Need help and tips!

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone, I've been on Etsy now for about five days...I'm hoping I can get some third party peeps (you guys) to take a look at it and give me some tips on how to sell better?

Things I've done so far:

-Joined this team! Yay!
-Read a ton of articles
-Made a DIY light box so I can photograph my listings against a nice background
-Started using my Pinterest more

Things I'd like to know:

-How do you promote yourself better?
-My store has a variety of items...I paint, do calligraphy, and make signs...later I'm thinking of adding wedding decorations...I realize this sounds mad ambitious to say the least, and I should have one focus or whatever...but I've browsed so many shops with eclectic, random, and not-pulled-together-by-a-general-theme items and they have success!

Anything helps a lot =) Thanks!

xo, Kathleen

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

Right off the bat you need to fill out your policies section with payment, shipping and return/refunds info. Buyers want to feel comfortable buying from you. If your policies section is blank they won't know what to expect if something goes wrong.

Your titles, tags, descriptions and photos need work. I suggest joining an SEO team. They're a great resource for learning search engine optimization to get yourself found in search both on and off Etsy.

I like this team.
https://www.etsy.com/teams/11352/relevancy-and-seo-for-all-etsy-shops

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Ditto on the shop policies too. Also maximize the space you have for tag use. This is where SEO also comes into play.

[Former_Member]

Judy: Your critique really helps! I actually made my first sale tonight!!! I'm really excited about it. I've made a policies page and am now rewriting my titles and descriptions. Photos are a little harder with not a lot of time or resources...but thank you so much!

[KiltedWoman]

When I first started I named all my necklaces something artsy like "winter's snowfall". No one is searching for that, they are also not searching for "Ashley and Kyle". Just state what the product is, put the same info in your listing and in the tags. You can put the name of your invitations at the bottom portion of the listing if you want.

I actually think the key to success is diversity. I have some non-Scottish items to catch the people who would never search for Scottish things but who might search for a blanket or soap.

Good luck to you!

[Former_Member]

I second the "no-artsy-names" idea. I didn't understand why my pretty little "lemon drop earrings" or even "beautiful winter morning necklace" weren't selling until I renamed them "yellow glass earrings" and "blue and silver necklace". No one's searching for "beautiful winter" or "lemon drop."

And I agree with the diversity thing too. At first I thought it would be a liability for me to have so many different kinds of items in my store, but I find that by having multiple types of items I get more views. And sometimes if someone comes to my store searching for a button necklace they walk away with a heartbeat one, or button earrings too.

I also suggest you add more items. I know this can be tough when you're first starting out, but people can be intimidated by stores that only have a handful of items. I'd heard it been said that sales really take off once you have 100+ items. My sales really picked up around 75 items or so. It's good to give people lots of items to look at, even if they are similar.

Your calligraphy is beautiful btw.

Good luck! :)

[PapierMiche]

Just wanted to say that the items you have listed so far are beautiful. And congratulations on your first sale as well.

As a new member myself, I am learning that the more things we have in our shop, the better. For example, I may be looking for wedding invitations, but find out you also make other paper goods... hence another possible purchase.

Also, offer the best possible customer service experience when you sell an item, people will remember, and hopefully they will spread the word :)

Good luck on your new adventure!

[Former_Member]

Awww, thanks for the ex-nay on the names! And thank you all for the support! This thread is really helping a ton!

[Former_Member]

Also, a ton of my items are currently inactive since I'm editing their listings. Hope to see you all around!

[Former_Member]

Kathleen, why did i know that based on the way you worded our initial thread, that you were from the bay? i am too.

checked out your shop, congrats on your sale. Keep up the good work.
I'd suggest adding more items as they become available.