You've started your Etsy shop, but aren't quite getting the sales you want. Don't worry! Check out these 7 Etsy tips for beginners that will help your Etsy shop get visible.
Avoid Garage Sale Vibes
Look, I know this sounds harsh. But garage sale shops get garage sale results. What that means is a little bit of jewelry. A couple of t-shirts. A few of this and a little more of that.
Compare that to some of your favorite online businesses. They have full product lines in one or more niches. So pick one product line and really hone in on it.
Quantity matters when it comes to your Etsy store, but it's not just any old quantity of listings. It's quantity when it comes to the keywords you really want to rank for.
So having 50 listings that are all targeted around a certain set of keywords will result in more traffic than having 50 listings targeting 20 different types of products and buyers.
Your entire Etsy store doesn't need to only sell on type of product, but if you build on one type at a time, you will make faster progress with your traffic and sales.
Perfect your Photos
Your product photos are the first opportunity to help potential customers get to know, like, and trust you. So don't settle for “good enough” product photos. No blurry or dark images! Successful etsy shop owners know that the Etsy marketplace is crowded. And professional-looking product listings can help distinguish you from your competition and entice customers to click on your listings.
If you aren't naturally good at taking photos of your products, there's nothing to worry about! You can either outsource it or practice, practice, practice.
Get Found in Etsy Search
Etsy has millions and millions of buyers and the key to being a successful Etsy seller is getting traffic from Etsy buyers completing searches on the platform. That means keyword research and formatting your tags and titles correctly for Etsy.
Getting found in Etsy search has a few different steps to the process.
Start with keyword search to make the most out of your search engine optimization or SEO. SEO is process you complete in order to be found in Etsy search through the organic algorithm.
Keyword research is all about finding phrases that potential buyers are typing into the Etsy search bar so you can optimize your product listings for those phrases. You can use third party keyword research tools to complete this.
Make your Marketing Super Simple
You don't have time to waste. So quit wasting your time on marketing that isn't working for you. Pick one platform that you love and that's effective for you. Then focus on growing and converting your audience there.
Cut your To Do List in Half
Most of what you do won't be effective. So take that stuff off your to do list. Instead you want to focus on what is working for you to get more sales.
Stop Shiny Object Syndrome
Most Etsy sellers don't give their strategies enough time to work. You put a new strategy in place, go really hard with it for 2 weeks, then you starting thinking it's not working, and move onto something else that you think will be bigger and better and easier.
But the truth is, that your first strategy didn't “not work.” You just didn't give it enough time to see if it was going to happen. So no more Shiny Object Syndrome. Pick a strategy and stick with it for at least 90 days.
Don't Give Up
The only way you can fail on Etsy is by giving up. Etsy works. And it works for all different types of products and business models. But your path to success on Etsy probably won't work exactly like you think it will. That's just the joy of being a business owner.
What that means is if strategy number 1 doesn't work…you have thousands of other ways to make it work for you. You can find a strategy that works, that's simple, and that you enjoy.
If you want some help doing that, then I'm here for you. Check out my free masterclass that teaches you how to get daily sales on Etsy. See you there!
Bonus Tips:
Need a few more tips for running a successful Etsy business? Check out these quick Etsy seller tips for beginners!
- Know all you can about Etsy fees. They're generally around 10% of each sale, but your bank account will thank you if you know exactly what Etsy fees include including transaction fees, listing fees, and payment processing fees. Click here to learn more about Etsy fees.
- Hit your customer service metrics. Etsy is placing more and more emphasis on providing excellent customer service each year. This includes shipping orders on time and receiving good customer feedback.
- Keep shipping costs low. Offer free shipping if you can but don't forget to add shipping costs into your pricing strategy.
- Download the Etsy seller app to get updated on your orders and messages in real time.
- Don't forget about following Etsy policies on what you can actually sell on the platform. You can sell handmade goods, craft supplies, and vintage items only. You will be removed from teh platform eventually if you don't follow this policy. Digital products fall into the handmade category as long as you are the person who creates them
Your shop's visibility relies on you knowing what makes the Etsy search algorithm happy! And all of these factors are a party of that.
Want to learn more about how Etsy works and get even more Etsy tips for beginners? Sign up for my next free class here.
