Reflect on 2012 to Create an Awesome 2013!

[#1]

Happy New Year!

Before 2013 picks up speed, take a moment to reflect on this past year in your shop. What triumphs and challenges did you face? Using the tips in the following post, take stock of where you struggled and succeeded. Arm yourself with the lessons you learned as you begin what could be your best year yet!

Check out the article: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2013/reflect-on-2012-t/

And share the lessons you’ve learned here.

Cheers!

Audrey

[Former_Member]

As a newer Etsy seller this article really made me excited for the new year! I opened my shop shortly before the holidays, I learned quickly during this time that I was not as prepared as I could be. I have a lot of goals and resolutions for my shop in 2013 some of them being:

1.) Joining an Etsy Team
2.) Marketing my product to the blog community
3.) Being more consistent with my blog posts.
4.) Improving the photographs of my product.

Happy 2013! Lets make this year amazing!

[Former_Member]

How about if I reflect on my past unsuccessful years and try again this year to find at least one year that is successful on Etsy?

[LuAtKeswick]

Lyone, I think what people mean about backlinks is that they paste the URL from another part of their shop into the description on a page.

For example, you could take one of your earring items and add something like

'to see more of my earrings, click this link http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeinJewelryArts?section_id=11843023'

Lu

[Former_Member]

Hello,
I only have 2 and a bit months to compare to but I have learnt so much over this last month about marketing and networking. I think my biggest goal for this year is to learn how to connect with customers through the use of blogs and twitter etc. And also to set a theme to my store, not just a "stuff that I made" shop. I need to plan my stock and plan what needs to be made.

2013 is going to be a hard working year, but I am totally ready for it! :)

[Former_Member]

So glad my article got people motivated and reviewing their 2012 plans!
Even if you are a new shop and only have a couple of months in biz to review, it's still a good time to think about how you can optimize your business :)

Harriet, if you haven't had a stellar year that means you've got room for improvement! What do you think you need to work on to improve?
Is it marketing, product, or business? If you are stymied by which area you need work on, you may want to start a thread right here in this team to get feedback from your peers to help get you going in the right direction!

Best of luck!
-Kimm

[shellseye]

I've decided to create lines of products, rather than randomly creating things, so I'll be focusing on themes for my handmade products, both in shellseye & my main shop, samsstuff.

[Orchiada]

I opened my etsy store early 2012 and had not listed anything at the time.......and for a while, because I wanted to get the "just right" photos. So the majority of the year went by and then in fall I began listing some items. It took me a little to become familiar with etsy and how it all works. So i am actually quite happy that I had not listed anything for sale right away, because I learned quite a bit. I thought alot about my store and business in general. making handmade jewelry was a hobby and something fun and relaxing to do and I was introduced to etsy and fell in tove with what i saw. So it has been exciting in and of itself. I began having views and visits to my shop and I was SOOOOOOO EXCITED about that. So towards the end of the 2012 year I started devoting a little more time to becoming even more familiar with teams, favoriting others' shops, items and etc.... I have been so excited still to be able to begin having communication with other artisans and designers. My goal for this year is work on my photography, because I have had has some really good and constructive advice from some on my teams and from emailing etsy directly, about tips on gettng sales, and photography was huge on the list. So yes, I plan to work on redoing the pics of the items in my shop that are already posted and then doing fabulous pics of items to be listed. Secondly I plan to get my first sale!! I would love and greatly appreciate if anyone can take a look at my shop and give me some more specific advice that would be helpful in accomplishing my overall goal of ditching my "day job" and becoming my own boss as a designer, creator, seller and artisan of handmade jewelry. I plan on working hard to turn my dream into a reality!! Thanks...........looking forward to hearing from you. I plan to make 2013 an AWESOME year for me on Etsy!! :)

Sheena

[MerlinMN]

What is a backlink? Will Etsy please explain the real way to figure out SEO's? I'm sorry, but the video's are targeted to people with more brains than I have crammed in my thick skull. I have read and re-read the Sellers Handbook and its pretty slim on info re SEO.
Thanks!

[MerlinMN]

Okay, I have seen what a backlink is (thank you, lu smith!), but if you aren't selling like items, or even wildly similiar stuff, then I'm clueless.

Also, why is it that I get answers in a "live" thread like this. I have searched the handbook and blogs and threads for info when I have a problem and get nowhere fast. The crickets are tremendous noisy.

[LaAntiguaTextiles]

I am learning and learning and learning all the time, which is something I like to do.
2012 was a good year. I realized my business was not such, but rather a hobby. I acted accordingly. I took new pictures of my items. Now I am taking new pictures again. New props, closely watching the time of the day, the light, the camera settings, everything! Are the pictures I am taking now definitive? No, I know I will learn something else and will take more pictures. I was very fortunate that one of my customers gave me a wonderful insight on this. I am very grateful for that.
For 2013:
- Better pictures
- More networking in and out of Etsy, but mainly in Etsy.
- Work on analyzing the market and my operations (I already started this a couple of months ago).
- Work (more) on SEO
- Widen my product offer
- Listen

It is taking me a while, but now I know the direction I want to go.

