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

Are you a Team that wants to be far-reaching and have lots and lots of members? Or do you think you'll accomplish more as a small, solid, core group of really active Etsy sellers?  There are pros and cons to having a super big or very small Etsy Team. Thus, the question becomes: how should Teams attract new members, if that's something you're interested in doing?

Big Teams mean lots of members spreading the word — promoting each other's shops, linking to and from all sorts of blogs, talking up your big events. It requires an extraordinairy amount of organization, teamwork and communication. Thus, you need to make sure all members are helping the Team achieve its goal, and that everyone is on the same page in terms of what your Team is about, what's expected of members, and the information you're spreading.  

Some Teams opt to cap membership at a number that they feel is effective for working toward their goals. If you seek membership to a Team that isn't accepting members at the moment, never fear: there are literally hundreds of other Teams you might join, or you can start a new Team. Having a limited number of members might mean your Team's work is juried, so that you know every member is selling goods that mesh with the feel of the Team. Or perhaps a local Team feels it's too hard for a group bigger than a certain number of people to meet or organize local events.  Whatever the reason, if a Team isn't accepting new members, don't take it personally!  Step back and re-evaluate to find another Team to join.

Members of EtsyDUST in Sydney, photo by EstaSketch on Flickr  

If your Team is using the convo tool to find new members, you might have butted heads with Etsy's infamous spam-bot. While it's great for blocking spammers trying to convo many people in rapid succession, the 'bot does make it hard for Team members to shoot convo's to multiple sellers quickly.

An important point to remember: there's no need for sending copy-and-pasted conversations to recruit.  While a short note indicating that a seller is a great fit for your team is friendly, you don't want to organize a mass campaign of spam from your Team.  Convos to potential Team members should be personal and genuine, sent to individuals from individuals.  Don't try to "sell" people on your Team — odds are people you recruit via mass convo won't make very active members anyway.

What are good ways to expand your Team?
Your Team Leader should include joining information on your Profile page.  In the "How To Join" area, indicate if you're seeking great new members (it's also helpful to say that Team is not accepting new members on your Profile page, if that is the case). Write up information about how to join on your Team's blog or social networking pages.  Spread the word via your individual shop announcements or in the Etsy Forums. There are lots of ways to get the message that you're growing as a group out there.

Etsy Teams are growing really quickly, and we love that so many sellers want to join in to promote their shops, Teams and Etsy. For more information on Etsy Teams, check out the Teams pages and this page of Frequently Asked Questions. Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!