Help!....Do I need therapy???

[GreenOrchidDS]

I never dreamed what was involved when I decided to join Etsy.....I thought making the items would be the hard part.(boy was I wrong)....After 1 month of making,photoing,listing,,reading EVERY how-to I can find, I've decided to ask for help,(not my strong suit) So he's a few questions.1..When did you get your 1st sale??..I find I'm stalking my "Stats" like a love sick teenager. 2. Sooo confused on this whole "keyword" "tagging" thing (I can barely find my own things when I look for them.) 3.Any insite on shop policies...I want to be customer friendly, but not stupid.
4.How can you get peaple to favorite you?? (I feel like I baked a cake and nobody wants to come to my birthday party :( and finally
5.Any advice on the difference between dedication and obsession??

[Former_Member]

I agree with you completely Green Orchid! It takes so much work to keep up with everything. I've been on etsy since January, I got my first sale in May. I didn't do anything on etsy...teams, circles, favorites, etc. until the end of September. I never realized the work involved. I also am constantly checking my stats, I have a feeling a lot of us are obsessed :) I just made my shop policies recently, my only advice is to be precise and firm but friendly. Don't use complicated language, just simple and to the point. I'm not sure how to get people to favorite you, I just assumed that happens on its own. Being involved really makes a different, I was naive to think that things sell themselves. I can't offer much advice but maybe something I said helped :) Best of luck! I love these by the way...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85149369/3-swirl-black-and-white-votives-by-green

[Former_Member]

I'll come to your birthday party! I'm new at Etsy and constantly stalk my stats and hope for favorites.
Regarding tagging, if you read some of the "how tos" here on Etsy I think you'll get some good ideas. I learned that the first 3 words of the "title" section carry more weight with search engines so make the 1st 3 words count.

[Former_Member]

I am still fairly new here too. I started selling in March I think and just had my first sale last week...I have found that you just need to put yourself out there. Make some treasuries, be active in team discussions, add people to your circle, and of course facebook, twitter, craigslist... I sell jewelry and when I click on the jewelry section there are over two million items, it's hard to be noticed if you don't get yourself out there. Just by posting this people will automatically click on your shop. It's a lot of work!! I understand your woes though, I'm still trying to get the swing of things;) Best of luck!!

[GreenOrchidDS]

Thank you so much! very helpful

[Former_Member]

1. It took me a month to make my first sale. Another month to make my second. It takes a lot of work and doesn't happen overnight. You are making many of the similar mistakes most other newbies make. Read threads in teams like Etsy Success and see what suggestions people are giving to other people.

2. Take out the creative stuff from your titles: the search engine doesn't know you are trying to be creative. Your shop name doesn't need to be in your title. Your titles should contain multiple keyword phrases such as "Candle Votive, Candle Holder, Glass Votive, Hand Painted Votive, Blue Stars." No one will search "starry night" when looking for a candle holder. I would not search "green orchid" if I wanted a candle holder.

As for tags, reception and military are not going to get you views. One-word tags can actually hurt you since no one just searches "military" expecting to get a candle holder. Your tags should repeat the keyword *phrases* in your title (glass votive, candle holder, etc.). Search works off of exact keyword matches, so don't just put a string of one word terms. For example "Glass Votive Blue Stars Candle" is not effective. No one will search "votive blue stars." However, a title like "Glass votive, Blue votive, Candle Holder" has 3 potential search phrases people might actually use. Like I said EXACT match terms.

The Etsy Seller Handbook has excellent articles on Titles, Tags and SEO.

3. If you don't know how to write shop policies, look at other people's. Don't just copy, but make policies based on what everyone else has plus what fits your unique shop. You NEED to have your policies filled out. Why should I buy from you if I don't know what your shop's policies are? I can buy from someone else who has taken the time to figure this out.

4. Want favorites? Have good photos and make yourself "findable" by having proper titles and tags. People favorite because they like something. They like it because it looks pretty. Most favorites people will never buy, but it really helps you get exposure. You can't "make" people give you hearts, though. I would say good photos are the number one way to get hearts (after good titles and tags, of course). If your photos don't look like front page quality, keep improving! There is no such thing as being "done" on Etsy!

