How does adding ppl to my circle and favoriting others's shops/work increase my sales?

[Former_Member]

Can someone please spell it out for me, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around how adding people to my circle and favoriting others' work and shops will help increase my sales?

People have continually suggested that I do this to increase exposure and sales. How does that actually work if we're all trying to get exposure and sales?

When sellers favorite my shop, does that mean they are looking for me to favorite back? or do they actually like my shop and want to keep abreast on my work.

When I favorite an item, i am essentially bookmarking it until I am ready to buy it, or maybe its something i find inspiring. When I favorite a shop, I am interesting in following them and keeping updated on their new products to buy. Is this what the majority of people are using the ♡ button for? or has it been repurposed for other reasons?

Is etsy just a big community of sellers that buy each others' work? Or is there a method to this madness?


thanks all!
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

[Former_Member]

To tell you the truth, I don't really know either. I have heard this said, too. I, however, only favorite shops that I like, for realzies! :). I don't return a shop favorites. Should I be? I don't know. But, I probably won't start. I'm obviously a seller, but I'm a buyer, too and I use my account as such.
I'll mark this thread. Maybe I'll learn something, but for now, I just favorite what I like :)

[Former_Member]

Sadly, some people favorite just to get a favorite back. I don't, because like you, I usually favorite to bookmark something, or I heart it because I think it's an awesome item! :)

[LookAgainVintage]

Kadhi Bo, you have ask a question I've wondered about since Circles began! I finally decided that Circles were kind of like the Etsy social media. You circle someone because you like their TASTE in items - has nothing to do with what they actually SELL (if they're sellers). Also teams encourage their members to circle each other. So long as the little box at the top of the Activity Feed allows you the option to filter out all but what's happening in your shop, I'm okay with circling away. It does let me see a lot of cool things I might not have found on my own.

Favorites, for me, are a whole different matter. I favorite the items I like, may purchase, inspire me, and that I admire. Shops, same thing, but also shops I want to follow, learn from, and enjoy seeing what's new with them.

It does sometimes seem that we're all just promoting to each other, and it would be nice if that promotion net were cast a little further out. But getting your shop's name and products out - anywhere - is always good. You never know who might favorite your shop or item that's then seen by someone else, and someone else - who purchases. Well, I hope so anyway! :)

[AnimalFancy]

Circles and favoriting are major ways to increase your exposure:

1. When you favorite someone's item, it shows up in the activity feed. When you're active in doing this, others will continue to see your shop name and may visit to see your products.

2. Other sellers may return the favor and heart a few of your items. That shows up as well in "their" activity feed. That one person might have 2000 others in their circle, potentially exposing your work to any of those people who might be scanning through the activity feed.

3. You can add X number of people to your circle, but there is no limit as to how many people can add *you* to their circle. Whenever you favorite somebody's item, it too will show up in the feed to all of those in your circle. Again, someone else sees that you're active, and they add YOU to their circle. When they do that all of the people in THEIR circle might see that this person added you, and be driven to your shop.

4. Many of my sales come from other sellers. Everyone is a potential buyer.

5. The more in your circle, and more importantly, the more people that add YOU to their circles, the more momentum your shop will pick up. This means more views, and ultimately more sales.

6. Treasuries work the same way. When you make a treasury, and if you mark it for "everyone" to see, as soon as you save it, it also shows up in the activity feed. More activity by you = more exposure. People will also return those favors by featuring one of your items in their own treasuries. Again, it all equals exposure.

7. That activity feed is crucial to your shop getting noticed, but unless you participate in every way possible, your shop stays hidden.

8. Join teams, lots of them. Post your new items in the appropriate thread. Post your treasuries. Participate. It's all exposure.

It's no different than if you had a physical shop and sent out marketing mailers to a big regional list. This is what the activity feed does for you.

And remember...sellers are buyers too. I never expected to have more than 200 sales in 10 months of being open (many of my customers have shops too), but I know for a fact this is due to dedicated time spent in participating as much as possible in every way etsy has to offer. Add F/B, and other social networking, and you'll increase your exposure even more.

Wish you the best of luck and success, and I hope this might help a bit to explain how it all works.

Cheers,
Donna

[Former_Member]

Wow, thanks so much Donna for illuminating the mysterious world of circles and favoriting! I now see its importance. Off to network some more...

Thanks!

[LookAgainVintage]

Wow, Donna, that's a much better, and more comprehensive, explanation!
And, another example: just visited your shop to see what you sell, as I had not come across it before. Fabulous! Into my favorites you go, both for smiles and for future gifts to my pet-loving friends.

[AnimalFancy]

Aww, you're so welcome, both Kadhi and Susan. And thank you for such compliments!

Kadhi, I fav'd some of your items...so as an example, the 1200+ in MY circle might have seen your items! And Susan, I'm headed to your shop now. So, you see, even participating in the forums and team threads compels people to visit your shop.

Network, network, network....even if you only favorite a few things a day...just keep at it. Soon enough, your shop will take on a life of its own!

Much success to you all,
Donna :)

[sprhans]

Donna....really terrific explanation! And your prints very cleaver...love them! Honestly that you've been able to amass the numbers... sales/views/circles/favorites in such a short time...quite a testament to your tutorial!
Thank you!

[aLilBiteOfCute]

I favorite shops/items that I like, and also I tend to favorite shops that are just starting out to hopefully give them a little boost in views, or more. Not that favoriting someone necessarily helps them at all.. but you never know.

