Focus on Your Product – Ideas for More Sales

HandmadeMarketing.org reader Renaissance Austin from Raghouse International, found both on Etsy and MySpace, has tips for other sellers about making the most of Etsy.com sales.

“When I first joined Etsy.com, I had already had about 150 items handmade because I previously sold at marketplaces.  I was referred to Etsy.com by a few of the buyers that purchased from me. I finally checked Etsy out and decided to join,” she told us.

“I have found that having a constant flow of sales really involves the listing process,” Renaissance told us.  “Within in three minutes of setting up my PayPal, I received a sale!”

When does Renaissance recommend listing items on Etsy?  “Every night around around 11:00 pm until about 1:30 or 2:00 am (California time), I would like at least 15 to 20 items,” she said.  “My goal was to get my shop full since I was a new shop. I would wake up every morning with a sale and would ship everyday! That was very exciting because for me sales in my shop started off very fast.”

However, Renaissance understands that not every seller has 10 to 20 items to list each day.  “What ends up happening is when there is nothing to list, sellers tend to fill up their time chatting or being involved in a lot of social networking,” she said.  “And I mean a lot!  I even found myself spending a lot of time online and not making anything new and reading how others market and promote.”

“I finally recalled my first few months on Etsy,” she told us, “and learned that even with all the social networking and internet promotions, I’ve found that the product is at the forefront of it all at the end of the day.”

Renaissance said she shared a similar feeling that other online sellers feel – you’re missing out if you are not online.  To remedy this, she joined an Etsy Team.  Although joining the Etsy Team did not directly increase sales, Renaissance says she loves the community, support and resources that come from being in a great Etsy Team like CCCOE (California Crafters Club of Etsy).

She shared some tips fro new sellers for staying focused and building a great business:

1. Focus on your product.  Renaissance says the quality, time factor, photos, and quantity of your handmade items make all the difference.  “I have found that many people simply just found me from searching and did blog features on me. By listing many products, I averaged 10 to 13 treasury features all by infiltrating the search engines with my products!”
2. MySpace.  “Get a MySpace,” she says.  “It’s one of the best free marketing and promotional tools you can have.”
   “On my MySpace, I usually do a Winter, Spring/Summer, and Fall campaign, just like major designers and top brands do. I change my profile up with every season keeping it fresh. I was interviewed by Venus Magazine who actually found me on MySpace,” she says. “Take professional photos of your designs showing the best way that your products are used.  MySpace or your website is your virtual business card.”
3. Blog. “Blogging is really great,” Renaissance tells us.  “I found out about blogging on Etsy and never looked back! I love it. Feature other shops, talk about things that people really want to know about. Try to keep it informational, about your product. Have giveaways every month or every two months! Think about promotional exchanges. That has really worked for me. Promotional exchange is you do something for someone else. I did a promotion last year where if a seller featured me in their Etsy Treasury, I featured them on my blog as a thank you for including me. If if there are not sales, it is exposure and trust me, other sellers really really appreciate it when you work hard to expose them as well.”
   HandmadeMarketing.org has helpful past article for how to start a blog and how to keep a blog fresh that you’ve had for awhile.
4. Time and commitment.  Renaissace says it takes true dedication to tell handmade online. “I am a fiber artist and have maintained over 150 items in my shop. I run into a lot of sellers that say they can’t make that many items or that they will never have that much in their shop,” she says.  “Then I would check their shop out and their product would be something small like a hair clip and I would think to myself that they can reach 150 items!”
   “You have to really believe that you can do it. It takes commitment and focus. So try to improve on your sales by making more products and listing more products! Infiltrate the search engines which will increase treasury visibility and draw attention to your shop resulting in more blog features and write ups!”

Thank you for the tips Renaissance!

What do you think of the tips Renaissance told HandmadeMarketing.org?  Do you think it would be beneficial to add more items to your Etsy shop? What time do you think is best for adding new items to your shop?

Share your ideas with HandmadeMarketing.org!  We want to hear how you partner with other crafters to sell handmade online.  Comment on this post, or tell us more details by submitting your thoughts under our “Join” tab.  If our editors publish your thoughts, we’ll link back to your shop, website, or blog!