lets get brutal

[Former_Member]

Right...i posted a few days ago to get help with tags and that day my views shot up to around 85 shop and listing views..the highest i have ever had. the next day and the today im back to almost nothing...
SO i need you guys to be brutal i have just put up a listing, i have changed the photos and really thought about my tags and titles...i have also really worked hard on the description too..( hard when your brain dead at 7 pm) can you let me know what you think... many thanks

# 119379659

[Former_Member]

1

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119379659/soft-toy-dinosaur-cute-cool-and-cuddly?

sorry guys here is the listing

[TanahsJewelry]

Wish I had an answer for you.
I barely get any views despite adding more items and tweaking tags and photos.
Hope someone comes along to give you some insight.
Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Frey,

I would work on your title for this listing. If I were looking for something like this, I'd be searching for:

Dinosaur toy
Plush dinosaur toy
Children's Dinosaur Toys
Toys for girls

For titles, I've found that simple, straight-to-the-point, and descriptive are best. I wouldn't be looking for "cool, cute, and cuddly". Think like a buyer and also check your shop stats and see which keywords people are using that bring them to your shop. Add those to your titles and tags to make them more search friendly.

Also brighter photos would do your listings some justice. A bright white background would make your items pop as they're so nice and colorful.

Hope that helps!

[JoArtyJo]

Firstly- I understand your struggle to get bright photos in England :-)
Secondly- have you considered selling patterns? Selling digital items is far easier and more profitable especially for us international sellers!

[CopperLeafStudios]

one obvious answer you have to consider is that by posting and asking for help, people are going to look at your item. Many of those views were because you asked people to look. They won't stay that elevated the next few days. And since those views are from people helping you and not by those interested in purchasing your work, they aren't really the kind of views you're looking for anyway.

Past that, like Jacque said, you have to think of what a buyer would search for, not how you would describe your item. Tagging a quilt "pinks", "greens", etc. doesn't help you as much as "pink quilt", "pink baby quilt", those sorts of things.

[ChantelandMe]

She is so so so very cute!! I'm going to brutal, but said in a very nice way - because I'm not a brutal person :-) Your description is rife with spelling and punctuation errors. When I see that someone didn't even capitalize the word "I" I think of a teenage texter which doesn't elicit a lot of confidence. (Not that all teenage texters are irresponsible and unreliable.) You have amazingly cute items, but I think you may be selling yourself short by the errors in your description.

[ChantelandMe]

Also, is there a way for you to ship to the US or other places cheaper? $17.00 shipping seems high, but I don't know how heavy your packages are. That amount would give me a second thought.
Just an idea.

[Former_Member]

@ joanne- i love britain, i do..but its not the brightest of countrys is it. i struggle with my photos a lot. its a constant struggle. short of employing a professional photographer i dont know what to do. With regards to patterns, i am great at showing someone how to do something but i am rubbish at writing a set of instructions..ask my sister she will tell you who ever follows my written instructions will end up with a disaster!
i am determined to make this work...i will get there, you might get sick of me but i shall get there with the help of all of you great people!

[Former_Member]

@laura I will look through my grammar ( I was so good at it, I have grown slattern now that I have a son and time is not on my side) with regards to shipping abroad I am working on this and looking into this as I type.

[ChantelandMe]

Frey, I completely understand the children distractions!! :-) You have beautiful work - I'm thrilled you want to keep at it!

[KimBuilt]

I think you should pull back on your picture to see the whole toy in the miniture picture. What about "stuffed animal" as a tag? Each stuffed animal should have slightly different tags to help you get noticed event though they are similar in nature. Great stuff!

[TheSapphireTheory]

Its so cute! My suggestion is to put links in your listings, i.e' if you love this dinosaur style but would like it in a different colour, see link below'
Also, you can say, love this dinosaur? to see more handcrafted toys, click on the link below to be taken to my shop.. etc, etc, google picks up on links.
Also, look at ways outside Etsy to promote, are there blogs that you could promote to? How about mum/parents magazines in the Uk that you could send samples to the stylists/editors that they may run with in their next issues? craft markets? leave your cards anywhere & everywhere, on the bus, train station, in kids library books etc..all linking back to your shop...good luck!

[Former_Member]

Can I suggest that possibly the views increase that day was everyone looking at your item to help you out?

That dino is super cute btw :)

[Former_Member]

Your items are cute, but I would suggest using a photo editing software to brighten your photos. Many of them have blue tints to them, which does not make them very "treasury-friendly."

