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Shop Makeover Series: Pimp Your Shop for 2009

2008-11-21T14:34:00Z

This installment of the Etsy Shop Makeover Series brings you to an important step: now that your shop is fit for public consumption, you gotta spread the word! Daniellexo gives you some tips on social networking and grassroots marketing. (Note: This post was originally published on January 28, 2008, but we've updated and revamped it for the coming year!)

I started on Etsy with blurry pictures and no idea how to run a successful shop. It took a year to make it to the now extinct Top Sellers list, but I did it. I spent roughly 10 hours a day learning about photography, d.i.y. marketing, the right time to list and renew and the other ins and outs of a successful Etsy shop. My first boost of sales came when I was mentioned in a rather popular blog. How did this happen? Not by accident. It took a lot of work. Read on to hear my formula for pimping your shop and getting sales.

Social Networking

Above: NeaWear tastefully "pimps" her shop on Facebook

Sure, you can spend a $1,000 on a tiny, tiny magazine ad. But, unfortunately, you can't click a magazine ad. I'm not saying they aren't good for building a brand, but it takes a lot of work to get a shopper from a magazine to their computer and then to your Etsy shop. I would work on your online presence instead if you are just starting out.

Where to start? First make sure your shop is focused. You need a target market; if you have a shop that's all over the map it will much harder to find your customers. Stick to a demographic, ie. teenage girls, new mothers or hipsters. Of course you can welcome all buyers, but it's easier to market with someone specific in mind.

Now what? Surf around and get familiar with the sites I link to in the rest of this article. Which ones look like the most fun to you? Sign up for those and test them out! When signing up, I suggest using your Etsy username and keeping all your accounts cohesive. You'll be easier to find that way. Now have a look at how much time you have per week. If you have a few extra hours a week, then focus on one or two social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.

Now don't get overwhelmed. Check out these sites and see which ones look the best for your market. It's better to have a few accounts on these sites and stake your own little area of the site instead of spreading yourself too thin. You want to build up your online presence with these tools. Make your accounts attractive to people browsing. The trick is to keep it fun, for you and your followers! Don't just post photos of your products that people can already find in your Etsy shop. Make sure you show them a bit about the maker behind the curtain; describe your process, your studio, your favorites, etc. Talk up your Etsy buddies too — share the love!

Social Networking Sites:
Facebook
Myspace
Virb
Twitter

Social Shopping & Bookmarking

Above: TomokoTahara socially shops on ThisNext, mixing her items with other great finds!

Sharing your picks with others through accounts on social shopping and bookmarking sites can be a great way to promote buying handmade. Make sure you mix promoting your own work with other great finds! Link to your accounts on your blog and in your shop profile.

Social Shopping Sites:

ThisNext
Stylehive
Stylefeeder
Kaboodle
Wishpot
Zebo

Social Bookmarking Sites:
Digg
Squidoo
StumbleUpon
Wists
Magnolia
del.icio.us

Photo Sharing

Above: mLee uses Flickr like a photo journal. I love how her Flickr account is organized into sets.

Flickr is a great site for telling your story through photos. Buyers can start to connect with the maker this way. Showing your family life, process, studios, pets, and more can remind your buyers and friends that there is a real artist behind the work in your Etsy shop! This gives your work an intrinsic value and authenticity you just can't get with a mass produced item!

Blogging

Above: the {NewNew} Team all works together to maintain their well read blog. If you don't have time to regularly update your own blog, sharing the workload by creating a Team blog is a great idea!

A blog is an online journal that your readers can subscribe to in order to learn more about your work, process and life. I would recommend Blogger.com to get started. It's pretty easy to set up. Just like the social networking sites, you want to make your blog interesting and fun. Show your readers a bit about your life, your process, things you've purchased, places you've been, etc. Join the Etsy blog ring once you get going! I started a shopping blog, Gold School. I still have about 50 readers a day. I show them items I like that are reasonably priced (90% Etsy items by the way). I also have a link in my blog to my Etsy shop. That way, my faithful readers might think, "Wow. I like this gal's taste! I wonder what she makes?"

Above: PearsonMaron's Twitter always makes me smile!

Don't have time for blogging? How about micro-blogging? Twitter.com asks one question: 'What are you doing?' Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web. You can follow your contacts and gather followers. It's fun and addicting! Make sure you aren't just blogging about your work though — like usual, keep it interesting and fun! (Like PearsonMaron's tweets above!)

More sites to check out:

Niche Networking:
Ravelry (knit & crochet)
Designs To Love
DeviantArt (fine art)
Craftster.org (crafting)
DIYscene (D.I.Y. & alternative crafting)
BurdaStyle (sewing)

Skill Sharing:
Instructibles
Thingiverse

Video:
YouTube
Vimeo
Blip

Now get down a little routine.
Perhaps when you wake up you take a few pictures and upload them to Flickr. Then you blog about your strange dreams. Then you add a new item to Etsy and send it to all your social shopping sites. (Tip: Send your favorites to these social shopping and bookmarking sites too! If it's obvious you are just trying to pimp yourself people won't come back to see what else you've added.) Before bed work on your Myspace, perhaps.

From here you'll start collecting like minded social shoppers and perhaps you've bumped into a few blogs you like. Good! Bookmark those. You're going to need them. Find a day to yourself. Lock yourself up with some coffee and get motivated. Today you're going to get into a blog! It's cold-calling time.

I'm not going to list any blogs here for fear of 1,000 Etsy sellers contacting the same ones over and over. The trick is to find the blogs your potential shoppers read. Keep your target market in mind. Start with the smaller ones to build up your confidence. Find the bloggers email and really inspect it. What do they value most in the items they feature? How can you pitch your items in a way that would interest them and their readers? Make each email personal and specific to the blog you are writing to. Bloggers can smell a mass email a mile away. And it's not a nice smell. Oh, one more thing: don't just send them a link to your shop. Find the BEST item in your shop (and make sure its a nice clear photograph). Include a little something interesting about this item, how you made it, or about yourself. Make it easy for the blogger if they did choose to blog about your work. Send out as many of these are you can. If you don't get a response or only get one or two do not take it personally. Shopping bloggers get tons of unsolicited items sent to them. Start collecting another set of blogs to write to and have another stab at it.

Here's a sample letter:

Dear Gold School Creator,

I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now and I really love your finds (especially the weiner dog special last week!). They are all really fresh (and cheap)!

I'm writing because I think my work would interest your readers. Here's a link to my most popular item. I started making these when I broke my leg last summer and was immobile. I was so bored watching soaps all day so I decided to start embroidering these Soap Star Hankies.

Thanks for your blog and for supporting independant artist like me!

Happy Holidays,

Sally the Soap Star Hanky Maker

Keep these emails short, sweet, personalized and fun.