[aubabi78]

WOW DONNA! That was PERFECT! I always thought it was a good thing (the faoriting thing) but NEVER the circle thing!
It's so true! Just think of how you found some of the shops you have. It's mostly because the teams or sometimes with me, my activity feed. And almost every time I am surprised at them!
BTW Donna....Your stuff had me busting up! I will have to get a print for one of my BFFs that LOVE animals dressed as peeps :)

[AnimalFancy]

I just have to tell you that I was completely confused by circles and how it all worked when I first opened. So I'm glad I learned from other successful sellers and followed their good advice.

It's a wonderful thing to be among so many creative people and virtually no-one seems to resent others' success, even when in reality they might be competitors.

Thank you all for your great comments, and as you can guess, I've added quite a few more to my circles and fav's through this post!

Best to all of you!! :))

[Former_Member]

Great breakdown Donna,
Came here to say your shop is fantastic - your tagline is spot on and reeled me right in!

[jocaledesign]

Donna - thank you. Great explanation! It seems Etsy is a big place and takes a while to get to know how it all works.

I'm just reopening my shop after a long break and have been really enjoying browsing other shops on Etsy too. There's some awesome work out there. Like many others I only favourite shops and items that I love.

It's good to understand circles a bit better. Where I find someone with similar tastes to mine I'm adding them to my circle. That way I have a greater chance of discovering some fabulous shops selling work that I love. I don't expect people to return the favour as this would be pointless in my view unless they genuinely do like my favourites or my work.

Thanks again Donna. I'm off to check out your shop right now....

[sprhans]

Donna...how do I put people in my circle? I have 2 now my sons exgirlfriend (ha) and another gal...have no idea how they goet there...help!

[sprhans]

Or anyone...with an answer!

[AnimalFancy]

Sarah, any shop you go to (make sure you're actually in their shop and not on their profile page), on the left hand side you'll see a blue rectangular "button" that says "Add to Circle." This will add that person to YOUR circle. The two that are showing on your page are two people (I think I'm one of them) who have added YOU to their circle. This is the number you want to grow. You have no control, though, over who adds YOU to their circle. But if *you* add someone to your circle, chances are they will add you to theirs in return.

The people that add YOU to their circle might favorite your items, and those items of yours will show up in their activity feed. So since I added you, whenever I favorite one of your items, it will show up to a possible 1225 or so people in MY circle. See? Mass exposure.

Hope this helps! And don't worry, eventually, it will all click! (literally!) :)

~ Donna

[sprhans]

Thanks Donna.! I just added u but had to go to your profile to see add to circle button...right.

[AnimalFancy]

Thank you, Heather! Tags are super important too. The search words in the stats really helps to know how people are searching and finding what they're looking for.

Hilary...the thing about people favoriting, whether an item is actually a favorite or not, is that when it shows up in the activity feed, someone else might see it and love it, and ultimately buy it! This is why I am grateful to anyone who favorites my items whether they themselves like it or not. You never know who's looking.

Case in point....one of my prints was noticed by the president of the Rochester Museum of Fine Art, and lo and behold, it now hangs on a museum wall as part of its permanent collection! I have no idea if he saw my work through the activity feed, or found it in a search.

There are some 8 million users on Etsy, every day. Even if only a fraction of them might see your product in the activity feed because somebody (anybody) clicked on that little heart to favorite your item, that could result in literally hundreds of people in the brief time it shows in the feed that see your item. This is why too, it's important to be regularly active so that people favorite your items often.

I hope this all of this makes sense. It becomes wildly exciting when you go to your computer after being away all day long to find your views upwards towards 500 or more. It's so viral, but admittedly, takes many hours for a good many months to get that ball really rolling. But when the sales start becoming regular, it all becomes so worth it.

Cheers!

[AnimalFancy]

Oh, Sarah, you're right! From the profile page. I had it backwards. Also, if you're in someone's shop, on any page, where it says "circles" and the number in their circle, you can click on that, and add them that way too.

In any case, thank you for adding me!! :)

[Former_Member]

I circle and favorite so when I want to buy a gift, I have a whole list of possibilities to look through. What also happens when I circle is I see what other people are favoriting (is that a word?) and find items that I may have not seen. Introduces me to new work and shops. Same with treasuries.

[DoggieStylz]

Wow Donna, great explanation! When I favorite a shop, it is because I truly like the shop and when I favorite an item, it's usually because I plan to purchase that item but sometimes, I just really, really like it. Circles are new to me. I thought circles kinda went by the same rules, but after your explanation, I'm changing my thoughts on it. Thank you so very much!

[JudyStalus]

I must say I don't agree at all, I don't see any benefit from circling or being circled.
One of my greatest finds was discovering that you can turn off the email notification that you have been circled so now I don't even have that annoyance.
It is certainly nice when someone favorites you who is in a lot of circles but being in circles and circling people is pretty irrelevant to that.
I think making treasuries, being in treasuries, working on titles and tags is great but the circles not so much.
But then I would say 95 % of my sales are to buyer only accounts and buyers from what I can see don't bother with any of that.

[Former_Member]

Personally, I only like a shop if I really like it so I can see new items and products/supplies that pertain to my business that I may actually want to buy. I also add someone to my circle when they favorite or like one of my products because hopefully they will see when I add new items to my shop that they may like or wish to purchase. I kinda look at it like trickle-down advertising or promotion.

[Former_Member]

I have to admit. I could care less about circles, I add if people add me, but rarely do I add someone first. Shops or items, I've added them because I legit like them or something in them. I've got a ton of people in my circles who I have no clue who they are other than I'm too polite to ignore them and not add them back.