Also, instead of trying to achieve a white background by using a sheet, purchase a piece or two of poster board. Poster Board is one of the easiest ways to get a nice, white, seamless background. Of course, you will need to check your white balance settings and brighten them with an editing software.

Hope that helps.

[Former_Member]

http://www.etsy.com/listing/114200901/soft-elephant-plushie-toy-handmade-soft
I love this design. Here is what would make me buy it. Well If I had a baby girl I would be enticed to buy it if it were showcased on a bed or in a crib. I want to see right away in the title and bullet description these questions.
-what is a made of
-care
-size

[Former_Member]

Have you done any advertising outside of Etsy? 50% of my hits come from other sites. I market myself through blogger, facebook, tumblr, twitter and DeviantArt. DeviantArt is a great place for crafters to meet and show off their creations. Remember that many customers don't know of Etsy until you have directed them there.

:D

[DecalInnovations]

It is super cute! I think adding a few more variations of the dinosaur would help with once someone is in your shop they will stay a while to look at the different options. I would work to fill your shop with more items like this. The photo is eye catching and treasurey worthy. I don't think it is so much as the single item needs a lot more work, I think you need to focus on adding more items like this to your shop.

[FleecefulFarm]

Hi Frey,
Here is my two cents. Your items are darling and have beautiful colors. I think your pictures are pretty good but since they have a backdrop of something soft, it makes shadows that distract from the item a little. So yes, I agree with the advice to use white posterboard or some other bright white hard surface. There is also an Etsy tool called Foto Fuse which you can use to adjust your photo so that it has a bright white background.
Your shop banner phrase starts out with "bright, colorful and funky...etc." Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think it is more adviseable to make the first few words of the phrase more descriptive of what you are selling so maybe you could say something more like "quilts, pillows, and children's toys in bright, funky colors." This is because Google search picks up those first few words.
This is probably an American versus English thing but I agree with Kim that the first phrase I would think of to search for this item would be "stuffed animal." The word "plush" is more familiar to me than "plushie."
I would definately include "cotton" in the title as that is a plus that most mothers would be looking for.

Wishing you success,
-Lisa

[TOMgirlApparel]

You need a space after the comma otherwise "dinosaur,handmade" will be read as one word by searches and not show up for "dinosaur" or "handmade".

[annakingjewellery]

Frey,

Everyone has a different idea as to what helps with titles. I like to get as many descriptive words in as possible. I separate each string of words with a hyphen so that my titles are still readable. How about this:

"Stuffed Toy Dinosaur - Fabric T-Rex Plush - Tyrannosaurus Rex Soft Toy - Floral Kawaii Cuddly Toy - Plushie Gift for Girls"

I'm no expert on descriptive words for your category so this is only a suggestion. There seems to be a fashion for Kawaii toys (or however you describe them). Therefore, it would probably be beneficial to put this in your title and tags.

I hope this helps.

Anna

[GiftsbyGaby]

I love all your items. My favorite are the elephants. I especially like that they can be personalized with a name. I'd make that the main picture to show that it's personalized. Some other posters mentioned using your items in a baby room to show size and allow customers to picture it in their home or for their friend's baby. I think your pictures are good, though.

I think tags is the easiest thing to fix. I'd change them to reach a specific audience - people buying presents for new babies. If I were searching for a cute baby gift for a friend I'd type search for "cute baby gift". I wouldn't necessarily type in "plushie" or "stuffed animal". But I may search for "personalized baby toy". Here are tags that may work: Personalized Baby, Custom baby gift, gift for baby, new baby gift...etc
Try typing those into a search and see what automatically pops up as popular search choices and use that. Best of luck in 2013!

Xuan

[Former_Member]

Plush is one of my biggest hits as a tag. I also get stuffed animal too.
I think your items are adorable and I like the pictures. I take pictures of my toys with other toys but I can't say that helps me any :) I like that you described the fabric too.

I think times are tough right now. I have 1 sale in 2 months and I get a lot offline but they are all nice people from my church. Otherwise without connections I haven't gotten much.

Good luck! I love your plushies :)

[Former_Member]

Thanks guys, there is a lot i need to do but as I have said I am determined to make this work. I am confident with all your input, advice suggestions and support I will get there. And as if to remind me that good times are never far away and im not invisible I sold a quilt! WHOOP WHOOP!
Thanks guys you are the greatest