Shop Talk Friday: Ready, Set, Market!

A recent Shop Talk Friday reviewed Project Wonderful, but there are other ways to promote your shop and work to the public online.

Online Advertising Options

Google’s AdWords is an advertising program where you create ads that appear when people search Google, and you can set spending limits, such as a daily budget of five dollars and a maximum cost of ten cents for each click on your ad. Google provides keyword traffic/cost estimates, keyword guidelines for choosing effective keywords, and you only pay per click, and not per display.

The companion to this program, Google AdSense, is for websites which would like to display advertisements, and it can also be a good option for entrepreneurs who would like to also generate revenue.

Yahoo Search Marketing is a program that is very similar to Google’s, allowing you to set your limits, pay per click only, etc. To give you an idea, 2.3 BILLION searches occur on Yahoo every month. Yahoo also provides support, ad testing, keyword guidelines, and more.

Magpie - Here you pay per view, but this is also set up on a similar keyword model. You can target fairly specifically here, and click-through rates tend to be much higher than with traditional banner ads.

Non-Traditional Sources for Promotion

Flickr - Don’t sell off of this photo site, use it to show. Show off new work, work-in-progress, or sold items to give people a feel for your product line. This is a great, easy way to build a network of interested people. Tweet about your postings.

My Etsy Book – This is super easy and can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. Like a virtual portfolio or mini, only far more detailed, this is a great widget and you can customize it. You don’t have to use their templates, and can upload pictures, or use plain background colors, as well as move and remove elements.

Forums - Most forums have a promotional thread where you can promote your work, website, shop, or latest coupon or sale. A good one to try is the Crafting and Business Help Community, which is a new forum, but already full of great information and resources. ETT has our own private board there as well.

Handmade Pledge - This is one way to access a huge number of handmade and Etsy lovers, many of whom have provided a link/URL or email address. Use this list for networking and for connecting with others who love what you love.

RSS Feeds - This is a GREAT way to provide customers who are interested with your new products/blog posts/website and shop updates, and more. First, find your feed - usually you will find a small button at the top of your webpage on your tool bar that looks like a small, square orange box. If you click on that, it will take you to a link that looks like this one from my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/rss_shop.php?user_id=6174558

Copy the link, then go to www.widgetbox.com (use the basic, free package) and create a widget that will allow people to sign up to receive your RSS feeds when you update your shop. It’s easy, you don’t have to worry about being labeled as spam, and people can choose to be updated.

Additional Stores - places like Artfire, 1000 Markets, Ebay, and personal websites all provide additional promotional opportunities to promote yourself and your work, for a minimal cost.

The one important thing to remember when using any of these opportunities, or any that you find through your own research is to have specific goals in mind that are achievable and targeted to what you want to accomplish. Sometimes that will be generating traffic for a sale or special promotion, sometimes it will be increasing awareness of your shop, and other times it will be to introduce a new product.

Resources:

Handmade Marketing is an excellent and extensive source of great, usable resources, ideas, and links.

Programmable Web is an excellent resource for widgets, etc, with links and details.

Homework for this week: Spend some time on handmademarketing.org investigating opportunities, or if you don’t think you are ready for that, sit down with paper and a pen and come up with three objectives (goals) for your shop. Make sure they are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and have a Timeframe) so that you can determine when and how to meet them, and then begin looking into ways to make those happen.

Next Week’s Shop Talk Friday will be covering wholesaling, so stay tuned!

~ Kristen

Shop Talk Friday: Branding

The concept of branding is actually very simple, and it can be a powerful tool for the handmade entrepreneur. When you create a brand, you are using design to create a unified picture for the customer of a way of life, an idea, value, or feeling that you wish to relate to your products.

Victoria’s Secret is a good example of branding - everything from their packaging to their signature colors, signs, ads, and stores reflect a cohesive idea that resonates with their customers.

