bloggers.
Introduce yourself and your business (very briefly) and explain to
the blogger why your product would be a good fit for their blog.
Don’t just make things up. Don’t guess. Do a little research! I hate
nothing more than to get an email addressed to the wrong name,
or an email from a company I’d never work with and they say my
blog is a “perfect fit”. Make sure you keep it short and sweet, and if
you aren’t sure about something, leave it out.
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Bottom Line:
Branding & Learning.
Spend some extra time developing your brand - all the way from
your bio to your listings to your photographs - and it’ll pay off in
the long run. Take your brand, products, and shop seriously from
the get go. Block out some time EACH DAY to work on your shop.
By “work on” your shop I don’t mean mindlessly scrolling Etsy to
see what other people are doing. I want you to buckle down and
make some money with this.
Continue Learning
• Take a 100% free Etsy course
• Get a free Shop Diagnosis
• Grab a subscription to Handmade Seller Magazine for $3.99 a
month
Etsy Forums can be extremely helpful but they are another time
suck if you’re not careful. There are also a ton of whiny, Negative
Nellies in the forums who spend time whining about their lack of
sales rather than putting that time and effort into their shops.
With that being said, you can learn a thing or two so it’s worth
scheduling in 15 minutes a day to browse the forums for topics
related to your niche.
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