Search results (tags) for: "social networking"

Join the Etsy Facebook Community: New Etsy Fan Page & My Etsy Application

2009-11-19T15:20:00-05:00

More Etsy fun on Facebook! Become a fan of our Facebook page and install the new My Etsy application.

Show Some Love for Our Brand New Facebook Page
Check it out here and click the Become a Fan button. If you're already a fan, well then hey, aren't you too cool for school! We redesigned the page to give new visitors a better sense of what Etsy is all about.

We'll be featuring lots of gorgeous items on there, plus you can get a snapshot of what's going on at Etsy through blog feeds, videos and lots of other enticing bits.

Stay up-to-date about special promotions.
Find out about events and get reminders.
Share photos with us.
Join the lively discussions on our Facebook wall.

Get the New My Etsy Facebook Application
Install the new application called My Etsy, which automatically feeds in your most recent 21 Etsy Favorites and 5 favorite sellers to a special tab on your Facebook profile or your fan page. It's a great way to support handmade and share your good taste. You don't have to have an Etsy shop; the app can tell if your Etsy account is shopping-only and will default to your faves.

Here are some ideas for fun ways to share your picks by using this app:

Load your Favorites up with your holiday wishlist and share it with your friends and family.
Transform your Favorites into a Treasury list — along a theme or color palette. We might even feature your list on the home page of Etsy, our Community Hub or The Storque.
Fill your Favorites with some items you think a friend would like and share it with her.
Bloggers, with the new My Etsy app, you can pull in an RSS feed of your blog to your My Etsy tab, a great way to share your blog and your favorite Etsy items together.

We want to see what you love! Once you've added the tab, link to your page or profile on Etsy's wall here. We'll be searching for fresh items for a special Gift Guide, so use the app to show us your picks.

Here's a sample of what the app looks like:

If you're a seller, check out this how-to with tips for using the new My Etsy Facebook app to promote your business: Seller How-To: Plug in the My Etsy Facebook Application. Here are some reasons why you should install the app:

Get notified if your item is featured on Etsy's home page or in a Gift Guide.
Build out your business' fan page with your latest items automatically.

More Options for Facebook
The new My Etsy Facebook application joins our suite of options for sharing the Etsy experience on Facebook:

Use Facebook Connect to post your newly listed items and Favorites to your Facebook News Feed.
Look for the Share link on item listing pages, shop pages and public Favorites pages for an easy way to post to Facebook and other sites.
You can also use the original Etsy Shop Facebook application to show off your items or Favorites and see a sampling of the Etsy items your Facebook friends are adding to their Favorites.

The application updates about once an hour, so if your Favorites or listings don't appear immediately, that's why. If you're having other technical difficulties, make sure to check out our Help section.

What are you waiting for? Get set up!

More Social Networking Posts

Seller How-To: Plug in the My Etsy Facebook Application

2009-11-19T15:15:00-05:00

The new My Etsy Facebook app is here and ready to help you share your shop with a new audience! This app not only provides a great way to share your Etsy shop and Favorites with your Facebook friends, but also lets you include a feed from your own blog and will alert you and your friends when your item is featured on Etsy's home page or in a Gift Guide.

I'm here to share helpful links and tips for using this as a social networking and promotional tool for your business, without being too spammy. I'll be hosting a follow-up chat in the Virtual Labs on Wednesday December 2, 2-3 p.m. ET, where we'll add the app together (for those of you who need a little extra help), share ideas and best practices.

First thing's first, sign yourself up for Facebook (if you haven't already). Don't have a Facebook fan page? This simple how-to can get you started. Many sellers prefer to use a fan page, rather than their personal profile pages, for their businesses.

Now you can add the My Etsy app to your Facebook profile, fan page, or both. Go here to get the app. For technical questions and a handy FAQ, please visit our Help section.

Here's an example of what the My Etsy will look like on a seller's fan page:

You've added this app to your profile or your fan page... Now what?

The My Etsy app will only automatically post to your Facebook News Feed when one of your items is featured on Etsy's home page or in our Gift Guides. If you want to let your Facebook friends know about a new item you've listed, you can go to your My Etsy app and share an item (see image above) or use Facebook Connect. You may be asking yourself, "Should I do this every time I list? Is this too spammy?" It depends on how often you list, of course, but as a general rule, be mindful of annoying your Facebook friends! When you do post about a new listing, try sharing an inside peek into why you created the item, which Facebook friend inspired this new piece or a detail about your creative process. That will be more interesting for your Facebook friends than simply saying, "New item for sale! Go buy it!"

Did you know that a business that blogs has 55% more visitors? (via Hubspot) If you blog, your My Etsy app allows you to share links to your blog posts. This is a great way to use Facebook to connect your presence in the blogosphere with your Etsy shop. You'll notice that only the title of your blog posts shows up on your My Etsy app, so make sure you use strong titles to get that Facebook fan clickin'! More reading: Etsy's Guide to Blogging.
Under your avatar, there are links to your shop profile and policies. That means you'll probably get more traffic to those pages, so make sure you've spent time updating those areas of your Etsy shop. Here's a great article on crafting your profile and another on developing shop policies that work for you.
Your Etsy shop banner has prime real estate on the My Etsy app — so make good use of it! Launching a new product line or having a sale? Use your banner to promote these announcements.
Don't just talk about yourself — share the love! Make sure to add lots of Favorites so that your Facebook friends can get hooked on your Etsy friends. We're in this together, sellers!

Now don't get overwhelmed. We've heard from beta-testers that the process of adding the app is pretty easy. For technical questions and a handy FAQ, please see our Help section. Have fun and join us in the Virtual Labs on Wednesday, December 2, 2-3 p.m. ET!

More Social Networking How-To's for Sellers

Handmade Code: Sellit.com

2009-10-23T15:00:00-05:00

As part of our Handmade Code series, we're bringing you news and how-to's about the innovations emerging from the Etsy Developer Community. Located at developer.etsy.com, the Etsy Developer Community serves as a hub for third-party software developers who are making neat and helpful programs for Etsy shoppers and sellers. In this edition, Katie (pictured below at a toga party!) tells us all about their application available at Sellit.com.

What's the basic idea of the application? What need does it fill?
We created Sellit to provide sellers with an easier way to display and discuss their handmade, vintage, or supplies in places they’re already hanging out and having conversations like Facebook, blogs and even Twitter. Also, we thought it was important to not reinvent the ecommerce wheel by asking you to upload more product images or designs in yet another shop. Sellit works with what you already have.

Sellit is already helping thousands of other online merchants gain the extra visibility and buzz, and now we have made the application available to Etsy sellers. The basic premise behind Sellit was to complement or add to what you’re already doing to create awareness for your shop‘s items.

Where do we go to find it? What's the URL, etc?
To get started, just visit www.Sellit.com and be ready with your personal Etsy shop address (http://www.username.etsy.com). You simply copy and paste that into the open text box at the top of the page and click Get Started. You can just plug in your existing Etsy shop and let us handle the setup for you.

After you register, you’re ready to go. It’s exactly the same as your original Etsy shop but now ready for additional activities like sharing to Facebook, easily tying product links to Twitter posts, blogs, advertising, etc.

How do you use it?
So let’s talk about this “Share” thing. In the bottom left corner of each Sellit Mini-Shop there is a Share button. If you click this, you’ll see all the places you can instantly share or discuss your shop’s products. Our motto: Why have one shop location when you can have hundreds? And we’re not kidding! Friends, supporters or customers who love your products can easily add your Etsy Mini-Shop to their social network pages or blogs too.

There are three ways to begin using your account to loop in friends, customers or like-minded folks:
1. Click-n-Post: As long as you are logged into your Facebook or MySpace account, Sellit will post your Mini-Shop directly into your profile where all your friends can see it, and yes, you get to choose what section or page you would like it to appear on. You can also copy and paste or grab the html code to embed it onto your blog or personal website.

2. Shout It! (When logged in): Using today’s most popular micro-blogging sites like Twitter and Plurk and places you can update your status like Facebook and Friendfeed, Sellit allows you to type a short sentence at the top of your admin screen where is says “What’s new with your shop?” After typing your sentence, you then click Shout It to update your selected destination with relevant posts about your products. We even include a short url linking to your items as not to take up the precious limited characters in Twitter, etc. Your buyers and customers can also "Shout” about your products from any Mini-Shop location wherever it’s been shared. You can even bookmark your new Etsy Mini-Shop to sites like Del.icio.us, Diigo and Reddit to help with SEO. Sellit allows you to administer all your social media outlets from one location. It’s all about simplicity and saving you time. For more info on this, check the Shout FAQ.

3. Copy & Paste: Just in case you want to point people to your Mini-Shop or link to it in a blog post or email blast, we make it easy for you to find.

So that’s the skinny on sharing. If you would like more info, check out the Selling Online 101 FAQ.

Are there any costs or further opportunities/ways to get involved?
For those of you wanting maybe a little more, Sellit now has some additional features for you to check out:

AdPAK: Imagine being able to turn your Etsy Mini-Shop into an instant advertisement without all of the normal advertising headaches. With no advertisement design needed, the Sellit AdPAK advertises your products or items on the best sites possible so you don’t have to lift a finger. Check out the AdPAK FAQ.

Sellit PRO: Everyone can use Sellit Basic for free, but if you desire even more visibility and marketing for your shop, Sellit Pro is for you. You’ll have access to automated Twitter and Facebook marketing, advertising and statistics and at least 3000 additional placements of your Sellit products. Check out the Sellit Pro FAQ.

Premium Shout: Just like Sellit Basic, everyone gets to use the manual Shout for free, but with Premium Shout everything is automated and you have access to advanced options for posting sales, new products or upcoming events.

What should one do if there's a bug or a problem? Who should one contact?
In case you have any additional questions, concerns or just need a little help, we are here for you 24/7 (by way of UserVoice) to get you the answers you need. Plus we really like talking to our users. Just look on the very left hand side of any Sellit page for the Feedback button. You can also follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our blog (we feature Etsy sellers!) and become a fan of our Facebook page.

What's one surprising/fun/amazing story you've heard about someone using your app? Or what is your favorite part about the app?
We love hearing from sellers who use it. Here's what a couple of them had to say:

“LOVE your Sellit network! I've been able to quickly post to Twitter, Facebook and my blog using your product AND I love how you guys promote all over the place! Less time promoting and more time sewing and selling — I'm all for that!! It's so easy to use! Love the layout! I'm just there!”
- Charlotte Blackwell, Bizzie*Lizzie*Creations

"Sellit is easy to set up and use. Within minutes I had a free personalized Mini-Shop that seamlessly integrated with my shop. Sellit easily supports the admin side of my business; from my workbench I can simply send one shout (message) across multiple networks. Less time on the computer gives me more time to work on my craft."
- Marcella Austenfeld, Good To Go Jewelry

Anything else you'd like to add?
On average, 40% of the people who interact with your Etsy Mini-Shop should convert to additional sales leads. In the Related Items below, find some Etsy shops who are already using Sellit.