5. It's a very fine line. Many of us are dedicated to our obsessions. It gets easier, but never easy. You can read the blogs, but you have to apply what you read properly. You can put in the time, but you have to put time into the right things. Like I said, it doesn't happen overnight. A human can only learn so quickly.

From the looks of it, if you keep slowly improving, you might be making sales in a couple months. Good luck.

[Former_Member]

I dont think you need therapy I constantly stalk my stats too as I too am new to all this. I have friends that have so many sales a week they can barely keep up so I say hang in there it will happen

[GreenOrchidDS]

Wow Aman...thanks for taking the time to explain..I've read so many of the manuals, they're all spinning together...I'm going to re-title NOW...and the policy thing..I was gonna let that drag...but your right about the customer perspective.

also
Thanks to Elise...

[GreenOrchidDS]

OH...doesn'T shop name in title help you with GOOGLE?

[Former_Member]

I agree, I don't think you need therapy. It does take time and dedication to join circles, make treasuries, participate in teams, keep a Facebook page and a blog. I had within the first week, but it was a family member, what I consider my first real sale was a couple weeks after opening, but it has been slow since then. I opened in July of this year.

You have some nice items in your shop. I added you to my circle and favorited an item. Keep working at it, all good things in time.

[Former_Member]

Ha, Ha, Ha !!
I hear just what you are getting at!!

Stats love me, they love me not, they love me, they love me not!!
We are all on the roller coast of love@!
The only advice I hae is have fun and check out other shops and thier policies!
I love your shop! You are talented!

[Former_Member]

I stalk my stats as well. I bought items from Etsy for a long time but am new to selling my own items to others. It is slow going as well and I do tend to get frustrated. I try to remind myself that I make these items for myself...enjoy the process and the finished product...and if I sell something that it's a bonus. However, I'd like to have a few more bonuses lately. ;)

[Former_Member]

OMG!!! Green Orchid, I LOVE these!!!! I am 1 month into my engagement, and am trying to find a venue.... I am thinking barn style reception, ya know, something rustic, vintage-country like... These would be PERFECT!!!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84061637/our-i-do-toasting-glasses-by-green?ref=v1_other_1

[GreenOrchidDS]

Congrats Rachel!! I wish you were up here in Pa....I have been in every reception site( just about) in Pa. and N.J ( I'm also a event florist) JUST remember to enjoy the journey, and you will enjoy the day!

[DarkRide]

You had me at "I never dreamed what was involved." ;-) I've had this shop a year and a half - it's been one roller coaster of a learning curve. My first sale was a week after opening, but I don't feel like it counts, because she was a friend. The second, though, happened the next day to a complete stranger (!!!) in another country (!!!).
Threads like this one, with contributions like the one here from Aman, have been invaluable to me. Likewise, participation in the treasury system and team membership. I'm on two teams -- one I consider my shop's team, with juried membership and the other is the team of my heart. Yeah, I know, sappy, but these are my home girls, literally as membership is based on location only. In each, I've experienced nothing but positivity and support. Again, invaluable.
My participation on FB and twitter are sporadic at best. I found out from a recent etsy newsletter that I'm basically a spammer, posting nothing but new listings and treasuries. I have apologized on each, and promised not to do it again ;-)
If I look at craftopolis less than 3 times a day, then there's probably been a power outage ;-)

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the Advice GreenOrchid!!! I will definitely take any that I can get!! : )

[StarJewels]

I favorited your chalkboard, it's adorable! I am new and still learning lots, but here's what I've learned so far. As for how to get people to favorite you, try joining some teams and participating. There are games that involve favoriting. Play them. This will also get you views. Also, make treasuries. Sellers you include may favorite our shop or item. Try to get into some BNR or BNS. People tend to favorite other participating sellers. And of course, favorite other people's items. Some will reciprocate.

