How have Teams helped you?

[AudMod]

Hi there,

I am working on an article idea and calling on my favorite source for amazing seller tips - you!

As active team members, can you tell me how you found the teams that have worked for you? How did you search for them? How long did it take to find a good match? What role have teams played in your shop's development?

Can't wait to read about your experiences.

Thanks!
Audrey

[Former_Member]

I was ushered into a local team when I first started on Etsy by a friend, I received such a warm welcome and great advice. After a few years on etsy I now find myself helping new team members and their selling ventures.

[SteamyLab]

As a newbie, I was desperate to find advices and tips.
I didn't join too many, as I knew it'd have been hard for me to follow all of them, and I don't like to be in a team just for the sake of it, I like to chip in.
There is one that I follow more than the others, and that's my local team.
I found so many helpful advices and it's fulfilling to know that you can also help others.
On top of it, there's always a thread where we are all silly and we share our madness!

[Former_Member]

Also, teams are a great form of promotion for your business. I often club together with other sellers to make a series of team treasuries and events to raise awareness of our work.

[Former_Member]

Just starting out I was definitely wanting to find some help and support. I researched "newbie" and had a ton of Teams pop up. I usually will join the teams that have the most members because I feel like there is such a wide range of topics that happen on Etsy Teams when you have more members. Also, being new to Etsy I felt like I would get more feedback. I absolutely Love the Etsians of Facebook and also the Etsy Success and Business. I feel these have really helped me gain an audience and help with starting my business!
The biggest plus is all of the encouragement and support you receive!

[damsontreepottery]

I was floundering a bit last year when I had just started out on Etsy, until I found a local team, which has been fantastic!
Working from home could be quite lonely, but they have ben a wonderful source of encouragement, fun, friendship and very helpful advice! I'm just getting to the stage where I can begin to help others!
They also have fun team promotion events and buy from each other, have secret Santa, shop promotions etc.
I joined quite alot of teams at first but now concentrate on 2 main teams, the local one and a fantastic European team where you support and critique each other, as well as chat and have fun. This team has many treasuries on the Front page of Etsy which certainly boosts your shop! It is also wonderful to get to know designer makers working in other crafts and from different cultures and backgrounds.

[Former_Member]

I was slightly nervous when I first started to join teams on Etsy but I have found that everyone is so helpful and the best way to find something out is to ask. Your fellow team mates have been in the same position and are always happy to help you with something because we all want each other to have successful shops and there is really no such thing as a silly question.

I find that the teams where there is a bit of everything are the most useful as you get a wide range of advice and support as well as friendships and team based activities which helps everyone

[Former_Member]

This is the team that has worked the best for me so far. Tons of wonderful advice, SEO & Marketing tips, and it has helped me find other teams that have been helpful as well like the Blog and Sponsor Connection. I found out about the Etsy Success team, I believe, from it being mentioned in one of the online labs I was watching when I first joined.

I joined a lot of treasury teams & promotion teams at first, but found them to be a bit of waste of energy for me. I wasn't hitting my target market (brides) so although I recieved a ton of views, I wasn't making many sales. So now I'm mostly active on this team, and check the Blog and Sponsor Connection team, my hometown teams, and a few others every few days to see if anything new pops up.

[ColourMeFun]

When I signed up I started by looking for teams that were UK based. I also had a few fellow crafting friends and chatted with them in their teams. I spent time in them all and got a feel for how they interacted. I found that some teams chatter moved quickly where as other teams were much more laid back. After a few weeks I knew where I wanted to be and stuck with those teams. Nearly 2 years on, it's basically stayed the same.

The teams that I interact with have been a great source of information. They are willing to help you where they can and that's been great! I think that my shop has grown so much further than it would have if I had tried to make it on my own.

[LaurasJewellery]

I joined two local teams when I first started out. Now I'm active in 4 or 5... I love being able to post a new item and get suggestions for improvements from teammates, they've helped with everything; photos, descriptions, titles and tags. All the constant tweaking in my shop from these suggestions keeps the views and sales rolling in :)

[PICFiberArts]

When I started a year ago on Etsy I search for a team that had my same interests. Once that happened my shop has grown leaps and bounds. The team spirit is so helpful wether with etsy or outside of etsy. We promote each others work, answer everyone questions even shop near by supply shops if someone is really in need of a specific item that they can't find in their area. It is like a family now to me. While drinking tea in the morning catching up with everyone on our private thread. So many questions were answered for me and everyone was so helpful. We want everyone to succeed!

[Former_Member]

I am fairly new to teams and I searched them out in the beginning for advice and support. I have to say the Etsy Success Team has been so amazing. It took me a long time to realize I needed the advice and support from the "experts", the true foundation of Etsy, it's members. I can't tell you how much I have learned about tags, titles and exposure. Everyone is so understanding and helpful and I have even met some members who are literally my (area) neighbors. So nice to form bonds, new friends, shared interests and daily experiences.

[FussyGeekWares]

I am a UK team Captain and my team are my colleagues. We often meet in our team forum for virtual breakfast while we wake up and motivate each other to get on with the day ahead.

We share so much business advice, creative inspiration and often emotional support when things get life-heavy. The community is what really makes Etsy a place of sharing and caring and I'd be lost without it.

Our team is centred around 'Chat & Promotion' as this is one of the best ways to spread the word about your creations. We organise events and threads to help the team get promotion and sales. It's a lot easier to gather momentum with your crafting buddies behind you. :)

[Former_Member]

I joined the etsy success team when I first signed onto etsy. Someone posted a "why you newbies arent' getting found" forum. I learned so much from that...then that person started the committment team. This is a team of people dedicated to telling you the truth. If your pictures stink - they tell you. No whitewashing here...all truth.