Have you used Sellit? Post in the comments below!

Follow Etsy on Twitter!

2009-08-20T17:15:00-05:00

Come along and be our friend! We tweet about great finds on Etsy, interesting articles from around the web, and all the fun stuff happening at Etsy. But most of all, we listen to what you're tweeting about. So what are you waiting for? Join the conversation!

Hey sellers, if you're new to Twitter, here are some posts to get you started.

Check out Etsy's Case Study in Twitter's Business 101 Guide.

Tech Updates: Share Your Favorites

2009-07-01T18:30:00-05:00

Today we rolled out a number of improvements to Etsy's popular Favorites feature. These enhancements are designed to make Etsy Favorites more usable, visible and sharable.

Use 'em

Sold items can now be added to your Favorites. Sometimes you just aren’t quick enough, and an item you want is sold out by the time you see it. You can still add it to your Favorites. Views and hearts now continue to accumulate on items even after they’ve been sold.
Tip: Convo the seller to see if they can make another item for you or if they're planning to list another.

No more grey boxes to delete. Many Etsy community members have complained in the past about the clutter of anonymous grey items in their Favorites with the text “Listing expired or removed.” This would occur when an item expired, was being edited, or belonged to a shop in Vacation Mode. These grey boxes are no more. Here’s what happens now:

When an item you’ve hearted expires, it will be removed from your Favorites.
When an item you’ve hearted is being edited by the seller, it will not appear in your Favorites while the editing is in progress. When the editing is complete, the item will return to the spot you had it in your Favorites.
When an item you’ve hearted goes into Vacation Mode, it will remain in your Favorites — you will just be unable to purchase the item until the seller returns from vacation.

See 'em

A “heart counter” has been added to item pages. You can now see the number of hearts for any item, active or sold, along with views in the new “stats” section on the lower right of item pages.
Tip: If an item gets blogged about and then sells, it can still show off its street cred with more and more hearts and views.

Show off your Favorites on your Etsy Profile. You now have the option to display the last six items you added to your Favorites on your Etsy Profile page! These items will be displayed below the "Favorite Materials" section of your Profile. To turn this feature on, sign in to Etsy and proceed to Your Etsy > Public Profile. Check the checkbox at the bottom of the page next to “Favorite Items” and click "Save Changes" to start showing the world the cool stuff you find!

Share 'em

Don’t keep your Favorites to yourself! (Unless you want to.) Now when you sign in to Etsy and proceed to Your Etsy > Favorites, you will see a link for a new Share widget on the upper right. Pop this open for options to share your list of Favorites with your friends or with the world. With this widget you can easily share your collection of Favorites on Twitter or Facebook, embed them on your blog, or copy and paste the web address for your public Favorites page.
Happy hearting!

P.S. If you would like to receive breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox — then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Tech Updates: Facebook Connect

2009-07-01T17:42:00-05:00

Today we made it easier to share your Etsy activity with your friends on Facebook, a social networking site many Etsians use.

When you sign in to Etsy, you will see a link at the top of the page (next to "Conversations") for "Facebook Connect." Click that link to activate an overlay that you can use to establish a connection with Facebook.

Once you're connected with Facebook, you will see your Facebook Profile Picture at the top of every page on Etsy.

What can I do while I'm connected with Facebook on Etsy?

You can share your Etsy activity with your friends! When you list an item or heart an item (add an item to your Etsy Favorites) while connected with Facebook, you will see an option to share that action on Facebook in the form of a story published to your Facebook News Feed. Click the "Post this item to Facebook" link to activate a pop-up from Facebook with a preview of your story before you publish:

These links to share your activity on Facebook will only be visible while you're connected with Facebook, and all posts from Etsy to Facebook are made explicitly by you. You can disconnect with Facebook at any time via the "Facebook" link at the top of the page. If you're not interested in connecting with Facebook from Etsy, you can remove the Facebook option by clicking the "don't show again" link on the Facebook Connect overlay.

We hope you enjoy this additional option to share the Etsy experience with your friends!

FAQs

What is Facebook Connect?
Facebook Connect allows you to bring your Facebook account into Etsy, so you can share what you're doing on Etsy with your friends on Facebook. You have complete control over what is shared.

How do I connect with Facebook on Etsy?
After signing in to Etsy, you will see a link for Facebook Connect at the top of the page, next to "Conversations." Click this link and then click "Connect with Facebook" to establish a connection to Facebook.

What can I do while I'm connected to Facebook on Etsy?
You can share select actions you take on Etsy with your friends on Facebook. These actions currently include adding an item to your Etsy Favorites ("hearting" an item) and listing an item on Etsy.

After hearting an item or listing an item, you will see an option to post the item to Facebook. Clicking that link activates a pop-up from Facebook where you can preview and annotate your post before publishing the item to your Facebook profile and Facebook friends' home pages.

Can I post items I've renewed or relisted on Facebook?
At this time Facebook Connect on Etsy allows you to post newly listed items on Facebook but not renewed or relisted items.

Does Etsy automatically post to my Facebook profile?
No. All posts to your Facebook Profile and News Feed from Etsy are made explicitly by you.

How do I disconnect from Facebook?
You will know when you are connected to Facebook on Etsy because your Facebook Profile Picture will appear at the top of all Etsy pages next to a "Facebook" link. Click this link and then click "Log out of Facebook" to terminate your connection with Facebook. This will log you out of Facebook completely.

I have no interest in connecting with Facebook. Can I remove the Facebook Connect link so I don't have to see it when I sign in to Etsy?
Yes. To remove the Facebook Connect link, click it to activate the overlay and then click "don't show again." The Facebook Connect option will no longer appear when you sign in to Etsy.

If you change your mind, you can re-enable the Facebook Connect option by going to Your Etsy > Account Info. On the Account Info page, you will find a "Settings" section where you can enable or disable Facebook Connect.

I signed in to Etsy and I was already connected with Facebook. Why?
This occurs when you sign in to Etsy while being logged into Facebook, if you've connected with Facebook through Etsy before.

I use the Etsy Shop application on Facebook. Is Facebook Connect the same thing?
Facebook Connect is separate from the Etsy Shop application. You can still use the Etsy Shop Facebook application and other Etsy Facebook applications. Facebook Connect allows you to share actions you take on Etsy, such as the items you list or add to your Favorites, with your friends on Facebook.

I have a Business/Fan Page for my Etsy shop on Facebook. Can I use Facebook Connect to publish my Etsy activity on my Page?
Not at this time. Facebook Connect on Etsy allows you to publish Etsy activity on your Facebook Profile, but not your Pages (sometimes called Fan Pages or Business Pages). We plan to enable this functionality in the future.

We're closing comments here since we want to follow your discussion in this Forum thread.

Ya Gotta Yart

2009-06-10T10:30:00-05:00

UPDATE: Hello sellers! We Etsy Admin are really excited about the Yart Sale, a seller organized promotion becoming a yearly tradition. We want to tell you what we will be doing on our end to feature it.

Free Shipping Collaboration — To take part in a free shipping promotion, tag your items with "yartfreeship" so that we can find you. Here's how we'll feature these items.
- Free Shipping universal Yart Sale tag for Etsy: yartfreeship
- Free Shipping Gift Guide located under the "Limited Time Promotions Guide" heading
- Home Page banner linking to this Free Shipping Guide

Home pages — Lists made from "Yart" search term once per day throughout sale
Etsy Emails: Integrating relevant "Yart" related content into the Weekend Deals Etsy Finds articles/emails. Please post in this forum thread.
Twitter Collaboration — Etsy tweets with the Yart organizers' universal hash tag: #Yart

[The following was originally published by theartistscloset on June 2, 2009.]

Sellers, it has been almost a year since the first unofficial “Yart Sale” on Etsy. Yart sale? What exactly is a “Yart Sale,” you may ask? The term Yart is an artistic spin on the traditional yard sale:

Art + Yard Sale = Yart!

There are many art museums, artists, and groups that have yart sales annually to raise cash. Although not an official Etsy event, the Etsy Yart sale is a great way to bond with your fellow Etsy sellers. What began last year as a casual conversation on the Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST) thread about destashing and raising funds, blossomed into a discussion on our private boards about creating an Etsy-wide yart sale. This year's sale will be the “2nd Annual Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST.” It will take place June 10 through June 14, 2009. Everyone with a shop on Etsy is invited to participate!

This article will address frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Yart Sale. During the Yart Sale, feel free to refer people to this Storque article, link it on your blog, or tweet it on Twitter. As the date draws near, please refer to the Team ESST blog for updates, and as well as the Promotional section of the Etsy Forums for the Official Yart Sale sponsored by Team ESST thread that will be posted with the Team ESST Avatar. If you have further questions, please convo EtsySupplyStreetTeam.etsy.com.

FAQs
When will the Yart Sale be?
Our Second Annual Yart Sale will be from Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2009. Participate in one, two, or all five days of the sale.

Which shops on Etsy can participate?
All shops on Etsy are invited to participate. Choose to participate with your handmade, supply or vintage shop. If you have more than one shop, you can participate with each.

How does a seller participate in the Yart Sale?
To join the sale, simply post the following Yart Sale announcement in the Shop Announcement section of your Etsy shop:

“I am participating in the Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST."

You should also include a short description of how you will be participating in the sale.

Here are a few extra suggestions for how to effectively utilize the Yart Sale as a promotional tool:

Maintain a Yart Sale Section where merchandise is already marked down.

Tag and/or title items in your shop “Yart,” so customers can search your Etsy and your shop to find your “Yart” items.

Special discount pricing for length of the sale. (You would need to credit back their account for the set amount on PayPal. Example: 10% off.)

Free shipping. Remember to clarify terms. Example: Only on orders over $25.00, etc. State your terms clearly. (If you offer free shipping, you would need to again credit back their account for the shipping on PayPal.)

If you feel the price points in your shop do not allow you to have a sale, perhaps you can offer a free promotional gift or a slight discount toward future orders.

These are merely suggestions, and I am sure you can come up with many others. Remember, your Shop Announcement is an important piece in being involved in this sale, as it is where you describe the terms of your Yart sale and the dates that your shop will participate.

