Search results (title) for: "promos"

Quit Your Day Job: kittycrossbones

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0000

AmyLynn of kittycrossbones contacted me to let me know she has been successfully selling on Etsy full time and was able to quit her day job because of her success. She started selling on Etsy in her spare time between work and college by making custom promos for other Etsy sellers. Eventually AmyLynn found herself daydreaming about filling orders while at her day job and she could no longer keep up with her Etsy shop and continue her retail job at the same time. AmyLynn made a no-brainer decision for herself and took the plunge to "Etsy" full time; now she works from the time she wakes up until she goes to bed. In my mind, she is a wonderful example of someone who is young, smart, driven, and has been able to make Etsy work for her needs straight out of college.

When you first started selling on Etsy did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
When I first started selling on Etsy, I was using my button machines to make pre-made items, doing that in my spare time between work and college. I actually never thought of quitting my day job at the time. I thought that Etsy would be a great place to sell my wares for some extra spending money!

How long were you selling on Etsy and working your day job before deciding you were ready to switch over to Etsy full time?
I believe I was working and Etsying for about two years.

What made you decide to quit your day job?
I couldn’t keep up with my Etsy shop! I would much rather be selling on Etsy full-time then working the 9-5 retail job, that’s for sure!

How did you know you were ready to take the plunge?
I didn’t, actually! All I know is that when I was at my day job, I would daydream about being home and working on orders!

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time before taking the plunge?
Actually, not really. I know that’s terrible but ... I was only 18 when I originally started Kittycrossbones and honestly didn’t think Kittycrossbones would turn out the way it has.

What goals have you set for your Etsy business in the next few months and year?
My goal is always to do better than the last month, or break even.

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business?
Networking definitely! Here on Etsy, I use the chat and forums. I also have profiles on Myspace.com, Facebook.com, Flickr.com, IndiePublic.com, and there are a lot more social networking sites that I belong to on the Ning.com network. I also contribute to the Sampler 200+ category whenever I have the time.

How's it going so far, are you getting by?
Oh yes, I am! There are slow periods but then they are usually followed by big explosions of sales! I haven’t had to think of finding another job for almost a year and a half now!

Can you walk us through what a typical workday might entail now that you have quit your day job?
Sure! I wake up and then go to my computer and check my email. I check for convos and of course, sales! Waking up to sales is always the best! I then answer all of my convos and organize my email if I sold anything. I put the Etsy Transaction in a certain folder. I have “Need Images,” “Have Images,” “PayPal Payments,” “RME Payments,” and an “Images” folder. I then check to see if anybody has sent me images for their products and if they do, I put the e-mail in the “images” folder and then save their images in their own folder with their username. I then create a preview of what their products will look like in photoshop and email them back. Once I get the approval I start making their orders.

A typical production day is from the time I wake up, to the time I go to bed – and sometimes I pull all-nighters all the way into 5am completing orders!

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job?
That I can be my own boss and set my own hours. I can even work in my pajamas!

What piece of advice would you give someone thinking about taking the plunge to sell full time on Etsy?
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it is definitely worth it! If you can't stop the sales fairy from visiting your store everyday and your Etsy store is getting in the way of your “real-life” job, pick Etsy!

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I just want to thank Etsy for creating such a great e-commerce site. I have made a lot of friends here in the community – through chat and forums — and wish everybody the best of luck — whether you are here to sell full-time or for some extra spending money.

Thanks to AmyLynn for sharing her story of success with us! Check out the gallery below to see some of kittycrossbones' items. Check out some of our previous Quit Your Day Job posts.

Summertime Fun: What Events Should Etsy Know About?

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:22:00 -0000

We're always looking for new places to promote Etsy and, while we've come up with a great list of events, we know there are a lot we don't know about. Does your town have a really great seasonal market that everyone loves? Are you a fan of a big music festival or maybe a kazoo convention that's attended by lots of people who might love to hear about Etsy? Think your County Fair would make a good place to promote Etsy?

Tell us about possible events for us to reach out to — we know the Renegades, Art Vs. Craft and Maker Faires (they're great!); we want to hear about other types of things happening around the world!

Leave a comment with the name of the event, location and dates, and we'll work on creative ways we can make Etsy visible at as many events as possible this summer!

