Selling Handmade on Etsy – Focus Your Energy

The team at HandmadeMarketing.org is always on the look out for ideas from handmade seller’s for how to stay balanced while keeping up an Etsy shop or ArtFire studio.  Seller Michele Gallagher shared her tips in previous articles (”Press Outlet – Get Your Craft Noticed on Blogs” and “Get Noticed – Promote Handmade Online“), and is back with some awesome tips for focusing your energy.

“Managing three Etsy shops keeps me pretty busy,” said Michele, HandmadeMarketing.org reader and handmade seller behind the Etsy shop craftychick101.  “Not only does it take time to photograph, list and then package my goods (when I make a sale) I spend hours upon hours a week marketing my shops and trying to get my name out there. Like many other Etsy sellers, this is all on top of a full time job working for someone else.”

One of the most important tips Michele has found for people who are marketing their handmade creations online is to focus their energy.

“From spending time in the Etsy.com forums and chatting with other Etsy sellers,” Michele told us, “I can see that many people have the same problem I used to have – Where do I focus my energy?“

“Marketing your handmade products online can often make you feel like a dog chasing its tail,” she said.  “It’s an endless cycle of checking your email, responding to threads on forums, checking your email, tweeting out a link to a new product you have on Twitter, checking your email, listing a new product on Etsy or Artfire, checking your email – you get the point. A lot of this time and energy can be focused into creating and listing new items and finding more creative ways to get your items seen.”

Michele tells our team at HandmadeMarketing.org five simple steps for when you’re in a rut:

1. Focus Outside Forums.  “Don’t waste your time replying to Etsy forum threads just to be seen,” she tells handmade sellers. “These responses add no value to the conversation and will often be overlooked my potential customers. Only respond when you have something interesting or of value to say.”
   Michele explains that time spent in forum threads should be focused on either learning something or teaching something to someone else.
   “When you are a valuable player in the forums, that’s when people will take the time to visit your shop and see what it is you sell,” she told HandmadeMarketing.org.
   Need some additional tips on how to make the most of the Etsy.com forums?  Check out “Connect With Handmade Sellers – Etsy Forums“.
2. Check Craig’s List. “Creating an ad on Craig’s List is free,” Michele says.  “List your handmade item in your state and include pictures. Let people know they can contact you for more information.”
3. Visit Relevant Blogs. Michele recommends handmade sellers look to blogs for press.  “Is the blog owner willing to write a feature about you or your shop?” she says. “You won’t know until you ask.”
   Michele says getting featured on blogs is a great way to get different people looking at your handmade items. 
   “If they don’t want to do a feature, maybe they will sponsor a giveaway of one of your items for you. This will bring more traffic to their blog and will get potential buyers looking at your shop. Just make sure that the blog has a lot of followers and/or readers to make sure this venture is worthwhile for you too,” she says.
   For more ideas about how to find advertising and press opportunities for your Etsy shop, be sure to visit HandmadeMarketing.org’s “Advertising and Press” section.
4. Explore Twitter.  “Tweet, but don’t spend too much time on Twitter,” Michele suggests.  “Add new followers – find people who have similar interests and follow their followers. This will get new people looking at your shop as well. Tweet out new items you have in your shop with a link and tweet to a few people who are talking about things you can relate to. Then get off Twitter.”
   You can follow Michele on Twitter @craftychick101.
5. Keep Updating.  Michele says her most valuable tip is to keep updating your craft. 
   “Most importantly, keep updating and improving your craft,” she tells HandmadeMarketing.org.  “Oftentimes, we handmade sellers take so much of our time marketing our items, we can often forget to look for new and interesting ways to create. Look for inspiration in local stores, online, and around your house. It may be an interesting color combination you want to use, or even a new crafting technique. Just make sure you keep it new and interesting. This will keep people coming back to your shop and will make your marketing job a little easier!”

Thank you for the great tips Michele!

Interested in paid advertising spots for your shop?  Our HandmadeMarketing.org team likes one resource for sellers in particular.  If you are interested in paid advertising spots for your Etsy or ArtFire shop, check out Tara Shenson’s Ad Directory.

“The Ad Directory is a list of all the Etsy bloggers who sell advertising space on their blogs direct,” Tara recently told HandmadeMarketing.org. “You as a buyer can feel good about your purchase because you know you are not only getting prime ad space with your target audience, but you are supporting the handmade movement and everything it stands for by avoiding a big company like Google AdSense or Project Wonderful.”

Do you have tips for focusing your energy while selling on Etsy.com?  How do you make sure you are using your time online wisely?  How do you promote your handmade crafts?

Share your experience and tips by writing an article for the HandmadeMarketing.org community.  Submit your thoughts here! Be sure to include your social media and shop links so we can give you credit for the fabulous tips!