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Story by
matt
Published on January 16, 2008 in Etsy News |
Photo by Clairigami |
Matt, as the head of the Marketing and Press Team, often gets asked the question, "Does Etsy Advertise?" He answers below with Etsy's strategy for the coming year, his contribution to the All about Etsy FAQ series.
Yes, Etsy does advertise, though it is but one arrow in our marketing quiver.
I am of the opinion that one should employ a variety of methods if he/she wishes to healthfully promote and grow a business. At Etsy, we tend to focus less on advertising and more on generating positive word-of-mouth, press, promotion at offline events around the country, strategic marketing partnerships with other businesses, distributing promotional materials via teams, speaking at industry engagements, and generally building a strong brand.
That said, advertising does have its place here, and as the business grows we will be expanding our ad buys both online and in print. Do not expect to see a multi-million dollar campaign of television commercials, radio spots, and glossy print ads anytime soon, as I think that would actually be detrimental to the Etsy brand. Instead, a wide variety of strategically targeted ads and google adwords combined with search engine optimization will be our MO in 2008.
Furthermore, as it is our overwhelming intention to help all artists make a living making things, we are considering subsidized, cooperative advertising opportunities in a variety of print and online publications. The idea is to offer affordable advertising opportunities to those Etsy sellers who wish to advertise their individual shops.
Comment below and let us know your thoughts!
| Tags | About Us, ads, advertising, All about Etsy FAQ Series, branding, press |
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26 comments Login to add your own!
tigerbee
Would a magazine like ReadyMade be a good avenue? They seem to be what you're all about too and would probably garner more Etsy members as well as buyers. Not sure how expensive they would be though. Good work, it's an interesting topic I've thought about.
atozcreations
I'll be looking out for how etsy sellers can advertise affordably! I work at a flower shop part-time and advertising is the biggest expense we have besides rent!
anslatindesigns
To offer affordable advertising opportunities for us would be fantastic and much appreciated!!!
thymbyldesigns
Any thoughts on how you're going to include those users who live in countries where English is not the official language?
mydesertstudio
adam
Noxenlux says:
It would be nice to have another spot to advertise with, but I also hope this wouldn't run up costs with posting items on etsy.
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No, the cost of each spot would be paid separately by the sellers who wish to be included. This would in no way affect the item listing costs.
adam
mydesertstudio says:
Will those opportunities be offered to all sellers?
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Yes, of course. However, depending on the publication, certain types of items will be a better fit. We will spell this out for each ad.
quirkybags
gothamfairygodmother
Has anybody here know about the Guerilla Girls? They are famous in NYC for anonamously hanging posters spot on about how women were/are way under represented in the fine arts. It is practically free and effective.
Check out their stuff at:
http://www.guerrillagirls.com/posters...
They have a page on their site where you can down load their materials, print them and hang 'em up, well where ever. I've also done things like this to get the word out for way off off off broadway shows and IT WORKS!
I'm a real newbie, but I'm so surprised at the wide range of people I talk etsy up to who have never heard about it. (I hadn't either 'til I read it in the NYTimes!) If we could get stuff up on bulletin boards in every Starbucks, laundromat, school or where ever with some real exciting, eye catching pr materials (isn't that what we're good at?), we could get the word out to our target audience, folks like us, and it would be FREE! It would also put each and every one of us out there, ready and willing, to answer questions and steer folks to the site personally. What is more cool than that?
UrbanStitch
I like that slow burn approach to advertising as opposed to the mass campaign that fires up and sizzles out so quickly. Word of mouth is working and your current and planned MO seems like it's in line with a business that is made to last. I certainly wouldn't want to lose the community and (for lack of a better word) "lifestyle" that currently comes with being a part of Etsy. Although I must agree that ReadyMade does seem like a nice fit.
artsfarm
Thank You Thank You for the coop ad idea! I think it's an excellent way to get the site 'out there'. I know of another place that does this, and it really pays off. The trick is to advertise people who appreciate handmade, but aren't necessailry artisans themselves; those who want to buy things that they can't/don't care to, create. Thanks again, I can't wait to see this happen, I think it will be quite the 'shot in the arm' we all need, while still keeping it 'true'.
urbanwoodswalker
I would love to advertise as part of a coop! I still think print ads/articles work well too...many people are just not online so much readling blogs, and cruising Flickr. :-) They are a very important market of buyers.
A great PR person could get more newspaper/magazine articles mentioning etsy. Concious Choice Magazine, Chicago Reader, Mother Jones....lets look to other venues, other age groups and others who might read more offline. We can draw them to go to their computers and come shop with us!
