Revisting the Etsy MARRIAGE Proposal : Social Networking Bridal Style

I originally posted this article on Handmadeology, however; someone has started a Marriage Team up on Etsy because of my article, and it's helping Etsy sellers--- so if you haven't read it yet, maybe you should!



A wedding doll of mine is probably on her 10th marriage by now.



"Will you marry me?", asked RetroBabs. After I thought about the idea of marrying her for about thirty seconds, I agreed.  After all, I was already married to a few others too.  In fact, I'm the one who suggested getting hitched in a few articles.  Of course, I've never met any "my so called wives", never obtained any marriage licenses and certainly husband doesn't even realize I have these other marriages, so perhaps I should explain...now as crazy as this may sound, I am taking the time to share this secret with you because it DID work for me!



My Definition of an Etsy Marriage:
Essentially, an "Etsy Marriage" is my idea on increasing your shop sales by teaming up with another member wherein the relationship mutually benefits you both.   This is where you must seek and find a shop owner who is as passionate about selling as you. By proposing this idea of faux-marriage to them, you both agree to promote each other's shops, blog about each other, and social network each other's items in and outside of Etsy.  Now let me explain further.

Dino Love Cake Topper by Jennifer Marsh shop theaircastle shows the perfect mate!

Your Ideal Marriage Partner:
Your goal is to find a shop who has more sales than you. This is most likely going to be someone who has been on Etsy longer than you, and has learned a thing or two. Read their profile and their announcement, and see if they blog, twitter, or have a Facebook because that is key. 

What Your Potential Husband or Wife Sells is Very Important For Success in Marriage:
One of the key questions I get asked all the time is, should you find someone who sells the same as you? My answer is no.  Someone complete opposite?  No, but this is a tricky question so I'll get more in depth with my answer.

If you make and sell lucite rings, it will do you no good to marry another lucite ring seller. This would be a total conflict of interest, and quite frankly, your direct competition is not going to help you. I'd hate to see you in divorce court before the honeymoon period is over.   Your goal is to find indirect competition where both shops can benefit. Here are a few ideal marriages:

• The lucite ring seller who makes bright and cheery rings marries a scrabble tile pendant seller whose look is the same. 

• The baby onsies seller (with baby hats and clothing) pairs with the baby plush toy seller.

• A necklace shop marries a ring shop.

• The crocheter pairs with the needlepoint seller.

• Someone who wire wraps jewelry marries a metal artist. 

•  A handmade tote bag seller marries someone who sells a lot of homemade cosmetics, hair care products, or someone who sells beach wear.  It would be very easy for the beach seller to promote the bags! 

•  A seller of homemade dog treats marries a dog coat maker. 

•  A ceramic or clay tea pot maker marries someone who sells herbal tea and natural herbs.

•  A bridal veil maker marries a wedding scrapbook or party favor themed shop.

• A handmade upcycled notebook maker marries a handmade greeting card artist. This is easy to cross promote and they have a common love of ephemera.

• A supply seller who sells charms marries someone whose main supplies are jewelry findings. Both cater to people looking to make jewelry and have a love for supplies.

• A jewelry maker whose work is steampunk designs may seek out and marry a gothic hat maker, or clothing maker.  Better yet, what about a clock shop?

• A vintage jewelry seller marries a vintage clothing shop.  Accessorize those retro clothes!

• A green herbal remedy shop marries a green food shop. Buy some food and healthy alternatives too.

• A person who sells recipes which include desserts marries a cake supply seller. 

• The soap seller pairs with the lipstick seller.  Beautify yourself!

• A shop that sells handmade hats that look like they are from the forties should find a vintage shop who specializes decor from the same era.

• A furniture designer who makes retro looking furniture could marry a vintage housewares shop--the thought process here is someone who likes retro design would shop both.

"The Lovers" Ceramic Wall Platter by AdrienArt of Seattle.