Another example of this is Starbucks’ emphasis on the coffee house atmosphere - the idea of a European-style, relaxed environment where people could come, drink excellent coffee, and relax is integral to the image they want to create in their customers’ minds. That initial concept formed the foundation for their brand, and they built upon it with colors - peaceful, darker greens, beiges, wood and earth tones, signage that was recognizable but lower-key (no neon), and so on.

There are three things you need to know to create a brand for yourself:

1. Your target audience and your competition
2. The visual identity that you want to create - product, packaging, logos, promotional items and ads
3. How your products and services are/will be delivered to your customer (quality, reliability, uniqueness, price, speed, etc.)

Think about what makes your product unique. We’ve covered this part in past Shop Talk articles, but if you need some help, ask friends, coworkers, family, teammates for some help in this area. I will also be recommending some links and books at the end.

What makes your product different from the competition?

Think about who you are talking to (potential customers) and what you want to tell them. How you do this is your visual identity.

A well-designed product is the most important part of the branding idea. You can have all of the other components in place, but without a good product that people connect with, you won’t be successful in the long run.

Now, let’s boil this down to the practical:

You can design everything you need (banners, business cards, promotional postcards, etc) with simple tools like Gimp, Picasa, Microsoft Publisher, and other software, or you can research online printers like Vista Print who can provide templates, or work from your own designs. It may cost you time, but it doesn’t need to cost you a lot of money, and it pays for itself in the long run.

The goal of branding is to create a recognizable look for your items that set them apart from the parade of things people see on a daily basis. It takes creativity (the Chick-Fil-A cows, for example), consistency (Budweiser’s Clydesdale horses appear in every holiday ad they create) and a cohesive idea of what you would like people to think about when they see your products (every Old Navy store emphasizes relaxed style).

So your homework over the next two weeks is to gather together your current business cards, your shop banner, website colors and signage, promotions, ads, packaging. Do they look cohesive? If yes, do you like the look? If not, what changes can you make? Experiment with various looks, colors, and type styles to see what you like, and what appeals. Ask yourself what kind of “look” your design has - does it fit your product and the people you are trying to sell to?

Some additional resources for practical application:

D.I.Y – Design It Yourself , Edited by Ellen Lupton. Covers everything from basic design, to business cards, branding, packaging, and more. A very helpful beginners’ resource.

The Creative Entrepreneur- DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real by Lisa Sonora Beam.

The Etsy Storque also has articles on branding, packaging, and more that can be very helpful.

~ Kristen
Team Co-Leader
FirebirdHouse.etsy.com

Shop Talk Friday: Project Wonderful

Kristen, from FirebirdHouse.etsy.com, has some tips and tricks for getting your advertising feet wet.

I want to Advertise. Now what?

When it comes to deciding where and how you promote/market your shop, do you find yourself lost in a maze of blogs, sites, and complicated information?

If so, take heart. Deciding where to put your promotional efforts, ads, and budget really only requires some good information, a little common sense, and occasional trial and error.

Decisions, Decisions

The Internet can be a lot like a circus, where there is something going on anywhere you look, and all the activities look equally promising and fun. If you have ever been to a three-ring circus, however, and had so much trouble deciding which ring to watch that you ended up only getting bits and pieces of all three, you know that trying to do it all just means you end up scattered.

So let’s start with a good place to begin advertising on the Internet:


Project Wonderful (PW) is an unusual and inventive way of providing ad space to people for what the demand cost actually is, by setting up an auction. If there is no demand or it is small, your cost is equally small, while ads on pages with much larger page views and visitors will cost you more, but only up to what you are willing to spend. This is a great way to spend what you can AND maximize the effectiveness of a smaller budget. They provide excellent stats that are easy to understand, will walk you through the process, and have a lot of help available. It’s a great way to get your feet wet.

Here’s how it works:

You, as the advertiser, bid on advertising slots on websites, which you can choose and target to your needs and to your customer base. If you’re the highest bidder, your ad will appear until someone outbids you. It’s that simple. Your ads can appear immediately, or you can schedule them to appear on a specific date. You set the amount by telling PW how much you want to pay per day to appear on that site.