Thank you for all the advice.

[Former_Member]

I've worked so hard to source my supplies at better rates (because I know how much people can spend these days.) I've also tried to take higher quality pictures. While I still have a few in my shop I need to redo, I'm happier I found something that works. I don't get a lot of business but I am starting to see things get better. I think the changes are at least helping. Thanks for the article!

[ionesAttic]

great article. good practice.

YES to adding and refreshing listings daily!
YES to team and treasury building!
YES to creating a branded look within a sea of vintage!
YES to streamlined shipping and record keeping!

My best business practice, after nearly four years with Etsy will be to schedule my time, in shop as well as out of shop.

Prompt customer service is paramount to my shop.
And there is the perception that a virtual shop is open 24/7.
In 2013 I am committed to tend to the shop keeper as well.
(More yoga, more massage, more connections with friends and family.)

In order to stay fresh and motivated I am learning to turn the virtual shop door key at 8pm every night. It is tempting to stay involved with trends, teams and treasury making into the wee hours. But it can deplete you.

I am only in day 3 of the resolution...my best friend Pam says it takes 6 weeks to establish a habit.
I am on my way!

[ArtisticEndeavors101]

We are learning all the time....

We have learned that not all items will sell or get looked at. Etsy is very different than a live craft show where people can hold and touch things.

Little touches mean a lot. We have hand-made business cards that are very mixed media. Each item from us arrives in a hand-stamped, bubble envelope, with an invoice that has a personal thanks written on it. It contains our business card and a free gift as a thank you. Each item is carefully wrapped and includes a label with our banner printed on it. We have gotten very good feedback about these little touches. I assumed all Etsy sellers did the same, but I have bought a few things from other sellers and they have lacked invoices, personal thanks, special packaging, etc. Not all buyers leave feedback, which is a bit of a bummer.

Connections with other Etsy sellers are often full of great things...encouragement, advice, tips and just a great feeling. Those that take the time to actually respond to me and are genuine are what Etsy is about to me. The larger shops that are too busy to convo you back may be financially successful but have a lot to learn about other things.

Etsy has given us an affordable world-wide presence that we enjoy. We won't be quitting our day job any time soon, but it is fun and supports itself at this point.

Best of luck to everyone in 2013!

[Former_Member]

About taking photos, I am a person who hates technology! I am getting good at it, kids even says to me, ' is it really you mom , taking those picture, they talking about the props that I used!!

I think 2013 will moves me further to where I want to be on Etsy... a little step at the time...

[DesignsbyTrilliants]

This is a wonderful article. I love all the ideas people have and what works well and what doesn't work. I started my Etsy shop a few years ago. At that time it was really slow and my Ebay business was more sucessful for me. Last December I thought I would try Etsy again.

Wow, is all I can say. So for me when I reflect on 2012 I did somethings right. But yes, like everyone else I need some improvement. I know now in November to be prepared. One day my shop was filled and the next day almost empty. I felt a little stressed over Thanksgiving and then I got into the grove of everything. I am blessed with a family that helped with the housework and did the laundry.

Personally for me I would like to turn this into a full time business next year. So I would like to focus more on social media sites.

I look forward to another wonderful year on Esty and all the new people I will meet this year!

[QTPOPSHOP]

Hey there everyone!

Well, I wouldn't say that last year was successful. Of course I opened shop in May but really didn't start selling until last month. There were some trials and errors all in one month! But you know what, I also had positive things happen too.
I have come to love Etsy and it's wonderful marketing and launching opportunities. I could not have done it on my own.

This year I plan to work harder on SEO recognition. I plan to work harder on making sure products are top quality and even more professional. Create things (non-cliche like) that I never would've thought of creating before. I also plan to do more promoting offline via craft shows etc. I plan to let nothing discourage me.

I also appreciate the inspiration from fellow Etsy sellers that are successful and are generous in dispatching knowledge.

Much success to everyone!

Valerie

[FeinJewelryArts]

Well, I am not exactly sure what backlinks are. I am assuming they allow a viewer to move between pages in my shop that aren't normally linked to one another....such as: a necklace that matches a pair of earrings. Or perhaps three different necklaces that are made with the same style of beads, but in three different colors. Or perhaps all of my eyeglass holders.

I may want a shopper to be able to move directly and easily between these pages, which they can not do -- the way our pages are set up by Etsy now.