 Propose to the Potential Husband or Wife and Suggest 4 Ways the Marriage Will Work: 
Convo them on Etsy and be honest. Tell them you are asking for their help. Tell them you like their products, and think you could work successfully together on promotions. Offer them an item free from your shop or samples of your products if they help promote you a bit.    Here are ways they can help you and you'll want to suggest some of these at first, but save some for later.  (Don't overwhelm your new husband or wife all at once...)

1) USE YOUR PROPS IN THEIR LISTINGS

• Send them samples of your product and ask them to state this in the item description. I use Mattie Reid's handmade rings (above) and showed them on my glove molds. I use the rings a lot, so she gets credit in the listings over and over again. Note that I used them in a few photos, and make sure to steer people to her shop in the description itself. Your marriage partner could word it a bit differently, but the overall aspect would be the same.

2) SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT REFERRAL: 

 

• Ask them to list your shop in their shop banner as a shop they love. "Shops I love : YOUR SHOP HERE  (see examples above....) A lot of sellers say "For great purses go here, for jewelry go here...." and they have a few shops listed in their announcement which is okay!  After this shop added me my sales went up.

3) TWEETING, FACEBOOK, & SHARING YOUR ITEM:

Tweeting gets people to look at your items.

• Tweeting is very easy on Etsy, there's a share button now when you go into any item! If they are big Twitter users, ask them to tweet your items in question form to their followers ie:  "What do you think of this great rose made from a tie at TranzendentalArts?  If not, maybe they use Facebook?

Today on my blog we're reviewing Bags and Purses like this great one from LizzieCaye!

4) BLOG or GIVEAWAY:

• Ask them to review your products on a blog!  Nothing looks better than the free purse they've sent you smack dab in the middle of their blog!  If they have a HUGE blog following, ask them to do a giveaway for you! This means lots of people looking at your shop. 

Give it Time:
Remember Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is any Made-in-Vegas style wedding.  It may take you a few tries to find the perfect for shop to wed, but if you keep trying, you will and the benefits can pay off. I hope you'll try it and with some practice that it works for you as well as it's worked for me.


Sincerely,

Social Media 101: Placement of Your Etsy Shop in Your Blog

I originally published this article for Handmadeology, and Tim liked it so much it's an a blogging ebook. I want to share it again with you all in case you missed it as placement is so very, very important!

Your Etsy Shop Should Be Visible on Your Blog or Website. 

(Yes, This is an Issue!)

Sometimes, it's the simple things we overlook. I'm here today to tell you how important it is when doing your social networking, to have proper placement of your Etsy shop on your blog or web.  I am not even joking here when I say this is a real issue in one of three blogs or sites. As I am involved in several Etsy teams and come in contact with thousands of members per day, I cannot tell you how many people ask me to look at their blog or web and wonder why it's not driving traffic to their store. Sometimes, we'll be talking about Google Analytics and they say, "Well Google says I get no traffic from my blog."  So , I pull up their blog, and I can't believe my eyes.  Here I will discuss examples of what I'm talking about, (these are real blogs, that I read, and names have been whited-out to protect the unknowing!) I will show you proof that what I'm saying is true. I will then tell you how to fix it, if you fall into one of the two categories below.
Case#1 : "The Lack of Blog" 
No Link to Etsy Shop on an Etsy Seller's Blog.  

This blog has great content,  however, this is an Etsy seller and has nothing to drive you to the Etsy shop.  As soon as I finish this, I'm contacting her as I've made her an avatar to put smack dab onto the top of her blog. 

Case #2 : "Placement Poverty Blog"  
Link to Etsy Shop Is Not "Above the Bar", meaning you have to scroll to find it.  

 The Etsy Seller has a beautiful blog, and is making great use of the follow her on Twitter button, but what of the Etsy Mini?  I had to scroll down to see it. It's not at first glance, above the bar. In other words, I'm always reading her TOP POSTS. So, why would I scroll down and read something I've already read, which means, I probably wouldn't notice it. Are you suffering from Placement Poverty?

Primo Placement Solutions
Your blog or web should have a nice avatar going direct to your Etsy shop.  Furthermore, this should be one of the first things you see when you pull up the site or blog. Remember, it's the window you first see when you first pull up the screen -- the top of your computer page or above the bar. You don't want to "scroll down" the blog to find your avatar. Especially if someone is checking your top posts, or visiting your blog frequently, they may only read the first post or so. Here are examples of primo placement.