[Former_Member]

Hmmm... I'd like to throw in some feedback, which I hope you will take positively.
I have no idea what your avatar is a picture of. Avatars make for a great advertising opportunity when they are a clear, small picture of what you are selling. If I've read your shop name, looked at your avatar and read you forum post and still have no idea what you're selling, it tells me that you're missing a few opportunities.
Secondly, your photographs are very 'busy'. Lots of colour, lots of stuff in them, multiple copies of every item. You need your items to really stand out so when a potential buyer is glancing through a list of hundreds of pictures, they can easily glance and see what you're selling is right for them. Easiest way to do this is to have a single, well-lit item on a white background. Let's give some examples of my confusion.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84164376/woodland-moss-purse-set-by-green-orchid

When I first saw these bags, I thought 'huh?? what is she selling', followed by 'oh, it's a green bag that she put some flowers near to make it look nice, along with a similar bag', then finally ' Oh, it's TWO bags with sunflowers on them sold as a pair'. The way Etsy cropped your portrait-style lovely photo made me very, very confused. You need to have that photo zoomed out so it is clear that there are exactly 2 bags and what you see is what you get.

Other example:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84061637/our-i-do-toasting-glasses-by-green

What are these? Clear glass on a white background means I can't make out anything. Again Etsy cropped your tall photo so all I really see is a jar, but the name says 'toasting glasses'. Etsy also cropped the name of the listing where it shows up in your Featured items so all I see is 'Our I & Do'.

Using portrait shots instead of landscape on Etsy is dangerous due tot he way it crops photos. Just remember everything you post will be scanned over for less than half a second in a list amongst thousands. You need it to be really, really obvious what you are selling and be mindful of how Etsy presents that to customers.

[Former_Member]

Welcome to Etsy!

I started selling in April and I really started my marketing on facebook. I had my first sale within 24 hours of opening my shop. Now, I have one about every other week or so. I do a lot of facebook posts and try to be as involved as I can be in the Etsy teams and discussions. I think its important to really promote other peoples shops by favoriting others items and adding people to your circle and favoriting others shops. You get back what you give out so focusing on others is just as important as self promotion. Also, I invested in search ads and showcases. The search ads have given me a lot of exposure since when you type in what I make, my stuff usually pops up on the top line of the page. Some people have said the search ads aren't working for them, but it gets your stuff to the top. And when I purchase stuff from other shops, I usually like to check out the shops who have search ads as well.

Good luck and forget therapy... =-)

[Former_Member]

I feel like I am learning this so slowly. ..like filling a swimming pool a teaspoon at a time. . .and as soon as I think I understand and start to apply what I just learned, I find there's so muc h more to it. ..

I'm a year into my etsy business, and have logged in hundreds of hours. And with all the work I've put into this, ALL my sales have come from facebook. . .I post all my new work on my personal page. . .which is how I sold three paintings and two commissions. A few people have bought prints here at Etsy, again these are always people from my friend list, not always from teh fan page. .., but the facebook page sold paintings. I have no idea how it's done getting strangers to buy my prints and paintings. I have had listings for a year that haven't broken 100 views! I've got a blog, a twitter, a pinterest, a stumbleupon, a tumblr. ..I can't stop though. I take breaks to rest my eyes and brain. Witihout them, I would collapse for sure! (Logging 14 hour days sometimes. . .it's a lot of time spent just waiting, like you said. ..wishful thinking, wondering if anyone will ever find me. ..a stranger making a purchase! Now that would be cool. And it' hard finding search terms with visual art! I wish I had a better idea of what I'm doing. . .

Here's a cyberhug! Your shop is really great! :)

[GreenOrchidDS]

Thanks Tiffany...I'm finding out that the photography and posting is harder then making the product......all the pictures I liked, after reading the photo advice to take close ups, got super cropped like you said... It's eye opening to see how a product you know so well gets interperted by the viewer...

[Former_Member]

You've got a lovely shop. It'll all work out.

[Former_Member]

Green Orchid- My shop stats are one of my homepages on Internet Explorer. What you're going through is entirely normal.

[UniqueSewingBoutique]

I think we all need therapy, I am just trying to enjoy learning as I go along,

getting confused, then it makes sense,hoping for sales, being dissapointed if

no sales, but keeping up with the learning curve.

I know I'm not much help, but we are in this together.

I did add you to my cirlce, Green Orchid