Getting Seen on Etsy

Above: ThePeachTree makes some gorgeous Front Page worthy Treasuries. And when these happen to land on the Front Page of Etsy, a link to her shop (just above the items) also gets a little bit of Front Page action!

Here are a few ways to pimp your shop on Etsy:

Make a treasury. I know it's not always easy getting a treasury, but try anyway. Set a timer for the next time a batch of them are about to expire and POUNCE! Keep your favorite items bookmarked and try to create a visually pleasing mix of goods. If you make a great treasury people will be interested in what you are doing in your own shop!
Renew. If you have the budget to renew once or twice a day (or more if you have lots of items in your shop) then I would really suggest it. It keeps you fresh in your category and puts you back in the Time Machine. Try different time of the day as well — I used to wake up in the middle of the night to renew!
Use your shop name as a tag in your item listings. That way if someone comes to the site and searches for you but mistakenly doesn't change the search drop-down menu to "seller" — your work will still pop up. Also use your shop name in your listings. The more the name of your shop is used on the internet, the more likely it is to come up in a web search.
Forums. Be helpful on the forums. Sure you can also post in the promotions section but you are more likely to be seen in Site Help giving some advice to a newbie. And make sure your avatar is interesting and clear so people will want to check out your shop!
Pitch an article to the Storque here. What are you the most passionate about? Can you write about your process? About your local craft scene? A review on a great sewing machine you just purchased? Let the Storque editors know why this would be a great article, who would be interested in it and why you should be the one to write it.
Comment on Storque articles that you really like. I'm not suggesting to comment on every article. Just those that really call to you. Leave a thoughtful comment and others will see your avatar and might just have a peek at your shop!
Attend Virtual Labs events. They are fun and informative (ok maybe I am a little biased). But they are a great place to connect with the Etsy community and get seen as an active member.
Join an Etsy Team. Of course, don't just join a Team to promote yourself. Join one to bond with other Etsy members and to help each other promote your work and Etsy together!

Troubleshooting

So you've done all this and aren't getting the kind of response you would like? Here are a few things you can do now:

Hire a photographer. This could even be someone who is technically savvy in your family that has a nice camera. Get them to take some pictures for you and give you some tips on working with your own digital camera.
Attend the Etsy Labs critiques and workshops. (Usually every Wednesday and Friday — see the Storque's Online Workshops featured column for times.) You can really pick up some great tips at the critiques and workshops.
Ask a seasoned shopper for advice. Don't be too shy or sensitive! Ask them for their most honest opinion.
Try something new! Keep your shop fresh and dip into another category. Perhaps you'll find a technique or craft you may like even more. Think about a niche or need that may not be met yet on Etsy.

Whew. I hope that helps you and your shop in 2009. If you have any further suggestions for marketing your shop, let everyone know by commenting below! For further questions about selling, check out The Etsy Seller Handbook and the Shop Makeover Series.

Etsy Team Tips: Etsy Teams Blog Ring!

2008-03-02T07:00:00Z

Team Tips are a weekly series of tips and ideas from the Etsy Teams. You can find more Teams Guides and Resources at team.etsy.com.

Etsy seller and Baltimore Etsy Team member JenMenkhaus has helped to create a Blog Ring for Etsy Team Blogs! This is a really wonderful way for the Teams to interconnect, catch up on what other Teams are doing, and direct more traffic to their blogs. To join, visit the blog created to host the blog ring. Update: To join, visit the Etsy Teams Blog Ring page.

A few things to note - this ring is not for personal blogs, even the personal blogs of members of Etsy Teams. Rather, it's a ring for blogs maintained on behalf of Etsy Teams. However, you don't have to be a member of Etsy Teams to click around the ring and check out all the fantastic things the Etsy Teams are up to! Anyone can read through this ring, which is what makes it such a great tool for the Teams.

For more team tips, please check back each week! We'll be posting tips here in the Storque, as well as on the Teams Resource page. You can also keep up with Team Tips, news and ideas by signing up for the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

Shop Makeover Series: Hello Brand New World

2008-02-05T23:21:00Z

Over the course of January, we published the Shop Makeover series here on the Storque. We tailored it to helping Etsy sellers make tweaks, changes, and overall facelifts to their shops for the New Year. It was our hope that by offering advice on how to better the look and feel of one's business, that sellers would take a look at what changes could be made to their own shops to help boost their sales and overall brand. In addition, when we hold all of our shops to a higher standard, the overall look and feel of Etsy gets taken to a higher standard, which helps us all in the scheme of things!

The following are a handful of sellers who read, made changes, and posted their "before and after screenshots" for everyone to see:

MayaBella took tons of advice from the shop makeover series and gave her shop a total transformation. Check out pics of her shop front before the makeover:

...and the transformation of her shop after the makeover:

She redid her banner to incorporate the look and feel of her items. The red color of the banner also ties into many of her items' backgrounds.

Here is a subtle yet effective change from jakrandomart's shop before she started making over her shop:

And take a look at her shop now! You can see she made both banner and photo changes to give a more rich and inviting feel to her overall shop. Her avatar also matches her branding.

Another wonderful overall shop transformation comes from hippiehempstress; hippie not only drastically changed the look of her photos, but also took advantage of the wondrous Etsy bannerator to give her shop a brand new look and feel! Check out the photos from hippiehempstress' shop before she made changes:

...and just look at the improvements she made to her shop now:

Look at that! The focus issue is cleared up (macro lens setting perhaps?) and the backgrounds are much more styled and of a piece.

Two sellers took advantage of the advice from this "What's in a name" article and changed their shop names. feltsewwhimsical changed her name to CorkandCotton and MalibuBarbie112 changed her shop name to quintessentially; they both systematically kept the look and branding of their new shop names the same as their old ones to create less confusion during the transition. Both of these changes were smart choices in my opinion, way to go ladies!

pawandclawdesigns changed her shop's photos to more colorful shots after taking the advice from the "makeover you shop with color" article, and she also took advantage of Etsy's new bannerator mixed with some of her own design skills to get a fresh new banner design:

ShannonButler changed her shop banner and avatar to match each other, as well as the ordering of several of her photos to show off her items much better and create an enticing thumbnail shot for her shop viewers:

Congrats on the Make Overs! YOU LOOOK MAAARVELOUS! And this are just some examples of the hard work that many Etsy sellers undertook in January. If you took some of our shop makeover advice as well and are happy with the results, please share what you did and how it has helped in the comments below. Before and After screenshots are always encouraged and welcomed!

xoxo,

Etsy Labs

Online Workshop Wrap-Up: Color Theory Applied to Your Shop

2008-01-29T04:01:00Z

Even if you missed us in our sparkly gem sweaters during last week's Wednesday Online Workshop, you can still get the point! In accompaniment with Jenlo262's recent color theory article, we discussed the basics of color theory, and how you can apply its principles to brighten up your shop. In case you weren't able to make it to the Virtual Labs, you'll find a wrap-up below with important notes from the discussion. You may also want to check out the other articles in the Shop Makeover Series!