We invite you to post, chat, and shop in the Official Yart Sale thread in the Promotions section of the Etsy Forums. A new thread will be posted daily at 7:00 a.m. ET beginning on June 10 by the Etsy Supply Street Team with the forum title “SECOND ANNUAL YART SALE sponsored by Team ESST" with the day's date. For example, the first day's heading will be:

"SECOND ANNUAL YART SALE sponsored by Team ESST - June 10, 2009"

Participating in the daily forum thread is a way that shoppers can find your shop. Simply post what you are offering. You could also encourage visitors to search "Yart" in handmade, supplies, or vintage. Even if you are simply offering a discount, it would be to your advantage to place "Yart" somewhere in your titles or tags to draw shoppers searching for sale items to your shop.

Where do I find a “Yart” Avatar?
Many people used special “Yart” avatars last year. These were put together by many helpful people on Etsy. Some were selling them, others were simply sharing. This year fellow Team ESST member misosoup has created two that everyone can share, which are available for your use here on the Etsy blog and on the Team ESST blog.

We look forward to your participation in the Yart Sale. It is a fun event with much enthusiasm, energy, and creativity! So get your shops ready and we'll see you there!

All the hundreds of comments on this post are so awesome, but unfortunately they're slowing down the load time for this page. So we're closing comments. Please check the Promotions Section of the Forums for the daily Yart Sale thread. Today, June 10, for example, is here, and tomorrow's will be linked from the end of that one, etc.

Etsy Seller How-To: Creating a Facebook Fan Page

2009-06-05T10:29:00-05:00

Many of us are connecting with old friends, classmates and peers through Facebook. Did you know Facebook is also a great way to share your Etsy Shop news? Not only can you create an Etsy Shop Badge for your Facebook profile, but you can create a Facebook Fan Page for your buyers and devotees. ArtBySusmitha says her Facebook Fan Page has lead to many connections with new customers and she has created a simple tutorial to get you started!

You'll first need to already have a Facebook account to have a Fan Page. (A page is different from your personal Facebook profile.)

1. You start by adding an application called Pages. The easiest way to find a link to this application is by going to an existing Fan Page and finding the Create a page for my business link. Here's a screen shot of my Art by Susmitha Page. You can see that the link you're looking for at the bottom of the left hand column (click picture below to see a larger version).

2. Add the application and you will be taken to the Create New Facebook Page link where you enter the first bit of information.

3. Now your new, empty Fan Page has been created. Begin by clicking on the Edit Information link.

4. Enter the basic and detailed information. Hit Save Changes at the bottom and then Done Editing on top.

5. Now you'll be taken back to your main page where you can add your website info and URL and also a profile picture of your logo or product. When you hover over the top right corner of the profile picture space, the edit icon will appear.

6. After you've got your photo and URL info added, go on to edit the page by clicking Edit Page.

7. This will take you to the Settings and Applications page. Make any adjustments you'd like here.

8. Then scroll to the bottom of the Settings and Applications page. Click on the edit icon at the corner of "More Applications" and browse for more apps.

9. To add your Etsy Mini to your page do a search for My Stuff and click on the Gigya My Stuff application and add it.

10. Go back to your page, click on the + sign next to the Wall, Info, Photos... tabs. Add the My Stuff application to your tabs.

11. Follow the instructions and paste the flash version (larger code) of the code into the box (the java version cannot be added). Now you have your Etsy Mini tab all set.

12. Finally, click on the Photos tab and add loads of images of your products.

Your basic Fan Page is now ready. Hit Publish This Page link (in red) on top to tell all your Facebook friends about it.

Don't forget to check out the Seller Handbook - all our how-tos about running your Etsy business!

A Handmade Moment

2009-06-01T15:50:00-05:00

Attention all artists, videographers, film students, DIY addicts, advertising students, home video makers, professionals, camera nerds and other creative members of the Etsy community: here's your chance to show the world how talented you are, and help us spread the Etsy gospel while you are at it!

And if that's not enticing enough, we are also giving away pantloads of cash. We're hosting a new contest at http://www.etsy.tv.

Etsy wants promotional videos, and since our community is creative, artistic and unique, we're turning to you. For the next few months we will be accepting submissions for :15 and :30 (second) videos promoting Etsy and the handmade movement. This is your opportunity to express your passion (or is it an obsession?) for Etsy.

The guidelines are simple: your ad's theme must be "A Handmade Moment" and must legibly display the text "Etsy.com".

We will select 10 finalists from those submissions which surpass a minimum score based on a variety of criteria, and then invite the community to vote on a winner. The winning submissions will receive a total of $10,000 (and we'll use the video, too)!

First Prize: $3,250
Three Runners Up: $1,250
Six Finalists: $500

We're calling the contest the Handmade Moment, and you're invited.

FAQs:

Wait, WHAAAAAAAAAT? I want that fame and glory and money. How does this work?
1. Make a :15 or :30 (second) long Etsy promotional video. The length must be exact.

2. Upload your video(s) to Etsy at http://www.etsy.tv. Submissions will be accepted through August 31, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to be exact. You must have permission to use all of the content in your video.

3. Start promoting your video and sharing the heck out of it. One of the criteria for the selection of finalists will be view counts, sooo...

Embed your video in blogs, on Facebook or MySpace, and anywhere you think people will see it. On August 31st the 25 videos with the most views will be well positioned to form the pool from which our jury will select the 10 finalists. (Our friends at Magnify.net are powering the video pages and will keep count for us.) We will be taking other criteria (keep on reading) into consideration to select the finalists, because being popular doesn't necessarily mean you're the best.

What should the video promotion be about?
The advertisement should be for Etsy.com in general (and must not be for a particular seller). Your ad's theme must be "A Handmade Moment," and it must legibly display the text "Etsy.com." Other than that, go nuts. Be original. One of the criteria when we pick the winners will be creativity.

For real? Does my video ad have to be made from any specific media?
Nope! Animation, claymation, film, live action, silent movie, dance, mime. The sky's the limit. Just make it awesome!

Rad, I can do that. How does Etsy choose the finalists?
We're looking for something great. Etsy will choose finalists based on our not-so-top-secret scoring criteria, awarding points for: (1) creativity and originality, (2) handmade ethos, (3) humor and whimsy, (4) technical skill, (5) catchiness and (6) brand appropriateness.

Once the ten finalists are selected we will invite the community to vote for up to three favorite videos to help determine the winners, alongside a panel of expert and celebrity judges who will score the entries.

I have a ton of ideas. What should I do?
You can make and submit as many videos as you like.

How long does the contest last?
Submissions are accepted for three months, but the sooner you upload your video the more time you'll have to get views, so hustle! Submissions can be entered beginning June 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009 at http://www.etsy.tv, so start crafting your video ideas today. Finalists will be announced in September.

I use Youtube/vimeo/blip/odeo/elsewhere to host my videos. Can I still enter?
No, sorry (darn lawyers!). You have to use our upload tool at Etsy.tv. Click the "submit video" button at http://www.etsy.tv to learn more, and then use our widget to promote your video. There's a long explanation for how and why, so be sure to fully read the Official Rules before you hit that submit button.

Remember, views will only be counted through Etsy.tv, so be sure to use our sharing tools when placing your video elsewhere on the Internet. After you register your video at http://www.etsy.tv, be sure to grab your embed code and start sharing. We encourage you to post your video to your blog, Facebook page, MySpace page... wherever you think you can get people to click and watch!

My ad is twenty two seconds long. Does that disqualify me?
Sorry, but the rules state your ad must be either exactly 15 or 30 seconds long. Remember, a great ad is short and sweet, and attention spans tend to drop in a matter of seconds online.

Will Etsy help?
Fear not, aspiring creative director! We've created a resources page with some music and logos you can use. However, you don't have to use these resources, so be creative.

My friend is a film student and would be so good at this. Can I tell them about this?
Yes!

My friend is in advertising and would be so good at this. Can I tell them about this?
If you or your friend are employed professionally in the advertising industry, you are ineligible to participate. Sorry! (Etsy employees are ineligible, too, by the way.)

My work is really abstract, I'm not sure I could make a promotional spot. Making a commercial just sounds so...commercial.
We still want to see it. Etsy loves artistic and creative and unique, it's what handmade and our community is all about. Just make sure you display "Etsy.com" somewhere in the video, and we'll all agree it's a promotional video.

Etsy needs to make their own darn ads!
We believe our huge and talented community can do a better job. And that's why we want to pay you to do it.

I'm not in the United States. Can I enter?
It depends. The contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada (except Quebec), United Kingdom, and Australia. We are trying to be as inclusive as possible, and we have obtained legal representation in as many countries as possible. Unfortunately, as contest law differs from place to place, we are not able to offer this opportunity in all countries and territories. (Anyone can submit a video, they just won't be eligible for the prizes.)

I bet the lawyers want to say something. So what's the "but..."?
They sure do, and our lawyers are sweet, so be nice! Be sure to read the Official Rules before you submit your video. Here are some highlights that we want to call to your attention:

Your video must be made by you.
Your video must not break any laws.
You must have the rights to all content (visual, music, audio, or otherwise) used in your video.
Your video must be exactly fifteen or thirty seconds long.
Etsy approves all submitted videos, and reserves the right to remove any video we find objectionable for any reason.
Your video must include the text "Etsy.com."
Etsy will have a non-exclusive license to all videos, in perpetuity.
Videos will be accepted beginning on June 1, 2009 and ending on August 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
You can enter as many different videos as you like.

And your video cannot:

display any non-Etsy trademarks or logos or obvious variations thereof (you can write Etsy.com anyway you wish, or use a logo from the resources page).
contain any photos, imagery, music or video clips that you did not create yourself and own the rights to (as well as those found on the resources page).
contain more than three identifiable people.
contain a minor who you aren't the parent or legal guardian of.

You can find all the details at http://www.etsy.tv. This contest is open to most humans, except as noted above and in the rules, and is, of course, void where prohibited. Good luck and tell your friends!

If you have questions or comments, please see this forum thread. We're closing the comments on this Storque post so we can follow the conversation over there.

Etsy Day Takes Over The World

2009-04-28T13:50:00-05:00

A few weeks ago, Etsy artist Susan Schumann, aka schugirl, suggested that all Etsy members unite to collectively promote Etsy on April 24th (you can read more about it here). From videos on Youtube to four-legged billboards in France, Etsy members helped spread the gospel near and far. Thank you, schugirl, for your incredible effort and enthusiasm for Etsy.

We know many of you are curious about the impact of Etsy Day on Etsy’s site last Friday. Before we get into numbers, we want to emphasize that an organized effort like Etsy Day will undoubtedly have an impact well beyond one day. YouTube videos, blog entries, and other viral content live in perpetuity on the Web and will be viewed time and again. It is only over a longer period of time that we can begin to truly evaluate the lasting impact of an effort like Etsy Day.

And, we should also put our analytical comments in context. According to our internal metrics (Google Analytics), Etsy attracts about 7-8 million unique visitors per month and around 500 million page views per month. Like other reasonably large sites, Etsy receives a good deal of traffic from search engines (organic and paid), as well as from direct connections to the site (folks typing in www.etsy.com or having it bookmarked).

