Introduce Yourself and Shop To the ART Team

[#1]

WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM!  We're glad that you're a member.  And we look forward to helping each other find success on Etsy.  Please introduce yourself and you shop so we can be more supportive.

And let us know if there's anything else we can do to help your shops.

[texyjay]

Love your work! Wishing you all the best with Etsy & beyond

Sherry

• killerbrittle.Etsy.com

[EstateYarns]

I don't think this is the right place to ask, but if not, please let me know where to post.

I have some vintage yarn called Melrose Designers' Choice, and it describes itself as Art Knit Yarns.  The texture is very random -- ranges from almost like a crochet thread to a bumpy texture.

My question is -- what constitutes an art yarn for an Etsy listing?  Would this qualify?

[MikeKrausArt]

@EstateYarns This is all I could find from Etsy: "Check out our art yarn selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our yarn shops."

So, I assume your yarn would be considered "unique."  Right?

[EstateYarns]

Is there any way I can post a picture?

[Whitecrowartshop]

Hello, I am Aylin from Istanbul, Turkey. In my shop you can find wall decorations, decorative objects made from handmade ceramic clay, and realistic animal figures made of felt wool.

Whitecrowartshop.etsy.com 

[MikeKrausArt]

@Whitecrowartshop WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM AYLIN!  We're glad you're here.  You have a fun shop.  And we're looking forward to helping each other find success on Etsy!

[Bovinyls]

Hello, I am Madison, a graphic designer and university student from the Pacific Northwest. In my shop I sell cow-themed stickers and will soon be extending my line to cow wrapping paper, Popsockets, and other cute gifts. I would love for other sellers to come to my shop and provide feedback! I am very excited to be a part of this community.

[MikeKrausArt]

@Bovinyls WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM MADISON!  You have a very fun shop.  There's only 2 things I'd suggest for your shop:

1) Just keep making: More items = more traffic = more sales.  And this will become very important as we enter the holiday sales season (October - December).

2) Invite people to your shop: We have lots of activities designed to bring people to your shop.  And to learn about you and your creations.  Also, we host several holiday parties this time of year, which is a great way to meet a lot of new customers.  You can join our next one at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1421541185245595

[MikeKrausArt]

@EstateYarns Unfortunately, Etsy's group pages only have the capabilities of AOL in the 1990s.  haha  So, no photos.  Only links

[PNWandMore]

Hi Everyone!!

Thanks Mike for the invite to this page.  Much appreciated. 

I just opened my store 10 days ago, but I have been researching and learning for a few months. I've wanted to try e-commerce for about 20 years. I should have gotten in on it sooner, but as they say...  No time like the present. I live in Washington State where the mountains, rainforests, lakes, rivers, the sound, the ocean, and a ton of hiking trails are all in my backyard!  Depending on what you want to do everything is just a couple hours away or less.

My shop's name is "Pacific Northwest and More":  PNWandMore - Etsy

As a hobby, I like photography and digital editing for my design inspirations. If anyone is interested in checking out my shop and would like to give feedback, I'm open to 'any' suggestions.

Great to see where everyone is from.

Susan

[MikeKrausArt]

@ArtsByAlexis WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM ALEXIS!  We're so glad you're here!  You are very talented.  And we can't wait to see what you create next!

[MikeKrausArt]

@PNWandMore WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM SUSAN!  So happy you decided to join Etsy.  And Washington State is a natural paradise.  Lots of great inspiration.  And can't wait to see more from you

[Nairitiz]

Hello. I'm Diya zinzala New member in Etsy shop my account name Nairitiz I have home decor wedding gift Diwali office products and beautiful handmade work  ...@naritiz

[MikeKrausArt]

@Nairitiz WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM DIYA!  We're so happy you are here.  You have a beautiful shop

[ImmerseArtStudio]

Hello everyone,

thank you for the invitation. I was born in the south of Italy, do you know Puglia? I think is almost a well known place with an amazing sea. I have a strong technical background as software engineer but i love digital art and creativity.

I opened my shop on etsy https://immerseartstudio.etsy.com to help my childhood dream be real. I started when i was only 7 years old selling bracelets homemade for just 2.000 lira (there weren't euros yet and the price were equivalent to 1€) at my favourite beach.

