Emera (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} eluneth) wrote,@ 2009-05-02 15:57:00 |
|
| Current music: | Flight of the Conchords - The Issues (Think About It) |
| Entry tags: | etsy |
Etsy Newbie Guide: Basic Shop Set-Up
I wrote this little list a while back - it's basically the advice that I find myself offering over and over to people on Etsy who ask for shop critique. This touches on the main aspects of store set-up, and a few on-site promotional ideas. Digesting the sheer volume of Etsy advice and tutorials available is a task in and of itself, so arguably I'm not even helping by adding to them, but it's convenient to me to have this in published form, so here goes. XD I originally wrote it for a fellow knitter (*cough* stuffu, a.k.a. kakaner.etsy.com), but most of the advice is generally applicable.
Banner: - Should be clear and give an idea of your style or aesthetic, and/or what the customer will actually see in your shop. You can use text and/or product photos to accomplish this. For example, my shop stock is very varied, but united in aesthetic, so I chose to evoke this by making a cute, romantic banner with a text description of my (cute, romantic) products, rather than using photos of said miscellany. Shop title: - This is what Google lists, so use the space wisely. Include any crucial branding information (e.g. your name, your product line's name), and if you have the space, a description of what your shop actually sells. Shop announcement: - Make it short (most people hate scrolling past the announcement to see your photos) & informative. - A good formula is usually some kind of little welcome message, including a brief description of what you sell, plus information about your shipping and availability for custom orders (or a nudge to look at your shop policies for that information), and any special announcements like sales or offers. Photos: - Choice of a first photo is extremely important because people really browse by photos, not titles. Your first photo should make people want to click and find out more. - Close-ups to show color, texture, and interesting angles are great, but you also need to be sure that the customer will be able to tell what your item is just from the thumbnail, which can be difficult with knit goods. (large ones in particular, obviously) - Use all of your photos. Every photo you have is another chance to make your potential customer like your item. Item description: - Again, make it as interesting as possible, include vivid details about taste, texture, colors, materials, etc. Make the shopper imagine having/using/eating (as the case may be) your product. Suggest possible uses and highlight unique features that might not be apparent just from the photos. (e.g. "Use these cards for personalized birthday greetings or thank-you notes!" "The fiber is as warm as wool, but without the itch.") - A very important part of setting up your item: as with photos, use ALL OF YOUR TAGS. If you run out of obvious things, like, say, "scarf, knit, winter, women," start filling in more descriptives, like "vegan, blue, teal, stripe, floral, flower, violet, nature, romantic, organic," etc. (Tag non-animal-product goods as vegan/vegan-friendly, where appropriate! e.g. apparel, accessories, bath and body) Colors are especially important for knit goods and the like, obviously. - If selling food, make sure you include ingredients as your materials. Make sure you fill in your store policies section, and have a little bit of a profile. - A lot of people like to know who they're buying from; Etsians tend to like being charmed, and it’s easier to trust someone whom you can get a sense of as a person and personality, rather than a stranger on the Web. About the Etsy forums: - A convenient way to get both critique (of photo choices, item descriptions, your new banner, whatever) and page views is to go into the Critique forum (via the Community tab in the navigation bar) and ask "Is this a good first photo?/Which photo should be first?/etc." That way a number of people will click to see your stuff, and give you suggestions on what they find most interesting. - A lot of people try to promote in the forums A LOT (you will find that everyone is quite obsessed with promotion, for obvious reasons), by posting frequently and trying to generate hits and name recognition. Personally I have never actually gotten a sale from the forums that I can remember (though it's quite possible that someone who found me from the forums bought stuff later & I just forgot where they found me from), although I DO get a lot of hits and hearts from it. So it really depends. When I post a new item I will usually ask for critique though, both for the actual advice and the promotional value. - Chat rooms can work similarly. I have actually gotten sales from there before, as well as meeting interesting people. Beware that both of these venues can be huge time-sinks if you let them. THE BOTTOM LINE: - Have a short, informative shop announcement. - Fill out profile & policies. - Choose an appealing and informative first photo and description. - Use all of your photos and item tags. - Forums and chatrooms can be useful for advice and promotion, within reason. Hope this is useful! |