We began the Online Workshop with a discussion about the color wheel and the principles used to create color themes to complement your products.

The Monochromatic Color Scheme uses one single color in a combination of different tints, shades and tones. A great example of monochromatic can be seen in this adorable dress by Neneee.etsy.com.

The Analogous Color Scheme uses three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, for example blue, green and yellow. One color is used as the dominant color, while the others are used as an accent.

Take a look at this beautiful skein of analogous yarn by brennx0r.etsy.com.

The Complementary Color Scheme is made up of two colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel, for example blue and orange. This is a great color scheme to use when you really want to create a dramatic contrast between your item and the background.

Check out how maryandjane.etsy.com's red dot earrings vividly stand out against the green background. This is a perfect example of how complementary colors can really make your item stand out or "pop" as they say.

The Split Complementary Color Scheme uses the base color, in addition with the two colors adjacent to its complement. This color scheme creates a strong contrast, but does so in a more subtle way.

Take a look at lupin.etsy.com's colorful pansy brooch and how she used the split complementary color scheme of green, purple and yellow to create a balanced color contrast which really makes her item stand out.

The Triadic Color Scheme uses three colors which are evenly spaced around the color wheel. If you draw an equilateral triangle over the color wheel, you will create a triadic color scheme at the three points, for example green, purple and orange.

The Tetradic Color Scheme uses four colors arranged in two complementary pairs and looks best when one color dominates three accent colors. If you draw a rectangle over your color wheel, your will create a tetradic color scheme at the four points.

And just a note to all those who were trying to say that Mary didn't have her facts straight, it is indeed TETRADIC!

Creating a Mood with Color

Colors can be carefully combined to create a mood within your shop to complement the type of items you are selling.

If you are selling delicate, feminine items, you may want to use a soft color palette such as white, yellow and pink.

If you are looking to make a bold statement, you can use a warm color palette like yellow, red and orange. These colors have been shown to raise a person's heart rate and create excitement.

A shop selling vintage items, or items with a vintage feel may want to use a color scheme that was popular within the era the items are from or inspired by. For example, if you want your shop to have a 1970's feel, you might want to use avocado green, brown and mustard yellow.

Using a cool color palette can complement a shop filled with eco-friendly products very nicely since the cool colors like blue, green and grey are most commonly found in nature.

If your shop items incorporate a broad range of colors, you can use neutral backgrounds like black and white, silver and grey or tan and gold in order to unify your items. Neutral colors will help draw the focus to your product and make the vibrant color palette within your items stand out.

Another trick is to create a shop centered around one single background color. This is a great way to brand your shop and create consistency. Take a look at how kinchi.etsy.com's shop uses bright green in the background of every photo. This gives the shop a fun vibrant feeling which perfectly complements the children's clothing sold in the shop.

I hope this information has inspired you to go out and experiment with color, expecially during these cold, dark winter days.

Give it a shot soon, because we'll be highlighting Shop Makeover Series before and after screenshots at the end of the month. Paste the links in the comments below!

Shop Makeover Series: I Heart Marketing My Etsy Shop and You Will, Too! Part 1

2008-01-25T14:00:00Z

We at The Storque think that tinaseamonster's series on marketing your Etsy shop (originally published in September of 2007) is an invaluable resource for sellers. Therefore, we're reposting it as part of the Shop Makeover Series. Have you thought about your marketing recently? If not, have a gander at this helpful article!

I have recently fallen in love with a new craft (of sorts). I think of it when I am not doing it, I do it when I am not thinking about it. It is loads of fun and super rad and makes me think in new ways every day. What is it?

Marketing my Etsy shop.

Yep, it has become my new passion. Talking to my fellow shop owners and reading the forums, I know that not everyone has embraced this part of the indie craft experience like I have. So, I am going to share what I have learned.

What follows here is the first piece of a series. Let’s go!

Is your shop ready?

Before you even think about marketing your shop, make sure it is ready! This is all about branding. The best thing about Etsy is that it's a tool for everyone to have their own little brand. I truly believe that we should treat our shop as our personal brand. Rather than making it an informal dumping ground for the four things that we made in art class once, we need to put some thought into it.

Now, you may be wondering: what is a brand?

From Wikipedia: “A brand often includes a logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.”

Your brand can be you, you on too much caffeine, components of you, or something completely new. Creating your brand can be the most fun and challenging part of this. For your Etsy shop, the main components of your brand will be your User Name, the Avatar and your Shop Banner. Create your own little world. Don’t just toss up a bunch of stuff that doesn’t explain who you and your brand are. Have a vision for your brand and follow through with it.

Odds are you already have picked your user name, but if you haven’t, make sure you remember that it will be your shop name. Name recognition is super important when creating not only your Etsy shop, but also your brand. No one is going to remember “lisa523designs” or something like that. Pick something original and interesting that people will want to talk about!

Avatars! Create a memorable avatar. The avatar is your face on Etsy and is often the first thing a customer will see from you. I find that the best avatars are one of three types.

Faces. I love to see your face in your avatar. If you are your brand, then this is totally the right way to go. I love to see the person behind the craft. A rad example of this is ashleyg. I love her avatar because she is this real person looking straight at me. She seems nice and genuine and maybe even a little shy?
Item avatar. Make sure your avatar is an item that you actually have for sale in your shop and it is a good photo with a light background. An example of this is blockpartypress.
Brand identity. I feel strongly about not changing your avatar too much, except for when you are switching between a series of avatars that are on a theme or that reinforce your brand identity. Kateblack’s series of avatars are cool, because I can always tell they are hers. They just kinda scream “bad-ass.”

Try to stay away from avatars of your pets or your children. There are far too many of these on Etsy and they tend to all blend together. No one loves your dog or child as much as you do and that is the way it should be!

Shop banner, announcement and featured items are the parts of your shop that you should experiment with most. Create a new banner when you launch a new product line and rotate your featured items: most importantly, remember your brand identity during this and try to present a simple shop homepage.

There are a million other things that you can do get your shop ready for customers. Taking good action photos of your items, writing amazingly interesting descriptions, and providing international shipping options are all important. Two important notes on this: First, if you sell clothing, put the size as the first word in your product title. Makes sense, huh? Second, think globally. And if you tell people you will ship to the world, you will sell to the world.

When your shop is ready, the real fun begins! In the next installment, I write about marketing on the Etsy site.

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at www.ilikeseamonsters.com. She is a guest blogger at The Crafty Bastards Blog, where portions of this article originally appeared.

Shop Makeover Series: Makeover Your Listings with Color

2008-01-22T19:41:00Z

For her second post in her color theory series, jenlo262 has some recommendations and examples for sellers undertaking the Shop Makeover series. The following article covers color combinations and theory, as it applies to your listings.

