Tip Jar

[megantuckerillo]

Ok so im fairly new around here and as is the norm for etsy-newbies, im obsessing and stressing over my small sales totals, constantly rechecking my "shop stats", desperately looking for some small clue that will magically sky rocket my etsy shop into success! (c'mon... i'm sure some of you out there can confess to being a compulsive shop stat checkin', tag and title tweaking addict!) Our hearts skip a beat when we get a heart, but they soon sink when we look at our ratio of views to sales. Heck, I've even been known to have the odd dream about getting sales...true story!

BUT sadly there are no magic formulas and in reality, the only route to being successful and getting those all important sales is HARD WORK and being prepared to do the hard yards and stay focused and believe in your product even when it feels like no one else does.

Soooo.... rather then sob and moap about on the forums looking for some magic key to solve all of my etsy woes, I decided to create this little thread for all of us to fill with our online selling wisdom. Practical tips, inspiring tid-bits of knowledge, words of encouragement for those on the brink of giving up, ANYTHING that has helped you along your journey of selling your wares online.

Here's my 1st contribution:

1.MOTIVATE YOURSELF WITH A MANIFESTO! Literally write down what you want to achieve on a piece of paper and stick it up somewhere where you will see it everyday. My "manifesto" is stuck up above my desk. I look at it several times a day and when I have my dramatic moments of despair (you know what us arty folk are like!) I read it and it puts me back on track. Its split into two sections: "What do I want?" and "How am I going to achieve it?". That little scribbly list, despite odd glances from friends and family who have clocked it and discretely read it and probably concluded that im crazy, has, for example helped me conquer my frustrations with using Adobe illustrator, and motivated me to keep pushing.

Do it. It may feel a bit awkward, but it works.


Please add your tips to the tip jar! Thanks! xxx

[Former_Member]

My biggest tip that I've learned in my off-line business (that I just now realized I'm not doing at all in my shop!) is to figure out who your target market is (your "ideal customer"), figure out where they go, and market there, to them.

[Former_Member]

I don't have a tip . . . but just wanted to thank you for your post and comments! This whole thing can be a bit overwhelming!!

[Former_Member]

I think the biggest tip I have is to be honest with ourselves. If you have to ask if your pictures are okay you probably already know, if your quality is good enough, if you think you need to tweek your title, your description or your tags you know the answer. Instead ask for specific help. New words that you hadn't thought of, a new way to stage your product a new color to use. etc

[Former_Member]

Scraptrapped, that is awesome advise! I think too much we stuck in our ruts and we can't think what else to say to describe our stuff. Sometimes it just takes a fresh impression :)

[LittleShopofElleSee]

Never give up!

Yes, we all have days when we are down on ourselves. Yes, we have moments when we want to pack it in. But we have to remember why we are doing what we are doing, and never give in to the pressure that we are failing because we are not having as many views or sales as other shops. Keep on keepin' on fellow Successians!

[HeidiMillustration]

my best tip is value your customer and treat them how you would like to be treated, i always enclose a thank you note with the item they have bought , a postcard of my art work and wrap the item in nice tissue paper.

[JoArtyJo]

If feeling demotivated, put the laptop to one side, forget about your 'shop' and create some new art/jewellery or whatever it is you create, for the evening- you will feel lots better, that's what I just did :-)

[megantuckerillo]

Great tips guys! Anymore?

[Former_Member]

Ditto to what everyone has said! I look at the fact that I have sold SOMEthing... it's better than nothing! And that person is happy and likes what I make! Wow, cool! I don't create for money, the money is a bonus.
That's what keeps me going; as long as I enjoy crafting, I'll keep on keepin on!
One thing I have implemented is Setting achievable goals, like posting one new item or reactivating sold items every day. Make one post on my FB fan page every day. Like you said, you may have an ultimate goal, but it takes baby steps to get there.

[Former_Member]

Not really a tip but an observation; It's easy to get wraped up in Etsy as a buisness and negleting to make the things to sell. I know I am guilty of this.

[megantuckerillo]

Very true knotscribe- its so easy to get caught up.

My second tip- dare i say it? Etsy is just one way of selling your wares. Dont get me wrong- i LOVE etsy. I used to sell on here about 3 years ago and it was an incredible platform for my work, it opened so many doors for me, and even in the small beginnings of my new shop, its doing just the same. But dont forget there's a big wide world out there... Consider approaching brick and mortar shops that sell handmade goods, book craft fairs (Christmas is a comin'! so there are plenty of places to sell if u take the time look!) even open your own website! (something I am currently working on- hubby is a web designer which is a massive help!) Etsy is a great spring board, but dont forget there are lots of ways of reaching your target market, take a deep breath and dive in!