For example, if you say you want to pay a $1.00 a day for a week, your total cost will be $7.00 max. If someone bids higher, you have the option to raise your amount per day and bid again. It’s all within your control. Since you pay by the day and not per click, you don’t have to worry about fake clicks and fraud.

PW’s powerful search engine can help you find the perfect match for reaching your customers, and you can also set up Ad Alerts, which can tell you immediately if a space you want to advertise on becomes available. They provide extensive data, allow you to compare, see bidding trends for sites, and more. All you need to make really good decisions is right there and easy to read.

You can also set up Google Analytics to track your PW ads by configuring a correct URL that Analytics will read.

Remember: You maximize your advertising dollars by placing ads on sites which reach the maximum number of potential customers for your shop for the least amount of money.

Other good sources of information include:

• Project Wonderful’s blog.
• handmade-business.blogspot.com: ETT team member Sheryl Westleigh’s (noadi.etsy.com) excellent blog on the handmade business.
• etsymarketing.org for great marketing tips, articles, and practical suggestions.

So go over to the Project Wonderful website, read through the ins and outs, then dive in. Got questions? Let us know here on the blog and we’ll be glad to help!

Shop Talk Friday: Marketing

We are bombarded with marketing information in modern life. From the car zipping along the open road with the top down in a Ford commercial to the Goodwill drop off boxes in your office parking lot, our brains absorb and filter hundreds if not thousands of pieces of information every day.

And we forget the majority of it.

The fact that we forget most of what we see or hear explains why the amount of it continues to increase, as companies strive to be the one car ad or ring commercial you remember when you decide to make a purchase.

For smaller entrepreneurs, jumping into the pool of ads, commercials, shows, fairs, and more can seem like diving headfirst into the deep end without knowing how to swim.

So in this article, I am going to keep it simple, list things for you to consider, and some places to go for additional information.

Marketing Basics

In the long run, marketing is simply getting your product in front of people who would like to buy it. Here are some tips, and ways to do it online for free, as well as some things to think about as you plan your strategy.

1. TARGET - Who are you selling to, and what would they want you to say about your product? You’re working with the law of averages here because you can’t know what every one of your potential customers wants to hear. In general, try to aim your message at a target audience. Everything people see that references your store can be considered a message up to a point. That includes your store banner, pictures, descriptions, titles, your blog, and tweets, because all of that and more give people information about you and your work. The main thing is to be consistent as much as you can, and to give some thought to what you are saying about your store and your work. You may have more than one thing to say, so some trial and error may happen before you hit the right note with your customers. Contrary to what the gurus want you to believe, marketing is rarely an exact science.
2. HOW- This is a major consideration for every company, large or small. I am narrowing it this week to Etsy. For Etsy sellers, Etsy does a lot of the groundwork, and they bring in large numbers of potential buyers. Your consideration here is really more how to reach the buyers they bring in and to make your items and store stand out in the crowd. Good ways to do this include:

• Excellent Tagging – Use synonyms, search word helpers like Yahoo and Google, and when in doubt, try searching on the tags you would like to use and see what products pop up. Only one word is allowed per tag box (i.e. “silver”) except for phrases (i.e. “sterling silver”, “cornflower blue”).

• Descriptive Titles - Include potential search words but are also user friendly - those 26 word titles you see sellers sometimes use are not really user friendly.

• SEO Friendly Descriptions – SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. It means using words in your product description that people might use when searching on the Internet. If you describe a bracelet without mentioning the word “bracelet” in the first paragraph, you have missed an SEO opportunity. So an accurate and detailed description is important.

• Good Customer Service - Prompt communication, clear expectations, thanking them for their business, treating people with consideration, unique product packaging. Stand out from the crowd with your “above and beyond” good customer service.

• Coupons and Offers for Repeat Customers – Whether you offer a percentage off, free shipping, or some other benefit, offering incentives for repeat business is a good idea. You can offer them only for customers who spend a certain amount, or use a sliding scale where someone who spends $200 will get a larger percent off on their next purchase than someone who spends $20. Add a sense of urgency by including an expiration date.