Before you can make a sale, you will need to get buyers to look at your art. There’s no better way to entice the browsing customer to click on your image than by keeping it fresh, interesting, and colorful!

For the first image in your listing, I suggest worrying less about what and more about the wow. It’s not necessarily important to capture the whole complete image of your item as long as you get the basics of the item with some colorful artsy flair. How can color make your item pop? Follow these six tricks for a better image and see how these sellers made it work…

First things first — keep your colors true: Before you start arranging or choosing colors for your background, you will want to make sure you can keep your colors as bright as they can be by building a light box (see Lori's post here). A box will especially help when trying to keep your whites bright — making your item the center of attention. If you can’t build a light box (or your item is too big, keep it natural by using indirect sunlight. For two-dimensional items, scanners work great too if you have one available.

[crochet pattern by anapaulaoli, yarn by OneSheepHill, bracelet by FancyFreeMe ]
Contrast - balancing your lights and darks: Keep your item from blending into your background by using dark colored backgrounds for light items and light backgrounds for dark items. Or mix and match!

[earrings by KiwiTreeBotique, mug by misslo, apron by JoyfulAbode]
A splash of bright color: Keep your listing fresh by increasing your color intensity.

[soap by SudsMuffin, beads by tearose, cuff by NicoleLorentz]
Using your color compliments: Make your item pop by looking across your color wheel for a background color.
[buttons by frombelgiumwithlove, hairpins by thefunkyfelter, clay pendant by Dirtgirlpottery]
Using analogous colors: Invite your viewer into your listing with a lovely combination of similar colors.

[earrings by staroftheeast, face wall pocket by amandamoon, ceramic pendant by leapinglizards's shop]
An artsy background: Finally, give your listing a little artsy flair with an interesting, unusual, or incongruous background and have some fun!

[earrings by executeme, lariat necklace by 12linden, vintage book by whiteelephantvintage, Green Katamari pincushion by ReFabulous]

If you’re still not sure how to spruce up your listing, try just keeping it simple. The tiny little square that makes or breaks whether you get a shopper in your shop can only hold so much. A solid colored background with a quality photo will make a great lead-in to your wonderful works of art.

Comment below with links to your before and after screenshots from your Shop Makeover improvements! Which of the techniques described here helped you out?

Wednesday Workshop: Color Theory and how to apply it to your shop!

2008-01-22T16:00:00Z

Join us Wednesday, January 23rd in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room, at 3:00pm EST sharp for the next Labs Online Workshop!

This week we will be discussing the basics of color theory and how you can take advantage of the use of color in your shop!

So study up on the basics of color theory article we published last week and bring something to write with!

See you Wednesday,

Etsy Labs

Shop Makeover Series: Crafting a Profile Page

2008-01-21T19:08:00Z

SarasTextureCrafts writes a blog called etsyprofiles.blogspot.com where she highlights interesting Etsy profiles. So we thought it would be neat to integrate her post into the Shop Makeover Series. Document your progress and comment below!

Often overlooked a Seller’s Etsy profile page is a very important marketing tool and if well written could help improve your shop’s sales.

Taking the time to write a good profile page is a key opportunity as a Seller to reach out to your customers and entice them into your store by giving them a glimpse of the person behind the business and the items you are selling. Whilst Etsy advises that the basics of a good profile should “contain your personal shop policies regarding shipping, returns, accepted payment methods and custom orders in your item listings, shop announcement and/or public profile,” there is no hard or fast rule about how you should present it. There are ways in which you can strive to write a great profile page and maximise your opportunity to sell, while also providing crucial info.

Enlisting the help of fellow Etsians, I set out to explore some options that might be useful:

The first paragraph is key.
If you watch a film, you can usually tell within the first 10 minutes whether you want to keep on watching. Well, it’s that same thing with profile pages… your first paragraph is the key to keeping your customers reading. “It’s your quick-ticket to advertising your shop and yourself. Take advantage of this opportunity to GRAB the reader,” says Baggavond.etsy.com.

Get friends and family to read your first paragraph — does it spark interest? Raise positive questions? Or make them want to read more?

Follow this with a clearly defined layout.
Not all buyers have the time/want, or need to read your entire profile each time they visit. So as Heather from babyannequilts.etsy.com suggests, try “breaking up the information with titles. That way your buyer can skim down the page to look for the heading they're interested in, without reading through the whole thing to find the answers to their questions.” Heather’s profile page is a very good example of how to do this.

Next make your profile text easy to read.
It is important to be as clear and concise in your wording as possible… you want to keep their attention once you have got them past the first paragraph! It is also worth remembering that Etsy is a global market place, so English is not necessarily everyone’s first language.

And finally, write in a friendly and approachable manner, remembering to keep it professional.
Etsy has a real community spirit about it, which is very unlike other Internet selling forums, and this is one thing that buyers really enjoy! Like many Etsians, artsyclay.etsy.com says that she likes nothing more than “to feel like I've come to their cosy little shop, and am sitting down in front of the fireplace, having a hot cup of coffee or tea and visiting with them in a neighbourly way.” So don’t be afraid to write a bit about yourself, or your business. Do remember to keep a professional edge to your profile though… after all you are a business, whether you sell the extra bags you knit whilst sitting in front of your telly, or you are a full time operation! Buyers must feel that you take your products and business seriously. So striking a balance here is key.

All of this is great, but what do I include? Well, let’s have a look…

Firstly, tell me something about yourself.
Adding a short biography can give buyers so much information about you as an artist. Feel free to tell me a bit about your background, where you come from and how you started your business. Tell me about what inspires you and your craft passions. Jamy Hills, from BrassMonkeyDesigns.etsy.com, is a shining example of how you can use this information to grab a reader’s attention.

Secondly, tell me something about your business and your products.
Give your readers an idea of what you are setting out to achieve. What is your mission/why are you selling me this?

You could include:

Is your business a part-time venture, full-time or a charity?
What sort of products do you sell?
What is the idea behind your products?
What’s special about them?
How do you make them?

Take a look at Karina’s profile from KreatedbyKarina.etsy.com. She works very well at selling me her products in a professional and yet friendly way. Remember, although you want to be informative you do not want to scare your reader off at this point with a hard sell!

Add simple shop policies. Listing your policies clearly and simply will give your customer the confidence to buy from you. So remember to read them through when you have finished… Have you answered the majority of questions a customer will want to know?

Have you listed policies on accepted payments, shipping terms, aftercare and return details, custom or wholesale order information including manufacture times? Another top tip here, from BCharmer.etsy.com, is to add a sentence or two on the appreciation of feedback.

Then … Think again about your products.
Do you need to consider adding additional information? For example, if you sell clothing/footwear or jewellery it is worth adding your sizing details here, or if you sell bath and beauty products, add your disclaimer.

And Lastly! Remember that what reads as a great profile is entirely personal to the reader, so don’t worry about competing with your fellow sellers; write something that you feel comfortable with publishing and unique to you.

