Averaging roughly 110 product sales per month may seem like a simple task but the truth is on Etsy a very competitive platform, many sellers are lucky to see 20 product sales per month. When I first started my Etsy shop in 2020 I had no idea what to expect. I tried other independent sites in the past but didn’t have much luck nor website traffic. However being a maker for the last 4 years, I was determined I had to do something different. Here’s what I did differently.
• VISION - In the book of Habakkuk the Bible speaks or writing the vision and making it plain. I had heard my co worker Tara mention this several times but never got around to doing it. In 2020 you can say my entire life hit a snag. I was broke, divorced, trying to recover from a mental breakdown and had less than $5000 in my bank account. I created a vision board and at the top I wrote 2020 money shall change hands. My Terracotta Home Will be a success.
•COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION - My next move was to develop a game plan. At the tHe time my core market was candles and my target audience was home decor lovers like myself. I started a marketing campaign by reaching out to a few home decor accounts that I loved and pitched collaborating with them on a candle. I received several NO’s , many came in the form of no reply. None the less I persevered.
•SEO + CLEAR AUTHENTIC PRODUCT PHOTOS
I can’t stress this enough. Take the time to invest and read about maximizing your SEO. The truth is on etsy you’re just one fish in a sea of millions of fishes. To be seen you need to think like a buyer and not a machine. Think of titles that you would search for in your long tale key words. Research tags based on what words people are using to find the particular product you are selling. Ensure their is a link between your tags and titles. Marmalead and ERANK are both good tools to use. Ensure you shop is thoroughly set up with a profile and policies page. Fully up tests 10 photo per product slot can be daunting but is quite achievable. I suggest for photos to take several different images. A combination of lifestyle and minimalistic images on a solid background works best. Show your product from different angles and also take photos of the products in the various colors.
•EXPANSION - that feeling I received when my Etsy shop hit over 500 sales is unexplainable and motivated me to keep going. I have always had a desire to own a home decor store but didn’t imagine that I would be making concrete home goods. The switch to concrete actually came in an effort to start making my own concrete jars as I was buying my jars from a production partner at the time at $10 per jar. Once I started playing with concrete though my mind took me to several other items I could make with concrete. Candle holders being the very first item. I searched Etsy for candle holders and saw a few designs available. I then researched molds and found one for a candle holder I didn’t see on Etsy. Upon launching the Nova candle holders they became an immediate hit. I’ve sold over 1000 candle holders on Etsy. I strongly suggest that if you start selling a design on Etsy that no one else has that you get it copyrighted. Reason being is that even though etsy is a great place for handmade makers it is also the breathing ground for copying. I’ve researched, read and watched many articles and videos on how to grow an etsy shop and sadly the message is to search etsy for top listings and create a similar product. While this works I feel it gives no room for your own creativity and also a huge injustice for the person who possible invested in a product that was a breakthrough for them to their niche . It’s one thing to copy a design but it’s another thing to copy the exact colors and I’ve had that experience also on Etsy.
•SHIP QUICKLY + THANK YOU LETTER
Etsy has no issues closing your shop for late shipping or cases against your shop which usually as a result of late shipping so ensure you ship on time. Etsy has actually started a new program where if you are new to the platform or they see where your account may be at risk they reserve some of your funds for a $45 day period or until tracking is added to the order. A thank you note goes a long way! Writing a thank you note I’ll lead to great reviews and Etsy will push your content the more positive reviews you have.