Primo Placement Position #1 : Next to the Blog Post Title.

Shameless promotion, maybe, but my store is the first thing you see onmy one blog that features other Etsy vintage sellers.  Why not? I'm the top sponsor if it's my own blog, and doing all the work, right? When you read the headline you also see my shop. Very cool placement. 

Primo Placement Position #2 : Next to the Start of your Post.

Now, I'm second down on this blog, and moved from my right hand position. On the right is a paid advertiser, so I decided that the best placement for me is to be right where your eyes start to read the post. The choice of colors for my avatar "pop" out from this page don't you think?

I could go on and on, but you can do this simple math by looking up the blogs you subscribe to. Upon visiting the page, how many actually have links, avatars, or products pointing right to their Etsy shop above the bar, on your screen staring you in the face?  Do you have to scroll to find it?  If this is you, do something now!  If it's your friend, send them this article, quick!

Show them the PROOF of what I'm saying is true!

Here is my 2nd blog above, where I actually have lower placement. It is solely responsible for driving 35 new visits to my shop last month, and those people spent an average of 6 minutes and 46 seconds looking at my Etsy shop.  Each one looked at approximately 4.86 pages per visit. It appears I am my own source of traffic!

 

TAKE ACTION! Make either:


1. An Avatar: Quick and Easy Link to Your Etsy Shop!
These were all made with either basic programs like Paint, or Picnik, which is free to use. They don't have to be fancy , but should peak your curiousity!  Most were used by using Etsy photos, and adding text and a frame in Picnik. What's not to love, 5 minutes later, you are on your way to the perfect shop avatar. Add them as a Picture and link them to your Etsy shop. So quick, and so easy, and FREE.

2. Use the Etsy Mini!
If you do not want to design an avatar,you can use the Etsy Mini, which you can make in different sizes to showcase your items.  I'm sure every Etsy seller is using or has heard of those, if not, this is what it looks like:






Go to Etsy - then Click on Your Account
Find Lower Left Column "Promote"
Click on "Etsy Mini"


3. Use the Pocket Shop!
Here is an example of a pocket shop (and these are great because you can choose different skins to match your blog.) This one is going to highlight Etsy seller BarSoap's shop. You can either highlight everything in the shop, or only "one section" of your shop, for instance, if you have an overstock in earrings leftover from that last crat show and you are dying to unload them. Available at CraftCult.







Tip on Scripts: I personally like the picture avatars because "scripts" can sometimes slow up your blog load times. If you use the "Search this Blog" by Google, that is one script. A pocket shop would be a second script. Too many scripts, and your page load time decreases. Choose what is best for you and your blog. Then use your analytics and compare the month after you made the change. You should see improvement!  Please come back to this post and comment here and tell me how it worked for you!

If you want to thank me for this basic enlightenment, tell people about my new blog, which is all about vintage on Etsy here. 

You May Also Like:  Tim's Post Using Google Analytics.

Item Donation & Social Media Drive : Etsy Recyclers Guild Advertising No More Team Shop

The Etsy Recyclers Guild has always held advertising on Sites and Blogs such as Everything Etsy, Handmadeology, and Craftopolis. Doing this required monies that, in the past we were able to obtain from the the combined effort of Team Shop funds and Etsy Grants.


The Dilemma:
With so many Etsy teams cropping up, grant money is few and far between. The Team Shop was recently closed, due to lack of sales, exposure, and more, so now that we are going to rely on the members for help. 


The Solution:  
We are selling ads cheap with Project Wonderful, but we need your help with one or more of the following: 

 

Part A :  PRIZE DONATIONS NEEDED
Members and Non Team Members Donate Prizes and Get Exposure Here on the Blog.
The first items needed are for prize donations. In the past we've had great donations from both of my shops, Relove, MattieReidChicago and TexasVintage and hosted some exciting contests.  Now it's your turn. All prizes should have a "street sale value" of $20 or more.