Don't Order Another 1,000 Business Cards!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:46:00 -0000

Dear Sellers:

I've been to about a thousand craft shows and met about a hundred thousand crafters. Cleaning out my junk drawer this weekend, I had an epiphany after tossing out a huge pile of business cards: they just aren't the most effective or fun way to promote yourself. (Though not a bad idea to have!)

Do you really want your business info floating about in a junk drawer with coupons, take-out menus and other miscellany? Here at the labs we make Etsy bandanas, mini-posters, lip balm, stickers, temporary tattoos and other inexpensive handmade items to give away. Your objective is to be remembered, so make your promotional items memorable!

Where's the best place to look for promo inspiration? TheSampler! (Check out this Storque article if you haven't heard of TheSampler.) The promotional and sample items sent in to give away in fancy promo packs are really creative and inspiring. Check out this months donations here.

Below are some cool promo ideas on Etsy. Be sure to let us know how you creatively promote your Etsy shop in the comments!

Trends: Promoting through the Sampler

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:44:00 -0000

The Sampler is a way for indie artists and crafters to get the word out about their small businesses. We thought this might be an interesting lens through which to look at trends in creative and entrepreneurial promoting. We asked Home of the Sampler's Lynn Kysh and Marie Kare about any trends she's spotted over the holiday push.

Many Etsians subscribe to and submit to the Sampler. Here's what absolutelysmall had to say about it: "Working with the Sampler has been delightful! I've been featured on blogs because of it. It's also been a really great stepping stone for me taking Absolutely Small seriously as a business. (Serious is a relative term, however.) Plus, I love receiving the Sampler in the mail. It's like a grab bag of mystery presents! I'm in it this month again. It's the only place outside of Etsy where you can score one of the new Chickenpants Limited prints."

Read on for Lynn and Marie's picks!

I'm noticing a lot of artists/photographers sending in prints or ACEOS of their art. Here are some Etsians who've submitted and whose work we admire:

absolutelysmall.etsy.com

Check out this amazing photo by curioush.

Marie and I are noticing a lot more letterpress which is interesting. Are they all taking the same class together or have tiny little letter pressing machines in their houses?

joiestudio.etsy.com

lizardpress.etsy.com

And personally, I looooooove these robots! I think they're for way HOT!

ittybittiesforyou.etsy.com

Sampler Town was busy this holiday season! Keep your eyes peeled for the Boston (and the surrounding area) Sampler and brand new Samplers Select.

Give a shout-out in the comments if you've ever submitted to the Sampler!

Oh, ps!
lizardpress had this to say about the Sampler and other ways to promote your biz:

"What is great about the Sampler, is that real live samples go out — the beauty of letterpress is that it takes a bite out of the page, you can feel and touch the letters, this 3-D quality is difficult to appreciate on a screen, no matter how fantastic the photo quality. By printing extra cards to send the Sampler, my cards get in the hands of potential purchasers and if they use them (some of my customers don't — they tell me they are going to frame them and that's ok too!), then the receiver is also seeing my work.

I've done two issues of the Sampler so far, they send samples to their regular subscribers, but a select few also to media people and I love finding my cards pop up on blogs across the net — MAKE magazine and craftypod.com are a couple of the blogs my work got to! Also, Marie from the Sampler contacted me to do a card for their upcoming Winter White Sampler Select, so that is an extra bonus!

For promoting on the ground, letterpress is really big in San Francisco and we are lucky to have the San Francisco Center for the Book (www.sfcb.org) that is a great network of letterpress, bookbinding and paper craftspeople which are great sources of information as well as finding out venues to market letterpress items. The SFCB and other bay area organizations the Pacific Center for the Book and the Bay Area Book Artists put on a few fairs that I've had great success at--customers come looking for cool letterpress stuff!

On the web, bloggers linking to other bloggers have been great to get the word out — sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com ordered my 2007 Book Arts and Printers' Fair poster off of Etsy and had a photo of it on her blogspot and I had a rush of orders for it over the next week. The same is true with my 2008 calendar that was featured in the Storque!"