• Referral Cards - This is one way to bring in new customers. Offer existing customers a percentage off for every new customer they bring in who purchases. Include a code for both existing customers and new customers to use so you can track it. Limits on these should be clear, and don’t offer more than you are comfortable with.

• Treasuries and Etsy Team Activities – These are simple, give you the power of group promotion, and increase your visibility and reach. Participating in Trunk Shows, Scavenger Hunts, Blog Promotions, etc. puts you and your work in front of more potential customers than you could do on your own, making your efforts more effective. And it’s free.

• Etsy Minis and Trade – Minis can be made either of your store, or of your favorites in other stores. One easy and simple way to use minis is to trade minis with a friend or teammate to reach readers of each other’s blogs. You can also profile a friend or teammate one day a week, once a month, or however often you want to do it, and have them profile you. There are also blogs that look for artisans to profile and these can also be helpful. Do a little research to find them.

Your homework for this week is to think of two new ways to promote your work that you haven’t tried, using this list as well as your own ideas. Some resources for additional information:

The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real by Lisa Sonora Beam. I have this and am finding it WELL worth the time it takes to do it. {Editor's note: I have this book as well and have found it to be a valuable resource for creative people trying to wrap their heads around business ideas.}

Making a Living In Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business by Donald Clark

Next week, I will be covering a whole host of online sites and promotional opportunities, free and not free, for you to consider as well, and will be writing a separate article on wholesaling considerations. So there is a lot more information to come!

~ Kristen
FirebirdHouse.etsy.com

Shop Talk Friday: The Recession

Recession. It’s an ugly word, and as the media points out to us, on a daily basis, it means that no one is buying and the economy is frozen as solid as the food in your freezer. But the actual truth is a bit more complicated because people are not as predictable as statistics.

In the height of the depression, two things continued to sell well - jewelry and makeup. The reason for this was actually very practical - they were easy ways to “fix yourself up” for a very small amount of money when the cost of new clothes was out of reach of your budget. It helped people feel better.

Faced with some difficult economic times of our own, we can learn a lot from the marketing techniques used during the 1930s and 1940s. Here are some crucial things we can take away and apply to our own businesses in 2009.

1. Range of Prices – Catalogs of the day show a range of prices from nice things for not a lot of money to nice things for a moderate amount of money. The emphasis is on the range of options for most budgets and on the quality of the merchandise. The upper level price is also considerably less from 1929 to 1932. For example, a dress that sold in 1929 for $45.00 was only about $30 or less in 1932. Retailers realized that even their highest priced items had to be made more affordable in order to be bought.

2. Reducing Costs – One reason that the catalog manufacturers were able to cut their prices so much was that they reduced their own costs. They kept the quality but produced pieces in two colors and styles, instead of five, or used a season-less fabric so that the styles would span summer and fall, for example. I will have some things for you to think about to apply this to your own stores at the end of the article.

3. Emphasis on “Using What You Have” instead of “Replacing” – This is not something many of us have consistently thought of in the last few years. When money is tight, people don’t spend to replace big items like couches and tables as much as they look for ways to use what they have - that means, using a chair cover or tablecloth, getting new drapes, framing a print to fix up a tired room, or buying new earrings for an old dress. With that in mind, it’s good to think about what kinds of smaller or accessory items you can introduce into your shop.

4. Using Creative Marketing Ideas Instead of Traditional Ones – Much of the Depression Glass you see around was a free or low cost giveaway associated with specific products - you bought the product, and would get the glassware for free as part of the purchase. It was a way of adding additional value and it proved to be a real hit. Jelly in glass jars that were actually glasses, and could be used once the jelly was gone, is another example of this kind of creative marketing. My mom still has her jelly glasses! People saw this as the kind of practical buy that helped their money to go farther.

