Etsy-- Maximize Your Potential With 3 Daily/Every Other Day Steps

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Hopefully a few of the experienced Etsy sellers will chime-in with a couple of suggestions. Now that we've chatted about the importance of pictures, backgrounds, using your macro and touched on using descriptive words in the listings, (especially when your camera just isn't capturing the image you'd like) here's a couple of suggestions that go a bit "in-depth". You'll never hear me down-playing the role of promoting both on the Etsy site and off Etsy. Whether it's in forums like myLot, social networking sites such as Myspace or even in your own blog...self-promoting is essential to your success selling your handmade items. Getting people to your Etsy site is the ONLY way you'll be successful. Since we've touched on this previously (and I know I've mentioned this in many crafting and Etsy threads here on myLot) here's a few little tips to maximize you promoting off of Etsy. Etsy Mini- If you don't know what the Etsy Mini is, you need to find it, and get it set up ASAP!! You can find your Etsy Mini on your "myEtsy" page. You'll find it in the left hand column, down near the bottom of your page. It's easy to set up. Once set-up, copy the HTML link they provide you with and go to your myLot page. Click edit your profile, click to add HTML and then paste your link in the box (it might help to add some text before you paste your link...something like "check out my handmade....") If you do this correctly, you'll now be advertising some of your Etsy items on your myLot profile page! And the best part is, if someone clicks on one of the items in the Mini, it will take them right to your Etsy page! From there, anything can happen and the beauty of the Mini...once you set it up, you are done, it just keeps showing items in your shop! I have a 9 items Mini running on my profile page and a 4 item Mini running in my Blog. I also have a 12 item mini running on Yuwie. Promoting on Etsy- This is something you need to commit to and it needs to be done often. I know I don't promote everyday, I try to, but I don't. But when I can promote, I'm in the Promotion forum for 20-30 minutes, putting my links in threads (please make sure they fit in the thread....don't put a child's bathing suit in a winter scarf's thread) Try to leave some comments for the person who started the thread, a nice little compliment (and again, don't just say "nice scarf" w/o looking at it... I can tell when someone HAS NOT looked at my item...more about that in later threads) Try not to post and run and be sincere w/o being critical. Remember, these are the threads that buyers are also going to be looking through, when they want to buy something. They may not know what they want, so you want to compliment and be complimented because that is the type of thread that buyers will be interested in...the type that will not turn off a potential buyer! (believe me, the threads that breakout into cat-fights or are just rudely critical are absolute turn-offs to buyers and it may turn them off to the site if they're 1st timers!) Listings- Never, ever list ALL of your items in one day. If you have 6 new items to list, spread them out over the course of a few days! The reason for this is, when you list all 6 of your "bracelets" at the same time, you've flooded the category with a bunch of listings. Now that's great if there are buyers looking for bracelets, but 30 minutes later (and sometimes less) your bracelets are no longer on the top page of bracelets and an hour later all 6 of your listings are now buried a few pages deep. But by listing one in the mid-late morning and one in the early to mid evening, you've spread out your chances of having both of your bracelets viewed. By spreading your listings out over a few days, now poeple watching bracelets may see your shop name a couple times in the top pages, they may remember one they liked and click on your shop. The more you spread things out a bit, the greater audience you may reach and that's exactly how you maximize your listings. Once you have several items in your shop, you may not have something to list for a few days, but don't want your shop off the "front pages". Take one of your older items, maybe one that wasn't viewed (one that the buyers were active for) and re-list it. I like to use the same description and I always use the same set of 4 or 5 photos, but I like to use a different photo for my "lead" image and if I see other sellers making sales with similar items, but for more $$, I'll increase the price of the item (YES, increase the price! Remember only a few people saw the listing, you switched up the image and strangely, people buyers sometimes relate price to quality) The reason why I say increase, rather than decrease...it is very easy to promote a SALE on Etsy and you'll only need the forums to do so. No need to re-list, just promote. Relisting is the best way to get your shop back on the front page of a catagory and it only costs 20 cents. It's a great way to keep your shop in front of the buyers when you don't have a new item to list and it's a great way to spark interest in an item that may be sitting in your shop for 2 or 3 months! (Plus it gives a reason to get in the forums and promote your "new" listing!!!) Hopefully other Etsians will add a few more ideas or suggestions! And as always, feel free to ask questions if you have them!