“When you have a multi-tiered sales effort, the first thing you want to do is understand the market. You want to go out there and map the competitive landscape. You want to know what your customers are saying.” – Brian Frank, Global Head of Sales Operations at LinkedIn
I’ve stressed this subject over and over in many of our previous articles, simply because understanding the market and knowing your customers will help your handmade business become more successful.
Enchantment is the purest form of sales. Enchantment is all about changing people’s hearts, minds and actions because you provide them a vision or a way to do things better. The difference between enchantment and simple sales is that with enchantment you have the other person’s best interests at heart, too.
So how do you enchant people and get your 500 sales in 3 months? We’ve kept close watch of what works and what doesn’t since we started. Here are some Etsy tips that really works:
Give Stuff Away
Most of us believe in karma. Share your product. If there are people who show interest in your product, give it to them. Most successful Etsy sellers gave away their products to many of their friends when they started out. Their feedback is essential to your beginning.
Help Your Customers Find You
Setup a Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Pinterest, a blog (if you like to write), a website, and a public email address. Encourage other bloggers to review you. These forms of spreading the word are slow-moving, but steady progress. You are building a brand. Every spot where you leave your mark is leading people to your shop.
Buy Advertisements
Etsians talk about renewing listings every day. This means you refresh your listing by checking it and clicking “renew,” which then re-charges the $.20/item listing fee. Most crafters have done this a few times. A lot of Etsians rely on the traffic that comes through the Etsy home page or site search. If you’re in a bigger niche, you might want to spend an average of $.20 per click on Facebook advertising, bringing the outside world into Etsy.
Facebook recently started accepting Paypal, which is just one more convenience. Google Ads are another very user-friendly advertising resource. However, I find the cost per click to be insanely over-priced. Books that teach the CPC strategy, like The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris, have increased the popularity of search engine advertising, leading to higher demand and higher pricing.
However, there are a lot of free advertising ideas for craft sellers.
So, ask yourself:
Who are your customers? How old are they? Are they predominantly male or female? Do they have a family or are they single? Are they conventional or quirky? What do they read? What movies/TV do they watch? Where do they take vacation? Are they laid-back or adventurous? What are their hobbies?
Write these details down and “build” a typical customer on paper then you’ll start getting morei deas on exactly how to find them.
Celebrate Your Sales
When you hit 50 sales, you need to CELEBRATE! and do it with the people who got you there. At 50 or 100 or first 200 sales, you can create a “Customer Appreciation Special.” Think of a new idea that is related to your products and let your loyal customers get them first. For example, if you’re making jewelries, order Chrysanthemum stone for the first time and make it debut on your shop but notify your loyal customers first before anyone else.
Finally, Let Them Know You’re A Friend
Let your customers and competitors know that you’re a friend. You have neighboring shops and you help each other, whether you realize it or not. Your advertising efforts outside Etsy brings hundreds of people to Etsy each day (and your competitors as well). I guarantee that some of them have shopped around and spent elsewhere. You are unknowingly helping each other.
So let’s exchange thoughts through the comment box below and share your other strategies to keep Etsy and your handmade business alive.
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