It can be something you made, a small prize pack, something you are re-gifting (new, not used!)  or something vintage, just about anything will do! *You will have to send this item to the prize winner with delivery tracking or confirmation, so be aware some of the winners are sometimes intl. A necklace can ship internationally very inexpensively, wherein a huge ceramic bowl will cost an arm and a leg.*

Contests will increase exposure as the word spreads and are open to non-team members.  If you would like to be a prize donator, this even gives you added exposure to your Etsy shop, as we are a page rank 3 blog and we will mention you are the donator and put in some good words about your shop. By donating, you are agreeing that you must send the prize to the winner, and sometimes these winners may live out of the country, so it's best to keep the item under a few lbs.  If you can do this, please contact me via my Etsy shop. 

and / or 

Part B :  YOUR WORD NEEDED

I'm asking all of you bloggers, website owners, tweeters, or Facebookers to support your team.
It doesn't cost you anything but a few minutes to tweet a recent post you read here on the Recyclers Guild Blog, or put a link to a recent post on your Facebook. If you blog, talk about our team and write about your favorite shop. Put links back to our blog so we can be found. Better yet, talk about a member's shop you love.  Word of mouth is sometimes the best promotion.

and / or  

Wee piggy bank from HausProud

Part C:  DONATE PROCEEDS FROM A SALE ITEM
We are going to rely on each shop who wishes to participate, to sell a special item and donate a portion of their profits to the team kitty.  Doing so will make it easier for items to be found.  It will also allow the shop owner to have the shipping costs covered, something the team shop didn't do.  So if you have a glove mold for sale, and it sells for $20, donate a small portion to the team kitty. To do this, you must send a paypal payment, IN THE FORM OF SERVICES ONLY (or it will have fees) To IraMency@verizon.net and put in the subject line TEAM SHOP DONATION. It may take me a week or more to update this information.

You can view funds at any time HERE on our Google Spreadsheet.  We will not be able to advertise until we get to $100.

Etsy Users Should Be Using HandmadeTop10's FREE Exposure!

Have you tried this site---> HandmadeTopTen? It's almost like an "ETSY VOTER" site, I love it, it's addicting and fun to play with.

It's free exposure for your Etsy items!

What's more, if "a list is open" you can add up to 2 items in your own shop to the list for free! Others looking on vote on your items  and during the voting process people get to SEE your item driving more exposure and hearts to your shop.

There's every possible catergory you can think of, from supplies, wedding, soaps, team lists, vintage, and pet accessories only to name a few. I love it!  I have to say I've been secretly checking it every chance I get, and added a few bags from LizzieCaye to the handbag list.  Anyone out there sell purses? Add yours now!
 
Here's the latest supply list, you can view the list by clicking here and please vote for my glove molds !!!! Here is what the list looks like! 




And just who brings us this great site? None other than Timothy Adams of Handmadeology.

Tweetiquette: The Dos and Don'ts of Promoting Your Site on Twitter

by Edward Stern who also writes for online accounting degrees and sonogram tech among other fine sites

Twitter is all but necessary now to promote your site. Tweetings helps connect your product with current readers, and is greatly influential in reaching new ones. It is an amazing, public way to gauge what people are saying about you, your competition, and trends in your industry, and to respond and adjust your methods accordingly.

At the same time, it's easy to misuse. Too many tweeters lose followers and tarnish their site's brand by making common, easy mistakes. Follow these Twitter dos and don'ts to learn tweetiquette and promote your site effectively, gaining new followers and furthering your product.

