12 Oct Etsy Tips for Success
We went behind the scenes with our favorite Etsy shop owner, creative boss lady & busy mama Sam Moran of Whimsical Winnie. We talked a little about marketing and a lot about how she’s done such a great job at growing her shop and engaging her followers. Sam was kind enough to share some of her best practices for all our fellow Etsy shop owners and any retailers looking to up their social game!
It’s All In The Image. Be sure to take clear Photos. You want a clear background so your product really pops. If you do use props, make sure the product is clearly known by looking at the picture. You don’t want the customer to guess what is actually for sale. If they have to spend time looking for the product there is a high chance they’re not going to buy it.
Keep It Simple. Use what you’ve got! You don’t need a fancy camera to achieve great photos. I use my camera phone, a clean background such as a piece of poster board or a white wall and natural sunlight. Taking photos by a window or open door will really help! While you want natural sunlight, you do not want DIRECT sunlight. If your windows let in too much sun try a sheer curtain to buffer some of the harshness.
There are some new (but easy) tools to the trade. While you never want to edit the color of your physical items, cleaning up the background may be necessary to achieve the look you want. There are many editing apps out there that help with this. If you choose to use a Preset photo edit, try using the same one on all of your pictures to have a more cohesive look to your listings.
Put it out there! It’s best to have multiple listings. The more items you have listed in your shop the more traffic you will get and the more likely someone is to buy from you. If someone comes across your shop and you only have one thing listed, they’re not likely to buy from you. Even if you only have a few different items but offer multiple colors, do a listing for each! Have a listing with each color option – think outside the box. The more options you can offer the more likely to be found.
Be seasonal. Change it up with the seasons. If you have your listings tagged for Christmas gifts or Mother’s Day, be sure to go in and change those as the seasons pass. Make sure to add new listings, or change up the ones you have. The more active you are within your shop the more traffic you will see.
Ask for reviews! Including a Thank you card with your product that says something along the lines of “Do you love your Beanie? Be sure to leave us a Review!” Market this on your social media as well. While Etsy gives customers to review a product after it has been delivered, they are pretty likely to forget or disregard this. Gently Remind them! Reviews can make a very big difference in whether or not someone buys from you.
Be social! Cultivating a following that is catered to your Ideal Customer is EXTREMELY Important. Speaking to that audience in your posts and captions is very crucial. They want to feel like you are talking to them. They want to relate to you. The more they can, the more they will engage. Find the groups and pages that your audience hangs out in and join the conversation! You’d be surprised how much content you relate to and can tie into your products and posts.
Hashtags. While the average person on social media may not use them, they are very important to those with businesses. One main reason we love #hashtags is the ability to follow them. If someone is following a hashtag that you use, the more likely they are to see that post, opposed to simply searching that tag. You are given the opportunity to have 30 hashtags per post. USE THEM ALL. These are 30 opportunities to reach a group of new people within your niche. Change them up! Don’t use 30 of the same hashtags every post. They may not apply to every post you put up! I like to keep a few of mine the same and change them up depending on the content.
Looking for some inspiration? Check out Whimsical Winnie on Instagram and Etsy! Better yet, the holidays are coming and we can guarantee you’ll find yourself a gift or two to check off your list!
Want to talk more about your social media strategy or growing your business? Let Moon 38 help!