Etsy Day did not materially impact search engine or direct traffic to Etsy, so our overall traffic last Friday was not much different than most Fridays. However, we did see this day of Etsy-love push the needle on Twitter.

There, Etsians proved strength in numbers could be leveraged in awesome ways. Tweets about Etsy Day placed the hashtag #etsyday among the top trending positions on Twitter, where it remained most of Friday. During its highest point, #etsyday was the most frequently used terms on Twitter—we observed it being used over 500 times an hour! Traffic referred to Etsy from Twitter was up nearly 40% last Friday.

All this tweeting caught the attention of Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal Digits blog, who wrote a little post about the phenomenon Friday evening.

Equally exciting, the exposure from Etsy Day helped us land a much coveted position on Twitter's "suggested user" list as a Twitter feed one should follow. (Note: You'll only see us if you don't already follow @Etsy.) Check out all of the suggested Twitter users at http://twitter.com/invitations/suggestions.

We want to thank all who took time out of their day to participate in this extraordinary event. This is guerilla/grassroots marketing at its best.

Finally, special kudos to schugirl who came up with this great idea.

Find more Etsy Community Projects | Learn about Twitter

Etsy Sellers Unite for Etsy Day — Join in!

2009-04-24T13:15:00-05:00

UPDATE: Happy Etsy Day! #etsyday is trending number one on Twitter according to Twazzup!
ps
Remember, it's "Etsy" not "Esty," sillies!

The Etsy Forums have united and declared Friday, April 24th, 2009, Etsy Day! Hurrah! We here at Etsy love you for working together to create a really exciting opportunity for us all. We will be reporting the guerilla marketing on Friday and we challenge YOU, buyer, seller or fan, to shout "Etsy!" from the rooftops. Get the Etsy name out there in the brightest, sparkly-est, boldest way you can think of! Make sure to record your efforts with video or photos (if you upload photos to flickr, making sure to tag them "Etsy Day 2009"). We'll be highlighting the funniest, weirdest, most attention grabbing efforts here on Etsy's Blog and on our social networks (like our Facebook page and Twitter), and we'll make sure to link back to you.

To learn more about Etsy Day, check out the latest forum post by Shugirl here.

Here are some ideas from the Etsy Admin:

If you get people to sign up for Etsy on Friday make sure they mention your Etsy username in the Referrer Username box at sign up! If we see a user who really rocks this, we'll automatically include you in our Etsy Day follow up post. So if you print out flyers, get on the news, or get Ashton Kutcher to tweet about Etsy, make sure you get your username in there, too!
Tweet your endeavors via Twitter and make sure to add the hash tag #EtsyDay. (And send it to @aplusk. Let's get Ashton Kutcher's attention on Etsy Day. Ha! Mr. Most Twitter Followers.)
Support a new seller on Etsy Day! Buy an item from someone with no sales (you can find them on Pounce Undiscovered), and wish them a "Happy Etsy Day" in the Message to Seller field when you check out.
Print out schugirl's Etsy sign to stick in your car window or download and print out the design Anda made for Etsy Day!
Get an Etsy tattoo!
Dress your family in all orange. When you get weird looks, whisper "Etsy".
One final clarification..."Etsy" is pronounced like "Betsy" with no B.

Ok, we're getting silly now. Let's hear your own Etsy Day guerilla marketing ideas! Post them in the comments below. And don't forget to post photos of your wildest Etsy Day promotions to Flickr and tag them "Etsy Day 2009"!

The Fine Print: This promotion is being sponsored by independent Etsy shop owners, not Etsy.com. We're just excited about it.

Crafting a Community of Awesome: Be Part of the Summit

2009-04-23T14:17:00-05:00

Five years ago I totally didn’t have any crafty friends. I toiled away in my living room each night, making stuff without any clue what I would do with it. And when I finished something, I stored it in our extra bedroom until the spare bed became this weird pile of strange stuff. I felt like my making had no purpose and I had absolutely no one to talk to about this. There were no support groups for the likes of me: people who were addicted to making with no real end game for the products. I remember being obsessed with picking up trash to make into collage art, stealing rubber fishing lures from my dad to make into necklaces, looking at a seat belt from a junked car as if it were a prize. I was upcycling before I had a word for it, and to my non-crafty friends, I was just a little wonky.

I had no idea then that my life would totally change, and that not only would I meet someone like me, but that my life would end up full of friends like me. These are not just acquaintances, but real, amazing friends: collaborators and co-conspirators and comrades and colleagues. The importance of these friends to my craft is one thing. I love that I know who to ask when I can’t find Gocco supplies or where to go if I need advice on a craft show application. I love that my friend Beth knows just want to do with an old sweater and that my friend Sara knits me the best scarves with bumpy yarn every year.

But it is the importance of these friends to my actual life that has taken me so by surprise. When my family recently went through a tough medical diagnosis, my crafty friends were delivering groceries and stopping by to teach my twins to sew and sending me encouraging text messages. I never imagined it, but I have found myself surrounded by community, and that is the most fabulous part of the handmade revolution for me. I’m not just a weirdo making things while I watch TV anymore. I’m one of many weirdos making things while we watch TV.

And this is why I am so excited about the Summit of Awesome, my latest project with Hello Craft. After years selling at and organizing craft shows, I wanted to help create an event that is about more than just gathering to sell our wares. It seemed to me that selling at craft shows leaves little time to actually socialize, forge friendships and learn from each other. And my attempts at gathering crafty friends to just "hang out" always seemed to be foiled by the business of real life. I am so excited that I get to help provide other people with the venue to infuse their lives with new crafty friends; to hang out with neat people, while learning from some of the most inspiring speakers in the crafting community.

The Craftnotes with Sublime Stitching’s Jenny Hart and Etsy’s CEO Maria Thomas are in themselves exciting, but we also have 30 more speakers lined up for seminars, workshops and demos. And if you can't make the event, the Etsy Virtual Labs will be covering several of our seminars. We've also just added single day passes if you cannot make the whole weekend of awesome.

Here are the details:
Hello Craft’s Summit of Awesome will take place in Washington, D.C., May 1-3. The Summit is designed for artists and crafters, from dabblers to business owners, and includes the D.C. premiere of the Indie Craft Documentary, Handmade Nation. We also have fun social "making areas" planned, as well as the first ever Handmade White Elephant Gift Exchange and Swap! You can check out the complete line-up of speakers and register online at hellocraft.com.

I can't stress enough the importance of gathering together to learn and share in the same space; how I think these types of events will help deepen the bond of the crafting community and spark new and innovative ideas on the direction of the handmade movement. And dude, you need more cool friends, right?

I’d love to hear your stories of how the handmade community has made your life better. Please put them in the comments below! I may contact you to record your story for the Hello Craft Podcast!

Seller How-To: Get Noticed by the Blogosphere

2009-02-24T12:09:00-05:00

Today I opened up my email inbox, and guess what! I found a letter to you from Liz and Kegan, designers and bloggers from Design Glut. Liz and Kegan are going to be answering questions live from their studio via the technically magical Virtual Labs and they want to give you a few tips beforehand. Dig into this advice, and come on by with questions on getting noticed by the blogosphere, this Wednesday, February 25th at 4pm EST in the Virtual Labs.

Dear Etsy Sellers,

If you really want to get the word out about your shop and your creations, you need to become familiar with the blogosphere. We are forever indebted to friendly bloggers for helping us to get our product line noticed.

Why are blogs so important to an indie business?

1. Blogs drive traffic.
The more people see your products, and visit your web store, the more orders you'll take.

2. Magazine editors read blogs.
It's really, really hard to approach a magazine and get them to cover your work. But if you get your work posted on a blog, there's a good chance someone from a magazine will see it there and want to cover it.

3. Store and gallery owners read blogs.
Again, if these people see your work on a blog, there's a better chance they'll approach you.

4. It's a great way to get feedback on your work.
When you start getting your work in front of more and more people, you can really see what people respond to the most, and push your future work in that direction.

So how do you break into the blogosphere?

1. Feel the trickle-down effect.
If you get posted on one big blog that gets a lot of traffic (Design*Sponge, NOTCOT, Coolhunting, Josh Spear, MoCoLoco, Core77...), it will probably get picked up and spread around on a lot of smaller blogs as well, who saw it there first.

2. Don't blast every blog at once.
Everyone wants an exclusive story first! Pick your favorite blog, tell them they're your favorite, and that you're giving it to them first. But again, keep your message short and sweet. They don't have time to read paragraphs.

3. Follow instructions.
If a blog asks for submissions in a certain way, do it that way. Bloggers receive tons of emails and they set those guidelines for a reason. If you make their lives easier, you're more likely to get posted.

4. NOTCOT.org is a good place to start.
Their user-submission model makes it easy for you to get the content in front of the editors. And when they post something, it drives tons of traffic.

What do you need to prepare?

1. Take great photos.
We just interviewed the blogger Josh Spear, and he told us: "The internet is one big picture book." People are looking for eye candy. Give it to them.

2. Write the copy.
Bloggers are busy, busy bees. If you write something they can just copy and paste, it makes their lives easier. Don't be too wordy, though. Keep it short and sweet. The pictures should sell your product.

3. Get ready to be persistent.
If you've submitted one of your creations to the bloggers and not gotten any response, try taking new pictures and resending it. Or try submitting something else you've done. (But don't send the same thing over and over again. That just gets annoying. Make sure you have something new to show if you're emailing the same person again.)

See you on Wednesday!

Liz & Kegan

Connect with us on Facebook!

2009-02-05T12:44:00-05:00

We have updated the "Etsy Shop" application for Facebook, a social networking site many Etsians use. The "Etsy Shop" application is like the Etsy mini but specifically for Facebook. We’re finding more and more Etsians — buyers and sellers — are using Facebook to spread the word about Etsy items and events, and this tool lets sellers show up to 6 of their items from their Etsy shops.

Here's a quick How-To to help you add an "Etsy Shop" to your Facebook profile.

Log in to (or create) your Facebook account and click here to go to the "Etsy Shop" application page. You'll see a screen like you see below — enter your Etsy username, the number of items you want to show on your Facebook Profile, select where you want the items to feed in from and how you want them sorted. Click "Add." Now that you have that set up, click "Home" right above where you see "Etsy Shop." Here you'll see the option to add this application to your profile.

Like many social networking sites, Facebook allows users to create groups, and there are lots you should check out…And you gotta register to be able to see those, so join us! Click here!

If you have any problems with the application, we can't give tech support here on this post! Please leave a comment on the app's page on Facebook.

Find out more about social networking sites and tools.

Check out Social Bookmark & Share on Etsy.com.

