Etsy Selling Tips

You can print this list and place it next to your keyboard. It will serve as a reminder to act. Circle those check marks you are performing on a regular basis. If there is no circle next to an item that you feel is relevant to what you are selling, it only means that you need to spend more time in that specific area.

Here we go...

• Creativity

  Develop your own style. Look at some of the styles the other successful Etsy sellers have. Look at their wording styles and their photos. While being inspired, never copy but develop your own style.

• Branding

  Develop a brand. Use your cleverness to make a brand that people remember. If you want to, you can hire designers to help with your branding.

• Persistence

  Don't give up before the horses are out of the gate. Don't list a few items and as a new seller get discouraged if the first attempt is not a success. Get up on the horse and do it again. But this time figure out what you could do to improve.

• Staging

  Just as homes are "staged" by the requests of Realtors so that a house is more desirable to buy, so is staging your items. It also helps to show your style.

• Photo-editing

  Using a photo editor such as "Gimp" or Adobe's "Photoshop", you can correct bad lighting or inaccurate visuals such as tonal color values due to technical difficulties with your photographic device. While you don't want to remove natural flaws or misrepresent your item, you do want it to reflect it's true beauty and accurate visual appeal. Enhancing photos is perfectly acceptable as long as the item is visually represented appropriately. There is even an app for that!

• Shipping

  This one is simple - ship your items as fast as possible. If you can afford it, offer free shipping as well.

• Smartphone

  Who doesn't have a smartphone? Use it! Take advantage of the Etsy mobile app to stay connected with orders, customer questions and more. When taking product photos, use your smartphone - photos taken with mobile phones are as good as many cameras.

• Customer service

  Be sure to be attentive to your customers. Handle any concerns sensitively and swiftly. Put yourself in your customers shoes and empathize with them. How do they feel? Let them know you want to please them.

• Complaints?

  If there is a problem or concern with an order an easy way to solve the problem is to promptly ASK the customer what you can do to make them happy. You can communicate to your customer by simply saying "Is there anything I can do to make this transaction a positive experience for you?" You will likely both end the transaction with a positive outcome and the potential for future sales.

• Keep up the communication

  Whenever a customer writes with a comment or question, respond promptly and gratefully. Giving proper attention and showing gratitude helps us all feel appreciated.

• Use social media

  Use it effectively. Don't double publish things to both Twitter and Facebook, but use them for different purposes. Such as, use Facebook for interaction with your customers. Use Twitter to "Tweet" your latest products, a special deal that the customer can only find if they read your tweet.

• Media platforms

  When utilizing social media - you don't have to use every media platform that you can find, but whichever ones you use, use them regularly. Use automation tools as much as possible to free up your time.

• Shop Announcement

  Use this shop option to its fullest potential. It's an area right below your banner that you can use to communicate with your customers. You can give your customers info on what you offer at a particular time of year, let them know when you will be on vacation or let them know about a special you are offering. You are only limited by your creativity.

• Coupon Codes

  Etsy's blog has help for this. People feel like they have the key to a secret formula with coupon codes - read more at https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500005142242-How-Etsy-Coupons-Work

• Photos

  Create interest with your photos. If you notice, on Etsy, the photos are truly eye candy. They are artfully done, as well as have an excellent quality as far as the pixel resolution. Use proper lighting that shows your product in an attractive manner. Google and learn some photographing tips such as how to avoid "backlighting".

• Include dimensions

  Photographs don't always tell us how big or small an item is. Remember to include the item dimensions.

• Description

  Use proper and descriptive keywords. Make your titles concise and clear. Do not overload it with keywords, and make it readable. This helps your customers find what they are looking for. They want what you've got and you want them to find it!

• Stats

  Utilize Etsy's shop stats for increasing your item's visibility. If you don't see a keyword that you are using in your shop stats try a synonym for that particular keyword.

• Custom orders

  Simply put, offer custom orders. People love personalization, and many of Etsy sellers offer just that.

• Inspiration

  Keep looking for new ideas and inspiration. Keeping a fresh look and feel will excite your customers and give them a reason to revisit. Look at other Etsy shops that are doing well to get inspired.

• Newsletters

  Create a newsletter. A good application for creating newsletters for free is Mailchimp (https://mailchimp.com ). Other options are SendGrid (https://sendgrid.com ) or Constant Contact (https://constantcontact.com ).

• Make a video!

  A video is a great way to bond with your clientele and also to communicate with them. You can use your smartphone and upload a video to your Etsy listing. There are many ways to please your customers with videos from how-to videos to giving them a virtual tour of your shop. It's nice to see that a real person lives behind an Etsy store.

• Be INVENTIVE!

  There are a lot of people doing the same things on Etsy. Invent a new design that no own else has. This way you can stand out in a saturated market which especially applies to jewelry making.

• Gift wrapping

  Offer a gift wrapping service around the holidays for free. It is an inexpensive way to stand out from the crowd. It also helps your customer feel special and know you care.

• Store policies

  Develop store policies to give your customer confidence and reasonable expectations. Let them know what to expect with time frame, shipping charges, and returns.

• Free surprise gifts

  Consider adding small gift with your orders. Don't necessarily tell your customer you will send a free gift, but send one anyway. Everyone likes surprises. The more pleasurable an experience for your customer, the more likely they will remember the positive experience and think of ordering in the future.

• Holidays spirit

  Change your shop for holidays. Decorate it and engage your customer in the spirit of a holiday. This creates a happy positive experience for your customers. The more they remember you and associate fun and enjoyment, the more they are likely to revisit.