Open a month and already feeling discouraged

[WheatfieldKnitwear]

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little embarassed to post this. When people write these "woe is me" posts in the forums, I'm generally in the "suck it up" camp. For some reason I can't shake this feeling that I'm doing something terribly wrong in my shop, and I can't put my finger on it.

1. My views are dismal. When I don't participate in the forums, my stats page shows goose eggs. Zero. Nada. I don't get it. I did some SEO testing just last week and over half of my items were showing up on the first 5 pages in search. I just don't understand how I am getting such low views when things seem to be optimized.

2. I KNOW I need more inventory. I get that that is probably a big problem. I'm working on adding more items each week, but it's slow going. I started doing headbands because I thought I would be able to make a lot in a short period of time and then when I had my inventory built up, I could move on to the more time-consuming knits. I'm not even a headband person, and I have a shop full of headbands. Then I got to thinking "well, it would be much faster if I was sewing headbands instead of knitting them, then I would be able to build up my inventory much faster". So now I'm thinking about changing my shop name, so I can add some non-knitted items, and sewing isn't even my thing! I can do it, but it is not what I DO, if you know what I mean. What I envisioned as this cute little bohemian knit shop is quickly (in my head) turning into a shop full of sewn headbands AND I'M NOT A SEWING PERSON OR A HEADBAND PERSON! To say that my shop is lacking direction would be the understatement of the year.

3. Photography. I think mine sucks. Believe it or not, the photos that are in my shop are the 3rd round of photos I've taken since January 1st. The model in the photos is me, yes, taken selfie style. I'm so jealous of people who sell items that don't need to be worn. I'm not sure if my items look better modelled or not (I have both in my shop), but I'll be honest and admit that I cringe everytime it comes to photograph for a new listing.

Please help! I'm at the point where I'm too close to this to be able to see it clearly. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!

[Former_Member]

Hey there Steph!

Don't be discouraged. I think one of your problems is that there are just a lot of shops on Etsy that sell beautiful knitwear. So in order to get lots of views, you have to really show-off your uniqueness, and be a head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.

One of my favorite ways that I see people photographing accessories is just laying them flat on an understated surface, and taking a shot from straight above. Check these out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/161459615/cabled-brown-knit-pompom-hat-chunky?ref=favs_view_24

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170582321/vintage-winter-ski-beanie-with-pom-pom?ref=favs_view_11

You could also try really modeling in your photos. You're pretty! Don't be afraid to show your face! you could definitely swing something like this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/111888131/ivory-lacey-slouchy-hat?ref=favs_view_4

https://www.etsy.com/listing/79402133/fantastic-fox-hat?ref=favs_view_2

Finally, I would advise you to fiddle around with the saturation, tint, and other settings once you have downloaded your photos onto the computer. Simply adjusting your exposure and brightness can really pep up a photo.

I hope this was at least slightly helpful. I really think that if you can achieve some stunning pictures, you'll start standing out, and getting the views you want.

Good luck!
Coco

[Former_Member]

Also... I forgot to add. I don't think you necessarily need to worry about inventory right now. Just one excellent, well-photographed hat, that gets viewed, is better than pages and pages of hats that aren't getting viewed.

xo!