Etsy Insights: Virtual craft shows | Etsy Success

OodleBaDoodle · 2020-04-13T17:34:32.964000Z

Hello there! My name is Rebecca. My shop is OodleBadoodle and I’m the Team Captain for the SF Etsy Street Team. Since my team and I can’t host our annual in-person craft show, we’ve decided to go virtual this year. By doing this, we hope to inspire and entertain our fans and shoppers by showcasing our local SF Etsy sellers, their craft, and selections from their awesome shops. This year, we are focusing on DIY kits, self-care products, gifts for mom-figures, and so much more. Hosting a virtual craft show could be a great way to help build awareness around your Etsy shops. We all create with our hearts and souls, so let’s share our craft with the world! For anyone interested in taking a craft show online, I want to help demystify the planning process. Here are the steps I recommend: Engage a group of sellers in your network/community. The best way to do this is to post in your Team or Facebook group. Let your fellow sellers know your intent and goal for creating this craft show, and see who is interested. Ideally, you’ll have a group of 10-15 sellers that are keen on participating. Choose a virtual location. Facebook Live is a great option for this type of event since participating sellers can broadcast directly from their own homes. It could also be neat to capture a ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage through your Team’s Instagram Live—we’ll be doing this! Set a schedule. Give each presenting seller a time slot to share their stories/journeys, their shop names, and their selection of products. Buyers may also ask questions and share comments through the chat function, so keep that in mind when thinking about duration. My team is hosting the event over a three-day period, but you can keep it short and sweet and focus on one day. Get creative! Showcasing the sellers and their unique items is wonderful, but consider adding in some extra fun to entertain your shoppers. How about some musical performances? Or maybe a quick DIY craft session or art demonstration? You could even add in a giveaway. Anything to keep your viewers excited and engaged! Create branding to tie everything together. Similar to how you would have signage and swag at an in-person event, you’ll want to create branding for your online event. Think: a logo, a hashtag, a color scheme, and some vibrant assets to share on social media. This will keep your event top-of-mind for buyers. Promote your event far and wide. This is key! Make sure you and the participating sellers promote your event frequently through social media and word of mouth. Tell your shoppers and fans where and when to tune in. As highlighted earlier, creating fun, vibrant social media assets will allow for consistency across all seller channels, and will make your event more memorable. What tips do you have for hosting a successful virtual event?

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Etsy Insights: Virtual craft shows | Etsy Success | Etsy Community