Etsy is unlike other websites out there. It doesn’t just showcase your works, it serves as your entry in the world wide web to a vast number of online shoppers. Young creatives are given opportunities to start a simple business with just basic computer knowledge. With just a few clicks, your shop is ready to go online.
The next challenge is making the Etsy shop standout. Among the thousands out there, how can you effectively promote your store to the intended market? No good comes from only relying on the word-of-mouth strategy. You need to boost your promotion tactics. Good thing there are
basic tricks anyone with a simple know-how of the internet can master.
- Take good photos of your products. As an online business, your products rely on visual representation, so you have to make it as good as possible. You don’t need to buy a professional camera just to take good photos. Even with a simple digicam or with the right setting of your phone, you can take professional-looking promotional photos.
Take a clue from MadeByMaru, a jewelry shop that emphasizes on simplicity. Every photo is taken with thoughtful consideration. Clutter is eliminated, and the framing draws the viewers’ eyes on the product. The photos are simple, but they’re good enough to make the items shine.
- Manage a related or a counterpart blog. It’s not easy to sustain an active blog. You have the orders to manage and crafts to finish. Making time for blogging seems next to impossible, but it’s not like you have to write essay-long posts. There are benefits from blogging that no other methods can provide. A blog gives your shop a more personal approach. Buyers often want to see the person behind the shop, and this is a good way to let them take a peek in your world.
In your blog, you can post the production process of your stuff. It can
also serve as promotion for future creations or a look back on previous ones. It takes selling your items to a personal approach. Besides, it’s a good way to show them the process of creation and why your items are worth buying.
- Maintain social networking accounts for your shop. The power of social media can’t be underestimated. As a small-time business, advertising is too expensive. It’s up to you to spread the word about your shop, and social media can help you with that. Just by setting up social networking account counterparts of your shop, you’re already stepping into a larger audience. You’re not just attracting people visiting Etsy, but even those who only drop by social media sites. For starters, Facebook and Twitter are two of the most powerful platforms to gain more potential buyers.
- Treat Pinterest as your shop’s second home. It works like a social networking site, but Pinterest has a function and a community that works best for Etsy shops. It’s a place for DIY enthusiasts and vintage hunters to meet and interact. As a seller, it’s a good place for you to meet potential clients. Thriftage is one good example of a shop with an active Pinterest account. By creating a board full of her items, she lets other people like and re-pin photos of her items. More people end up seeing her stuff and the link to her Etsy shop, thus, expanding her market reach.
- Create a lookbook. Online shopping can be pretty tricky, that’s why a lot of people are hesitant to try it. Shopping for clothes, jewelries, and accessories are even more difficult, since most buyers want to see how it looks when worn. With a lookbook, you can style your items by letting others model it for you. Ask friends or family to be your model for a day. It’s not only fun, but it’s also a pretty creative way to introduce new products.
K is For Kani creates a lookbook everytime she releases new pieces for her floral headpieces shop. It’s the perfect way to show how each item can be styled, giving your buyers a more definitive idea on how they can wear it.
- Send freebies to well-known bloggers. This may not be something you don’t want to do, but it can bring so much traffic to your shop. Getting a celebrity to model or mention your items can be difficult. Bloggers are more approachable. You don’t need to send them an item every month or even give them your most expensive piece. Even a simple trinket can be good enough. A mention on their Twitter or a photo tagging you on Instagram can be pretty sweet. If you’re lucky, they’ll even post a write-up about your shop.
- Learn how to network. It’s not enough that you manage a blog or you run a Twitter. You must learn how to connect to your followers and clients, too. Being sociable online is a lot easier than in the real world. Replying to comments and reading client’s blogs are two ways to start the connection between you and your shop’s followers.
These methods can take the word-of-mouth marketing for your shop to a whole new level. Though they take time, they will definitely bear fruits for your shop.
Have you checked us out on Etsy? Do so, by visiting: www.etsy.com/shop/PinkStudios and feel free to post the link to your Etsy shops in the comments section below.
About the author: Paige Donahue is a copywriter for Rushessay. She’s currently taking her master’s degree on marketing. She loves making friends online and blogs at Very Last Paige.
