So Joanna, please tell us about the techniques you use to promote your Etsy shop.As an Etsy seller, I'm basically trying to get my name and shop out "there" (the mega-giant world wide web!).
All my promos have a consistent branding feel to them. I think that this is important. I recently had a customer who saw my shop a while ago and liked my stuff, but didn't buy right away. What got her to purchase something was seeing one of my ads on majaba.org. It just goes to show that a strong presence makes a difference.
I use a number of different promo techniques to get recognized:Blogs: http://www.joannagoldman.blogspot.com
I blog mostly for promo purposes. On my blog you will find my latest creations, articles that i was recently featured in, and coupons etc for my Etsy shop.
Website: http://www.joannagoldman.com
My website useful and more "professional" looking than my blog. It basically cuts out all the fat and shows who I am and what i do. I try and keep it as clean and simple as possible.
Other sites:
I use flickr, facebook, myspace, Etsy forums, other forums, (and a whole bunch of other stuff that I'm forgetting about) as promo tools. This kind of marketing doesn't usually lead to immediate sales, but I've had success months down the line.
There is a great forum post that lists a billion places to list yourself on the web. http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5703544
I'm am steadily making my way through this list, and I think it's helping!
In addition to the free promo-ing, I've been sponsoring events, donating my items to be sold for charity, and participating in online contests.
I've started doing paid advertising too. So far I've done majaba.org, project wonderful, and I have the handmade children's showcase on Thursday. All of these have gotten me tons of hearts and more exposure. I am sure they will pay off in a few months time.In addition to Etsy, I am also consigning out my stuff to 3 stores: 2 in Toronto, Canada, and one online (http://www.trendyshoppes.com/)
It is important to keep in mind that building a business takes time. You have to plant many, many seeds before you can start to see any results. So far I've only sold 71 items off Etsy, but I'm still relatively new to this. I'm confident that this holiday season will be a successful one.
Stay positive, stay motivated, work hard and success will follow.
Thank you Joanna, for sharing your many different avenues for promoting your Etsy shop. I too, will go check out that Etsy forum post to work my way through the billions of places on the web to list my own shop.
Dear readers, when Joanna touches upon her consistent branding as part of her promotion (in her second paragraph) that basically means that once you see one of her promotions or ads or visit her shop, you recognize and remember her every time you see another promotion or ad. This is important, because it takes a while for a new advertisement to sink in. As long as your message is consistent, each view will work its way deeper into your customers' subconscious until they can't live without what you have to offer. This was true more than 120 years ago and is still true today. Joanna has figured this out and her consistency is paying off.
Now please go and check out her Etsy shop and her links! I bet you'll find a favorite or two!
.
This post was my gift from God today. It could not have come at a better time. My heart, my soul, my spirit and my self-esteem have been damaged recently and I have been doubting my networking stratagies. THIS piece was the "go get em' girl" that I needed. I'm doing everything right. My problem is patiences. I will now doubt myself less, and believe in my art more, and continue working as hard as I have been. Thank you SO Much for this article. With CONTINUED gratitude, Laurie B.
ReplyDeleteOh Laurie, I'm sorry to hear you've been going through a rough patch and doubting yourself. That's always so tough to get through. I'm glad this helped bring you back and give you confidence in what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteLately I've been reading Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson. (Partly to prep for an intense marketing class I'm taking next month, partly because I'm returning to college soon to complete my Marketing degree.) In the book he told the story of a brand of cigarettes that was considered to be a womens' brand in the 60's. The company wanted to change, so Levinson and his ad team shot pictures of real cowboys in Texas and used those pictures to advertise their cigs. Levinson told the company to be patient and stay consistent and things will turn around. A year later, the brand was still considered to be a womens' brand but they stayed with the cowboy theme. Do you remember the Marlboro Man when you were growing up? Those are the cowboys. As long as I can remember that's been a masculine brand. (It's now #1 worldwide.)
Long story, but the key is patience and consistency. RJ Reynolds put a ton of money into a crazy idea that took a long time to catch on but they knew it was a great idea and they stuck with it.
Laurie, if you know you have a great idea, stick with it and give it time to work. You'll see it pay off for you. So hang in there! And good luck!