Lots to think about? Yes, I think so.

A well written profile page is something we should take our time over and use to try and capture the essence of what we are all about. Lori of heartworksbylori.etsy.com helps to explain, “there is a little piece of me infused in each of my creations and the recipient of it carries that with them. Handmade creations are personal and made with hands...and those hands do so with great energy and joy.” Your profile page is where you get to show that energy and joy to inspire potential buyers.

I hope that this article has helped you all in some way and I would like to thank each and every Etsian who has given me their tips and ideas… They have taught me a lot! Before I rush off now and work on my own profile page, as I’m sure you are just about to do too, I would like to leave you with a rather fun profile I found during my research — Lynne of skully.etsy.com...

Further Resources:
If you would like to explore a few more examples of profile pages working in action for sellers, then take a look at my blog http://etsyprofiles.blogspot.com, dedicated to the Etsy Profile Page.

Shop Makeover Series: What's in a Name?

2008-01-17T13:48:00Z

We are making our way through the Shop Makeover series this month, and we hope everyone is working hard! But wait — stop and take a deep breath...Some of our readers requested a post about something that is a bit of a tricky subject on Etsy: shop names.

Many folks, when they first register for Etsy, don't realize that their usernames will also be their shop names. Some folks start off as buyers and then decide to list an item or two and then — before they know it — they're stuck with generic, silly or otherwise weirdo shop names. Here's the rub: Etsy's Customer Support cannot switch your username for you. You would need to open another account (making sure to disclose both shops) and migrate items to it or start a new line in the fresh shop. Some of you may feel like you're beyond the point of no return: you've given out hundreds of business cards with your not-so-great shop name, or you've done advertising with it, collected tons of hearts and built a reputation. It may not be worth it to you to start a new shop with that "grass is always greener" name. But since this is a new year and sellers are putting a lot of thought into their brands, we will offer up our advice, below, on the best way to do it if you're going to take the plunge.

Are you considering opening a shop on Etsy? Are you thinking about opening a new shop for your new line of products or are just plain unsatisfied with your current Etsy shop name? The following article was written to help you in your quest to find and brand the perfect shop name for you, your style, and shop.

Your shop name is one of the most important steps you can take in creating a successful business. It will give you immediate recognition, style, and searchability. When choosing a name, it is vital to weigh and take advantage of all the factors that go into choosing the perfect name for your shop.

Things to consider when choosing a shop name:

Choose a name that is easy to remember and spell. You want potential buyers to be able to recognize, remember, and be able to find you again, even if they have briefly visited your shop.
Try to limit your shop name to one or two words that flow well together. For example, “JessicasDesigns” works a thousand times better than something like “beaddesignsbyjessica.” Make sense?
Take inspiration from others. Sit down with a piece of paper and writing utensil and ask yourself: “What sellers do I know the name of on Etsy?” It doesn’t have to be your favorite seller or any reason other than the fact you remembered their name. This is key. After you have your list of remembered names, take a look at them. Why are they so memorable? After asking yourself these questions, take inspiration from what these sellers have done to create your own memorable name.
Think about legalities. Some words and names are trademarked, so do your homework first to avoid a possible conflict later. Consider consulting an attorney if you need specialized advice in this area.
Once you have decided on a name for your shop, take advantage of capital letters to make the appearance of your shop name more cohesive. If you have two words in your shop name, create a visual separation by making the first letters of each word capital letters instead of lowercase. For example, “BoyfriendLetters” reads so much better than “boyfriendletters.” Plus, capitalization doesn’t make a difference when people type your shop name in their browser, it won’t be harder for them to find you.
If you are selling a very specific product or certain type of supply, it wouldn’t hurt to actually put the basic name of what you are selling in your shop name; this way your shop will show up in most relevant search engines whenever someone does a basic search for “X item” that you are selling. But be careful: if you're thinking about branching out to other types of items, you may not want to follow this tip.
Last but not least, your shop name should reflect your style in one way or another. If you choose a really elegant name, it would make sense to have elegant items in your shop. If you choose a quirky or clever name, it would make sense that your products reflect that style.
Hot tip: Your username should be your shop name (it is how people find you on the site and in search engines), so if you choose to put your shop name in your banner, it is a good idea to keep it the same. Two different names can confuse a buyer, cause them to search for you under the wrong name, and potentially cost you sales.

Think you might be in the danger zone? Here are a few things to consider before opening a new shop:

Sales records, feedback, item and shop hearts, favorites, conversations, and purchases cannot be transferred over to your new shop. It’s just a risk you will have to take when going for a better shop name.
There isn’t an easy way to transfer items from one shop to another (you just have to start over).
You will be charged an additional .20 cents per listing when transferring listings from one shop to another (but you can time this strategically as your listings expire).
This is definitely NOT something to do on a whim.

The best way to change your shop name:

Think about the best new shop name to fit your products, style, and brand using the above criteria and register a new account on Etsy. You may want to set up a new email account with Yahoo or Gmail with your new name to keep things cohesive, plus you will have to have a new email account to register your new name (you will still be able to use the same paypal account).
Put up a new shop announcement in your current Etsy shop and profile stating that you will be moving all of your current products to the new shop name and provide the URL for them to copy and paste into their browser.
Move all of your current listings over to your new shop by cutting and pasting your current information into new listings (you will be charged an additional .20 cents per listing when doing this, sorry guys).
Once your old shop is empty, keep up your shop announcement letting users know where you have moved.
Put an announcement in your new shop letting people know your old username and reference them to your sales and feedback there while you are building up your new history.
After 2-3 months, close down your old shop by sending an email to support@etsy.com requesting to close shop.
Alternatively,if you have separate lines of items or two distinct styles, you can operate both shops (but you still need to disclose both in your shop announcement and profile).

Best of luck with your shop names! Feel free to add any other tips and advice you might have for choosing the perfect shop name in the comments below! If you decide to choose a name or change your current shop name based on any tips in this article, please document your process and share your experience with us.

Wednesday Workshop Wrap-Up: Shop Makeover Series

2008-01-15T18:49:00Z

In our latest weekly Wednesday workshop, we discussed the importance of the current shop makeover series. Below is a summary of what we discussed. A crowd of Etsy users joined us in the Virtual Labs for a question and answer session. Each question was asked by an Etsy seller and each answer was a brainstorm generated by the EtsyLabs, as well as fellow Etsy sellers. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Join us for this week's workshop Wednesday, January 16th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room, at 4:00pm EST sharp for the next Labs Online Workshop!

Question 1: Which is better, one shop with lots of different type items or 2 shops that specialize?

A note from Etsy's official Terms of Use: A person may have more than one account. However, it's not a practice we encourage or support. There are certain guidelines you must adhere to, including full disclosure of ALL your accounts in each profile. Additionally, your actions under one username will apply to all your accounts. So if you break the rules, the consequences effect you across the board. Please see the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy (under Member Accounts) for more information.
Having one shop is best. A great way to make all the items you offer in the one shop look good together is by photographing your items at a similar angle for your first thumbnail shot.

