You likely read a lot of advice about how to run a successful Etsy shop. It seems every Etsy shop owner has his or her own techniques that work, or don’t work, for them. When you’re a new shop owner, it can be difficult to decide which success tips to try. The truth is you’ll go through a lot of trial and error before you narrow down what works for you and your shop.
There are some everyday success tips that will work well for almost any Etsy shop. The good news is these tips are simple, basic business steps. Though they are simple and basic, they must be implemented correctly. What if you’re not sure how to take apart a bit of advice and make it work for your shop? Here are some proven Etsy success tips, decoded, to make them easier to understand, implement and benefit from.
Pricing Decoded
It seems every Etsy shop owner struggles with pricing at some point. You don’t want to overprice or under-price your items. In order to make a profit (and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?) you need to have your product priced correctly. Additionally, offering fair prices with alternating price points can help attract customers.
Price effectively by:
- Pricing your products to reflect the value of handmade (not homemade) – Etsy is a boutique market. Imagine walking into a clothing boutique anywhere in the world. You’d automatically expect to pay more for the specialty items inside. Your Etsy shop is a boutique market, so price accordingly.
- Avoid the lure of pricing low – Perhaps you’re scared that if you price your items too high, no one will purchase them. However, prices that are too low can shoot you in the foot. Customers may consider the low price as a reflection of poor quality.
- Don’t be afraid to change your pricing – If you start out too low; don’t be afraid to raise prices. Customers will adjust and it won’t hurt your business as much as you think. If items aren’t moving as well as you’d like, try raising your prices a bit. Again, this reflects high quality. Higher price=higher quality.
Alternate Price Points:
One trick to success is to lure all types of customers to your shop. You can do that by not only offering a range of similar products, but also by offering varied price points. Then, price items in both the low range and the higher boutique range. For instance, if you make jewelry, create a $10 pair of earrings along with your $100 earring and necklace set. By having a range of products and a range of prices, customers are more tempted to grab ‘just one more’ item. And, they are more likely to find more of what they want, i.e. a gift for a teenage girl and their grandmother at the same time.
Branding Decoded:
You want to look professional because, let’s face it, no one wants to purchase from a shop that’s little more than a hot mess. A shop that is unorganized, non-cohesive and sloppy will project the same image about your work, even if you create top-notch products. A beautifully designed shop, with a consistent theme actually facilitates purchasing security for consumers, so put some time and work into it.
When you think about branding your shop, remember all of these things work together:
- Your shop header – Create your Etsy shop header and smaller banners and logos to match. Have a variety of logo styles so you can use them on blogs, in print and on business correspondence. Make sure your logo reflects your business immediately. Use colors, fonts and a design that immediately points to your business.
- Your writing style – Your writing style also acts as a method of branding. Do you use humor, lots of description or a straight-forward style? Whatever your voice, find it and use it consistently. How you write will become as recognizable as your logo.
- Your business correspondence and collateral, like business cards, thank you notes, invoices, etc. – All of these things must be consistent with your logo, colors, font and voice.
- Packaging – Packaging doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be recognizable. Find your style and stick with it.
Customer Service Decoded:
Great customer service is the cornerstone of any successful Etsy shop. The first half of a pro shop is one that looks the part. The other half is one that acts the part. You want/need/must have excellent customer service in place if you want to thrive. Why? One big reason: word of mouth referrals. The more your customers loved their shopping experience in your shop, the more they will tell everyone else about it.
The foundations of great customer service include:
- Clearly stated business hours - When can customers expect to hear back from you if they email with questions or concerns? Post your hours of operation just as any brick and mortar store would do to help customers feel more comfortable.
- Clear production schedule – If your products are made to order, let customers know when to expect their items. What is your turn-around time? Turn-around time refers to the length of time, starting from when the customer approves the order (any customization details you may have been discussing) until you ship the product.
- Return and Exchange Policy- Not all Etsy sellers accept returns, but some of the most successful do. Why? It’s just good business. There is no sense in a customer paying money for something they don’t like when it arrives. Consider accepting returns on all non-custom items. Make it easy for a customer to make a return by including pre-paid postage and packaging if feasible, or reimbursing return shipping. Be very clear about your return or product exchange policy so customers know exactly what to expect.
- Prompt Shipping – Be clear on when ready-made items will ship. If you choose to ship internationally, be clear on shipping times, shipping options and that duty fees. (Duty fees are the responsibility of the international buyer, not the seller.)
- Problem Resolution – How will you handle problems when they arise? It’s not if a problem will come up, it’s when. A customer may be upset over a delay in shipping, receiving the wrong package or not like the item when it arrives. How will you kiss and make up with an unhappy buyer? Have a plan in place, but don’t be afraid to handle each situation as it arises.
Etsy Support Decoded:
Etsy has a multitude of built-in tools to help you be successful. Take advantage of all the free resources and you may be surprised by how well they will boost your business. A few of Etsy’s best tools are:
- Merchandising reports – Some great advice from successful sellers is to follow Etsy’s merchandising reports. They release these reports specifically to help you target what you’re selling to what people are buying. Merchandising reports come out each season and for holidays so you know what’s hot for seasonal buying. Take the merchandising reports seriously; use them to formulate your selling plans for the future.
- Seller’s help guides – Etsy offers a full seller’s help guide that’s not just helpful when you’re new to selling. It is invaluable for anyone who needs a reference or perhaps a boost in how to do something better. The seller guide covers everything you need to know about running a successful shop. Great sellers have read this and refer to it as needed.