NOTE: We first posted about this on the Etsy Garden blog way back when. Kelly, aka kfarrell, a true geek at heart, originally whipped up this app back in the day.

CPSIA Action Kit and Community Chat

2009-01-26T20:00:00-05:00

Thanks to all who attended last Friday's community chat. As promised, I have a compiled relevant links and resources to be used in educating yourself, spreading the word, and taking action around the CPSIA. I willl be updating this document from time to time, and will be sure to post updates as they arise.

I have not included a section on proposed exemptions at this point, as I am awaiting confirmation from the CPSC on where we stand exactly. I will update the document as soon as I hear back.

Download version 1 of the Action Kit (PDF file).

A follow up discussion will be held on Tuesday evening at 5:00PM EST.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

General Agenda for Tuesday's Meeting:

1. Briefing/Update on the CPSIA and the CPSC - To the best of my ability, I will discuss, in layman's terms, what the law says, and where it stands now.

2. The CPSIA Action Kit - Links, resources, contacts. Everything you need to get involved.

3. The CPSIA and Etsy - Where we stand and what we know.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Every month Etsy admin, Matt invites you to join him for a live, online discussion on topics of interest to the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak. We can always be reached at community@etsy.com with more ideas and suggestions.

See our past posts about the CPSIA issue.

Community Chat on the CPSIA: Friday, January 23rd, 12:00pm EST

2009-01-23T19:25:00-05:00

UPDATE: Thanks to all who attended today's community chat. I apologize for the technical difficulties, and appreciate those who stuck it out. I will be compiling all of the promised resources for you, and will post a follow up here in the Etsy blog on Monday afternoon.

Furthermore, for those who were unable to stay or attend today's session. A follow up will be held on Tuesday evening at 5:00PM EST.

[The following was originally posted on January, 21, 2009.]

Friends,

Please join me in the Auditorium of the Virtual Labs this Friday, January 23rd, at 12:00pm EST for a general community chat on The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Click here to learn more about the CPSIA.

General Agenda:

1. Briefing/Update on the CPSIA - To the best of my ability, I will discuss, in layman's terms, what the law says, where it stands now, and what the time frame is.

2. Hypothetical CPSIA Pricing - What are the pros and cons of Etsy sellers placing theoretical prices on items that may be affected by the CPSIA.

3. Take Action - Ideas for getting the word out to the media, lobbying politicians, and educating the community.

4. Resources - Links, resources, contacts.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Tech Update: Bookmark and Share

2008-12-30T17:00:00-05:00

UPDATE 11/5/09: Sharing is back! Look for our better, stronger, faster share module on item listing pages, shop pages and public favorites pages. With it you can easily share Etsy pages on Facebook, Twitter, Kaboodle, Tumblr or StumbleUpon.

UPDATE 10/27/09: This feature has been disabled temporarily. Learn more here.

Now on every item listing page, shop page and Etsy blog post, you can use pre-installed social bookmarking options to share and spread the cool stuff you find on Etsy. Whether you're into Twitter, StumbleUpon, Facebook, MySpace, Google Bookmarks, Kaboodle, Stylehive, Delicious, ThisNext or Digg, we've got you covered.

Look for the link that says "Bookmark and share" at the bottom of blog posts like this one or under Page Tools on item listing pages and shop pages:

Click it to pop open a box with options and start sharing!

Social bookmarking and social shopping sites are web tools people use to keep track of items—be it news headlines or things they want to buy or just point out to their friends. Which one of these social bookmarking sites is right for you? It's your call. They're all a little bit different, and you can always use different accounts to suit your different purposes. We've done some posts on these tools here on the Etsy blog, which might help you get started.

If you're in the know, post in the comments below with your tips!

Featured Buyer: Jennifer Keever of Kaboodle.com Celebrates the Holidays, Etsy Style

2008-12-10T13:40:00-05:00

This week’s Featured Buyer is Jennifer Keever, editor at Kaboodle.com, the largest online social shopping network, where people discover, recommend and share products. Kaboodle enables you to save your favorite stuff from anywhere on the web in your very own shopping lists — all with a simple click of the Kaboodle button. If you’re like Jennifer and most of the Kaboodle community, you’re discovering great gift ideas on Etsy every day! With Kaboodle, you can save everything you love on Etsy to your Kaboodle shopping lists and share with your friends. How cool is that?

I get a kick out of dressing up for ugly Christmas sweater parties. I relish the sipping of warm eggnog without worrying about my caloric intake. And I love decorating the 6-ft. tree in my parents’ living room. But my favorite part about the holidays is the moment my friends and family recognize the gift I just handed them peeking from beneath the wrapping paper.

A lot of people look at giving gifts as a chore — long lines at the mall, the fear that you’re going to blow your budget (again), and the feeling of being completely clueless about what to get people. Fortunately sites like Kaboodle and Etsy alleviate all three concerns.

With budget on the mind, and lots of people to shop for, I present the Etsy Holiday Gift Guide, courtesy of the nearly 1 million active members in the Kaboodle community. These picks represent the most talked-about and most-cherished items among Kaboodlers, peppered with a few of my own personal favorites and a couple for good holiday fare!

For the Camera-Obsessed:

Mini Camera Necklace by Kaylah7
A lot of my friends are obsessed with taking photos, and this mini camera charm necklace is the perfect gift for these camera-happy friends of mine! Kaylah7’s line, The Dainty Squid, is mostly comprised of incredibly adorable handmade zipper pouches, which also make great gift ideas.

For the New Homeowner:

Crystal Chandelier Vinyl Wall Decal by singlestonestudios
Wall decals are some of the most popular home décor items added by the Kaboodle community. Single Stone Studios has everything from the elegant to the eccentric. This chandelier decal is stunning and makes a great gift for a friend who recently moved into a new apartment or home, and who also happens to appreciate nuanced décor.
Find more wall decals in the Housewares Category.

For the Fashionista:

SIMONE Peacock Feather Headband by FeatherBrain
We flocked to these feather headbands, made by FeatherBrain, the moment we saw them! This was the most popular Etsy item on Kaboodle, and for good reason. These gorgeous headbands add just the right amount of drama to any ensemble. Plus, they make great gifts for your fashion-conscious cohorts who’ve seen feathers splashed across the pages of the latest issues of popular fashion mags.

Find more peacockerie in hair accessories on Etsy.

For Some Laughs:

2 Mustache Pint Glasses by BreadandBadger
We here at Kaboodle fancy the ‘stache. That’s right. There’s something about the Tom Selleck and the Burt Reynolds mustache we just can’t get enough of. Amanda at Bread and Badger sandblasts mustaches on pint glasses at just the right spot, so that every time you take a sip, voila! You, too, are sporting the ‘stache. This is a fun holiday gift for your beer-loving and/or mustache-loving friends.
Find more faux moustaches.

For the Coworkers:

Card Set - The Office - Jello Stapler by SureAsBlue
In years past, I purchased holiday cards for each of my coworkers along with a couple of chocolates. It’s not much, but I know it’s appreciated. The Office Jello Stapler card set, by SureAsBlue, pays homage to a classic scene in this hilarious show and is a fun alternative to your run-of-the-mill holiday card. The inside is blank for you to write what you wish!

Find more blank cards.

For the Jewelry Lover:

Winter's Flower Necklace by MiaBeads
Mia of MiaBeads is one of my favorite jewelers on Etsy. Most of her intricate pieces are made of antiquated brass, Swarovski crystals, and freshwater pearls. The Winter’s Flower necklace is an especially fitting holiday gift for the lover of all-things feminine and classic!

For the One You Love to Death:

Zombies Love Brains Dinner Plate by foldedpigs
Sometimes saying “I love you” isn’t enough. This plate, created by Meredith Host (aka foldedpigs) is a huge hit among Kaboodlers. It can be ordered as a single plate, in a set of four, or paired with matching mugs and bowls. Perhaps after opening, you can serve liver with some fava beans on it, along with a nice chianti.

Find more handmade plates on Etsy.

For the Hungry:

Let Them Eat Cake Screen Print Poster in Bubblegum Pink by BluLima
French history buffs, fans of Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, or simply lovers of moist decadent cake with sugary frosting will appreciate this poster! Several Kaboodlers commented on this hand-silkscreened print, many of whom have it hanging in their bedrooms and dining rooms.

For the Aspiring Artist:

Recycled BINGO Game Sketchbook Journal by somavenus

Sure, teens like to doodle. But who knows? Your little cousin could be the next Georgia O’Keefe or Jackson Pollack! Do your part to support their artistic endeavors by giving them a unique sketchbook this year. This recycled BINGO game, by somavenus, is perhaps the coolest idea for a recycled sketchbook I’ve seen. Great gift idea, or what? BINGO!

Find more recycled sketcbooks.

For Warmth:

Snuggly Warm Merino Arm Warmers by overcast
Kaboodlers have added fingerless gloves and armwarmers to hundreds of wishlists. Not only are they cute, but they’re also practical. Your arms and hands stay warm while your fingers are free to type away on the laptop, press the buttons on the remote, or dial the keys on your cell. These fingerless armwarmers, sewn by overcast, are 100% Merino wool and make great holiday gifts for people of all ages!

Find more fingerless gloves & armwarmers.

For the One You Give a Hoot About:

Great Big Owl Ring by dillondesigns
Who doesn’t love the owl? This adorable acrylic ring, crafted by dillondesigns, lured us with those great big eyes. Give this to the people in your life who appreciate pieces that are both trendy and classic. But more importantly, give this to the people in your life you care about.

Find more owl everything!

We thank Jennifer for her awesome picks. Don't forget to stop by Kaboodle.com; make online shopping easy!

Gift Guides | Featured Buyer Posts | Trends

Find out more about social shopping sites we like!

Social Shopping Sites & Holiday Wishlists

2008-12-03T17:00:00-05:00

It's time to get serious about holiday shopping! By now, you probably have a long list of loved ones to shop for — and that's just the starting point. Next up, the overwhelming process of figuring out what to buy and coordinating with your uncle so you don't both purchase the same dollhouse your kid sister requested. Those of you with huge extended families (or those lucky people with lots of friends) can especially see the need for a way to tag and keep track of who's getting what. Or perhaps you could use a little advice on what handmade item those hard to shop for relatives might treasure most. And besides, your clueless significant other needs a few strong hints about what you would like this year.

Social shopping to the rescue! I've whipped up quick overviews on a few websites that make it easy (and fun) to bookmark and share Etsy items for later. There are a lot of choices out there on the great expanse of online shopping, but these sites organize all that information through a mostly visual interface (which is great for us artistic folks). You might also want to check out our Handmade Weddings post on Custom Registry Websites, since those tools can be used for baby shower registries or holiday wishlists as well.