[Former_Member]

I love this thread. My tip is take baby steps. Work on one thing at a time. Each day look for one thing you can make better. Don't get overwhelmed trying to fix everything at once.

Remember if you started off successful you really won't be ready for it. You need to get prepared to be successful. Learn what you need to do to be organized. Have your items ready to ship to in a timely manner. Know what the cost of your items are and what you need to charge for them.

[Former_Member]

My tip is to take a break when things get to slow or stressful. I find if I put my shop on vacation for a couple of days and then I'm not watching it every 2 seconds, it gives me time to concentrate on how to make things better. I find when I then come back from my few days break I feel refreshed and have new confidence in what I sell :)

[CedarwoodCreations]

kindygarden - Your shop is absolutely adorable! I, too, don't have a lot of sales YET, but I'm gearing up for the holiday season. I'm told this is the slow time of year on Etsy (and everywhere else). Hopefully we will all get busier very soon. Meanwhile, I'm tweaking my site, setting good prices, re-taking some pics to make them better, etc. Getting ready.....

Best of Luck!

[Former_Member]

Etsy is a great resource, but for your own sake do NOT get all your business info from etsy. It is a helpful but often insular community that too often focuses on success within etsy and not success as a business.

For example, in discussing the problems with the front page as I see it, I mentioned my customer profile, including but not limited to the race and gender of some of my target customers, this lead to accusations of racism and stereotyping. However, in business you are almost always expected to have a detailed customer profile that includes not only race, and gender but also age, education, professionals, income range and much more.

To be sure I don't think any one person did anything wrong or such, but the often insular nature of etsy Can blind you to what a business is supposed to do. This includes things like very detailed customer profiles, business plans, and ad budget and strategy. Things that etsy often rebrands in quasi cuteness but filters out the relevant info.

This is not a dig on etsy just a reminder that no one source should be trusted to be your only source. I think no one place should provide more than 25% of your knowledge and even that is. Too high.

Anyway that's my tip.

P.s. You do a detailed customer profile to find out how and where to appeal to them. Should you run ads in the Star or Golf Digest or both? (for example)

[Former_Member]

Second tip. Clear daily or weekly or monthly goals.
NO:
Make more items
Get more Facebook fans
Redo a few titles
Buy more supplies

YES:
Make 6 items.
Get 20 new Facebook fans
Redo 4 titles
Look at the inventory wish list and purchase 3 top priority items.

[megantuckerillo]

KortureCrochet- Clear and specific goals are very helpful. On my "manifesto" i tried to be as clear about what i wanted as possible. Helps focus the mind!

[Former_Member]

Great thread........I'm working on getting to 100 items and figuring out my target market. Thanks to everyone for their tips which I find really useful. Ahhh one more thing, I have an Etsy mentor, she's been REALLY helpful!

[Former_Member]

Networking. I have found it to help gain exposure.

[LaurasLastDitch]

1.Research SEO and implement it. It warms my heart to run, when Googling, to find my item right near the top.

2. Sell something unusual enough that your hard work on SEO is more likely to pay off, and so you're not competing with a gazillion other people.

[LazyTcrochet]

I just looked through my sold and inactive items, renewed a few things that I can easily recreate and got a few ideas to use up some supplies that I already have on-hand. Sorting through my stash is great inspiration too. You bought that for a reason. Using what you have saves money.

[LiztheProphetess]

I am in dire need of help. Thank you for this thread. I need to set more distinct goals, for sure. I am a big believer in taking breaks- something I need to practice more. I think the weekend should be sacred, and try to not use my computer or even work on things at all on Saturdays. On Sundays I can make thing to my heart's content (which is the best way I like to pass time anyway!), ad I am allowed to check my stats and emails only after I have completed a project or started a few more.

[Becorations]

This is such a great thread. I can identify with a lot of you, I too am trying to get my shop up to 100 items (currently 88 or 89) I have focussed on expanding my facebook page (www.facebook.com/becorations) : which in the last 2 months has gone from 135 to 315 likes :) and I have even joined twitter too (@Becorations) ... my sales are plodding along, my tags clearly need improvement, I've noticed a drop in viewings since the relavency search was put in place, though my stained glass and button items are coming up more often than my flower brooches.

My tip would be to remain positive, for me this often means variety, and giving myself fresh inspiration from developing new ranges and experimenting with new materials, colours and textures in my work. Then look back and sm:)e at what you've made!

And LazyTcrochet, totally agree with using up what materials we have in stock, especially as all my items are recycled, it's a must that I keep on top of my constant in-flow of potential materials..... ribbons, buttons, shells, broken jewelry etc...

Good luck to us all!!
: )

[megantuckerillo]

Becorations- how have you managed to grow your follower base on your facebook page? I am struggling with this in particular. Any tips? ;p