Question 2: Any suggestions on how to accurately photograph red fabric?

Use a diffused light source or the sun, when it is hitting the object from an angle with some shadow.
Try photographing in natural daylight when the lights and sun are not directly shining on the fabric.
Perhaps describe the item in the listing as "cherry red" or "burgundy" or "candy apple red."
You can buy a "grey card" and read light off of it using your camera.
Try adjusting the hue in Photoshop.
Try scanning a swatch of the fabric and see what happens.
Don't use the flash on your camera!
One seller said that she used to have the same problem when she was using a very old camera. When she upgraded to a new camera, she felt the new camera addressed the red problem better.

Question 3: How important is a good avatar?

There is a whole article that addresses this question in depth.

Question 4: I have always questioned my item descriptions. I hope they are alright because going back and changing them = not fun times.

With item descriptions, it's always a good idea to make sure you have all of the pertinent information you yourself would want to know if YOU were buying the item.
Include concise, clear descriptions that include all the pertinent information, including size and dimensions, information about texture, color, scent, and anything else that will accurately represent your product.

Question 5: Where do you discover what people want?

This is a tough question that can be highly debated. Some artists tend to make things they think people will want to buy and others are driven to create work for themselves that they hope others will appreciate too.
If you are targeting a specific customer base, start looking at magazines that the customer base might read and look at the types of products in there. You could also start a thread in the Etc. or Crafting and Business forums on Etsy asking what people are looking to buy.
Make a note in your shop announcement and/or profile that states that you accept custom orders. In that way, customers can come to you with what they want.

Question 6: What is the one thing a seller can do to improve their shop?

Read this article about photos and take all the advice in it.
In a poll, workshop attendees overwhelmingly agreed that photos are the best and most important thing to change in your shop for a makeover.
Other suggestions included: being more organized, updating your shop regularly, developing a brand and consistent image for your shop, as well as promoting your shop.

Question 7: How do I set up gift voucher codes?

Gift certificates are another interesting way to spread interest in your shop. For information on how to sell gift certificates on Etsy, check out this article.

Question 8: Any suggestions on how to choose the three featured products for your shop?

When choosing your featured products, make sure you are picking the brightest, most colorful and interesting shots in your shop. It's the very first thing a shopper sees and just might be the ticket to getting them to stay!
If you sell a variety of items, try to illustrate that in your featured items as well.

Question 9: What's the most effective way to organize sections in your shop?

Breaking your shop into sections is an excellent way to organize the products in your shop.
Consider how various items relate to each other. If you have specific lines in your shop or similar types of items, those can be your section names.
Consider organizing sections by type of product, audience, size, season.
Arrange the sections in a logical order, such as alphabetical.
More about sections here.

Question 10: Do you think it is okay to switch banners on occasion depending on the season/new products, etc? Or is it better to stick with one definitive banner so your shop seems consistent?

Some users have everthing in their shop matching (business cards, banner, avatar) and some like to spice it up now and then.
Perhaps you could try dressing up your banner for seasons, holidays, or sales, or updating it with a fresher color or new product images.
If your products change seasonally, maybe your banner could too.

Question 11: Do teams help?

Teams are an excellent way to band together with fellow Etsy sellers in your region or craft medium to network, share skills and advice and promote together.
There is a treasure trove of information about teams here.

See you next week! Keep up the good work on your journey toward a better shop!

Wednesday workshop: Questions you have about photography

2008-01-14T19:16:00Z

Join us Wednesday, January 16th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room, at 4:00pm EST sharp for the next Labs Online Workshop!

This week we will be discussing the importance of the current shop makeover series and be focusing all of our energy on the photography piece we published last week! Please join in and bring examples of tweaks and changes you have made in your own shop to share with the group. We will also be discussing questions you have concerning how you can give your shop's photography a bit of a makeover!

So study up on the photography makeover article we published last week and document your progress as you go along!

See you Wednesday,

Etsy Labs

Shop Makeover Series: Introducing a New Line

2008-01-14T13:10:00Z

As part of our Shop Makeover series, we're sharing some tips and tricks for organizing your shop. You can think of this as introducing a new line or just using the sections function of your shop to better entice customers.

One of the fastest ways to give your shop a makeover for the New Year is to create and introduce a new line in your shop. You can create a new look and line by utilizing these handy steps:

Change and reorganize your shop sections.

You can get creative with the names of your sections, but remember that your customer should be able to intuitively and easily navigate your shop without being confused by section names that are too abstract.
Organizing and naming your sections by category, function, size, shape, color, price, style, gender, age, etc. are all great ways to help your buyers navigate your store; just remember to name and organize in a cohesive theme that your shoppers will understand.
An interesting way to make your sections stand out is by manipulating the text. Changing the names of your sections to all capital letters or putting a space between each letter of the section names will make them stand out from the crowd.

Offering a new design or upgrade a previous line with new price points.

Been itching to create a new design? Now is the perfect time to make one and coin it your “New Line for the New Year!” Surprise your shoppers with something fresh to look at and keep them coming back to see what new designs you'll come up with next!
A new line could be a variation on a current design or even something as simple as offering your best sellers in new colors. If you offer a lot of items within one style or medium, try coming up with a new item using the same medium and style but with a new twist or function!
Try introducing a new line of items that are at a different price point than the rest of your items. For example, if you make a lot of high-end items with pricier price tags, try introducing a smaller scale (that still fits in with your current line) line of items with a lower price point to match. The same goes if you tend to make and sell things at the lower price end of the price spectrum; go ahead and make a few more exclusive items. Different and varied prices can attract a new range of buyers. Someone who buys small at first is likely to come back and buy more higher priced items once you have built that initial trust during the first transaction (for more on this see Beth's pricing series).

We can't wait to see your new lines and sections! And don't forget to check out the other posts in this Shop Makeover series. Please comment below if you have questions and tips of your own.

Remember to take your before and after screenshots. Upload them to flickr and share the link here. At the end of the month, we'll be choosing the most radical Shop Makeover success stories!

Shop Makeover Series: Photographing for Success

2008-01-09T10:32:00Z

As part of our Shop Makeover series, here we focus on photography.

The absolute best way to give your Etsy shop a makeover is to take the best possible photographs of your products, no question.

Why is it such a big deal? Photographs are the number one visual description you can give to a shopper when browsing on Etsy: they are the first step in attracting people to your items. Think about it: when you shop in a store, you like to look at an item, maybe pick it up, feel its weight and texture. These are all ways of shopping and making decisions during the shopping process, so you want to be on top of your game since you can’t physically hand your products to your shopper. You need to show them, through your photographs, what your product is at its best, what is feels like, how big it is, all sides of it, and how it might function in their world. The best part is, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to capture professional looking photographs of your products.