Do:

• Spell check your tweets. Yes, Twitter is about being concise and it has its own language with many abbreviations, but still, try to use proper English when possible. Proof read your tweets to use correct spelling and grammar. Slip ups can confuse what you're trying to convey to your followers, and also make you look unprofessional. Believe it or not, spelling still matters, even on Twitter, where poor usage of the English language runs rampant. Set yourself apart from the pack.
• Respond to feedback, positive and especially negative. Twitter is a tool for conversations, so have them, particularly when they pertain to the site you're promoting. When people give you praise, retweet it or personally thank the users. However, if there are negative tweets about your site, don't ignore them. Be proactive -- more often than not, tweeters just want their concerns to be addressed. Cease negative talk as quickly and diplomatically as possible. Ask users giving negative feedback to direct message their concerns and take their bad feelings out of the public eye.
• Promote others' work, events, etc. Twitter is also a tool for promotion (which is why you're using it), but don't make it all about self-promotion. Tweet about significant work or events done by related tweeters, such as for good causes or work you admire. Not only will it get you some good faith from followers, it may get you some followers in turn due to retweets. Moreover, it can help when you need to promote something later on -- a kind of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" partnership.

Don't:

• Spam. This is a fine line to walk, and one many tweeters fall on the wrong side of. Yes, promote your site, but don't make that all you use Twitter for. You'll quickly be labeled a spammer, and lose followers and respect. Some social media experts suggest 10-15 non-promotional tweets for everyone one you do for your site; while that may not entirely be realistic from case to case, keep in mind to have a good balance heavily favoring non-promotional tweets.
• Tweet worthless tweets. Tweets have "worth," based on how they can attract followers, mostly through mentions and hashtags. Bland, useless tweets like "Walking the dog" are worthless. Though tweets have a short shelf-life, make them count. Mention someone, join in on a trending topic, but keep it related to what you're trying to promote -- add your voice, and work to make it a trusted one for your field.
• Have a generic profile. You're promoting your site, and having a barren, generic profile page with an amateurish picture will reflect poorly on what you're promoting. Incorporate your logo, themes, colors, whatever it is that graphically designs your site into Twitter with your profile page. It will make your page more enticing, make your site look more professional, and will make fellow Tweeters take your site more seriously.

5 Blog Features That Drive Visitors Crazy

Pillow from Hutch Design!

Making a blog look unique can be a trickier prospect than it seems from the outset; it's completely open-ended and can thus go very well or very poorly, depending on what your blog's goal is. Regardless, here are a number of things that you should almost never do, unless your blog's goal is to alienate and annoy potential readers:

1. Embed auto-playing music.

Music is not necessarily a bad thing; music that plays as soon as a potential reader loads a page almost always is. It makes as good an impression as yelling at a stranger, and it's one of many reasons why no one uses MySpace anymore. If you run a music blog, embed streaming media players that don't auto-play. Also consider linking out to music you want your reader to hear, so that they can listen at their leisure, rather than in an agitated state.

2. Embed unskippable ads.

No one liked pop-up advertisements in 2001, before everyone's browser included a tool to kill them instantly. Now no one likes unskippable ads, which make users wait before they can view your blog's content. Unless you have something that you know everyone wants, stick to targeted ads that make sense for your readerbase, rather than irrelevant ones that waste their time.

3. Use Flash exclusively.

The lure of Flash is understandable. It can make things pretty, it makes them detailed, it can make them wholly, uniquely yours. It also makes them drain resources on almost every modern web browser and can't be viewed on any device running Apple's iOS, making the technology dated and impractical as interface designers move into the future. Furthermore, Flash is a poor choice for blogs because it renders text solely as you design it, rather than in a medium that looks best to your reader (whose eyes might not be able to render text as small as yours).

4. Choose an obnoxious font.

Bad font choice can do wonders to hurt your credibility, especially if that font is Comic Sans MS (famously used on the tags of Beanie Babies by comic artists too lazy to pen their own text, and eight-year-olds the world over). Color combinations can be equally devastating; avoid yellow on white, for example. Stick to a more conservative font and a color combination that complements your layout, rather than one that renders your content unreadable.

5. Create a bad layout.

Deliberately terrible layouts can make for good art, but rarely convey information in an effective fashion. Stay away from noisy embedded background images, resource-intensive add-ons, and other unnecessary decorating. Make your content as accessible as possible and your readers will be relieved when it doesn't take them a month to find something in your archives.