5. Emphasis on Quality - This was consistent from 1930 on, and it was based on a sound idea - that when money is tight, people want to know that what they buy will last. What is “trendy”, “up to the minute”, or the “very latest” in 1929 becomes “classy, timeless, and season-less” in the 30s and 40s, as retailers emphasized that their clothing/housewares/jewelry or etc would look good even if they couldn’t be replaced in the next year. Quality markers such as hand-finished seams, fine durable fabric, and other details become the main points that retailers emphasized.

Some things to think about regarding your own stores: Are there ways to apply these marketing techniques and ideas to your store and/or products? What about bartering or trading for things? Can you make smaller pieces, such as earrings instead of large necklaces, a small doll instead of a life-sized one, or less detailed items such as a plain pillow with one embroidered flower as well as the more time consuming pieces? What about doll clothes as well as dolls? Can you emphasize quality? Is your soap organic, or does it avoid certain oils or chemicals that can make allergies worse? Does a bar last a lot longer than store bought varieties? Can you offer a value added product? Not everybody can, but it is worth thinking about.

Artists can look into creating prints, offering ACEOs, or even painting on found objects such as thrift store pillows (I have friend that does these and they are amazing and very eco-friendly).

I encourage you to brainstorm about some of the things in this article, and see what appeals to you. Talk to your teammates, friends, and family, or leave a comment/suggestion here. I am always happy to help, too, so feel free to email me.

Next week’s article (and the one following) will concentrate mainly on creative marketing ideas, and how to get the best out of your online and offline presence.

Have a great weekend!

Kristen

Shop Talk Friday with Kristen

Where, What, and How Does It Look?

Last week we looked at the virtual front door to your shop, as well as at the information about yourself you wanted to share with your buyers. Now it’s time to take a look at what’s INSIDE the shop, and how to present it in the best way to maximize your sales and traffic.

There are three main things to be concerned with in your shop:

Appearance, Item Descriptions, and Item Pictures

There are other things we will be looking at, but most of them fall under one of the categories above. And when you think about it, most nuts-and-bolts stores have similar concerns.

Appearance (WHERE) – Once you get past your shop announcement, what do you see? Could you find whatever you were looking for if you weren’t sure where it would be? Are your categories clear? Are there enough of them, without so many that the buyer is confused? Think of retail stores like Macy’s, Target, Walmart. They spend a great deal of money and time making sure people know WHERE to find what they are looking for, and that sections of their store are labeled clearly without being overwhelming. Too many is as bad as too few. I have been playing with this in my own shop, and it may take you a few tries to get it right, as how many categories you end up with depends on what you are selling.

Item Descriptions – This is the virtual Sales Sign you have hanging over your work. If you have ever tried to figure out whether something in a retail store was on sale, or whether it came in different colors, etc, you understand just how important a CLEAR sign is, and the same applies for an Item Description.

Two lines usually do not cut it, and forty may not either- be concise but don’t leave out details buyers want to know. Here are some to think about (no special order):

Dimensions – Clothing size, measurements, height, width, whatever applies to your item. How big is it?

Color, Materials, Ingredients - This is basic, but there’s plenty of room for selling here- if your materials are jewelry components from the 40s, say that. If they’re rare, unique, high quality, special to you, organic- all of those are selling points. They also provide a more accurate description as long as they actually apply. I don’t need to say that your descriptions should not mislead anyone.

Uses - Give customers suggestions about how to use what you sell, where it would be useful or decorative, how they could wear it. Doesn’t need to be obvious- putting “keeps your coffee warm AND really helps you keep a grip on it while driving!” is all that needs to be said about a hand-crocheted drink cozy (thank you, Wayside Violet! :D) The customer now knows just where it fits in their lives. My husband LOVES his cozy.

Story – This is where you decide what else you need to tell the customer, and it can be the most important part of the description. Think of people who buy shirts based on whether they can be WASHED vs DRY CLEANED and you have the whole idea. This is where you talk about the softness or warmth of the yarn you use, the eco-friendly nature of the product, the fact that the children’s clothes you make can’t even be destroyed by your own tree-climbing kids, whatever the special story is about your pieces. If you aren’t sure, have a friend, neighbor, or teammate take a look and tell you what they think- this is always a good idea anyway. Think of it as low-tech market research.