Ooo! pps.
artbynorm had this to say about using ACEOs:
"It's challenging for a visual artist to promote one's own artwork. Artwork is such a personal thing - it's not something a buyer usually stashes in a drawer or closet and only brings out when the mood moves them. Art is something a person often looks at everyday. Buyers often have to see the artwork many times before they buy it — I guess the feeling is that if you see it 10 times and still love it, it's ok to hang in your livingroom!

That said, the Sampler was a great way for me to spread the word about my artwork. I offered ACEO's so that people would have the chance to put up a little piece of Norm and "test drive" it. ACEO's are the perfect size - they are small enough that you can put it anywhere - you don't need "that special place". Also, since my ACEO's are #'d, they are essentially collectible. I will only print 100 of each painting. When I'm rich and famous one day, they maybe worth big $$ — and hopefully people will hold on to them that long to say 'I knew her when...'"

Get the most from your post!

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:55:00 -0000

Anyone who has spent some time on the Etsy Forums knows that the Promotions section moves lightning fast. It can be challenging for sellers to create a good lasting impression to promote their shops, items or special sales. Etsy shopkeeper and bag designer, KJaye of FunkyChicDesigns offers some advice on how to use the Promotions Forum positively and effectively.

The idea behind using the Promotions forum is to bring people to your shop. So how do you get someone to click on your Promotions post to come and take a look? Think of it the same way brick and mortar stores think of promotion: their sign or sandwich board out front can either drive people in, or drive people away. For us Etsians, our “sign” is the title of our Promotions post.

Tip #1: Think carefully and don't title your post with anything you wouldn't put on a sandwich board outside your business if you had a store.

Imagine if you were walking past a restaurant and the sign out front said:

"Why aren't you people eating in my restaurant?"
"I'm going to keep promoting these tacos until one of you buy them."
"Please, please, please come into my restaurant. Really."
"No one loves my restaurant? No one?"
"I'm totally depressed - my rent is due and no one is eating here."

Would you go in? Generally speaking, people respond to positivity and confidence and tend to be turned off by negativity. See if you have a different reaction to these signs:

“We make the best tacos anywhere! Come in and try them!”
“Our restaurant is booming – check us out!”
“Our tacos are made with organic ingredients – come and taste the difference.”

Tip #2: Be clear and specific about what you are promoting in order to maximize the amount of people drawn to your post.

Another important aspect to get people to click on your post is to make your post specific. Although there is something to be said for mystery and curiosity in promotions, note the difference between the following signs:

“Come in for a...”
“Are you looking for ...”

vs.

“Come in for a great meal!”
“Are you looking for something to serve for dinner?”

Which store are you more likely to walk into? Don’t be afraid that being specific will keep people away. Being vague will likely keep more people away. It can also make your post stand out if you are promoting one specific thing, because a buyer looking for that type of item can go right to your post, instead of looking through several, possibly unrelated threads.

For example, if you titled your post, “Come and see my beautiful new tablecloths!” instead of “New! Just listed!”, imagine how much more it will catch the eye of a buyer looking for that item. It will also be easier for a buyer to later find that thread if they are searching forum posts for the keyword “tablecloth” instead of the keywords “new” or “just listed.”

Being specific in your title will not only draw more people to your post, it will likely draw the right people to your post. It’s better to have five people, who are actually looking for tablecloths, to click into your post than to have 25 people click in who aren’t looking for anything of the sort.

And the best part? By promoting positively and specifically, not only do you increase the number of people you draw to your store, but you can help “elevate” the level of professionalism in the Promotions section, which will encourage more buyers to spend more time there. And that’s all the more fingers ready to click on your great new promotional post!

Forum Decorum: The Commotion in Promotions

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:53:00 -0000

You've asked questions, received advice, contributed helpful ideas and chatted it up in Etc. Now you want to take your 10-gallon hat and horse into the Wild West of the Forums – Promotions. Better saddle up, pardner! This week's Forum Decorum is all about making sure your Promotions thread helps you make out like a bandit, instead of drifting off like some ol' tumbleweed.

First things first: look for a posse to ride with! Some of the most successful promotions like the Saturday Night Specials (often abbreviated as SNS on the Forums) are so successful because sellers banded together to make that single promo prominent, every single week. If there's already a thread with a group of people running the same promotion you're planning, think about joining up with them! Don't take the chance of buyers having to pick between another "Everything's Coming Up Cactus" promo thread and your own. Keep it to one thread, so you all benefit from the same viewers!

