Josh Cutler
Simple ways to advertise your Etsy store
Successful Etsy shop owners will tell you that creating or curating unique, fantastic things and posting them to your Etsy business isn’t enough. With over 2.5 million active merchants offering anything from craft materials to antique products to handmade things on the global ecommerce platform, Etsy company owners must work extra hard to stand out on the online marketplace.
Fortunately, there are seven simple (almost all free) initiatives you can do to assist your handcrafted wooden picnic tables, personalized dog coats, or [fill in the blank] items reach the proper clients.
Are you looking to increase the exposure and sales of your Etsy store? Read on for seven clever strategies to develop your Etsy company, whether you’re an artisan or a curator.
2. Maximize Your Etsy Listings for Optimal SEO
3. Re-post Your Listings Frequently
6. Promote Your Etsy Shop on Social Media
7. Use Etsy Advertising (aka Promoted Listings)
Ready to create standout content?
1. Include Gorgeous Visuals
Given the attention span and quickness of online buyers, you have approximately two seconds to attract prospective clients, and product photography must be one of them. (Unless they’re already interested, no one reads product descriptions.) This implies that your photographs should be taken in good lighting with few distractions so that the shots are sharp, professional, and clearly focused on your items. If there are various views worth displaying, provide more than one picture per product.
As illustrated by the customized gadget organizer below, offered by CathanCreations, certain products work best on their own.
Merchandising in a lifestyle setting or another context may also help purchasers see your item in their reality. Or, even better, it can show them how it will solve a problem for them (everyone buys issue-solving items!) or inspire them to participate in your picture initiatives. The picture below of a CarpathianCrfts wool rug depicts a relaxed, barefoot-chic lifestyle that their target consumers aspire to.
Adding graphics to a photograph may also assist sell your goods by providing context or conveying crucial information. The Ruth Bader Ginsburg ornament below by Studio118Art exemplifies both.
If it were hanging against a solid-colored backdrop, it wouldn’t be as evident that it’s a Christmas ornament, thus the seasonal revelry provides context. The statement in the top left-hand corner tempts (It’s a fantastic present! You still have time to purchase it! ), and proactively issue solves for buyers concerned that they won’t have it in time for the holidays or that they won’t be able to present it without wrapping it themselves.
You don’t have to be a graphic designer to add graphics to Etsy product photos. There are several free web tools available to assist you in creating various effects with your images. Here are two you should be aware of:
- Free background remover: Have a great shot of your homemade cupcakes, but there’s an unsightly person in the backdrop? Want to picture an ornament suspended from a tree and then remove all but one branch? This free program makes it simple to delete any backdrop.
- Want to add a graphic backdrop or a text overlay to your free images, as in the RBG ornament image? This application will assist you in combining your picture with whatever backdrop, text, and text style you like.
2. Maximize Your Etsy Listings for Optimal SEO
When someone visits etsy.com with a specific product in mind, such as llama stickers, they are likely to enter “llama stickers” into the search field. If you’re anything like Etsy store owner SAMingleThings, who produced the vinyl llama sticker seen above, you’ll include the terms “llama” and “sticker” in your product title. This increases the likelihood of your goods appearing in search results.
But SAMingleThings went a step farther. Perhaps they incorporated more precise keywords to help keep their product searchable since they knew where customers who bought such stickers liked to affix them. “Happy Llama Sticker Vinyl Decal – Window Bumper Laptop Wall Glass Mug Skateboard Snowboard,” is the title of their llama sticker. It’s not elegant, but it gets a lot of consumers who want to personalize their gear with a stick-on happy llama.
Some Etsy sellers may stop at title keywords, however this would be a tremendous mistake. There are several more keyword-related efforts you may do to assist your product reach the top. To gain the most exposure for your items, read Etsy’s Seller’s Handbook (also known as The Ultimate Guide to Etsy Search) and follow its rules.