So here i am, about 25 years later to approach the same dream but differently. I hope to have success and show to myself that the 7 years old guys is still living inside me and he can realized his dream.

[MikeKrausArt]

@ImmerseArtStudio WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM!  And Puglia looks amazing.  I hope to visit some day.  You've been on an incredible journey with your artwork.  We're looking forward to being a part of your next adventure.

[MikeKrausArt]

@TheresOnlythree WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM!  We're so glad you're here Jen.  And it sounds like you've been on a wonderful adventure.

As for your shop, I do have a couple of suggestions: 

1) Just keep making - More items = more traffic = more sales.  Once you have 150 items, Etsy will boost promotions of your shop.  And this is very important as we enter the holiday season (October - December).  Historically, this time of year accounts for 75-80% of sales

2) Marketing - How are you inviting people to visit your shop?  Here's a simple template I used to guide my stategies:

The key to marketing is answering these questions:

1) Who are my customers?

• How old are they?
• What gender?
• What are my customer's interests?
• Where do they live?
• Are they educated?
• What kind of jobs do they have?

2) Where can I find my customers?  Are they on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, elsewhere?  

3) How does my product help my customers?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you'll know what to do and where.

3) Holiday Art Festivals - We're hosting several annual Holiday Art Festivals. This is a great way to meet hundreds of other shops and their countless customers.  It's free and you can sign up at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1421541185245595

[TheresOnlythree]

Sorry, this is so long...

Is the festival online? How does it work?

Also, how do I post items on your Pinterest page and will I even get seen? There is a lot of work on there already.

Also, the link on your Pinterest page doesn't seem to work to connect to Etsy.

I have posted just a couple of videos on Instagram and I'm still not quite sure how to do Pinterest. I have only watched YouTube videos on how to do it and it seems like every time I try Pinterest has changed some things. So this past month I just used the save button from Etsy on my listing images. After a few days I saw that I got 1 visit to my shop. But I heard that you should actually make your own pins. Which I am still figuring out how to do.

I don't know SEO for either Pinterest or Instagram. Or how to figure it out. Which I've been told also that it's different for both of them then it is for Etsy. And the folks on YouTube want me to pay a fee for them to tell me.

I also have a business fan page on Facebook, but the Meta page I just cannot figure it out. I haven't posted much on there. But I also have been sick and in and out of the hospital all summer since March. I just got back to work on everything at the end of July.

As for my customers, I have a general idea who they may be. I think more of them are on Pinterest, but I have seen some folks on Instagram. I'm just not sure how to use Instagram  that well or find my customers. Also, I do not like to be on video myself really, so I have to figure out how to do slideshows on this new software of my products.

I do believe my market for customers is worldwide, but I have not figure out the legal information on selling internationally. ( one thing at a time). I was going to wait until I figured out the USA first. To make sure in could handle everything here and make sure everything was working right since I am a POD company for now.

I also have to generate some income first.

The age bracket some are young late 20s early 30s  and some are older that still do young things. Hence Burning man and Conchella, Lost Land etc. The art and Music festivals around the world. Also the Eco friendly folks and ocean friendly, this work is still in progress. The 420 medical marijuana group of people. The bohemian crowd of folks. I'm not saying that I'm marketing to everyone there's specific groups of people that I would be marketing to. That are all a parts of my life.

To make this shorter, my customers would be interested in the things I'm interested in. Which is a whole lot of different things / the universe. Almost everything about it.

I don't know if you saw that my store is base of Me... I am my own niche. LOL I'm not for everyone.

 I'm still working on and understand that I have to be solving a problem with my products.

I'm not really sure about what jobs they have. Some of them are independently, wealthy, and some of them are not. But I do feel starting out, but I really need to push towards the people that are independently, wealthy and have people who have money to spend. But I'm limited, by the types of products I can sell from P.O.D.

But today I am getting ready to lists a few of my Fine Art Photography on tapestries. Which from research on Erank photography in the price range I sell in is not on Etsy. So I will not be offering prints, just the tapestries. They're award winning photos internationally and nationally and private collectors owe them. So I will not be selling them for $15 which is the average price on Etsy. My photos generally start at $400. I'm not paying to have my artwork on someone's wall.