Questions to ask yourself when taking photos:

• What type of environment does my product live in?

Creating or “staging” an environment for your photo is a great way to market your items to shoppers; it gives them a sense of the function and also creates a feeling or mood that might be desirable to your shopper. To find creative staging ideas, flip through your favorite product or clothing catalogues and check out the different ways you can group items together to maximize the usability of your products.

Hot tip: Does your product function outside or inside? Photographing an item outside (that doesn’t belong in an outside environment) can throw your shopper off. You can photograph your items inside with great natural light next to a windowsill!

• What type of background works best for my products?

Photographing with backgrounds suited to your products is key. Backgrounds can be tricky, and if they aren’t done well, can distract your buyer from looking at your item. You can never go wrong using a solid colored background, at least to start out with. Make your products “pop” and stand out to the eye by using a lighter colored background for dark colored items, and vice versa. If you have a muted item, use a dark background. Experiment with different backgrounds until you find what works best with your products.

Hot tip: Hard cover books, cardstock, ironed flat fabric, wood, and scrapbooking paper are all great backgrounds to play around with. Stay away from using your floor, bedspread, carpet, grass, sidewalk, or other everyday items as backgrounds: they make your photos look less professional.

• What type of lighting works best for my products?

In most cases, natural lighting is the best type to highlight your products. You can achieve the look of natural lighting by setting your products near a windowsill and taking angled shots. Don’t forget to take advantage of using the" macro" setting on your digital camera to pick out those fine details. Also, set your EV white balance to enhance the brightness of your photos.

Don’t have windows where you live? Take your items outside, either in the morning or afternoon when the sun is not directly overhead, and set your products down on a solid background that you can crop. If you can’t work with natural lighting or it doesn’t maximize the look of your products, try making and using a light box with this simple tutorial.

Hot tip: Never use the flash on your camera for product shots. It washes out natural coloring and details in your products.

• Am I editing my photographs to maximize my sales on Etsy?

Believe it or not, you can edit your photos in a way to help your products stand out. When editing your photos, crop them the way you want them to appear in a square; this is how they will appear in your shop. Crop your images in a way that focuses directly on the image without too much background or space remaining to distract your viewer.

Cropping detailed shots of your images is an effective way to show off your product and make your shopper feel like they can see it up close (almost as if they are picking it up themselves). Photoshop and Gimp are both well known and effective photo editing programs. If you don’t already have a photo editing program on your computer or just don’t understand how your current program works, download Picasa. Picasa is a free downloadable photo editing program made by Google that is super user friendly; it allows you to crop, change color, adjust lighting, sharpen, and many other editing tools!

Hot tip: Scroll through the Time Machine 2 sold items or the Gift Guides and click on the pictures that jump out most to you. Take a look at the cropping and editing of these photos and use them as your inspiration.

Things you can do immediately to give your shop an instant photo makeover:

• Take all of your new product listing photos in natural light, next to a windowsill on some sort of a solid background, with no flash on your camera.
• Take several different angled shots of the item from close and far away.
• Once you have the photos loaded on your computer, you can edit them to your liking and delete all but the five you will use for your listing.
• Look over the items currently listed in your shop and take the time to re-shoot them using your new photography skills. Trust me, it will pay off in the end.

Still need some help? Watch this little video we made to help you along with the photographing process.

Now go retake your photos and see what a difference it makes in the way your shop looks!

Wednesday Online Workshop: Shop Makeover series

2008-01-08T13:00:00Z

Hey Guys!

Join us Wednesday, January 9th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "shop setup" room, at 4:00pm Eastern sharp for the next Labs Online Workshop!

This week we will be discussing the importance of the current shop makeover series and be looking at some great examples of people who have taken some of our advice! Please join in and bring examples of tweaks and changes you have made in your own shop to share with the group. We will also be discussing questions you have concerning how you can give your shop a bit of a makeover!

So study up on the first few articles we've published and document your progress as you go along!

Shop Makeover series: The Fine Print

Shop Makeover series: Tagging for Success

Introducing a New Series for the New Year: Shop Makeover

Other How-tos for starting off the New Year on the right foot:

How-to Sell Sell Sell 365 Days a Year: Make Everyday a Holiday

Etsy Seller Inventory Worksheet

and Cracker Crumbs and Packing Peanuts: Insights from Work-At-Home Moms to Boost Your Productivity (not just for moms)

See you tomorrow,

Etsy Labs

Shop Makeover Series: The Fine Print

2008-01-04T11:06:00Z

The overall appearance of your shop is key to creating a professional looking and successful storefront on Etsy! Today's shop makeover will give you tips and tricks to making your banner, avatar, shop announcement, profile, titles, descriptions, and your message to the buyer more professional and as successful as they can be! See here for all posts in this series.

New Banner and Avatar
Your banner and your avatar are your shop identity, and will be the main image and brand shoppers associate with your shop. Look at it as the sign on the top of your storefront which will capture your buyers attention. Some people go for neon lights while others take a more subtle approach. You should choose a design that will complement the items sold in your shop.

Take advantage of the entire 700px wide by 100px high space provided. You may want to include your shop name, photos of your work, or your shop slogan in your image. Here's a great tutorial we put together all about how to make your own banner using Photoshop. If you don't have Photoshop, you can download Gimp for free, which uses several similar features as Photoshop. There are also several free websites that allow you to make your own banner including puresilva, highpowergraphics, and bannersketch. If you are not confident with your 2D design skills, you can make a small investment and check out some of the many talented Etsy sellers who offer custom designed banners in their shops.

Another important thing to remember is that your avatar is the main image that will represent your shop when talking in the forums, commenting on the Storque, and participating in online workshops on Etsy. Many people choose to include an image of themselves or an item from their shop; when using a good image of your products, you are creating another way to advertise your shop and entice shoppers inside to see more! The image is only 45px by 45px, so it is best to crop a small area of a larger photo rather than trying to resize a larger image.

Shop Announcement
Your shop announcement is a great place to introduce yourself, welcome buyers and thank them for checking out your shop. You should also use it to announce a special sale or charity your shop supports or a craft fair you will be attending, and remember to keep it friendly and brief. Long announcements push all your items further down to the bottom of the page, and make shoppers have to scroll down to see your work. When a shopper clicks on your page it is very important that they can immediately see those three featured items at the top of your shop to grab their attention and keep them shopping! If you have lots to say, you can use your shop profile to post extra details, policies, and shop information.

Profile
Your profile is the place where you should include all the fine print (like your shop's buying, shipping, and return policies), as well as a bio about yourself and your creative process. Many people who buy handmade items enjoy the personal connection between the maker and the product. Let people know what inpires you, and what you enjoy about creating your work.