If you've got to strike out on your own, make sure everyone knows what you're all about. You might be tempted to showcase just one of your items in your own Promotions thread, but giving it a broader theme will not only catch the eyes of more buyers, but might earn you a posse of your own! Providing a theme that other sellers can fit with their own items ("Any o'you varmints want amigurumi sea creatures?" for example) can spur them to participate with you. This is likely to keep your Promotions thread more visible. Doing it this way will get you in a lot less trouble with the sheriff than doin' the bump, after all. Speakin' of the sheriff, make sure you don't let those threads trespass into Crafting & Business or Etc.

Don't forget that, with your buyer hat on, you can start a thread for those special items you're seeking. The craftspeople of Etsy are always willing to turn in your Most Wanted crafts if the reward is right! It's a great resource for buyers, and a lucrative opportunity for sellers.

That's just what the entire Promotions forum is intended to be: a gold mine for buyers and sellers alike. Following these guidelines will hopefully help you as a buyer to find just what you're looking for, and you as a seller to strike it rich! What're you waitin' for, pardner?

In the Forum Decorum series, Lauren (stellaloella) and RobWhite of the Community team explain some of the finer points of cultural etiquette in Etsy's community spaces. When something is an official site rule, we'll be sure to link you up to the DOs and DON'Ts or Terms of Use. Simply consider these as tips for avoiding a forum faux pas.

Etsy Team Tip: Make Team Promos!

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:21:00 -0000

Ever try to explain what an Etsy Team is to someone, and wish you had something to give them so they'd remember your conversation? Just like promoting your shop, having a little something for someone to walk away with can jog their memory and make your marketing more effective.

Business cards or stickers can be relatively inexpensive, especially when multiple team members split the cost. You can include your team's name and a little blurb about what you do. If you're a local team, maybe include something about the importance of supporting local artists. For a global team, you may want to include what all of your shops have in common - like a common medium or cause. You can also include any search phrases or tags your team uses, along with a blog URL, a flickr pool address or other sites of interest.

Make sure your promotional items are easy to read and really pop - people are more likely to keep and use something that looks really good! You can even hold a design challenge, like the Etsy Glass Team did, before you order cards. Once your promos are made and arrive, everyone on the team can take a big ol' stack to hand out when they're talking up Etsy, or to include in packages they ship out from their shops.

For stickers, business cards or other promos, browse on Etsy or check out the forums for recommendations from other sellers on where to get promos made.

I Heart Marketing My Etsy Shop and You Will, Too! Part 3

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0000

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

Marketing my Etsy shop.

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

What follows is the third piece of a series. Here's the first and second, if you'd like to start at the beginning. Let's go!

Outside Sales

I have often read in the forums, “What is Etsy doing to get us buyers?” To this, I think, “What are you doing to get yourself buyers?” Of course Etsy is working hard to bring new buyers to the site, but I firmly believe that we know our own products and audience well enough to be gathering our own customers, too. This is what I truly love doing. See the Internet as your access to an entire world of buyers, or maybe even a world of new friends who dig what you do. It is your job to help these people find you.

Google Adwords

Set up a Google Adwords Campaign. You can spend as little or as much as you want per day. Experiment. Spend $1 one day, nothing the next, whatever you want. You are in complete control over how much you spend.

How does it work? You create an ad and pick keywords. When someone searches Google for your keywords, your ad may display next to the search results. You can also set it up so that your ads display on Google’s content network, which means blogs, forums, news sites, etc. The best thing about this is that you are likely advertising to a group of people who are already interested in you. This is really key and something that we need to think about in all of our Etsy marketing.

Now, here's a tangent. Follow the tangent with me. The best way to sell anything to anyone is to find someone who already wants your product, rather than trying to convince a random person and “make him or her” want your product. The Internet is the best tool to do this. Target your marketing so that you don’t have to create a hard sell situation. Find the right person BEFORE you try to sell them your stuff. The way to do this is to know your product, know your brand and know your niche. Tangent done! However, this is something to think about in everything that we do.

