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Great Ways To Promote Your Etsy Shop And Make Money Selling On Etsy

Updated on August 2, 2012

Setting Up An Etsy Shop

So you've become skilled at a craft or have been doing one for a long time, and everyone raves about your work. "You could make money from this!" your friends and family members say.

That said, you set up an Etsy shop that features your beautiful creations. You do everything you're advised to do: have a large inventory ready to go, have fantastic pictures of your products and detailed, accurate descriptions. Your work is ready and waiting to be sold ... and nothing. Weeks go by and your Etsy shop gets hardly any views. Even worse, you haven't yet made any sales.

If you're in this position, as I once was, don't despair. This isn't a sign that your work stinks or that you're not good at business -- or that Etsy doesn't work. It does. But like anything other site that involved online marketing, you need to well, market. The viewers aren't going to come to your shop if they don't know it exists. Therefore, you have to advertise and promote your Etsy shop.

The bad news is, this takes a bit of work. Many people believe that just because something is on the Web, people will visit that page. But remember, your Etsy store is one in a large sea of stores. You need to get your name out there and let people know why your handmade goods are worth checking out or buying.

The good news is, there are plenty of great ways to promote your Etsy shop. Here are a few of the ways in which I've promoted my Etsy store and have managed to have successful results.

Jewelry By NaomiR

Here, I am practicing what I preach and am showing off some of my jewelry -- all available on Etsy!
Here, I am practicing what I preach and am showing off some of my jewelry -- all available on Etsy! | Source

How To Promote Your Etsy Store

1. Blogging: So far, this has been the most effective way for me to advertise my Etsy store. I keep a blog about my jewelry on Blogger. It's free and you can include nice big photos, which is a necessity when you're promoting a craft. But the trick is to actually keep a real blog. You can't just make one page and include a link to your Etsy store. You need to write often, at least once a week. I include pictures of my items, as well as the stories behind my pieces. I also have some jewelry making tutorials and my personal reflections on my craft. My blog isn't just about my work; it's about me and my life as an artist. This way, people can get to know me and have more of an appreciation for what goes into my pieces. I also include a link to my shop in each post and plenty of colorful photos. Many of my blog views come from Google Images, so pictures are definitely key. And this works as a chain reaction: the pictures on Google Images attracts people to my blog; this, in turn, prompts them to check out my Etsy store. Meanwhile, no money was spent in the process. Even better, if you hook up your blog to AdSense, you can end up making money off of it as a separate venture. When I created my blog, I didn't do it with this purpose, but now that it's been around for a while, I'm making a little extra income just from the blog alone.

2. HubPages: HubPages has also been a great place for my to promote my Etsy shop. I have a link to it in my profile page, as well as any Hubs that are appropriate -- like this one. However, as with the blog, you can't just post some photos and say, "Come see my shop." You need to write an actual INFORMATIVE hub. I put a lot of time into my jewelry hubs, including tutorials, photos, videos ... I don't just my hubs or blog as backlinks. I truly want to encourage and educate readers about my work. My writing comes from the heart, which is why readers end up looking at my Etsy shop. Having backlinks is a bonus. Again, having some extra HubPages money is a bonus, too!

3. Facebook: It's really easy to set up a Facebook fan page for your business. I have one for my jewelry business, Naomi's Designs, and it took me maybe 10 minutes to put the page together. You can include an Etsy Mini (an abbreviated listing of your inventory), updates, photos and videos, and is a great way to reach out to yet another community. At first, I asked all of my friends to "like" my page. But as time went on, more strangers have liked my site. Many other artists have Facebook fan pages, so join an FB group or seek out and like pages similar to yours. Another thing I've done to get views on my FB page is to post photos on the FB sites of major jewelry supply purveyors, like Fire Mountain Gems. Fire Moutain actually encourages viewers to post their work, so I've gained some fans with this method -- and they've headed over to my Etsy store. So if you knit or draw or carve wood, or sew -- head over to the FB pages of your material suppliers and see if you can get some more fans.

4. Twitter: This is yet another social networking site that allows you to get your name out there. But as with FB, you need to be active in getting followers. Don't just follow anyone; find people with similar interests.

5. YouTube: Having beautiful photos is a great way to attract customers; having an actual video of your products takes this idea to the next level. Set up a little gallery of your work and show it off. In a video, you can show how a piece looks in motion and explain what it is at the same time. You can also be creative in your packaging -- add music, write a funny skit or commercial. You'd be amazed at what goes viral; you just need some imagination!

6. Pinterest: Pinterest allows members to create virtual "pin boards" where you display products that you like. I have one for my jewelry. On Pinterest, you can download a "Pin It" button and every time you see something you like online, you can automatically pin it to your page. Members can then follow you or repin your items on their pages. Honestly, this one surprised me, but Pinterest has turned out to be a site that's sending a lot of people to my Etsy store. On Etsy itself, there's a button for you to pin items, so whenever I add a new product, I "pin" it onto my page. And if you have a blog on Blogger, you can include a "Pin It" button to show up by each post. This way, you're encouraging readers to spread your name and work.

7. Mycraft.com: Mycraft is yet another social networking site, only this one is for artists. It's set up for you to include Etsy items, as well as photos and links. There are also groups and forums on Mycraft so you can meet like-minded people and again, get your name out there.

8. Etsy: Yes, you should use Etsy itself to promote your Etsy store. Write a detailed shop announcement that captures people's attention. Post in the forums. Join a team. Create a treasury so that others will be inspired to include your work in their treasuries. The great thing about Etsy is that it's set up so that artists can help each other.

9. Cross promote. As with all online marketing, you need to get good backlinks for your sites. I do a lot of cross promoting between sites. I mention my blog on HubPages and link to HubPages on my blog. I post my blog entries and jewelry Hubs on Facebook. I do as much as I can to keep my sites interesting and active -- and to set things up so that one site helps the other.

10. Old fashioned methods: Online marketing is great, but old-fashioned methods for self promotion work, too! Get professional looking business cards. I give them out at craft fairs and include a couple of cards in each purchase made. Keep a list of e-mails from people who bought from you and send out a newsletter to them, telling them about your latest products. Ask friends and family members to give out your cards, forward the link to your Etsy shop and to tell the world who you are. With some work, you, too can attract more customers and get your Etsy store in better shape.

Use Facebook To Promote Your Etsy Shop

Promoting Your Etsy Store

Networking Your Etsy Shop

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