IMPORTANT NOTICE

[#1]

I am posting this following receiving several messages from team members who say how disappointed they are with the team spirit of this team. Alas, I had to agree.

When you sign up to this team, you are asked to not 'Post and Run' and have a team spirit. Very few of you bother to favorite items from your team members and simply post your own promotions.

I personally spend much of my time hearting team members' items but get very few back in return. With such a large team, you are missing a massive marketing method.

Favoriting items from other sellers is a great way of getting your items seen. IT IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME. This will see you more results than constantly posting in the forums where no one reads anything.

You all need to build on your circles and heart people so that items go viral in the activity feeds. Etsy have designed this function for a reason. Please use it.

[Former_Member]

I agree; I need to be better at visiting and favoriting more of my team members shops! Will do!

[WeeBijouxJewels]

thanks for the reminder
I always try to admire at least five items above mine when I post a new listing. I will try harder

[Former_Member]

Anne - that is awesome!
And really, that is what we are looking for.
When I post something, in any thread, I try to heart a few of the listings above my post. you can do it right in the thread by clicking the heart on the pic shown.
Really only takes an extra minute or so to add a few :)

[Former_Member]

New to the team, and will definately not be posting an running! I will be hearting often.

[CSavelsCollectibles · Accepted solution]

I received a message from a customer to say that they were following advice given in a Critique but they were not sure how the favoriting things exactly worked. They were getting more traffic but they felt that it was only Sellers returning the favor and how exactly was that going to benefit them.

I want to post my response here because I think it will help some of you to understand how it works:


"Favoriting people clearly brings you traffic and/or favorites in return. The fact that you're getting them in return is what is important. Activity feeds work viral, so when someone hearts your item, that shows up in their activity feed to all the people in their circle. Any of those people may then also heart that item which will show up in their activity feed and so on.

This is why it is important to keep people in your circle who are in a lot of circles but only if they favorite a lot of things (inc yours) too.

You can be in as many circles as you like, there is no limit. The limit set by Etsy is how many people YOU add to your circle. The limit is 1080. If you click on Your Circle, you'll see that you have 108 pages of people in your circle. Go to page 108 and remove anyone who has set their favorites to private (unless they're a personal friend) and also anyone with little hearts or circles, they will not be helping you.

Work your way back to say page 105 and make room for more people. Keep doing this. No one who is removed gets any notifications and if they are not hearting you and therefore helping you, the chances are they won't even know that you've removed them. If they should heart you later, this will still show up in your activity feed and you can go and give them a heart back.

The more circles you are in, the higher your traffic potential when someone hearts your items. If you heart people back who heart you, you'll find that some people will do it regularly. You keep those people in your circle as they will be doing the same as you.

Remember too that all those hearts you are getting means that those are now sitting in those sellers favorites folder and you will also be visible there. It may therefore not bring you immediate results but you could suddenly make a sale a week down the line because someone saw your item."

[ArsScientica]

Thanks for that, too! :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you for this wonderful advice!

[VintagePlusCrafts]

very, very good point, thanks for sharing this:)

[BeazersGarden]

Great! This kinds irks me too as I feel that we help each other by doing this. I have favorited, pinned, stumbled, tweeted and posted many shops and get very little back in return to the point where I feel like stopping this practice. But I have to remember that there are nice people out there who share, follow rules, who follow the idea of consideration for others so I keep doing it, and also because I like the items and want to share what I find.

Anyway, great post topic.

[WoollyBudgie]

Thank you for explaining this. I was also wondering what the benefits of circles and favourites were to be honest, but this has made it much more clear. Thank you!

[Former_Member]

Thank you for explaining, I do this on a routine basis...keeps the circles fresh and active!

[Former_Member]

Thanks for this. I definitely had no idea this was something I should have been doing because I'm also one who favorites things I actually like. So it's not necessarily because I'm being rude but more I didn't know I should have been favoriting others. I will definitely work on that.

As I said in the other thread, I will try to be more active on this team but you must know I am also in college and am a mom, so my time can be limited. I do think I will have to drop a few teams as I was just made Captain on another large promo team and this is taking up more of my time lately, but I do love the Etsy Lush team (I recommend people to here all the time), and want to stay so I will do my part. Thanks.

[lauraprill]

Great thread Eureka, really opened my eyes to favoriting and circles. I have been trying to favorite at least one item in/ or the shop of people who put me in a treasury.
Overwhelmed by the number of teams- but I do appreciate the reminders here.

[CSavelsCollectibles]

If it had not worked for me so well in the past, I would not tell everyone to waste their time with it. It is a little time-consuming, but I can tell you many other sellers that have had success doing this.

@Diane, very kind of you to recommend us, it's much appreciated. Wish you all the very best with your Captain position.

@Beazerk, the alternative is to not do anything and I'm not sure that would get any of us many sales. I've given up worrying about what I get back. :-)

We don't ask anyone to be here religiously every day, nor do we ask members to curate treasuries. We understand that people have busy lives and just hope that when you do have a moment, and you are here, that you'll show a little support for others. It does come back to you in the end.

[Former_Member]

This is a wonderful reminder Eureka ~ thank you~!!

[Former_Member]

TOTALLY AGREE! Bumping this thread back up :)

[damsontreepottery]

Hi thanks for the advice!
I favourite loads and people often favourite back - but I only favourite things I really like - not just for the sake of promotion!

[luvbuzz]

I agree, I have found many great items through my activity feed due to the favorites of those in my circle and I know I have sold a few items as a result of others' activity feeds.
I don't always have a ton of time to sit on here but I try to heart as much as I can at any given time. Some days are more productive for this than others but darn it, I try :)

[Former_Member]

Thanks for bringing it up and to our attention...

[candyamorjewelry]

Thank you for explaining this! I have learned so much from this team! I will take your advice and favorite more items Thanks again!

[Former_Member]

I will try to be more active. I know I have let my teams slip the last few months. Life just got in the way.

[msformaldehyde]

we all get busy! It happens trying to check in and be active!

[Former_Member]

I will be more aware from now on

[voladoravintage]

thank you so much !!!

[KerriMccabeArt]

I guess I will have to try this. I really didn't think about favoriting as promotion in itself. I use my favorites mainly as a reference for making treasuries or for bookmarking things I may want to buy. I thought the favoriting game was about finding a nice thing from the shop above and posting it. To increase traffic and just to look at what other people have, not about hearting. I like looking at the things from other people's shops but if the photos weren't that treasury-able I wouldn't usually heart it because I like my favorites to be a quick reference for treasuries.

To me it's almost kind of depressing to think that most of my hearts come from from people who want one back, not because they really like my art. I kind of gauge what piece is doing well and likely to sell bu the ratio of hearts to views. Doesn't this kind of get messed up if all the hearts are for promotion?

I haven't even done any circles because it felt confusing to me to have all those notifications for what other people are doing and am afraid I'll miss something like being featured in a treasury, which I want to go and make sure I comment and heart. I don't have much money for shopping right now anyway and looking at stuff I would like to buy and can't right now isn't always the best idea for me.

I will try it and see if it makes a difference, but I would like to point out that sometimes people have their own reasons for not hearting and circling everybody and it isn't necessarily just being a selfish pig.