In general, only try Google Adwords if you have a specific item with very specific words that you know someone will be searching for. With my zombie and sea monster shirts, this is easy for me. I know that someone searching for “zombie” and “shirt” will likely dig my items when they click on my ad. I also try to think of things that people might be searching for and try to buy those key words, too. When the zombie movie 28 Weeks Later came out, I added the movie title as a key word and got some clicks this way. I also saw my ads next to reviews of the movie on The New York Times website. Think about how products fit into culture and target your ads. Only you know your niche and products, but I bet with some thought you could make Google Adwords work for you.

Once you have used Google Adwords for a few days, find out what websites your ads are showing up on in their content network. I did this and found out that there are dozens of forums out there where people are talking about zombies and ghosts and Cryptozoology! I had no idea there was a website called IamHaunted.com! Now I do and I can buy an ad for my ghost shirts there. Thanks, Google!

A Million other Places on the Internet

Along those lines, buy ads on other indie craft sites. There are too many of these sites to list, but start looking at communities like Craftster.org or The Sampler. Blogs like Indie Fixx and Design*Sponge also good places to try out ads, or email sponsorship. The price for this type of thing totally varies, as does the benefit.

Look for and join online communities where you think your potential customers might hang out. Make stuff for kids? Find parenting blogs, forums, podcasts, etc. Join, comment, or even buy an ad on these sites. Just remember not to spam! You get the picture: there's a website for every niche out there. If you are comfortable, also try social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook or Flickr.

Start a blog where you document your craft. A blog is mucho work. Only go this route if you think you have time for it. I firmly believe that a blog is a “build it and they will come” venture. There is no need to tell everyone you meet about your blog a million times. If you write often, people will find you via search engines, which will lead to links from other blogs. If you blog for marketing purposes only, we will be able to tell. So try to blog from your heart and your life.

You can also join an Etsy street team, or better yet, start your own collective or online marketing team. LemonCadet and I are launching a website called Yeti Loves Seamonster that will spotlight our favorite sellers of kid’s items on Etsy. Don’t be afraid to buy URLs and set up websites to promote yourself and others. I firmly believe that the more you promote others, the more they will promote you. Create friendships and community and conquer the world together!

I have crazy dreams about the future of online marketing. I want to be able to modify your World of Warcraft characters to wear my shirts and hand out links to my shop. I want to map my items to my husband’s Xbox 360 Splinter Cell dude. These seem like crazy dreams, but I know that we will be doing these things in the future. The thing is to not be afraid to think big. The worst that can happen when setting impossible goals is failure. And truly, what's worse: failing, or not trying at all?

Marketing in the Physical Realm

Promotional materials are important. Duh. But have you taken a good look at your promotional materials from the standpoint of someone who has no idea what this Etsy thing is? Try to avoid business cards with just text on them. We need to see what you make! Think about creating your promotional materials to double as products. Want to send out a postcard with orders to remind people of your shop? Why not create an art card with a really cool picture of one of your items? If you put your shop name on the back of the card, it turns into a freebie rather than an advertisement. Been making badges or refrigerator magnets with your business name on them? No one but you cares about your business name and logo, really. Instead, I put my designs onto these promo materials, with my business name small in the corner. This turns promos into gifts that people will keep or give away rather than just toss or not remember.

And don’t be afraid to be generous. I always send extra stuff with orders. If something costs me less than a dollar to make, it doesn’t hurt me to send it for free. An extra badge or card or magnet sent to someone who buys a shirt, often becomes a gift that they give to a friend. That friend almost always shows up to purchase. The more that you put out into the world, the more you will get back.

Wear or use your own items out in the world. When someone asks about it, give him or her your card. This is obvious, but I often forget to do it! Along those lines, get your items into the hands of people! Have friends in bands or with theater companies or with kids or whatever? Give them stuff to wear! Your stock isn’t doing you any good sitting in your house.

Let craft shows work for you. Even if you do poorly at a craft show, give out postcards and samples to people who seem interested. You will see them again. I thought I wasn’t doing very well at a craft show a few months ago. I was totally bummed, but I was nice and gave out lots of free magnets and postcards and things and guess what? I found my shop written up in three popular blogs the next week. You never know who you're talking to, so be rad all the time.

I really believe that with some time and hard work your marketing efforts will pay off. Marketing should be fun. See it as a new craft. A new skill. A new friend.

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