Three Resources to Level Up Your Etsy Store in the New Year
As creative business owners we’re continually mixing things up in our marketing to see what delivers. Experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a constant rinse and repeat cycle. And it’s something that we’re always looking to refine and make easier for ourselves.
Etsy is now 13 years old, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past decade or so, it’s that what worked last year (or even last month) may not be working anymore when it comes to marketing our Etsy shops.
And because we’re small business owners, we also know that time is a premium and with the amount of hats we have to wear it can be hard to find valuable time to dedicate to professional development. However it’s 2018, and we know you’re ready to level up this year!
To help you do that, we’ve rounded up three budget (and time) friendly resources to help you get your Etsy shop nice and tight!
How to Style Your Photos Like a Boss
Great, well-lit, and well-styled photos are essential if you want to be taken seriously as a business and attract new customers. Excellent product photos don’t just increase sales, but they can (and should) instantly convey your branding and create an emotional connection with your potential customer.
AND, if you are taking great photos for your products they can also double as content on your blog, newsletter, and social media! Win, win, win!
Well, we’ve got you covered here at Dear Handmade Life with our Photo Styling 101 Workshop!
Here’s just some of what we’ll walk you through:
- How to communicate your brand through your photographs
- How to compose a well-balanced photo and photograph a project, step-by-step
- How to create a studio at home and on a budget
And to make it super easy, we offer tips for your iPhone and DSLR – so no matter what you take photos with you’ll learn better ways to use your tools!
Ready to get those photoshoots professional and delivering hard on the ROI? Learn more and sign up for our online workshop here.
How to Choose Photos that Drive Sales in Your Shop
We know that great photo styling is essential to making an amazing first impression and imperative in keeping your customers engaged and coming back. But, figuring out what that looks like can take a ton of time, and let’s face it frustration.
That’s where Whatify comes in.
Whatify is a state-of-the-art, automatic photo analytics tool for Etsy (and Shopify) sellers that’s proven to increase sales by an average of 10%!
What does Whatify do, and how can it help your Etsy or Shopify store? Here’s what they have to say:
“Research shows that a product’s photo quality is the biggest driver of its sales, even more than its tags, price, or customer reviews. We’ve tested thousands (actual number is over 130 thousand) of photos, and we’ve learned that it’s incredibly hard to predict which photos will perform the best. While of course there are best practices for product photography, there are no hard and fast rules for determining which photo will drive the most sales. The only way to reliably pick the best photo is to run a test. And that’s where we come in.”
Whatify helps you narrow in on the photos that best represent your products, speak to your ideal client, and save you time and frustration!
Their state of the art platform analyzes data for you, and it’s automatic – so there’s no massive learning curve.
And the best part? It’s not only affordable (they even have a FREE plan), but it’s a business write off! Whatify offers subscription prices that range anywhere from $5–$30 per month. Your individual pricing is determined by the size and revenue of your Etsy shop. Depending on your shop’s income (whether you’re just starting out, or have a revenue generating machine) you won’t pay more than you can afford.
Learn more about how Whatify can help your business and sign up here.
How to Nail Your Search Engine Optimization
Beyond photography, one of the most important things you can do for your business online is identify your keywords and use them throughout your marketing. Etsy is no different. Understanding what SEO and keywords work best for your shop is the difference between drowning in a sea of listings or bubbling right up to the top of Etsy’s search. But where to begin, and how do you decide what keywords will actually set you apart?
Marlo Miyashiro, on of our Craftcation 2018 presenters, has got you covered!
SEO tends to intimidate and elude people, but as Marlo will show you in her nine session CreativeLive class, SEO for Etsy, search engine optimization is really just a skill set that’s easy to learn once you understand how all the parts fall into place.
Marlo walks you through how to:
- Write search-friendly titles
- Put the best words in product tags
- Craft smart descriptions
Everything you will learn in this class will supply you with actions to help put your goods in front of more people online.
But the learning doesn’t just stop there! You’ll also learn how marketing and branding compliment SEO within your Etsy shop. You’ll receive tips for your newsletter, blog, and social media, all while tying it all back to shop. Learn more and sign up for the online class here.
Off & Running in the New Year!
Now you’ve got three resources to help you build and optimize your Etsy shop (and beyond)! What will you tackle first?
Are there other resources and professional development you’ll be looking into in 2018? What are they? How will they help you grow your business in 2018? Share with us below!
