How do I take it to the next step?

[Former_Member]

I work full time, and maintain my Etsy shop on the side (in addition to family and other responsibilities). I am part of 4 teams, including a treasury team. I FB, Blog, and Tweet as much as I can. It seems like I am dedicating every extra second to trying to get my shop more successful, but am just not seeing the results I would like.

Don't get me wrong, I am doing okay for a part-timer. However, I feel like I could be doing better. My hubby will be in school for the next 18 months, and then he will be starting his career in the nursing field. I am hoping to have my business strong enough by that time to "Quit (my) day job" and focus on my craft.

Any suggestions? Critiques? I appreciate any advice you can share!

Thanks,
<3 Messy

[Former_Member]

Anyone? I'm tough... I can take it :)

Any suggestions??

[Former_Member]

I don't know if it will help, and I'm not saying I'm any better - but are you trying to be 2 things at once? There are pinks and blues for little handmade cute things - and then you have vintage metal designs just thrown in to the middle. Branding is important to a store. Maybe split it into 2 Etsy stores and do the vintage-inspired stuff in a different one with more sepia colour schemes and market a different audience?

[Former_Member]

I feel ya! I took a look at your shop, love your items, banner looks great and your prices and descriptions are good. Are you renewing often? (this is what I hear is my reason for not having many sales) I've only had one sale here on Etsy but I display my items at my job also and my sales there are awesome. So I know it's not the jewelry or other stuff I make, also at craft shows I do very well. I think it's getting out there with blogs, tumblr, twitter, facebook. things I don't have a lot of time for. Because like you I work a full time Day Job.
The only thing that I could see is if you changed your words around on the Titles, maybe "Bottle Cap Necklaces That Are Interchangeable". Anyways I wish I could get a few sales, getting a little discouraged here.
I Hope things work out for you
Renee

[Strungoutjewelry]

hi ladies! i feel your pain. with all the users in the etsy world, it is easy to get lost, easy to be overlooked, and even easier to become discouraged. i have been a member of etsy for about 4 years now; an active seller for about one. coming back to the new & uber-improved etsy.com just close to two months ago, i was very taken aback. the etsy community has grown ten-fold, both with buyers and more-so, sellers. it goes without saying, you will always come across others doing the same thing as you - this just means we all have to work harder to reason to reach out to our audiences, make ourselves known, & be sure our product is being seen.

you both have wonderful product, and well presented shops. maybe you just need to reach out more - join teams, or be more involved in the ones you are part of, add people to your circles, find your buyers!!

Have you set up a google analytics account yet? definitely worth while - can be done right on your shop preferences, on the lower left-hand menu. How much traffic is your shop actually getting?

the more involved you are, it seems, the more you will succeed & once you have a following, youre golden, doll ;D

i, too, work full time, and am also juggling studies on top of that, as well. it can be hard, but do not stress; be patient, continue with your hard work, and mom was right - you will be rewarded!

[Strungoutjewelry]

oops! typo! all have to work harder to reach out*

[NutfieldWeaver]

hi, creativeismessy!

I think that you might do really well with Earth Day coming up -- maybe investigate some of the tags that might work well in conjunction with this? (i.e. upcycled, repurposed, eco chic, yada yada....)

[Former_Member]

Hi ladies!

I just joined the Etsy Success team a few minutes ago and this is the first post I'm reading. It has given me encouragement. I am VERY new and have much to improve but I figured it will never be perfect if I don't start and you have to start somewhere, right? Thanks for offering up your Q & A!

[Former_Member]

Hi creativeismessy,

One idea would be to pick one or two of your most popular sections and really expand your stock. Aim for a full page of items. Maybe your t-shirt flowers? The more options out there, the more buyers have a chance of finding your cute flowers. Good luck with quitting your day job! :)

[Strungoutjewelry]

Joy, your dolls are adorable! ;D

[FalconandFinch]

Strungout has lots of good advice! And I would like to add that patience is important too! I know I get into a mode where I'm like "ok, I tweeted, I facebooked, I renewed, where's my payoff?!" I try to always keep in mind that all this stuff we do is an investment of time that will payoff a ways in the future. Brand recognition doesn't happen over night! Your presence, if you keep working at it, will grow over time, in tiny bits that you won't notice at first. At least, that's what's been happening for me.

[sayvende]

Your stuff is super fun and cute. Just be patient :O) I am in the "same boat" as you (9-5 job and then commitments at home). I really like your shop and have added you to my favorites so I can take a better look at your items later.

[efinegifts]

You seem to be doing everything right. Your products are attractive, your photos are very good and you have made a lot of Treasuries. We like the recycled themes. Be sure to mention it in tags.

Perhaps Google analytics will be helpful, if you haven't already done that.

Jewelry is a very crowded and competitive category, so we think your hair ornaments are a good addition.

Hang in there and keep creating.

Best wishes.

[Former_Member]

Hello creativeismessy,
I think your shop looks great and it appears that your sales aren't too bad. I am fairly new on Etsy and I haven't had a ton of sales so I may not be the best one to give advice, but here are a couple of things you might try. Pull some items from the later pages (like that lovely button bracelet) to feature on the front page instead of items that are already on the front page. You may consider running a sale, too, I've seen a lot of that going on.

I love the idea of google analytics, I haven't gotten set up on that yet but I've heard it's helpful.

I feel your pain, you're in circles, on teams, photos look great, everything's tagged well but just not pulling many people in to buy. It's something I'm struggling with myself!

Best of luck!
Devlyn

[Former_Member]

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I do have GA set up, and have been using it to the best of my knowledge. I have to admit that it is still pretty greek to me... however, I managed to set it up correctly and understand the majority of the information that it contains (even though some of it still goes right over my head).

I am grateful for what Etsy has brought me so far, and I know I have to be patient... I'm trying ;)

KellysKeepsakes - I think you have a really good point about expanding some of my sections. I've been seriously considering working more on the upcycled and eco-friendly items, and sort of lay off the misc.

Thanks everyone! Muah!!
<3 Messy