Changing banners?

[Former_Member]

I've never changed my banner- thought of it as part of my branding. But I see a lot of you change it seasonally.
Do you think changing it has impacted business?

[Former_Member]

I like to change mine seasonally because I have a lot of items that are made to with a particular time of year so it helps to give my shop some needed flow and continuity.

[Former_Member]

I have changed mine 3 times in two years. I'm done now. Because I think this one is the right one. It has no title or writing on it. I did that for a reason. I sell supplies mostly and I want you/ the consumer to decide what will be made with my yarns and not me. It is about the yarn and fibers and not my type face choice. Besides I am heavily branded already and the color impact is part of my brand.

And yes it has impacted sales for the positive.

[Former_Member]

That's a great question. I'm probably going to keep tweaking mine and changing it as I develop my brand.

You can keep your brand consistent and still change your banner... You just need to make sure each banner is sending the same message to the customers in your shop. If one is all Goth and hard and the next one one is soft and demure it would be a little confusing lol.

[Former_Member]

Daintychain- I like the idea of changing it sometimes- I have some sugar skull furniture that would be perfect for Halloween, but perhaps just one will do. I never would have thought of it...

Eweandmeyarns-I think your banner looks great with just the yarn. Expresses everything you'd want it to in a very tactile way.

[Former_Member]

I did not have a banner yet. Where can I get it? I've very new for Etsy. Thank you

[Former_Member]

Thank you Vintage Twisted. It was a lot of trial and error. I say keep changing it until it fits.

PopZecret you can make your own by using a picture that you like and cutting it to size. I use picnik.com to edit and they can help by using their type and graphics with it if you like. They have a bunch of great editing tools and a good chunk are free.

[Former_Member]

Just changed mine with Gimp.com / Good program and you can make a banner for free.
I have kept my same avatar since opening the business, but my banners always seemed lacking... the new one is my favorite so far.

[Former_Member]

PopZecret you can make a banner using any photo cropped to 760 pixels by 100 pixels and saved as a .jpg, .png or .gif file. Use any photo editing software such as Photoshop, GIMP, picnik, etc. to edit the picture and add text as desired.

OR...I think there are people on etsy who will design and sell a banner to you.

[510PaperCo]

I change mine all the time. It's usually based on one of my newer items that I'm excited about. I don't have a specific image that I feel really represents my brand or anything. I like to change it on a whim.

[Former_Member]

I change mine from time to time. I look at it this way the front page of your etsy shop is like the window display of your Brick and mortar store. Do you want it to look the same all the time or change it with seasons and styles of what your selling?

[Former_Member]

I change mine all the time! I think it gives my shop a fresh look and - well, I'm pretty compulsive about making new things. = >

If you don't feel like hassling with making your own, I can make one for you -Free - with any purchase from my shop! So for as little as $3 you get a super yummy hand crafted soap or bubbling bath fizz and a custom designed banner or avitar for your Etsy shop or even your blog site.

You can check out some others I've made:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/77219850/complimentary-custom-banner-or-avatar

= >

[Former_Member]

I just ordered holiday banners... waiting for them to arrive in my inbox... :)

[Former_Member]

VintageTwisted,

I think if your new banner fits your style, it should be fine to change it. The only time I would advise against any major banner changes is if you are a super popular shop that has already built recognition based on photos, logos and your banner. However, for a smaller shop like yours, I don't think it will be a risk. I changed my banner, and since I had very few views, no one even noticed! Go for it!

Aman

[Former_Member]

@linksandloops: That makes total sense to me! That's a great way to look at it~as a display for your shop, and like you said, if your shop were brick and mortar, you wouldn't want it to stay the same ALL the time, it would get boring.

[Former_Member]

Thank you everyone. I just found out how to get back to this thread. hehe. So helpful.

[PrairiePrimitives]

I don't know if it helps ... I wish I had more awesome seasonal banners like the one I'm using now (it matches my avi). The rest of the year I've been using a banner I designed (not nearly as cute as this one!), and I redesign my non-holiday banner occasionally.

[Former_Member]

I change my shop banner when I want a fresh look but keep it consistent with my branding, usually I change it every 6 months. I do not choose over the top designs nor do a seasonal theme. Banner changing for me does nothing to attract new customers or increase sales as far as I know of.