-This post was written by Gerald Martin who also writes on being a radiology technician for www.onlinecollegedegrees.net

Business Tips from Design Sponge - Bookmark This A Must Read Says Etsy Recyclers Guild Team

I don't know how many of you take the chance to scour the web for free business tips, or tips to sell online or grow your business, but I do.  When I find something wonderful I just have to share it!  Today, you must really bookmark and check out this Biz Ladies series on DesignSponge.  They add new things periodically, and quite honestly, this advice is priceless.    So what are you waiting for?  The Design Sponge Series is here.
Have fun!

SEO and Sales Tips, and Experiment from a Backwoods Barbie : Part I

CASE STUDY: PART ONE

Sigh.   I'm always learning this technical crap and reading up to see what changes I can make in my websites, stores, titles, and tags to sell better.  Considering a year ago I didn't know what a "blog" was, I think I'm doing darned good at learning the ropes and now even make sites and blogs for others which is just insane.  The moral here: don't be scared of learning what you don't know, just make it a point to study harder!

When I first opened my first Etsy store, Retro Chalet, I wasn't "dedicated" to maintaining or cross-promoting as I have grown to be in the past year and a half. One, I didn't have the time. 

Two, I was clueless. I didn't know about tagging, titles, and keywords like I do now. 

Three, my photos sucked.  I remember traveling and taking camera-phone grainy photos and uploading items and wondering why they didn't sell.  Those same items, I my relisted with better photos and better keywords and they sold quickly.  My second store I almost titled the same Retro Chalet Studio but separated my handmade this way. 

PHOTO STUDY:  Let's take a moment.

Does this photo jump out at you?

A good picture is worth 1000 words.  (Arnold, I love you.)
  I'm just saying, this photo makes you look, right?

SUCKY PHOTO!

Cheesy photo, this will never sell my item.  I was in a hurry, and it shows. No detail ACK.


BETTER BUT STILL HORRIBLE, NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT:
I was experimenting with different backgrounds, this would have been okay had I cut just the focal point on the photo out and did it closer so you could have seen the detail.  Who wants to see my dirty table?   Too much going on!  I'm not selling the flower I'm trying to sell the sculpture!


GREAT PHOTO BY LIZZIE CAYE!

I liked her photo so much I used it as a team search tag and added the cheesy "bags and purses" underneat.

SAME WITH MEMBER ADRIEN ART!

LOVE HIS PHOTOS!

I added the cheesy" Ceramics and Pottery" to the bottom and used this photo as a team search tag.  Note how Adrien's teapot clearly stands out, and the focal point of the photo IS the teapot only!

The thing is, all this reading, watching, and investigating, I learned about things, and hard work does show. You aren't going to get noticed just listing items in your Etsy store and letting them sit.   I spent days in the winter reading all of the Etsy "quit your day job" articles and really making a top ten list of what key sellers did that I didn't do. It's different for every seller.  For me, it came down to photos, promoting, social networking, and keyword-tagging.

I also had to think like a buyer.  This is your "free lesson" of the day.

I see many of you with great items just sitting in your store.  Look at your item title and tags. How would someone else FIND this item. 

LET'S DO A TEST: 

For instance, if you are selling a pink polka dot purse:  how would I find it? 

This one, by Embroidery by Melissa, is tagged pretty well!

STOP RIGHT THERE. 

DO NOT OVER THINK THIS.

DO NOT UNDER THINK THIS. 

JUST THINK.

LET'S DISCUSS!

Who on earth is searching for a pink polka dot purse?  Very few people at this very moment.   However, you want to sell me that purse whether I need polka dots or not, right?  We know of course people on earth searching for a new purse is LOTS and LOTS OF PEOPLE!

So your goal is to tag and sell and title this pink polka dot purse correctly MARKETING it to everyone looking for a new purse!

What I mean is, don't be a tag waster!