You should use your profile space to inform shoppers of your shop policies. It is important to make sure a buyer is informed of all the facts about your shipping methods, return and exchange policies, accepted forms of payment, and what you do in the case of a non-paying buyer. A great example of a thorough Shop Policy can be found in Stamp's profile. I can't think of anything she has left out!

Another importanct policy to consider is how you handle your custom orders. What's the turn around time? Do you have your buyer pay the full cost up front, half up front, or have them pay you when the item is completed? Definitely something to think about!

Titles
Important things to consider when creating your listing titles are as follows:

Can your shopper identify what the item is from the title alone? You may want to try to word your title so the first three words alert the buyer to the type of item you are selling. This way when shoppers are viewing your item in gallery mode, they can easily tell what type of item the photo is representing. If you are selling clothing, it is important to include the size in your title. If you are selling artwork, you may also consider including the dimensions of the piece.

Simple, straightforward titles look the most professional. It is important to keep your titles consistent throughout your item listings. Are the first words of each title capital or lowercase? Are your sizes written at the end or beginning of the title? Keeping these things consistent makes browsing easier and creates a flowing, branded, and professional looking shop.

Descriptions
Many people don't realize that, in addition to the facts, a brief story about your handmade object can create a dramatic impression on your viewer. Let the shopper know how you picture the item being used, or tell them a story of what inspired you to create the piece. Many people who appreciate handmade items also enjoy the story behind how it was made, who created it and where the idea came from.

Of course, it's also important to inform the buyer of all the facts. Color, size, dimensions, textures, materials used, washing and care instructions, fabrication process, and allergy alerts are essential. You may also want to consider if your item is for a certain age group or suggest it as the perfect gift for a special occasion.

Message to Buyer
This is your opportunity to make one last impression on your buyer. Be sure to thank your buyer for supporting your shop. You may also give them a coupon code good toward their next purchase. If you create a way to keep the buyer thinking about your shop after their purchase, they will be more likely to become a repeat customer. A friend of mine offers a special coupon to any buyer who send him a photo of themself with the item they purchased.

Be part of our Shop Makeover series: document your "before" and "after" with screen shots and post them on flickr or your blogs or whatever works best for you. Then share the links in the comments below. As we go through the different steps of the makeover, we'll hold Online Workshops in the Virtual Labs where we'll highlight great ideas that come from you and discuss further questions and share examples of what people are doing. At the end of the month, we'll all pick the most radical makeovers!

We'll be staggering the posts throughout the month of January, hopefully giving people enough time to participate. There's so much work to do! We kicked off the Shop Makeover series with the post about tagging, and this here is the second one, and here's the Intro too. Also, please post in the comments if you have any other creative secrets to hold onto the buyer's attention!

Shop Makeover series: Tagging for Success

2008-01-01T04:15:00Z

What an incredible response we got on this Shop Makeover post from you sellers! Be part of our Shop Makeover series: document your "before" and "after" with screen shots and post them on flickr or your blogs or whatever works best for you. Then share the links in the comments below. As we go through the different steps of the makeover, we'll hold Online Workshops in the Virtual Labs where we'll highlight great ideas that come from you and discuss further questions and share examples of what people are doing. At the end of the month, we'll all pick the most radical makeovers!

We'll be staggering the posts throughout the month of January, hopefully giving people enough time to participate. There's so much work to do! We're kicking off the Shop Makeover series with the following post about tagging, a crucial step to a more successful shop.

Make a resolution this year: better tagging. Help shoppers find your items more easily when they search on Etsy. Using specific and intuitive tags during the item listing process will help shoppers, Treasury makers, and Admins quickly find, buy, and feature your items!

What are tags? How do they work? (from Etsy's general FAQ's)
Tags are keywords used to sort items on Etsy. The first tag on an item determines which top-level category it's listed under. Subcategories on Etsy are also based on tags. For example, the drawing subcategory inside the Art category shows items first tagged with "Art" and then with "drawing." A single tag can be comprised of multiple words, e.g. Bath and Beauty. You can have up to 14 tags per item.

What can you do now?

First of all, when listing a new item, make sure you are tagging with the most obvious and descriptive terms. Look at the photo of your item and ask yourself the question: "What words would I type into a search bar to find this item?" Then start writing down the most obvious and relevant words you can think of as your first tags. When you start to get stumped, write down adjectives that describe your item as well as the materials you used to make your item. Try to use all 14 tags that are allotted for your listing; this will make your item show up in the most possible searches.
Secondly, take the time to sit down and look over all the tags on items you currently have listed in your shop. Do they match the above criteria? If not, go ahead and edit your listings to add more tags and/or change the current tags you have. You can edit your listings at any time free of charge: Just make sure to click "Finish" to save your changes and reactivate your listing.

Top tips:

When deciding what words to tag your items with, think about describing who the item is for (example: women, men, children, boy, girl, pets), and the major color(s) of the item. Both of these terms are frequently used in shopper's searches!
One of my best tricks is thesaurus.com; this site is a great place to get new ideas for tags when you can't think of any more.

Here is a thorough Storque article with lots more tips and suggestions!

An Example:

One of the commenter's on our Shop Makeover intro, Chickibebe, has an adorable tiger costume listed in her shop. She's tagged it with "children" and "costume" and a few others, which is great. But we think she can be using a lot more tags: why not use all 14?! Chickibebe should think about what occasions kids would wear such a costume. What activities would kids be using this costume for? We suggest adding "Halloween," "dress-up," and even "costumecon," which is the tag Etsians used for the Halloween Costume Contest in October. Tiger-costume hunters on the prowl (rrrrearrrr!) or people who just have an interest in costuming probably were following the contest this past year, and might continue to search with that tag.

Post your most puzzling tagging questions below. Did you start using a different tag and start seeing results? Let us know. Happy tagging!

Introducing a New Series for the New Year: Shop Makeover

2007-12-27T10:00:00Z

We're launching a new series of how-tos in the New Year, "Shop Makeover." After the hustle of online shopping during the holiday season, and after a bit of a breather and time with the family and friends, it's eerily quiet. As we return to our shops, we may find ourselves thinking "what now?"

The best thing about New Years is that it provides a demarcation point in the flow of life: out with the old, in with the new. So we're asking our sellers to join us in a New Years resolution: it's time for Shop Makeover! We will reassess and evaluate shop presentation, branding, organization, wording and all those things you've been meaning to do but putting off because of the peak selling season.

This Shop Makeover series of how-tos will set conversation topics and provide useful tips for sellers on how-to revamp their photos, tagging systems, banners and avatars, reorganizing shop sections, and better titles. Please let us know what other things you'd like us to cover in the comments below.

Also, we'd like to feature some sellers who undertake some of the most dramatic and wonderful makeovers. What we need you to do is take some screen shots of your shop to show your "before" so that we can compare them to your "after." It's going to be a learning process for everyone and we need some brave souls to share their experiences! Let us know in the comments below!