Details on Shipping, Special Offers, Wrap Up and Purchase – Tell the buyer how to purchase it, how to get a discount or sale price you are offering, how you will ship it (i.e. eco-friendly packaging, etc) whether there will be a delay in shipping because the item is made-to-order. While these are usually also in your shop announcement, it is always good to remind customers of anything they should be aware of. Reinforcing expectations will help you have satisfied customers and keep your sanity.

Pictures - This is your Virtual Display. In a retail store, clothes, house wares, electronics- all are displayed in ways designed to make them look attractive and desirable. Often items are put out with related products, such as when you see a mannequin wearing a suit, scarf, earrings, necklace, bag and shoes. This is called Component or Related Item Selling, and it used to be taught in retail. It’s a great skill to have, easy to learn, and it can be done in the Virtual World through pictures. Here are some tips for using pictures to create your display:

The 3 “C”s - CLEAR, CLOSE, CORE - Your pictures should always be as clear (sharp) as you can get them, should always feature at least one close up, and should ALWAYS show the most important thing about your work (CORE). So if you are selling yarn, a sweater made from it is nice, but a completely frame filled shot of the exquisite color and texture of the yarn is your CORE shot and should be first, because it’s the YARN you are selling. On Etsy you get 5 pictures- use them all if you can.

Watch Your Angles – Creative pictures are great, but the best product shots show the piece to its best advantage, and that might not be upside down, even though it makes a great artistic shot. Ask yourself if your pictures show the piece best to a potential buyer.

Setting the Stage – This is related to Component Selling. Use props that reinforce your message, such as using old pictures or old books to display vintage jewelry pieces when you take the pictures, or putting a cup of tea or coffee near a shawl, sweater or warm knitted scarf. You are giving the buyer a clearer idea of what your item is, developing associations in their mind with warmth (the tea) or history (the vintage pictures). This is the exact same principle used by stage set designers and you can do it too. It takes just a little effort but it is easy and will help you sell more effectively.

Displaying on a Person or Mannequin - This can be very helpful for some buyers particularly if you are selling handmade garments such as wedding veils, evening dresses, shawls, scarves, and it can also help show off the piece to its best advantage (as in the case of hand-painted silk which catches light wonderfully on a person). When possible, try to include a shot on a mannequin or person, but don’t make it your main shot unless it is very professional. Get close enough to get the product as the main focus, not the person. Ask yourself what you notice in the picture and adjust it accordingly. If you notice the person and not the product, you need to retake the picture.

Now it’s your turn to do a little analysis of your shop - What works? Are the categories clear and easy to navigate? What about your pictures? Ask for advice. Enlist a team member or friend. Don’t be afraid to make changes and experiment a little.

Now that we have looked at some basics, next week I am going to talk about selling and marketing in a Recession, and how to make any economy work for you and not against you.

Kristen
Firebird House

Handy Tool: Google Alerts

Did you already know about this handy Google tool? I’ve been using Google Alerts for some time to stay on top of a few important search terms. My up-to-the-minute results show up in my email inbox!

“Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

- monitoring a developing news story
- keeping current on a competitor or industry
- getting the latest on a celebrity or event
- keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams”

I use a Google Alert to receive notifications any time someone posts something about my shop, In My Head Studios. My search terms are “In My Head Studios” (and the quotes are included in the search term so that all the words return results) and “inmyheadstudios”. If someone blogs about me or features my products, I get an email from Google. I would not have known about some articles about me any other way. So this is a super handy tool to use.

Each week I also set up an alert for the Shop of the Week. This week I have an alert for “Angel Kisses Jewelry”. I know about the blog posts the team is doing and can go comment on them and thank them for blogging the Shop of the Week. This is especially useful if you are Shop of the Week so you know about who is blogging and sometimes tweeting about your shop.