3. Re-post Your Listings Frequently
Aside from relevancy, criteria that influence Etsy listings’ SEO rankings include high-quality ratings (which come with time and sales) and how recently the goods was placed (Etsy pushes new products to the top in search results). As a result, you should repost your goods on a frequent basis so that they appear as fresh things in Etsy’s search-engine algorithm.
Etsy is aware of the game, and rather than attempt to outwit the cunning little firms that are exploiting the system, they have joined them. Etsy has an auto-renewal feature for $0.20 each item that is scheduled to be pushed up. Is it worthwhile? It’s certainly worth a go.
After all, Etsy has 44.2 million active consumers in 2019, and that figure is expected to rise considerably in 2020. If you renewed your best-sellers every day for a year, each product you marketed would cost you $73. If your profit from promotion surpasses that amount, your marketing efforts are successful, and you’re growing a customer base.
4. Encourage Word of Mouth
A personal referral is still one of the most effective strategies to attract new business. While you shouldn’t expect everyone of your current customers to race to their social media accounts and post about you to everyone they know, there are certain incentives you can provide to encourage them to do so. Consider the following:
- Create a referral program that rewards current customers who suggest new clients to you. (Perhaps send it in a thank-you email, along with a gentle suggestion that they evaluate you.)
- Create competitions in which your consumers must share your product or ad on their social media platforms in order to be eligible to win a reward.
- Invite repeat customers with large social media followings to become brand ambassadors for your company.
- Comment on postings that showcase your goods and mention you on your consumers’ social media pages.
5. Leverage Email Marketing
Everyone is preoccupied. Every. Single. Time. Customers are unlikely to recall and search out your Etsy business. Instead, send them an email newsletter to remind them (you acquire a customer’s email address when they make a purchase).
Newsletters are inexpensive to produce and distribute to an audience that already knows and supports you. Any money spent on email marketing software to create your emails will be multiplied by the sales generated.
Newsletters that are effective go beyond just advertising new items. They provide great material that encourages your clients to read your emails each time they come.
Consider the following when deciding what sorts of emails to send:
- How-to manuals
- Gift suggestions for the holidays
- Simple DIY ideas
- Promotions and sales (occasionally)
Make a consistent email schedule that does not overload your clients (think once a week or so).
6. Promote Your Etsy Shop on Social Media
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter are all excellent visual channels for displaying your stunning product images. Use the above-mentioned free graphics creation tool to add text or GIFs, as well as to create tales.
Along with displaying things, here is the place to exhibit oneself in action, creating or complementing your offers. (Who doesn’t want to see the ceramicist who created their favorite coffee cup sitting at the wheel with a new batch of clay?)
Here are some examples of recommended practices:
- Post on a regular basis (the algorithms like that).
- Use free social media graphic templates to add text and images to your posts. (If you like the shoe example above, you may edit it by tapping the template.)
- React to remarks.
- In your story, including any consumer posts regarding your items.
- Use hashtags that your target audience would use to find similar items to yours. (If you need help with hashtags, see this article.)
- Hold freebies on occasion and invite participants to tag a friend.
7. Use Etsy Advertising (aka Promoted Listings)
All of the suggestions above are free, but it’s also worth considering investing in Etsy’s paid advertising alternatives, particularly if you don’t have have a large number of product evaluations.
Promoted Listings on Etsy increase product exposure by placing your items at the top of relevant Etsy search results. The model is pay-per-click, and your goods will appear in search results beside the term “ad.” (The customer shouldn’t care since they’re seeking for what you’re offering.)
Once your ad produces purchases, you may invite your new customers to provide reviews, which can assist enhance your organic search result ranks in the future.
Whether your Etsy shop is a supplement to your brick-and-mortar store, a side hustle, or a full-time job, using the smart business techniques outlined above can help your Etsy store receive the attention it deserves—and the sales you need.
Remember that nothing occurs overnight. Pace yourself, move slowly and steadily, appreciate your Etsy account, and keep producing!