So I was assuming that "backlinks" might be a way to do this (?). But I don't know because no one ever got back to me on it, and I have not been able to find any info on the topic on any of the Etsy blogs.

[FeinJewelryArts]

If anyone knows anything about how I can achieve my above-mentioned goals, could you please convo me?

Thanks a bunch!

[BlackCockatooCeramic]

Hi,

I am pretty new to Etsy, and have just posted off my 4th sale! Every sale is so exciting! I am working hard to build up the stock for my shop, as I do not have enough items in there. A few people have mentioned putting 'back links' in - how do you do this? I would really appreciate any advice. Hope everyone has an awesome 2013!

[ShlomitOfir]

Great article!
I've learned that as an International seller I need to be well prepared and start sales as early as possible, so that customers have enough time to receive their orders in time w/o having to pay for expedited shipping. That's a challenge because most people don't shop early and then need to pay more for expedited shipping. I prefer not to take chances and put deadlines that will not risk possible postal delays. I've found that it's always better to play it safe than sorry.

[Former_Member]

Hi, I am still trying to get my shop more active, I struggle because I am also working and there never seems enough hours in the day to keep up with everything. I am disappointed that I have not sold anything from my shop except one item to a friend, although I get lots of comments about how nice my jewellery is, it never seems to transmit to sales. I know my pictures are not very good, but without spending on a better camera I'm not sure how I can improve them. I do love what I do but wonder if I'm on the right path for a business.

[Former_Member]

I started on Etsy last year. I have really gained a lot of knowledge just by reading forums and watching training videos.

The most important things are:

Pictures- Make sure your items stand out and you can see the detail.

Story- Tell us how you made the item. It may seem effortless to you because you do it everyday, but a lot of people don't know to make what you make and would be amazed by effort it takes to create an item.

I'm still working on getting my shop out there and adding more inventory. So hopefully this year I will double my sales!

[TurtleCoveDesigns]

Re: Back Links. Can someone verify that the following is the way to do a back link?

I read that back links are extremely important to Google.

Here's an example from an article that I read. It mentions using a keyword phrase as the anchor text for your back link. The example given: "Fine Heart is the anchor text, if you click on this, it will take you to the Etsy shop name. However, a better anchor text to use for my back link is handcrafted fine jewelry."

I looked at this shop and found that she has "handcrafted fine jewelry" in her shop title and shop announcement.

Any comments from savvy shop sellers??? :)

[Former_Member]

I feel blessed that since I opened my shop in June I've had slightly over 20 sales. Still, I found this article very helpful and am always looking for ways I can improve my store and increase my sales, especially since I've had some very bad experience with a prominent social media platform. Anyways...

I too have found that back-linking has worked well, good pictures are a must, and absolutely second the importance of really good customer service, business cards, gift-wrapping purchases, etc. Those small touches really allow you to stand out as a seller. I've also seen traffic to my site increase after I've gotten involved with teams or created new treasuries. Being featured in a treasury can help increase my views long after the treasury has been created since I link to the treasury-creator's store within my item description. Reaching out to other sellers to ask them about their items or ways that their marketing has worked for them has been helpful for me too. I've also benefited from periodic sales; but only if they are well-advertised enough.

Sometimes I worry that my store is a little too hodgepodge and doesn't have a common theme. But I really enjoy making my 4 "types" of jewelry (birds nests, beach glass, beaded, and button) equally, so I don't really want to limit myself. Plus I think it may allow me to appeal to a wider audience.

Inexplicably, the items that have gotten the most views don't seem to be related to anything else in my store which leads me to believe I will be making similar items for 2013.

Another one of my goals for 2013 is to revamp my banner so at a least I have a more recognizable logo, carve out time to participate more with forums/blogs/teams, join pinterest with the hopes of promoting my shop, trying to teach a class or 2, and really buckle down with my finances. I haven't been very good about keeping track of my expenses vs income and it's starting to bite me in the butt a little.

Thanks for such a great article and I hope you all have a wonderful 2013! :)

[Former_Member]

I opened shop in March of 2012 and have learned a LOT since then. I would still consider myself a newbie, but here are some things that I have learned:

- I spent way too much money on etsy search adds and never got a sale from that. I will not be doing that again this year!

- Renewing my items often did get me more views and sales, but I still spent way too much money on that compared to the what I made from sales. So I will not be doing that again either this year.

- I need to learn more about how to market on social media/blogs/online.

- I need to learn more about SEO. I think I am getting there, but still have more to learn.

- I got the most views and sales through my custom orders, but the way I was doing them was actually losing me money! I have taken all of my custom listings off this January until I am able to buy my fabric in bulk. Until then, I plan to focus on growing my "ready to ship" items.

- I never did a business/marketing/goals plan in the past. This year am creating one, so we will see how it pays off!

Thanks for all the great advice on here!