An Etsy shop can be a good side hustle with a decent income stream. Do you own such a shop? If yes, how do you find selling on the platform?
It is one thing to start a shop on Etsy and totally a different one to sell. With several people venturing into e-commerce and multiple sites available for online selling apart from Etsy, it takes some effort to ensure you sell on that shop.
How can you promote your Etsy shop and skyrocket your sales? Well, I suggest you don’t buy a book on Amazon for such tips – this discussion will provide you with the right answer you need.
Read the ultimate guide below on how to market your Etsy shop. It provides tips, suggestions, and various ways of doing so! Are you also wondering if it is safe to start an online business? Check out this article to discover more.
What Is Etsy, And How Does It Work?
Etsy was created on June 18, 2005, and it is one of the first online marketplaces for artisans and makers, which allows them to sell their unique products, including art, crafts, handmade goods, and vintage items.
The main objective of Etsy is to connect sellers with buyers; however, to sell on Etsy, you need to create an account before you can open a storefront. Etsy charges $0.20 per listing and a 5% transaction fee when an item sells.
In addition, it is relatively easy to set up a shop on Etsy. Here are the steps to create an Etsy store.
- Start by creating your Etsy account.
- Choose a shop name, and select the shop’s location and currency.
- Set your preferred payment method (how do you want Etsy to pay you) and create your listings.
- And finally, set your preferred billing method (how you want to pay Etsy fees).
So, Is It Worth It To Sell Through Etsy?
Selling on Etsy is worth it as it is one of the fastest, cheapest, and easiest ways to get your handmade products online in front of potential customers. Additionally, Etsy already has an established customer base and a low-risk option compared to building a website.
The good news is that Etsy releases your payment as soon as the customer has bought your product with no holding time, which makes it a better platform in terms of payment time than other marketplaces, including Amazon.
1- Know Your Target Audience
This is especially vital to consider while setting up the shop – try and see things from the buyer’s perspective. Think about questions like:
- What type of audience/buyers are you interested in?
- How is your product going to help your target audience?
- And what problems or issues does it address?
Understanding your customers and optimizing the products according to their needs can aid in driving more traffic to your Etsy shop.
2- Go for a Distinct Brand
On Etsy, numerous merchants are selling to the same customer base. You will likely find similar product listings from different sellers, thus the need to stand out from the rest.
You should develop your presence online – a distinct brand identity enables customers to recognize your shop and products from the millions of products on Etsy.
Good branding requires consistency, observable in all aspects of your shop. Create a matching icon and header that align with your brand’s personality.
Write an engaging description of what your shop has to give customers so they can have a brief overview of your products and operations. Improving the brand also lets potential buyers know who is working behind it.
3- Utilize Etsy Advertising
All Etsy merchants are invited to attract clients and create sales through paid advertising campaigns. You will do well to utilize this avenue and expand your reach.
The lowest budget for setting up Etsy Ads across the platform is $1, and the Ads are shown on Etsy Search, App, and Category Pages.
Etsy uses a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) model to run Ads. You will only have to pay Etsy for every click, and your ad gets. Etsy advertising creates brand awareness and enhances traction.
4- Rank Better in Search Engines through SEO
The Etsy platform relies on good SEO (Search Engine Optimization). While setting up SEO on your shop can be cumbersome, ensuring your listings rank higher on search results is vital.
One tip is to use proper keywords – you can combine top keywords with specific long-tail keywords to increase visibility on search results. The latter (long-tail keywords) do not enhance your ranking on common keyword search results, but buyers searching for a specific item can discover your listing and visit the shop.
Keywords are also important in product descriptions, not just the product name. Look at your competitors’ product listings and descriptions, then compose a concise description of the product’s features to lure customers into buying.
Esty enables merchants to classify product listings and includes product highlights or features. Most clients will choose to search for products by category, so ensure your listings are updated accordingly under the categories and subcategories.
5- Interact with Your Customers and Establish/Become Part of the Community
When you engage with customers, you strengthen their trust and can easily retain them. Thus, create a solid community with them through interaction. Hear what they say through their feedback, respond to their negative or positive reviews, reply promptly to their inquiries or messages, and consider them for your next product launch.
People appreciate when they are cared for and listened to – Etsy customers are also real people; treat them as you will an in-person client. You can also establish a loyal following by offering freebies and special discount coupons.