- Photography Guide – Product photography has to be good. Its how customers window shop in your store. It might be necessary, but great photography can be hard. The trick? Use a white background and natural lighting (early morning works best). Know your camera and how to use its settings properly. Then, snap the best shots you can. Take multiple pictures of your items so you have more to work with. Then, upload your pictures to Fotofuze.com and easily edit them into a white background for a professional effect (and its free to use!)
- Etsy Labs & Teams – Etsy produces something called Etsy Labs. These labs discuss many topics and provide visual and step-by-step information on business-related topics. Additionally, Etsy teams are a more personal way to connect with other sellers and get real advice about what it takes to be a success. Search teams to find one that fits you and jump right in. Teams can help you make vital, supportive connections with other Etsy sellers who can help you in trouble areas or support you when you need it.
Networking Decoded:
Networking is an important tool for spreading the word about your business. Networking helps you make connections with customers, suppliers and other business owners that can help your business thrive. Having a social presence also gives you that human element that customers like. It lets them know there really is a person behind the business and that provides reassurance that you’ll deliver.
There are several ways to network, however common networking routes that Etsy sellers use are:
- Social Media
- Blogging
- Product Promotion
Social Media: Not all successful sellers tap into the power of social media, but some do. Facebook and Twitter are two social media powerhouses that can help spread the word about your Etsy shop. If you don’t have a Facebook fan page, hop over to Facebook and create one. Use your Facebook fan page to add links and images of new products, promote specials, coupons and give-aways, provide customer service and engage in conversation with customers.
Twitter provides another platform for connecting with others, but on a much smaller scale. You’re only allowed 140 characters to socialize with. You can post links and snippets of information, along with links to your store and product images. The key to successful social media? Engagement. Update your Facebook page and Twitter frequently. Ask your followers questions and engage them in conversation for a more person-to-person interaction.
Blogging: Who has time to blog? Etsy sellers who rake in the sales, that’s who! Having your own blog can be a highly successful move for your business. Blogging is perhaps the best way to blend a little of your personal self into your business self. You can create posts on any topic you choose, share how-to information, and give away goodies and share images and video. Even better, you can connect your blog to the blog-roll of others. This helps promote your blog to all the readers of other blogs who connect to you. What a great way to promote your shop and start forming a following! Both Blogger and WordPress offer free blog hosting options. Or, if you have your own website, connect a blog right to your site.
Product Promotion: At some point, you may be asked to provide a free product for a blog to use as a promotional give-away. Etsy sellers have mixed feelings about this; however, providing product for a give-away can be great exposure. You may also choose to contact blogs that you love and that fit your target market and see if they would be interested in using your product in a promotion. Simply, the blog runs a contest and your item is among the prizes. In return, the blog talks a little about your business and provides a link back to your Etsy shop. Before you hand over products for a give-away, consider:
- Does the blog’s demographic fit your target market?
- Does the blog have a large enough reader/follower base to make it worth it?
- How long will it take for the blog to feature your product?
Product promotions can be a good alternative to paying for advertising. Really dig deep to find blogs that fit your target market and be sure they’re a good fit for your product before giving anything away.
A key to social media that is easy to miss? Connecting with people who can leverage your business. This includes other business that may be willing to cross-promote your business with theirs, and vice-versa. For instance, if you sell baby clothing, you may want to look for a bath & body seller who sells baby bath products. Generate a rapport with the baby bath product seller. Ask her if she’d like to cross-promote your store on her blog, in her social media networks or on her website. Make sure this favor is mutual and you are willing to return the favor.
Thinking about selling to boutiques and other retail stores? The same networking applies. When you find other business that seem like a good fit to cross promote with yours, check to see if that business is selling to retailers.
Then, peek at which retailers they are selling to. These retailers may also be a great fit for your business. You can source retailers and boutiques this way, quietly and on the fly, and amass a nice list of retailers to send product information to.
Relevancy & Recency Decoded:
There are many different ways a customer may land in your shop, but two have pretty powerful influence. Etsy uses relevancy and recency to help customers find your products.
- Relevancy: When a person hops onto Etsy and uses the search bar to look for a ‘wedding veil,’ Etsy will give them results based on all the items labeled as a ‘wedding veil.’ Simply, only products related to a specific search will show up in search results. If you sell ‘wedding hats,’ they will not show up in a search for ‘wedding veil.’
Implement Relevancy: Be sure your items are tagged and titled correctly. Only use keywords and tags that are relevant to the product you are selling. Nothing bugs customers more than products that are tagged incorrectly. For instance, don’t add the keywords ‘wedding veil’ to your satin wedding hat, unless, of course, the hat also comes with a veil. Be sure your item is placed in the correct category as well.
- Recency: Items that have been recently listed show up in the ‘recently listed’ category on Etsy. Recently listed goods may appear on the ticker at the very bottom of the Etsy homepage, and also show up when a customer goes into Etsy search and uses ‘recently listed’ to look for items.
Implement Recency: To keep products available in the ‘recently listed’ category, consider spreading out new listings throughout the day. Instead of listing all of your new products at the same time, spread your listings out during the day or week, whatever works best for you. This helps ensure you always have something available in ‘recently listed.’
Ultimately, keep learning about ways to tweak your shop and make it better. The Etsy forums are a great place to source real-time information about what’s working for other sellers and helping them sell more. Be sure to keep notes about changes you’ve made to your shop and things you’ve tried so you know what’s working and what’s not. Running a successful shop takes work and time; give it both and you’ll be on your way!