If you’re a seller on Etsy, chances are you are inherently a creative entrepreneur at heart. Whether you’re selling handmade jewelry or beloved collectibles from your vintage shop, you believe in your items enough to display them online for the world to see. While your shop may be filled with unique creations, there are still more than 2 million artisans and makers on Etsy. So, how do you standout?
Social media is a major vehicle for promoting your Etsy shop. Visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are especially effective for advertising your products, which are most likely to be aesthetic and one-of-a-kind creations. Snap eye-catching pictures displaying your products, and share them with your followers.
Remember that each social media channel is different so make sure your campaign suits the specific platform you’re sharing them on. For instance, if you’re focused on Instagram, don’t think about each individual post, but your entire profile should a customer visit your account. Your overall social media landing page should speak to the look and feel of your brand. Using similar filters or creating graphics with tools like Canva can help create a sense of consistency.
Whether you’re on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, use relevant hashtags. Think about keywords and the type of content that speaks to your audience. If you sell antique tea kettles, add hashtags like #antiqueteakettles and #antiquekitchen #vintageteakettle #porcelainteakettle to your posts. Similar to effective SEO, think about what your customer would type in to find what they’re looking for.
Most importantly, make sure you link to your Etsy shop in the bio of your social media profile! Best practice for building a strong brand and for brand recall to is ensure you have a branded domain linked to your Etsy store. This means, instead of promoting Etsy and relying on a long URL like, www.etsy.com/shop/MyEtsyStore, build your brand directly into your domain, www.mystore.biz. This not only increases brand recall, but makes it easy for your customers to find you and for returning customers to type your URL in their browser. You don’t have to build a brand new website, just set your domain to redirect to your Etsy shop. This simple step will dramatically increase your shop visits as well as word-of-mouth advertising.
Social media is a powerful tool, but it’s not the only one. Newsletters are an extremely effective method to reach your audience and entice them to buy your products. Dedicate time to building an email marketing list. You can do this by offering an incentive for subscribing, like a 5%-10% discount off their first purchase. Emails can include content about your next product launch and feature some of your latest blog posts. You can use free resources like Mailchimp to help you manage your list of contacts as well as produce professional email campaigns. We suggest setting up a professional email with your business domain as it increases open rates for email communications and builds trust with customers. For example, would you feel more comfortable sharing payment information with owner@mystore.biz, or owner@gmail.com?
If you want to accelerate your online following, consider collaborating with brand ambassadors or influencers. If you knit sweaters for puppies, consider sending a sample to a famous Instagram puppy. But don’t just pick someone for their massive following. Make sure their messaging and ethos aligns with your artistry. For instance, if you create custom headbands reminiscent of the 1980s, you wouldn’t team up with an elegant style blogger. Instead, pick a fashionista known for her retro style. Be strategic as you would about any partnership.
Working with bloggers is a great move. But blogging about your own business is an even better one. Launching a website and securing a domain is easier than ever these days, thanks to platforms like My.Biz. You can not only use this as a small business website, but as an active blog where you can write about topics that interest you and your target audience. Use topics of interest to draw them into your Etsy shop. Launching your own blog is a great way to also give followers a sneak peek into your creative process, and how you discovered your passion in the first place.
Last but not least, every time someone makes a purchase, follow up with a thank you note. This could be via email or the Etsy platform. Your customers could have bought from a larger retailer but chose to buy from you, so showing appreciation will go a long way. These personal touches and reminders will encourage shoppers to continue to support you and the artisan economy going forward.