The first post in a series of articles detailing my Etsy success and key tips for you to grow your own Etsy business.
I will forever be thankful to Etsy for providing me the launch pad of entrepreneurship. It was through Etsy that I first tested the waters of owning my own business, online marketing, and eventually leaving my full time job. There is no easy “get rich quick” secret to making money on Etsy. However, there are some key steps that you need to take in order to bring your Etsy shop from a hobby to a real, thriving business. Here are tips I’ve learned during my journey of making over $700,000 in sales on Etsy.
1. Add Photos, Photos, and more Photos!
If there is one thing that you do for your Etsy shop, it has to be photography. Etsy has now expanded to allow you to add 10 photos to your listings. I suggest that you use AT LEAST 8 photos. When buying online, customers always want to see as much of the product as possible.
2. Learn Etsy SEO and Keywords
You may be an SEO wizard when it comes to knowing key terms for google search. However, Etsy is a different beast. Etsy constantly changes their algorithms and how products are found in search so you need to be constantly changing and editing your listings to match Etsy’s SEO rules. You can keep up on the latest trends by perusing the forums.
3. Find a Niche Market
Etsy has now become so saturated with handmade goods that it really takes a unique product to stand out. But if you’re not the creative type that can come up with a brand new item, I recommend that you find a category that sells well and corner the market on a specific niche of that category.
4. The Customer is Always Right…in the first year
It goes without saying that providing excellent customer service is crucial in any retail business. That being said, you’ll deal with a lot of “unique” customers on Etsy and unfortunately some scammers too. This means that quite often the customer is NOT always right on Etsy.
In the first year, I recommend that you simply do your best to satisfy EVERY customer, even if it costs you an occasional loss. There are a few reasons for this but mostly to maintain a positive, 5 star rating for your shop. When you are new and have many reviews, it can be easy for one irate customer to sink your overall shop rating to only 3 stars (anything below 5 stars is a red flag to some customers). So in the first year (or at least first few months), try to answer even the ridiculous requests with polite, helpful responses and full refunds if necessary.
5. Look to Your Competitors
I want to be very clear here: I do not advocate any sort of copying on Etsy. Whether it is copying descriptions, photos, or even just a product style. This will hurt you in the long run. However, you can view your competition to see what types of items are selling, how they photograph a piece and most importantly what type of information they provide in their descriptions. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you have the information right there. Just be sure to put your own spin on your photos, descriptions, and unique designs.
There is so much more info that I have learned over the years and would love to share with you all. This will be the first part in a series of articles that I’ll share on my Etsy success and tips. Be sure to follow along as I’ll share some crucial tips in the next few posts.
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