I used to be in print advertising! It still works. I prefer to read a copy of "Craft" in my hands rather than online. Many feel this way.
TattooDreams
I like this strategy etsy! My 24 sales since mid- December have come from my networking and selling myself. As artists it crucial to remember when people buy our work, they're also buying a piece of 'us'. The two cannot be seperated and it is this union of heart and hand that makes us the creative beings we are. I am blessed by buyers and collectors who allow me to make what I do for a living!
Thanks for a great portal for me to present my work!
TattooDreams
Nanu
This is a very interesting topic - it's true, Etsy is not about functioning like a megamillion dollar corporation. However, the sad reality is that in my everday offline life I have never met someone who knew about Etsy. That's why word of mouth is so important. The guerilla marketing suggestion is great - does anyone know if there is a downloadable promo piece regarding Etsy?
LeastLikely2Breed
OBEY
Just kidding. I like the slower grassroots approach & individual seller responsibility.
(and for anyone wondering - that is a Shepard Fairey reference)
modmoxie
This is great. I also think that a monthly newsletter sent to Etsy users with paid feature spots for Etsy sellers to purchase would be a great idea. It could be a checkbox that is selected by default when new Etsy users sign up (they could uncheck to opt out of receiving it), and for existing sellers, they could sign up for it with the rest of the Etsy mail. I wrote a thread about it in the Ideas forum...love to hear anyone's thoughts on it (especially Admin!)
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php...
artistscs28
Thanks for letting us in on Etsy's promotional plans. I think the idea of coop advertising is a good one - it won't affect listing fees, but gives those who can afford it a way to get some great exposure.
Blakeswork
This is awesome. You all are awesome. I will definitely be partaking in the affordable adv opps you generate for us. I love you all!!
IrenaSophia
It would be really great if we could advertise as you are suggesting. I know that I found you through e-mail subscription to other service, but I also love to go through actual magazines. One to check out would definitely be Selvedge.
http://www.selvedge.org/default.aspx
And I left today your name, scribbled on a pice of post it note, to the owner of local cafe that is also interested at hosting art exhibitions and selling gifts. They never heard of you. It would be very beneficial if there is downloadable pr material that can be left at our local spots just to get a word and name out.
gilstrapdesigns
I think that it would be great for our shops to be advertised some place else. I just opened a shop and I don't have website or anything else. I would like for people to be able to put in my shop name and pull up my shop from any search engine. It's kind of hard to tell people even how to find me from the internet. Also when they put in ETSy web site you have to tell people to put in my username and someone just looking for your page won't know to do all of that or if say for instance if they can find it through googles it pulls up everyones items that were in that listing. What can I do help
BeverlyAnn
I think it would be a great idea! Most everyone I talk to has never heard of Etsy. Another idea that I have found to be effective advertising is email marketing, or buying a spot on an e-zine site, or a magazine's site. I have no idea how the costs compare to print advertising, but it may be a viable idea. Hey, I know...we just need to let Oprah know about us!
BeverlyAnn
I'm new to Etsy, but I think it would be a great idea! Most everyone I talk to has never heard of Etsy. Another idea that I have found to be effective advertising is email marketing, or buying a spot on an e-zine site, or a magazine's site. I have no idea how the costs compare to print advertising, but it may be a viable idea. Hey, I know...we just need to let Oprah know about us!
WanderlingImages
I'm not to sure about advertising, I'm more concerned about making sure my store is set up correctly.
I'm also a newbie, and very impressed at the complexity and depth of Etsy. Unfortunately that complexity and depth does pose a bit of an issue for us 'newbies'(at least this one). It's a little difficult to navigate and find immediate answers to my endless questions. As an example, I really want to know how long to wait to determine if my store/strategy is working or not. What is the average time before people start buying? Is there a time period devoted to just getting noticed? I've tried several design, packaging and pricing options, and recently setup Google Analytics (really neat data!), and purchased several Showcases, but don't know if I've done the best I can.
One area of concern is: where can I go for SPECIFIC help in determining 'keywords' and 'tags' that shoppers use to find MY product? How many Etsy shoppers actually do searches using tags? What's the best way to get closer to the front of the 14,872 items that show up in a category?
Stuff like that!
Previous Page
Advertising is not cheap, and finding the right people to advertise to is part of that not cheap thing. Paper ads or Print ads can be the most expensive thing out there. Web ads are now following close behind.
It would be nice to have another spot to advertise with, but I also hope this wouldn't run up costs with posting items on etsy.