You can choose how often you would like to receive updates: daily, weekly, or as-it-happens. You can also choose the types of results it returns as well, like News, Blogs, Video, or a Comprehensive search. I leave mine set at Comprehensive so I don’t miss anything.

Let Google Alerts do all the work for you! It’s like having a personal shopper finding goodies on the web just for you!

Guest Blogger: Firebird House

Kristen, from Firebird House and Still Heart Studios on Etsy, lets us in on her secrets for a fantastic personal presence in your Etsy shop. Follow her on Twitter @stillheartart. This will be a weekly series!

That Personal Touch

Have you ever gone into a new shop and been greeted with a big smile, or a friendly comment about the color of your raincoat or the state of the crazy weather outside? It probably made you feel good to chat a little, and along the way you probably got a better feel for both the physical items in the store as well as the people who worked there.

Chances are good that you remembered the smile and the warmth the next time you went shopping and it might even have encouraged you to visit again.

In Gatlinburg last year, I went into a tiny import shop crammed full of wonderful and unusual things. The owner was there and she and I chatted about how she got into opening the store, and about the items, many of which had stories. I learned a lot of fascinating things that day, and left with gifts for family that had additional meaning thanks to the owner’s willingness to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for her treasures.

The bad news is that this human connection is missing when people shop online. The good news is that there are some great, easy ways to create that connection. Online shopping already has ease, speed and convenience built into it, and in an increasingly time-and- money-crunched marketplace, those are advantages you can build on by putting a little of yourself into your shop to draw in customers once, and encourage repeat business.

So, let’s start with the Etsy Basics…the Shop Announcement and Bio/Profile.

1. Shop Announcements –Think of your shop announcement as the virtual front door to your store. What kind of welcome would you like to give customers? What kind of feeling? Elegant? Heart Warming? Come Right In and Pull Up a Chair? Or more of an exclusive, make an appointment and we’ll pamper you to death kind of atmosphere? Here is where you start creating that, in the shop announcement.

Use words that are descriptive and appeal to the senses. As an example, if you are selling candles, you might talk about warmth, romance, wonderful aromas, and creating a sanctuary. If you are selling vintage items, you might talk about how much you love the feel of a satin pillowcase, or a beautiful piece of china, or about the history and connections in your items. Put your passion into your announcement. How did you get into making/creating/selling this product? Why do you want to share it with others? What do you love about it? You don’t have to say a lot, but enthusiasm is catching and draws people in, and that is what you want to capture in your shop announcement.

2. Bio/Profile – This can be as long or as short as you like, but a few things should be included. Your name, at least your first, and your location. People like to know where and who they are dealing with - it’s that human connection again. Things that are personal to you, such as children, lifestyle, pets, hobbies, are all things which impact a bio and provide a clearer picture of you the person, and by extension, your items. For example, if a person has 3 children and sews handcrafted children’s clothing, its likely that she also has a good idea what kinds of things are important to both mom AND child (i.e. washing ability, style, fit, etc). This builds confidence in the buyer. When there is not a lot of money to spend, this can be invaluable. Ask yourself what kinds of things you would like to know about someone, then come up with ways you can tell customers the same things about yourself.

3. General – if your craft or art has a history (i.e. pine needle basket weaving, silk painting, beading, glass blowing, pottery, etc) as so many do, be sure to include a little bit about the history and techniques. If you’re not sure, now might be a good time to do a little research and use what you learn to help people connect with you and your work.

So, now I want you to head over to your shop and take a virtual “visit” as if you were a stranger, just seeing your work for the first time. What do you notice? Notice what’s good, and what you think isn’t really having the effect you intended. Have a friend or teammate take a look as well, and compare notes. Do some window shopping on Etsy and see what you like and don’t like about shop announcements and profiles, then add (or subtract) from yours to get the look you want. When you are finished, have your friends pay a second virtual visit and see what they think.

If you run into something you are not sure what to do with, or have questions, leave a comment or post to the group, and we can help!

See You Next Week….

Kristen