ThisNext

ThisNext is a social shopping site where you can save or recommend items and follow what your friends are recommending, too. You need to set up an account, and once you do, you get a profile page with a dashboard where you can manage your saves, lists and friends. Here's an example.

On ThisNext, you can easily add things to your Wishlist with one click. For more organized shopping, you can create and name your own lists and populate them with your recommendations. This is really useful for keeping track of what handmade gifts you're trying to decide on!

If you install ThisNext's toolbar button in your browser, you can recommend Etsy items you love on the fly.

We like to search ThisNext for Etsy items that others have already recommended, and add our vote! The "social" part of social shopping is making friends and checking out what other people have bookmarked. Our favorite part of ThisNext by far is the prompt to "tell a story" about why you like a product. Items on Etsy always have a story behind them, and that's a great way to share your favorites.

Wists

Wists.com allows you to create wishlists of all the stuff you want, from any website, in one place. You get your own url for your Wist (short for "web list"), which makes it easy to send to friends. Click here to see Etsy's Wist. Creating your own Wist involves two steps: choose a user name and account, and then drag the “Add to Wists” link they provide to your bookmarks tool bar in your browser.

Once the Wist bookmarklet is installed in your browser, it's time to hunt for items! Now, when you spot a must-have item in a beautiful Treasury or scrolling through the Time Machine, you only have to click your "add to Wists" button to save it.

Wists has the fastest process of many of the sites I like. You choose an image that best represents the item you're bookmarking, and then you can write a little bit or add tags [don't forget to tag things "Etsy"] or just click "save" and you're done.

Keeping your gift buying a secret from curious family and loved ones? Mark a save as private and only you can see it. Perfect for keeping your holiday shopping a surprise.

While you're editing your Wist bookmarks, try searching for Etsy items other users have posted. Add them as friends, mark items you like for your own Wist — get social with it!

Stylefeeder

Stylefeeder is another social bookmarking website. It's super easy to get set up with an account; just choose a username/password, give 'em your email and then get the Firefox add-on or drag the bookmarklet to your toolbar.

Once you have one of these installed, you can add content (ahem, your favorite handmade soaps on Etsy, for instance) from anywhere you happen to be browsing. A floating window appears, prompting you to select the image that best depicts the item you're saving, and then you get to add tags and a description.

StyleFeeder is pretty smart. The more you save, rate and play around with your "feed", the better it gets as suggesting cool stuff you might like. The site itself is straightforward and easy to use — the top navbar is simply Your StyleFeed (items you've bookmarked), Watchlist (people you're following or are following you), Stuff You'll Love (suggestions) and Your Account (dashboard). And I am obsessed with how you can easily comment on other items! Here's what a StyleFeed looks like.

It's also easy to see who else has bookmarked an item, and who has bookmarked items you've added, suggestions on more stuff you might like, and a nice little breakdown of what sort of rating an item is getting by other StyleFeed users. [Tip: when setting up an account on these sites, make it easy for your Etsy friends to find you by using the same username!]

All of these sites conveniently allow you to add to your wishlists and shopping lists on the fly. On Etsy, you can use the Etsy Mini to embed a widget of your Favorites on your blog or website (here's how). But these social shopping websites have the added benefit of crowdsourcing styles and taste; these sites let you make suggestions and get recommendations.

Anyone who loves the thrill of the hunt knows that shopping takes skill. With social shopping, you and your friends can share your good taste and discover fresh items you might never have found otherwise.

Crash Course for Newbie Shoppers | Shop Live in the Virtual Labs

Shop Makeover Series: Pimp Your Shop for 2009

2008-11-21T14:34:00-05:00

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 it above other items that were listed before it on Etsy. Try different time of the day as well — I used to wake up in the middle of the night to renew!
(edit 1/30/09- Please note that relisting or renewing will place it above previously listed items on the site, but does not guarantee that it will show up on the front page ticker or in Time Machine 1 or Time Machine 2)
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.

[October 5, 2009 UPDATE: We have to close comments here because there are so many, it's slowing down the load of the page!]

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:25:00-05:00

Hey, if you're wearing a great handmade or vintage Halloween costume, post it to our Etsy in Action flickr group. You can check out the latest from the group pool right here in the Events section of the Etsy blog.

See more Halloween blog posts.

Team Tip: How to Join an Etsy Team!

2008-10-27T16:20:00-05:00

We've decided to get back to basics with this Team Tip. Have you been wondering what Etsy Teams are all about, and whether or not you should join an Etsy Team? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about becoming part of the ever-growing Etsy Teams program.

What are Etsy Teams?
Good question! You can find a lot of information on what Teams are and what they do in this informative article.

I love Etsy, but I'm a buyer... Can I join a Team?
Absolutely! Many Etsy Teams welcome Etsy buyers who simply love handmade items and want to promote Etsy.com and the Team as a wonderful place to shop! It's also wonderful for buyers to belong to Teams to get to know their favorite artists a little better. There's also a buyer-only Team, Etsy Patrons, that's welcoming new members!

Why should I join an Etsy Team?
There are many reasons to join a Team! Teams are formed to share skills, network with other artists, promote your shop, meet other Etsy members where you live, or just branch out socially to other people on the site! Etsy Teams often work together to promote their shops as a group, hold Team trunk shows in the Virtual Labs, or inspire each other to make different items for their shops, with initiatives like creative challenges. Each Team is a little different, so if the first Team you join isn't the perfect one for you, don't worry! Try out another Team for size until you find ones that fits your personality, your schedule and your goals.

What kind of Team should I join?
It depends on what you'd like to get out of your Etsy Teams experience. If you'd like to meet local Etsy members, you're in luck. About half of the existing Etsy Teams are based on location — so there's a good chance that by joining your local Etsy Team, you can meet other crafty lovers of handmade where you live. If you'd rather not meet up with people in your area or if there's no active Team where you live, the good news is that the other half of Etsy Teams are not location based! There are hundreds of Etsy Teams that have formed based on medium, craft, lifestyle, general interest or just about anything you can imagine.

Once you've found a Team you're interested in, check out the "How to Join" section of the Team's profile page. For many Teams, you'll be sending a conversation to the Team leader or contact person, perhaps with a little information.

What if the Team has not gotten back to me about joining?
There are a couple of scenarios here — first and foremost, be patient and remember that Team leaders are people, too! It's a busy job, being a Team leader — many are running their Etsy shops, managing their Teams, planning Team events and countless other things, in addition to their lives outside of Etsy (life outside of Etsy?!?). It's okay for Team leaders to take a few days or even a week to get back to you about joining.

Also, sometimes Teams need a few weeks now and again to regroup, reorganize and get themselves together — it's not unusual for a Team to put accepting new members on hold. When Teams are more organized, everyone involved benefits! In addition, some Teams are juried, and this is okay, too! You and your Team want to be sure you're all a good fit. If things don't work out with one Team, don't be discouraged — there are many, many Teams that would love to have you!

If it's been a little longer than seems normal, the next step might be to contact another member or two listed on the profile page, to politely inquire if the Team is still active. You might also check any websites or blogs they have listed to see what the Team is up to. If no one from the Team gets back to you, you're left with a couple options — you can either start a new Team based on your area of interest, or you can find another Team that suits your fancy, and inquire with them.

What if I am already part of a Team?
Remember, you can join as many Etsy Teams as you have time to actively participate in. Being an active member is the key to really getting some bang for your buck with Etsy Teams. Ask your Team leader how you can get more involved to help the Team achieve its goals. If you love the Teams you're on, it's okay to branch out and join more Teams!

We love the Etsy Teams, and we're so happy with its successes to date and how fast it's growing! Teams are a fantastic way to really get to know other members of the Etsy community. For more Team Tips, please check the Teams Resource page. Also, we discuss the Team Tips, news and ideas in the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

Seller How-to: Want to Meetup?

2008-10-16T11:49:00-05:00

"Let's use the Internet to get people off the Internet. Let's be a group. Let's be a real group. Let's find the others. The ones that want the same thing. Let's meet in real time, in real places, and make a real difference. Let's Meetup." That is just a small, juicy slice of the community-building site, Meetup.com's manifesto.

Meetup.com is a website devoted to using the internet to bring people together in real life. So far Meetup has been a catalyst for 46,315 local groups, in 4,916 topics, in 3,601 cities across the globe. That sounds like a lot of new friendships, collaborations, and meetings to me! Meetup is a great tool for finding like-minded people who live in your area, making lasting connections, and getting off the internet and learning something new.

Meetup is also a great resource for local Etsy Teams. As an Etsy Team leader, you could start your own Meetup to schedule meetings, share photos and tips, collect fees, maintain a group message board, send out a mailing list for your Team and Meetup activities, and easily communicate as a group. The site offers tools finely honed for organizing the perfect meetings, workshops, lectures, and events.

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If you're not part of an Etsy Team, you can search for Meetup groups in your area that are centered around a topic of importance to you and your Etsy shop, such as Meetups centered around the medium you work in or small business topics, and much more. For example, if you live in Melbourne, maybe you'd like to join the Melbourne Small Business Meetup group to mix with your local community of entrepreneurs. Or, if you live in New York, you could join the New York Sewing & Fabric Meetup Group to meet other people who love to sew as much as you do, as well as scope out the best places to buy supplies in the city. If you live in Brooklyn, be sure to check out the Etsy Labs Meetup group. If the perfect Meetup group for you doesn't exist in your area yet, you can always step up to the plate and start one yourself!

Are you a member of any Meetup groups? If so, please share your tips & experiences in the comments below!

You might also be interested to read this interview we did with Meetup marketing guru and Chief Community Organizer Douglas Atkin. And of course, there's the trusty Seller Handbook at your service!

Seller How-to: Promoting a Site Wide Sale on Etsy

2008-09-16T10:39:00-05:00

With sellers planning ahead with their promotions and marketing for the holiday season, we thought it would be neat to check in with theartistscloset. She was one of the masterminds behind a simple idea that went viral on Etsy — many of you remember the "Yart Sale" of summer 2008!

Working within a group is the only way I would be involved in any mass marketing approach on Etsy. The combining of resources and effort makes for a lighter load and the sharing of ideas makes for a more creative sale event — and one less likely to have shortcomings.

I strongly recommend joining an Etsy Street Team appropriate for your shop. Presently, there are over 250 Etsy Teams. I participate in three Teams: Etsy Supply Street Team, Cottage Style Street Team and Etsy Maine Team. The Etsy Supply Street Team, under the direction of Team leaders CarDonCreativeDesign and Faro, was instrumental in helping me organize the recent Yart Sale from June 11-20. What began as a casual conversation on our weekly thread about destashing and raising funds for a summer vacation blossomed into a whole discussion on our private boards about creating an Etsy Wide Yart Sale. The title Yart was suggested by fellow teammate BlackStarBeads (Yard + Art = YART). Faro created special Yart Sale Avatars.

