Being a business owner (aside from selling on etsy) I have figured out that advertising is extremely important to the success of your business. Etsy is great because you can improve your rankings of your shop in the searches by tweaking your SEO, yet sometimes people go to the etsy homepage and click on one of the pre-determined categories that they have created.
If you go to the Weddings Category, you will see that any business with a product that they have placed in the "Wedding" Category will come up. When you first list an item, etsy prompts you to define which category your item belongs to. This is where it all comes into play.
Etsy has something called a Showcase, and you can find this option under the Promote section of your shop. The showcased items are paid advertising and they show up at the very top of the page when someone clicks on a category. Etsy sells these showcase spots for only $7 per 24 hour spot. This is really, really, really reasonable for advertising space.
Some categories for Showcase are not very competitive and have open Showcase slots all the time. Some categories, like Children's and Weddings are extremely competitive and sell out within seconds of becoming available. These spots become available at midnight Eastern Time.
I have noticed on my shop that I get a lot of views and favorites on the days that I showcase.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Selling on Etsy: Search Ads
Etsy recently came out with a new way of advertising internally. When each person searches for keywords in the etsy search bar, they now see several items listed at the very top of the page. These items are paid advertisements by etsy sellers that have agreed to show off some of their products in exchange for a small price.
The Search Ads as sold per impressions. That means that you don't pay every single time someone click ons your ad (The way adsense works on google.com), but you pay per 1,000 times it shows up on someone's screen.
Etsy allows you to choose your weekly budget, which is nice because it you know how much you will spend each week. They pre-determine keywords for you based on the items you have selected for the ads. My only issue with the search ads is that I would want to determine my own keywords, but I do find that the etsy chosen keywords are pretty similar and applicable to my products.
Etsy has another type of advertising which is their showcase- I'll leave that topic for tomorrow!
The Search Ads as sold per impressions. That means that you don't pay every single time someone click ons your ad (The way adsense works on google.com), but you pay per 1,000 times it shows up on someone's screen.
Etsy allows you to choose your weekly budget, which is nice because it you know how much you will spend each week. They pre-determine keywords for you based on the items you have selected for the ads. My only issue with the search ads is that I would want to determine my own keywords, but I do find that the etsy chosen keywords are pretty similar and applicable to my products.
Etsy has another type of advertising which is their showcase- I'll leave that topic for tomorrow!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Selling on Etsy- Part II
Selling on Etsy- Party II
The first few items I put to sell on Etsy were certainly not my best. I mentioned earlier that I tried to paint on the glasses (which clearly wasn’t my strength)- I took on my dining room table and listed about 18 items.
After reading through a few etsy posts and even on the etsy.com website, they mentioned that you should take pictures of your products using natural light. I began to take pictures of my wine glasses outside, on my porch. I found a portion of the outside of my house that had a shabby chic look to it, and I place a white piece of fabric (flat, not shiny) on a small table. I lined up the glasses and tried a few shots. I quickly learned that you have to leave a little space at the top of the item when you take a picture so that when it shows up on the thumbnail images on etsy it shows the full item. Otherwise it cuts off the top part of the item.
The first few items I put to sell on Etsy were certainly not my best. I mentioned earlier that I tried to paint on the glasses (which clearly wasn’t my strength)- I took on my dining room table and listed about 18 items.
After reading through a few etsy posts and even on the etsy.com website, they mentioned that you should take pictures of your products using natural light. I began to take pictures of my wine glasses outside, on my porch. I found a portion of the outside of my house that had a shabby chic look to it, and I place a white piece of fabric (flat, not shiny) on a small table. I lined up the glasses and tried a few shots. I quickly learned that you have to leave a little space at the top of the item when you take a picture so that when it shows up on the thumbnail images on etsy it shows the full item. Otherwise it cuts off the top part of the item.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Selling on Etsy: How it started
Selling on Etsy has become one of my absolute favorite things to do. Etsy has opened a possibility for me- staying home with my little girls while I earn income. I first came across etsy.com a while back when someone (can’t remember who) posted a link on facebook. I clicked and fell in love!
After years of being a craft-a-holic and making things out of anything I found a place where people could sell these “anythings” and make money. I described it as an ebay of handmade goodies. I already worked full time, was a mommy, a wife, and a business owner so I didn’t think to sell on etsy quite yet.
What I did was I started looking for handmade painted wine glasses to sell out of my art studio. I searched for vendors who sold wholesale goodies, and found a few prospects to supply me with the glasses. I found out their prices and minimum orders and I even ordered a few to see them in person. I simply wasn’t impressed and as usual the “I can do anything” in me stepped up and took me to Michaels to buy some glass paint and wine glasses. Little did I know that this was the beginning of my very own etsy story.
I started to try and paint these glasses but I couldn’t get them just right! I wanted to offer the best of the best, so- long story short, I found another way to make my glasses and I still use this method today. I did make some for my studio, but then I figured I could sell them on etsy (and it begins!) so I did.
Selling on Etsy is my way of sharing my success story with you so that you’re process will be easier and faster than mine! I have found awesome ways to market, optimize and SELL, SELL, SELL!
After years of being a craft-a-holic and making things out of anything I found a place where people could sell these “anythings” and make money. I described it as an ebay of handmade goodies. I already worked full time, was a mommy, a wife, and a business owner so I didn’t think to sell on etsy quite yet.
What I did was I started looking for handmade painted wine glasses to sell out of my art studio. I searched for vendors who sold wholesale goodies, and found a few prospects to supply me with the glasses. I found out their prices and minimum orders and I even ordered a few to see them in person. I simply wasn’t impressed and as usual the “I can do anything” in me stepped up and took me to Michaels to buy some glass paint and wine glasses. Little did I know that this was the beginning of my very own etsy story.
I started to try and paint these glasses but I couldn’t get them just right! I wanted to offer the best of the best, so- long story short, I found another way to make my glasses and I still use this method today. I did make some for my studio, but then I figured I could sell them on etsy (and it begins!) so I did.
Selling on Etsy is my way of sharing my success story with you so that you’re process will be easier and faster than mine! I have found awesome ways to market, optimize and SELL, SELL, SELL!
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