We were fortunate that on this team are some members who know a lot about SEO and when I listened, made the changes suggested and changed my titles and tags...traffic started and I began to have more sales!


Love the Commitment team.

[GildedNotes]

My first team experience is not just what really got me started on Etsy, it's also what kept me going the many times I just wanted to walk away and quit. It was a treasury team that helped sellers while also featuring new and undiscovered shops. It got me going in the right direction, and really showed me how fulfilling being part of a tight-knit community here on Etsy can be.

Now, I am on many teams, ranging from location based to promotional, to treasury making, and they are all valuable components of my business! Honestly I don't think I can even concisely describe all the positives I've gained from these teams.

Most of my teams I have joined through invitation or friends turning me on to them. The few times I have not been able to find a team I was looking for, I created it!

[HmacdoPaperCo]

Joining and participating in teams has been invaluable aspect of learning and growing my business here on Etsy. It's been a great way to cope with problems that arise for all of us along the way and a way to get inspired and stay motivated on tough days.

[Former_Member]

I am still figuring out about the team, is it the team here online or the team of Etsian where I am from, New Zealand? I am slow that way, Everything I do is about trial and error and learned from it.

Someone is mentioning about the feedback, I really dont mind any kind of feed back. I am still searching, if anyone from here could guide me where to go and find someone who could walk with me in this journey, I will greatly appreciated.

I am finding my way around here Audrey. I found you! and read all your articles and the rest of articles from Etsy's Team which is inspire me so much .

[bebbyjumpers]

I was invited to join a team as a newbie and was offered advice and support and shown how to promote myself and other Etsians. I am now Captain of that team and offer advice and support to my teamies and have great fun promoting their great items!

[PerranYarns]

A local team is where I find I spend most of my time; the members are so friendly and helpful it feels like a regular virtual chat over coffee!

One member recently suggested that we have a thread dedicated to going through the Etsy Sellers Handbook together. This has proved amazingly helpful as we all go at our own pace, posting comments and questions on the thread and getting advice from each other about how to translate the tips into improvements specific to our own shops. It's great to see everyone getting motivated and improving their views and sales figures together!

[BlackCrowCurios]

The Commitment Team is the best!!!

I joined a few teams that I didn't feel were the right fit, like trying on clothes. Finally I found the Commitment team which is just right for what I was looking for.

MY TOP TEN REASONS FOR BEING ON THIS TEAM ARE:

10. A commitment to help others and not just look for help for yourself
9. A community of creative artists
8. An instant response to all queries
7. A sharing of good news and successes
6. A place where all will receive instructive criticism
5. A sense of promoting of each other
4. A supportive interactive discussion board
3. A diverse group of like minded individuals
2. A mix of new and experieced Sellers

And the Number one reason is... Drum roll please!

1. Welcoming, Supportive and Instructive!

[barebranchjewelry]

Being active in teams has helped me feel more comfortable promoting myself & my shop. Also knowing if I had some troubles I had a friendly & welcoming group of people willing to help me out has been huge. Lets me feel like I'm not really doing this all on my own

[Former_Member]

*wave*
My usage of teams was ALL over the board until more recently.
I've gone from just peeking in, to helping lead, to avoiding all. Many teams really weren't all that helpful, in my opinion.
Now, I am very happy with the ones I have!

I am a leader on a commitment team. Probably the best group of people I have yet to work with. Found them just as I was deciding to get more serious. Well, I found alex in a thread on critiques. We started chatting and a new team was formed. We are working hard to guide each other without a lot of BS.

I've also found a great promotion team. Very no nonsense. Everyone is there to help each other. And works hard.

Really hoping now that I ave these great folks I can really get my shop going in 2013!!

[dalystudios]

Teams have been priceless! I have learned so much from them. I started on etsy last Feb. and blundered along until I saw a Martha Stewart Etsy show. The rep from Etsy that she interviewed advised joining teams, so I stuck my nose in. I am so grateful that I recorded that show and got that advice! What an amazing resource.

I am not very interested in promotional teams, as I prefer help, support and guidance. I love returning the favor as well, in my limited areas of expertise. It's a terrific system...something Etsy really got right.

[Former_Member]

When I first joined Etsy I looked right away for the forums... I am an avid reader of forum posts in the outside world; I use them to help me solve problems, make decisions and get feedback on my activities.

On Etsy I found that teams help the most when you are an active member... regular posts in certain teams can help you build visibility, promote your items and continuously improve your brand. When I first started I did a whole bunch of team joining... and quickly realized that for me, several of the teams I was on had little to no return on investment for the effort I was putting in.

Ultimately yes it is a good idea to be an active member of a promotion team... getting your items out into the world can really help with views! But also consider the importance of getting to know other Etsy sellers on the Etsy Success Team, the Business Topics team or other teams you are keen to be part of, and letting them get to know you... I have found so much value in that and many opportunities I would not have had otherwise, and learned ALOT from the more experienced sellers here!

[Former_Member]

I joined lots of teams when I first started selling as I didn't really know what I was doing. It quickly became apparent that a couple suited me and my shop particularly well, because they were very welcoming, active and extremely helpful. The team activity and enthusiasm rubs off on you and so the teams have played an extremely important role in the development of my shop.

Together, we learn, promote and support each other. There's always someone there from the teams to answer questions, to help with promotion both on Etsy and via social media, and to offer your own help to as well, as even the newest Etsy sellers have some life experience, knowledge and a fresh viewpoint that is valuable. For me this was a very important asset of being in a team early on in my Etsy career, as it helped me to feel a part of the Etsy community in a more personal way right from the beginning.