Keys to planning and preparation - Become part of a larger group, as mentioned above. If possible, create a private area for planning, such as a private discussion board (such as Yahoo Groups). This is where you share ideas, decide on promotions, discuss concerns and resolve issues that might come up during the event.
Come up with a unique promotional idea or title for the event - Try to capitalize on what might be on people's minds; seasons, holidays or current events, and be sensitive to time and cultural differences. Remember that Etsy is a global community. With this first sale, we made the mistake of initially describing the Yart Sale as a 10 day countdown to the first day of summer, not realizing that summer in the U.S. is winter down under. Next year we intend to be more inclusive.
Utilize your support group to advertise - Word of mouth is a powerful promotional tool. Promote the sale among family, friends and colleagues through the use of fliers, email, etc. and utilize the Internet community by posting on blogs, groups and networking sites.
Get Sellers involved site-wide - Promote in the Forums, introducing the sale in advance in Business Topics so people have time to prepare and get involved. Be inclusive and also have minimum requirements for participation. Make it easy for anyone to participate — we simply asked people to use the tag "Yart Sale" for the sale. Clearly spell out the time and dates of the sale with initial forum threads in the Promotions forum, allowing flexibility for participation. The Yart sale lasted for 10 days, but it was up to the individual shops as to how long they chose to participate.

(Yart sign courtesy of dmriceart)
Create a FAQ sheet of information about the sale - Posting a FAQs thread under the Business Topics forum will help to address user questions and minimize confusion. (Here's ours, for example.)
Get the participants involved - Encourage sellers to post a statement of participation in their shop announcements; offer a ready-made announcement to cut and paste for their shops. This is helpful, user friendly and gets people quickly involved creating anticipation and excitement for the sale. Point people to the Forums for the daily Promotional Sale thread, encouraging them to post and participate in promoting their shops during the sale. However, remember to make it clear it is not a requirement for participation; some people are forum shy.
TIP - Use the daily sale threads to educate users about how to search for the sale items on Etsy, for example: "Just a few suggestions to all you shoppers! Type 'Yart' in the Search bar and choose the appropriate category from Etsy's Drop Down Menu - Choose Handmade, Supplies, Vintage or All items to view the specific items you are looking for. Viola - you will have so many choices from all the wonderful shops that have chosen to participate in this sale."
Remember to make the whole approach user-friendly and easy to follow - I found it was essential that my Team members and I monitor the Forum regularly to maintain a POSITIVE presence in the forums, and encourage participation by highlighting each other's sale items. It is important to maintain a presence during the course of a sale and be consistent in posting. Link threads so people don't get lost. Keep up on new threads that will pop up directing users to informational threads already established to answer their questions.

The Etsy Forums can be used as a positive force, encouraging an attitude of camaraderie and creating new opportunities for new friends and networking connections!

Click to see more seller how-tos about promoting.

Featured Etsy Team: eSMArts

2008-09-10T14:00:00-05:00

A relatively new Team, eSMArts, caught our eye this week. This Team is a global collaborative of mixed media artisans using social networking, online marketing and online promotions to increase sales. We're big fans of learning how to promote your Etsy shop online (see last week's article about this here) and by working together, this Team is rocking online marketing! Help us congratulate them on their great start!

Can you tell us a bit about your Etsy Team (what's the glue that holds your team together — location, craft, etc.)?

eSMArts (etsy Social Marketing Artisans) is a global multimedia collaborative that employs social marketing techniques. We cross promote one another in order to drive traffic to our Etsy, and other sales, sites. Our main goal is increased sales, but our global family of artists enjoys socialization, inspiration and caring support within the embrace of our fun Team!

What does your Team do to help each other?

We blog about each other and promote connectedness via social networking and social linking. We also help each other to develop a credible virtual footprint and an online presence as professional artists by critiquing each other's profiles, photos, item descriptions, products and pricing. Marketing and promotion strategies are discussed in our non-judgmental and consultative online forum structure, where all questions are welcomed and all members are encouraged to answer queries or lead the discussion as necessary.

How does your team connect with each other?

We have a mandatory Yahoo forum where all info is shared, a Team blog , an AIM chat for our weekly leadership team confidential meetings, scheduled weekly Etsy chat sessions and regular Etsy chat room party nights. Because we have members in the UK, Malaysia, Australia, Korea etc. we chat daily almost 24/7 via our Yahoo forum. Our Team leaders also stay connected daily via email and Twitter and notes through Flickr, LinkedIn, Squidoo, YouTube, HubPages, Facebook, BlogCatalog, etc.

Do you have any suggestions for new teams or sellers who might be interested in creating their own team?

If you believe you have the leadership and intellect to help others realize their Etsy dreams, then what are you waiting for? Get cracking! Dive right in with your plan and begin recruiting like-minded souls.

Does your team have an exciting promotion, event or announcement to share?

We’re only 3 months old, but our first Team design challenge has just come to a close. We had dozens of creative entries in our Show & Tell of individual marketing tools with an emphasis on low cost (preferably handmade) freebies and give-away items such as brochures, business cards, ATCs, samples and Gift With Purchase items for our Etsy shops!

What's your favorite part of the Team program?

As a leader I most enjoy the Teams workshops hosted by Danielle and Sara for their informative content on upcoming events. At those labs, the discussion from other Team leaders is usually inspiring and thought provoking and I always come away with notes and discussion topics to share with my leadership committee. On a personal level, the camaraderie, support and caring within our Etsy family keeps me motivated.

Want more from this Team? Check out eSMArt's blog and shop from their stores by searching 'eSMArtsTeam'. Special thanks to GaHooleTree for collecting these answers for us! Also, check out our past Featured Etsy Teams for more great stories!

Holiday How-Tos: Online Marketing Tips

2008-09-03T11:40:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

Now is the time to organize your Holiday marketing plan! Get out your calendars and start plotting your plan of attack. There's lots you prep work you can do right now so that you'll be organized and ready to go for the holidays. The following ideas should help you start thinking about your plan, but really these tips are just the tip of the wintery iceberg. Do you have some tips for your fellow sellers? Please post them in the comments below or join us this Thursday (September 4th, 2008) at 4:00 pm EDT in the Treehouse of the Virtual Labs for a discussion on this topic!

Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers this holiday season. The first thing you need to do is build your mailing list and choose how you are going to send your newsletters. You can create a Google Group or Yahoo Group for free and by inviting your customers to join these groups (a great place to do this is in your Message To Seller field in Your Etsy), you can build an easy mailing list that is simple to use. (Here's an article I found that can show you how to do this.) If you don't mind paying for a more versatile service try ConstantContact or VerticalResponse (or one of the many other newsletter programs). These will allow you to create HTML newsletters, get stats and creatively manage your contacts.

This does take a bit of work to set up, but once you have your mailing list established, you can easily contact your best customers and let them know of your new items for the holidays or a sale! Another great way to use this is to send out a newsletter a week before the last day they can order from your shop in order to get their package before Christmas to let them know the deadline is fast approaching!

Tip: Remember to ask your customers to opt-in to your mailing list! Emailing about a promo without permission is considered spamming.

Blogging

If you don't have a blog yet, now is the time to set one up! Like newsletters, blogging can keep you in touch with your customer base and let them know about your holiday specials, new designs, deadlines for holiday ordering and more. In addition, you can get your customers thinking about the holidays early by pointing out what you are doing to plan for winter. Blog about gifts you might be giving to friends and family, decorating how-tos, your favorite holiday recipes, etc.

Tip: Create a weekday series (for example: "Tuesday's Tips for Holiday Decorating"). This will keep you — and your readers — coming back to your blog!

Social Networking

In a previous article, Pimp My Shop, I wrote about the importance of social networking. Here are a couple of ideas for utilizing social networking sites over the holidays:

Offer an exclusive special or free gift with purchase to all your contacts on one social networking site. This will reward your contacts for following you and make them feel special!
Spend some time wishing your contacts a happy holiday season. Here's my suggestion: No flashy graphics! Just leave a personalized comment to those of your contacts who you are familiar with (ie. past customers, Etsy friends, bloggers). For example, "Dear DeeDee, Thank you for supporting me this year! I wish you all the best and hope it doesn't get too cold in Colorado this winter! Happy Holidays!"

Tip: Now is the time to add one or two more social networking or social shopping sites to your daily routine. Try Indiepublic or StyleFeeder (if you haven't already).

Advertising

Freshen up your advertising and start early! Put together a frosty photo-shoot and get some great crisp shots to use in your online advertising. Think snow, icicles and glitter! Get those holiday ads out right after Halloween, which means you should be lining up your favorite place to run online ads now. Don't know where to get started? Check out your Blog Roll. Many of your favorite blogs offer adspace, and if they don't they might start with you, just ask! Another great resources is a site called ProjectWonderful, where you can bid on adspace for as little as $0.25!

The holidays can be an exciting and fruitful time of year for sellers. Make sure you've done what you can to bring in new customers and connect with your previous customers. These tips should help you start to form your plan.

Need more inspiration for your holiday marketing plan? Remember to join us this Thursday (September 4th) at 4:00 pm EDT in the Treehouse of the Virtual Labs! This will be the first in a weekly discussion on organizing your shop for the holidays. Hope to see you there! And make sure to check back for more Holiday How-Tos!

Team Tip: Is Blogging Important?

2008-08-25T14:41:00-05:00

Blogs can play a vital role in marketing your Etsy Team on the web. Many people choose to buy handmade to support artists. A good blog gives your customer base a glimpse into the lives of the artists they're supporting. Sneak peeks into studio spaces, interviews on artistic beginnings and techniques make for interesting content. You can promote your colleagues and Teammates easily with a blog, and relevant tutorials, tips, tricks and other useful information will keep readers checking in often.

Blogging doesn't come naturally to everyone, so it's best to pick someone on your Team who enjoys blogging to be responsible for posting often. There's no harm in starting a blog to see how it works for your Team, and delegating posting responsibilities will ensure the blog gets updated regularly. Here are some simple steps your Team can take to set up a blog and maintain it successfully.