My plan is to get more listings up. I have 100 + in my drafts. I just have a hard time doing the  titles and descriptions. Most of my artwork is always untitled, I title the series not individual pieces. So I am not sure how to list it on Etsy. This is what my problem is today with my photography. My title isn't something people would be searching for.

[Marpet3425]

Hi, Just took a look @ your site: Here's what caught my attention.

Your site name + your short unfinished "about page", being 1:3 adopted kids in a large and welcoming family. 

I'd suggest you write this section up / add your photos to it and it will help you to define much of the direction and shape your shop takes from there.  FYI, expect it to be a work in evolving progress you revisit and edit as need be over the long haul.  But, so are most of our goals and the directions in life we take.  Let it live on the page as an engaging guidepost to your shop's evolution...

My best to you in your success, you already have an engaging presence; now tell us even more!

[MikeKrausArt]

@TheresOnlythree 

Yes, the Fabulous Fall Art Festival is an online event.  You can start posting now.  But, coordinated activities and events start Monday October 2nd.  It's real easy.  Share your works.  And like and comment on other people's pieces.  And talk with people that like what you share.

For Pinterest, you should see a "join board" option.  And it does generate a lot of traffic.  Many customers like seeing all the variety.  And we do have other boards too that are smaller and more focused.

I will check on the pinterest link.  Thanks for letting me know.

Opening a business can be very overwhelming.  And there's so many things you can do.  But, there's only so many hours in a day.  So, I suggest slowing down and making a plan.  For example, set a daily and weekly goal like I will list 1 new item per day and learn how to use my Facebook business page.  Then focus on your FB page for the next month or two only.  Once your shop is growing and you understand Facebook, then expand into Pinterest if you have time.  At some point, you may get so busy that you outsource your marketing.

[SylvesterGallery]

Thanks. My shop on ETSY is named "SYLVESTER GALLERY" has about 210 watercolor art prints (cats, cowboys, chefs and waiters, international streets, etc.) .  https://www.etsy.com/shop/SylvesterGallery?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

I have the same prints available on EBAY as ETSY and sell 3X more on EBAY.  I don't advertise for either shop and I know I should.  Do you have any suggestions?  I know I probably need to spend money on advertising but don't know how to start.  I just know how to paint.  Don Sylvester  (Thanks for any suggestions).

[ImmerseArtStudio]

@SylvesterGallery hi and thank you for your introduction. 

Sorry i'm not so experienced to answer your question to help you.

Meanwhile i would know why are you using a ref parameter in your url? It could be interesting if in etsy there are some kind of tracking techniques that i can leverage on.

[MikeKrausArt]

@SylvesterGallery The first question to ask is "where are my customers?"  Are they on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or elsewhere?  

Once you know where your customers are, then you need to figure out how to catch their attention.  How does your artwork help them?  

Then, how much are you able to spend to find these customers.  Generally, a person will visit your shop 7-11 times before making their first purchase.  So, if you're just starting out, I suggest trying the cheapest option over the longest duration of time possible.  And experiment with as many different options as possible.  

[TheresOnlythree]

I would suggest listening to Starla Moore on YouTube. You do not need to pay to advertise. I have learned a lot of info. from her about Etsy and it is free. She does a live show on Friday's also. So you can ask questions. You can also just write questions in the comments and they will get back to you.

[MikeKrausArt]

@BloomenostaCreations WELCOME TO THE ART TEAM OKSANA!  We're so happy you're here!  And so glad that you're in the USA.  How are you doing?  We hope your loved ones are all safe and healthy.  And I've added you to our Ukrainian Support page at: https://community.etsy.com/t5/art/SUPPORT-OUR-BRAVE-UKRAINIAN-TEAMMATES/m-p/137895553#M4277742

Your artwork is beautiful.  So full of magic and wonder.  We're hosting the Fabulous Fall Art Festival next week.  Here's the invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/1421541185245595  It's a great way to meet hundreds of vendors and countless customers.  We hope you'll share your works, like and comment on other posts, and invite your friends.  THANKS AGAIN!