You can also become a part of Etsy’s vast community by joining it. Try to be active in the site’s forums and participate by giving feedback to other sellers and reaching out to your favorite ones for advice.
Develop in-person outreach by searching for and participating in local events in your community, like meetups and pop-up shops. Attending such events offer opportunities to spread awareness and network with other sellers and prospective customers.
6- Promote Your Products to Potential Customers on social media
The available social media networks offer sellers like you an opportunity to get more traffic and skyrocket their sales. It would be best if you made proper use of them. For instance:
Use Pinterest to extend your marketing campaign.
The platform is a search engine where users look for inspiration to form, decorate, and personalize their space.
Its user base aligns with Etsy’s, making it a gainful channel where Etsy shop owners can market their products and grow their audience.
Market your Etsy product listings on Facebook.
Facebook can deliver high returns for your Etsy shop since it is one of the world’s largest social media platforms. It presents several opportunities for business owners to advertise their products and services to the target audience.
You can use affordable Facebook Ads to boost your posts and redirect prospective customers to your Etsy product listings. The platform’s groups are also great spaces to market your Etsy shop.
Additionally, on Facebook, you can interact with people from the same niche, which can help you gather the information that can shape your next decision for the online business.
Try Instagram and let customers find you on it.
The social network platform has millions of users who are most likely to be visitors to Etsy. By using the regularly optimized platform for business, you’re likely to draw the attention of prospective clients.
Creating an Instagram Business profile will give you access to advanced analytics. With it, you get to maximize Instagram’s Advertising features.
Knowing how much traffic a social media network can drive toward your product listings is key to implementing the best marketing strategy.
The list of social media platforms where you can showcase your products is long, with new ones like TikTok also offering such opportunities. You can opt to use all of them or consider only a few.
Check out this article to learn how to make Instagram filters for Etsy shops.
7- Strike a Collaboration with an Influencer
The world is full of influencers, famous or popular people with a great mass following on social media, who can help your shop’s sales to rise steeply. With more buyers who trust influencers’ reviews and recommendations, influencer marketing has become one of the hottest marketing strategies in e-commerce.
You can expect a boost in traffic, discoverability, and sales from a partnership deal with an influencer.
Even though such deals are more costly, Etsy shop owners who have explored this marketing technique can confirm that their shop’s analytics have improved.
Find out here what Instagram brand ambassadors are?
8- Build And Maintain An Email List
Emails remain a fast and efficient way of reaching customers despite many in today’s world being too much into text messages or WhatsApp chats. Email campaigns can help you to alert customers about new products, changes, or sales your business is holding.
Email marketing helps maintain brand awareness by appearing weekly in the customer’s inbox. It’s also a suitable way to help customers and seek feedback.
You can use email automation systems like Constant Contact to design emails and ease the workload of creating campaigns.
9- Offer the Best Customer Service
Providing the best service cuts across all the strategies you will apply in Etsy shop marketing. Customers like to purchase products from shops with great service – offer them exactly that. Respond favorably to their problems, even if the issue raised isn’t your fault.
Your reply to their comments or inquiries on social media helps keep customers engaged. Be kind and honest with yourself and the buyers. Throughout your customers’ journey, make follow-ups with them to ensure that they’re enjoying their purchase.
Ask about their shopping experience with you and send out thank you emails. Doing such will show them your determination to offer excellent service and motivate them to recommend your products to their friends.
10- Start a Blog
Your products might be unique, but they will likely resemble what other sellers offer. Therefore, setting them apart beyond the Etsy website is vital to promoting them. A blog can also help you to do that.
With it, you can share information about your products and increase their visibility. Blogging can help you provide details about yourself and the products that might not be possible to give on Etsy.
You can also write about topics that can interest your shoppers, like selling eco-friendly products. Be sure to use relevant keywords in your content for an SEO boost.
The video below details the 11 best ways to advertise your Etsy shop and increase sales.
The Wrap-up!
Are you ready to up the game for your Etsy shop? The Etsy marketplace has been simplified for artisans and crafters to benefit from their creativity. You need more than setting up a shop on the site – you should be a successful seller.
You can follow the guide above with some selling tips and marketing suggestions to promote your Etsy shop. We are sure you can also learn about many other ways in addition to those listed herein!