What types of things would your Team like to cover in its blog? Keep in mind your Team's goals and pick topics that members of your Team feel comfortable and knowledgable enough about to talk about every day: a type of craft, information on where your Team lives, or something that makes your Team unique that will be engaging for your target demographic. Remember, you won't want to be too personal (no gossip!), as this is a professional blog created to drive traffic to your Etsy shops. You want to connect with a specific group of people (your readers and potential customers!) by making the blog fairly specific and full of information, but keeping it broad enough that you can eventually have a pretty large readership.
Find your tone. What type of voice should the blog to have? For example, it can be an instructional blog, you can adopt a professional voice or you can really be yourself. Setting a tone and being consistent makes a blog easy to read.
Blog often. Blogs are an interesting medium because they can literally be up-to-the-minute information. No one wants to read a stale blog.
A wise blogger once told me "No one cares what you had for lunch today." (Unless your blog is all about food, I suppose...) Make sure you're blogging about things that engage your readers!
Include great photos! These could be photos of members' studios or workspaces, little snapshots of members' everyday life, in-progress shots of items, or photos of your Team in action. Photos can make a blog-reader feel like they're being treated to a behind-the-scenes tour.
Have actual content. It's not hard to distinguish between an interesting blog you'd like to revisit and a series of advertisements upon first visiting a blog.
Blog often. This is the most important tip.
Use widgets! Etsy, Twitter, Flickr, Amazon and other sites all have applications you can include in your blog's side bars to keep the page dynamic even when you can't update it. Etsy Minis are a great tool to get your work—and the work of people you admire—noticed without writing dull posts about your own shop over and over again.
Blog often! The more often you blog, the more people will check your blog.
If you find it's not working, don't let your blog sit around decaying! Remove your blog from the web—there's nothing sillier than a blog that hasn't been updated in eight or nine months.

Here are some useful places to get started with a Team blog, or spruce up your existing blog:

http://www.blogger.com — Free online blogging site
http://www.typepad.com — Inexpensive online blogging networking site
http://www.flickr.com/badge.gne — A photo widget that puts photos from your Flickr group onto your blog
http://www.twitter.com — Free mini-updating messaging site
http://www.wordpress.com — Online blogging tool
http://sethgodin.typepad.com — Marketing guru Seth Godin on how to get blog traffic
http://team.etsy.com/blogring.html — Ablog ring of Etsy Team blogs — New blogs are added monthly!

Blogging should be an enjoyable way to get to know your Team better, as well as attract fans (and buyers!) of your work. It's a way to let people meet your Team, and should highlight positive aspects of what you're doing and the things you learn along the way. Exchange links with other bloggers (especially other Teams!), include lots of Etsy Minis, read and comment on other blogs to increase your readership. Have fun!

For more Team Tips, please check the Teams Resource page. Also, we discuss the Team Tips, news and ideas in the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

Community Chatt with Matt 6/27/08

2008-06-25T10:41:00-05:00

Hello friends,

Please join me in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs this Friday, June 27th, at 12:00p.m EDT for our weekly community chat.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: The Virtual Labs

This week we will be discussing the Virtual Labs and how we can all utilize them to their fullest.

Agenda:

1. What kind of programming would you like to see there?
2. How can we make the Virtual Labs a tool where you all can hold your own workshops?
3. Outside guests. Are there certain types of guest speakers you would like to see?
4. What tools and features could improve the user experience in the Virtual Labs?
5. How-tos: Friend or foe?

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin, Matt invites you to join us for a live, online discussion of topics of interest to the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak. We can always be reached at community@etsy.com with more ideas and suggestions.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Handmade Video Group

2008-06-17T14:38:00-05:00

Do you make things and make videos too? If so, you're invited to have conversations — internet style — by joining the fresh handmade video group.

It's a Google group that I started as a gathering place for video-makers to share videos and collectively daydream about the possibilities that video offers folks who are creative. Recently I asked the group what their most recent videos were. Check them out!

p.s.
There are felted verions of a certain male body part in the last video of the group, so if your kid is sitting on your lap while watching this, you may want to be prepared to have a MATURE conversation!

Hine sells snazzy camera cases.

"I made some flip books for the first time by using the photographs from the one of my stop-motion animations for They Might Be Giants just for fun. And then I took a video with my digital camera. They are portable stop-motion animations (you can even run them in reverse!)." See the video here

Enderby creates a show for NNN called Decor It Yourself. Her last video was about making place mats.

Iwear1 creates a video show in the style of a journal. In this video, he got stencils in the mail. See video here

Corinne and Rob create Threadbanger, a show about creating your own fashion. Their videos combine location reporting with diy how-tos.

Abitabite made a stop motion video about the making of her prick cushions.

"I needed some motivation to get a lot of them done, and decided a vid would do it (it worked, I've not been nearly as productive before, or since)." See the video.

If you make things and make videos and want to join the conversation about making things, your invited to join the group!

Handmade Weddings: Custom Registry Websites

2008-03-14T09:26:00-05:00

Etsy does not yet have a registry feature built into the site (though this Handmade Wedding Series is making us wish we did). Some brides and grooms use their Favorites to heart items, which you can then use to generate an Etsy Mini to post on your blog or wedding website. However, we have tried out a few websites that allow you to curate registry lists, cobbled together from any online store you choose, including Etsy. We've noticed a bunch of these site popping up online these days.

And so the question arises, which one is best for me? We asked some Etsians to share their experiences...

skyfiregraphics uses thethingsIwant.com
Thethingsiwant.com is easy to use and can be used on any website worldwide. After signing up and creating your registry account, simply add your “thethingsiwant” button to the toolbar of your search engine and start shopping! Once you have found an Etsy item that you would like to add to your registry, just click the button in your toolbar. This will bring up a window that includes a photo of the item, the name of the item, as well as the price and any other information which is then saved in your registry. Your wishlist can be easily changed at any time.

Once someone purchases an item from your wish list, they can mark the item as purchased. This prevents others from purchasing multiple items from your gift registry. There are a variety of other features available at thethingsiwant.com that allow you to customize your wish list as well as move items around, delete or edit items, and even add notes to each item if you would like to include specific information such as color choice or size.

If you are looking for a way to create a gift registry or wish list that includes Etsy items as well as other items from the internet, thethingsiwant.com is a great way to organize all of your wished-for gifts together into one list without having to subscribe to multiple registries at selective online stores. Best of all, it’s free and easy to use!

pinklilypress uses Wists.com
Wists.com allows you to create and maintain a list of everything you desire, from any website, in one place. The website also makes it easy to share your “Wist” (short for “Web List”) with family and friends…Perhaps they’ll help you check off a few items?!

Like thethingsiwant.com, creating your own Wist involves two simple steps. Create a user name and account, and then drag the “Add to Wists” link they provide to your bookmarks tool bar in your browser.

When you find something you must have, click your “Add to Wists” button and you will be taken to a page where you will choose an image that best represents the item you are adding to your list. Wists also allows you to create a thumbnail screenshot, which is a neat option.

Once you have chosen a picture, you will be able to input a title, keywords, and notes about your item. This makes it easier to sort through your own Wist when your list starts growing, and also allows other Wist users to find your favorite items when searching Wist lists.

Wists.com provides users with a personal link (http://wists.com/username), making it easy to share your Wist with friends and family. Whether you are looking to create a wedding registry, your birthday wish list, or keep track of your most extravagant desires, Wists.com is an easy and fun online tool.

Anda uses MyRegistry
MyRegistry was really easy to set up. The site allows you to customize your registry with a photo and welcome message, and then choose from a limited number of slightly boring templates (so get creative with that photo). Once your registry is all ready to go, it's simple to add the MyRegistry button to your browser for on-the-fly gift adding, the same way you would with Wists or theThingsIWant.

Say you're looking at something cool on the web, like a sweet set of ceramic bowls on Etsy or some gorgeous appliqued pillows. Once you click the browser button, a window pops up allowing you to dynamically add the item to your virtual registry.

People viewing your registry are taken straight to wherever you first found the item when they go to buy something, and it is then shipped to the address you have on file. You can also add a link to a PayPal account for those awesome cash gifts that magically begin arriving as soon as people find out you're getting hitched. (I actually had no idea giving money as a wedding gift was considered good luck until the PayPal transaction emails started appearing in my inbox.)

The MyRegistry pop-up is slightly glitchy in that it never seems to "guess" the appropriate photo of the item you're attempting to add on its own, forcing you to choose the correct image manually. Unlike Wists, it doesn't have the screenshot option. There is a text window for any special instructions (like color choices and whatnot). This was useful for the Etsy items I was adding, because I could add a note for people to check the shop further if an item had already sold.

The site also has a feature where once you decide to add an item, you have the option of first searching through their partner stores for the same thing at a lower price. This is cool if you're looking for the thriftiest option, not so useful if you're just trying to support a particular shop or online retailer — but I used it often for the various obscure and stupid kitchen utensils my husband and I were convinced we needed.

When I set out to create our registry, I felt I didn't really know what one was supposed to put in the thing in the first place. Well, the homepage of MyRegistry showcases about a billion items from about a billion sites all over the web. Initially its rather overwhelming, but in the long run a godsend for getting ideas. Or for putting ideas in my head, rather — I am kind of a sucker for advertising. Wists is not just for wedding registries, so its homepage tends to be more ecclectic.

I had a few relatives not "get" the whole concept and buy stuff featured in our registry off-site, which resulted in two duplicate gifts, but this would probably be an issue with any online registry, not just MyRegistry. Weirdly, MyRegistry does not give you a simple, individual url to print on all your announcements and such. Visitors have to first search your name, and then provide an email address before they can see your list. But in the end this was probably the most annoying thing about it — everything else was really a cinch, the registry was easy to edit, and the browser button was extremely addictive.

Vanessa uses Wishpot.com
Wishpot.com works like these other websites: you install the widget button in your browser toolbar and add items from any shopping site on the fly. Very cool and useful to me, since I wanted to give my friends and family the option to get us registry gifts from Etsy and a few other choice websites. My main concern with using one of these new-fangled web registries was this: "Will my not-so-tech savvy relatives be able to find me?" And I must say, it's not so easy with Wishpot.
There's only a tiny link on the homepage that says "Find People" and the rest of the page is very oriented towards the bride.

When you click on "Find People" you have to then click again to "find a wedding registry." Alternatively you can navigate to the "Weddings" tab, and then enter in the name perfectly — which can be challenging when one's fiancé's name is Mykola Duzyj to his family and Mickey to all his friends!

This would all be a lot easier if the site just gave you a custom url, like Wists does.

It seems to me that Wishpot is a good option for couples who are into the social-networking side of things: the site tries to connect you with other brides-to-be and has other tools which feature hot items in "Top Registry ideas" and "Most Wanted" with sortable results.

Once folks get to your registry, I do like how they can filter and sort your list to hone in on a gift they'd like to buy.

Also useful: we could note that we didn't "need it" but we "wouldn't mind having" the crazy alarm clock aXbo Schlafphasenwecker, sort of an embarrassingly telling gift.

Like Anda said, once you get on a roll with one of these Wedding Registry sites, you end up wanting a lot more stuff than you'd previously thought.

You may also be interested in reading this post about registries written by design*sponge. Comment below if you've used Felicite.com or Kaboodle.com or any other of these online registry sites. Which do you prefer? How badly do you want Etsy to develop a registry tool???

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