Slow business what to do?

[Former_Member]

Hi I have been on Etsy for 8 months now and haven't sold but 5 items :( and I hardly get views and hearts :( is it my tags ? titles? or is it the pictures? I dont know what I'm doing wrong. I've listed a few items 3 days ago and all of those have only 1 view, I tried to search for one of my items and I can't find it I think it's probably in the very last page. Please help.

[spacefem]

Yup, you've got some opportunities to improve... great items though!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91731641/crochet-rose-hat

First, retitle... google shows like 70 characters? So get some more words in there. I'm not a title expert, but something along the lines of "Pink crochet rose hat with flower for baby toddler or little girl"

In your materials, and probably description, list what the yarn is made of... cotton, acrylic, wool?

Drop the dark borders around the photo. Actually, for your first photo I'd always just show the hat on a clean white background, leave the model photos for later.

This one has a great first photo, your best!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/95681040/crochet-monkey-hat?ref=v1_other_1

But then you have no other photos of the item and the description is one line. Add more info and pictures, I think you have potential.

[Former_Member]

" just show the hat on a clean white background,"
I thought of doing that too but I wasn't sure if it's going to work but now that you said it I will definitely do it this time.

On the description I don't know what to put in it, how to start and end it that's why.. But yes I have to really work on that part. Thank you ! I really appreciate your advice.

[wildwomanbeads]

Oh, I completely agree with spacefern's assessment of your photos. You have a GREAT baby model so do him justice by showing the photos against a white background. The hats will really stand out. Right now, they're lost in the clutter of the picture.

As for the title, certainly put in every word you think might be a search word if YOU were looking for an item such as the ones you make and sell. I've had some great advice and help from the SEO Relevancy Team on this issue. I don't know if they're still doing this, but it's worth a review if they are.

I just posted your photo (above) as a favorite so maybe that will also drive some attention your way.

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

This item shows two hats but I'm assuming its for only one. Which one is it. Also your description is way too vague. It's okay to mention you ship fast but working fast isn't really what people want for handmade items. You want to showcase the work and time you put into the piece. You also mentioning measuring the babies head but dont say how or give a sizing chart.(found online doing a google search)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/95620903/pink-and-white-crochet-flower-hat-for-nb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Crocheted little hat white/pink from NB to 12M ..
I make fast & ship fast! ^.^ Just dont forget to add a note of your baby's size when checking out. Thank u :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[PaperFlora]

I agree with the picture of the monkey hat. It is perfect you want all your pictures to look similar to that one.
Do you do any outside marketing or social networking? Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest? If not you need to create or join a community to help you and support your business.
I just added that hat to my Wanelo page
http://wanelo.com/p/2040586/crochet-monkey-hat-for-babies-toddlers-and-big-kids
And Pinterst page
http://pinterest.com/paperflora2/
It's a lot of work and time to promote but you have to do it get views and sales.
Good luck

[Former_Member]

If you continue to have trouble with descriptions, look around at other shops that you think look well put together and take notes. Why do they look so good? Do they have paragraphs or bulleted lists? What info do they include? Shipping, any notes on materials? Do they have links back to their shop or another item?

[Former_Member]

People need to be able to find your shop, this is mainly done through inventory and SEO.

You need to expand your inventory. Having only 22 items means that there are only 22 chances for a shopper to find you when they're searching through the millions of items here on Etsy. Also, your shop looks very empty with such a low inventory. Work towards filling the first page of your shop at a minimum. The more items you can add, the better.

Your SEO needs work too, there are articles in the seller handbook that can help, and SEO teams that can teach you more about it. Basically, you need to fill all of the fields in your shop where you type something with keywords that will bring shoppers to you.

[Former_Member]

Thank you for all the response I really really appreciate it. I had put down what you said on my notes so I can start on making some changes.

[PiecesDesigner]

Hi, Lii~
I read only a few of the other responses so forgive me if I am repeating advice, here - make sure all of your words are spelled correctly. In your first photo:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/95621322/crochet-giraffe-hat-forbabies-toddlers

you have 'forbabies' instead of for babies. Things like that will reduce your chances of being seen. Also, what has worked wonders for me is to include as many key words in the title as possible. For example, if you were a customer in a store and were looking for this particular hat, how would you describe it to the shop owner? Something like: Crochet giraffe yellow and brown hat beanie for baby or toddler. As many descriptive words as you can think of. Use these as keywords, too: crochet hat, giraffe hat, giraffe beanie, yellow brown hat, giraffe crochet, crochet baby hat, crochet beanie hat, etc.... Join teams, get a FB page going if you haven't already and post photos there every time you finish something. I post progress pics of my work (people seem to really love watching the process).
You have adorable items for sale and beautiful models :) You will do great. Just a few tweaks here and there and you'll be selling in no time!!

[ComfortAndGrins]

Your work is beautiful but like the others say your pictures are too busy for first pictures. A few of your pictures are good as is this one even though it could be lighter
http://www.etsy.com/listing/93213623/white-and-pink-crochet-puffy-hat-for-3-6

But I would change the title to Puffy Crochet Hat for 3 to 6 month Pink and White

Your tags look fine.

[Former_Member]

will change it right away I didnt even notice all these until you pointed at them i'm so glad I posted a thread.. Thank you. you all are awesome!

[GetGlassy]

What has worked for me in the discriptions is a list of questions I answer. For example what is the material, size, is it custom or ready to ship. Estimate time for shipping, what inspired you to create it. Is it good for a holiday, special occasion?
You"all be surprised how fast you can fill out the discription that way.

[Former_Member]

And one more ..


IS MY PRICES TOO HIGH..
* I use "i love this yarn" which I get from hobby lobby, it costs $4.39 sometime I can only make one or 2 hats with it depends on what kind and how big the hat is. and of course we all have to charge for our time and effort we put in to make our items.. I don't know if my prices are too high or low..

[Former_Member]

For me, the item descriptions are a real turn-off. It's like everything is stream-of-conscious with no proofreading or editing. That leads to some very confusing run-on sentences, like this:

"I used "I LOVE THIS YARN" 100% acrylic because it's soft unlike the RED HEART yarn it's feels itchy when it touches your skin."

Is the Red Heart yarn itchy, or is I Love This Yarn itchy? I can infer what you mean, but it may be hard for others to tell.

"I use the "i love this yarn" 100% acrylic it wasn't cheap as other crocheters use which is RED HEART. For me I love this yarn brand is the best for the money and also for the feel.. because RED HEART yarn is itchy and hard once it touches your skin it'll make you itch. **I am not attacking anyone here"

I think you would be much better off avoiding writing in all-caps, writing in complete sentences, and rather than focus on how bad you think one yarn is, focus on how good this one is. Right now it just sounds very negative, which is not something that encourages buyers. If you have to specify "I am not attacking anyone", you may want to rethink what you have to say.

[Former_Member]

Thanks.. Actually I just wrote that an hour ago, I dont know what I was thinking :( but thank you for telling me..