NO NO NO ---  pink polka dot purse, polka dots, circles, pink, large purse, dots, circles,

IN THIS PARTICULAR BAG YES YES YES:

bags and purses --main category
hot pink  --- will cover the "hot pink" people and "regular pink" lookers
fuchsia  --- another word for your color
tote   --- another word for this items, it is an over-the-shoulder tote
canvas  ---material is a plus even though you have room to list this in material area
mod pod -- off the wall but is 'era related' to the style,  other words: modern , chic, urban
handbag --- another word for someone looking for a bag
pouch -- another word for someone looking for a bag
TEAM TAG HERE ---better chance of coming up in your team or group area for visibility
polka dot &-- descriptive

THAT LEAVES YOU SEVERAL MORE KEYWORDS!

Let's brainstorm.  Was it made in your home state? Why can't that be a keyword, for people who aren't using the GeoLocator, maybe they are searching for your state.  Does this purse have enough room to be a travel bag of sorts?   Can it fit your beach sandals, book and towel?  Will it fit a laptop?  If so, possibly a LAPTOP or BEACH BAG or TRAVEL BAG would be other ideas, when you could clearly explain this in the description.  " Big enough bag to take on your travels, to the beach, or fit your laptop in!"  Is is the best gift idea ever? GIFT is a great tag.

So, when your item is up for renewal, change a few tags.  Does it help?  Are you getting more views? 

You have to multi-market your item!~

 
Facebook was a big thing for me to learn how much it helps.  I have to admit, on my personal FacebookEtsy shop. I have no qualms doing so , every once in awhile.  (So sad to hear the "My Etsy" tab is going away soon...)  If just a few of those 1700 friends share my link with other friends, and the sharing keeps going and going, well, that's the best networking ever and sooner or later people will visit my store and buy my items.  Using Google Analytics, I found that about 11% of my visitors were coming from Facebook.  So, you decide.

Social networking is a huge thing and something that I clearly don't have enough time for.  If you set aside just a few hours a week, you can drastically improve your visibility. It works.

Figuring it all out took some sleuthing and help from others. I talked to some sellers along the way and if I liked a shop that was selling more than me, I had no bones about using the Etsy Convo to ask them questions.  What kind of camera do you use? What kind of lighting is best?  Most were happy to help and looked at is as a compliment.  I was shocked that some sellers use make-shift paper setups to take their photos when in fact I anticipated them having some huge studio room and professional lighting like in the movies.Perhaps, illusion is everything!

On top of that, you have to make sure the customers you do get walk away happy.  Give them incentive to visit your store again. If someone is unhappy, fix it. 

So I started thinking about Search Engine Optimization, and reading all about THAT and trying to improve my exposure. Quite honestly it's confusing but from what I get in a nutshell is certain keywords give you certain rank on search engines and there are tips and tricks for better "optimization" .   Let's break this down a bit, if you search for Vintage on Etsy, you get over 800,000 results at any given time, and on Google, well, just imagine.  However, if you label your item Vintage Red Pyrex Bowl, it's going to narrow down results and you have a better chance of getting discovered, but then who on earth right this second is searching for the bowl you have?   I wondered, how to get MY items higher in search ranks in Google?  

Maybe I think too much.  I wondered what if my Retro Chalet store would have actually had a name with " Vintage " in the actual title of the shop?  Would this have shown in the Google results better as in better rank?

So I went on Etsy and tried to open another shop. Just about everything Vintage was taken already.  If not buy sellers by buyers.  Vintage This , Vintage That, Vintage Sorry-I-Got-Your-Name-First.   Here is what it said when I went to search for sellers with the name Vintage in their title:

We found 3082 sellers whose names start with vintage.

OUCH. Okay, so obviously I hadn't been the first one to think of this....so I did another experiment.  I decided to look at the ones who had items listed, and see how they were doing-   It truly varied.  Some had great photos and and great priced items but they weren't selling that much. I couldn't figure out why.   Others were selling tons, but I wasn't sure why because I found the items cheaper and more interesting in some of the other stores. The ones selling however, at least two out of three of them,  did belong to networks, blogs, and some even teams. 

So I wanted to go to the EtsyWiki to see a list of top vintage sellers excluding supplies.   That redirected me to Etsy by Numbers, which redirected me to Craft Count!  So here you go:  Only 2 of 10 of Etsy's TOP Vintage sellers even have the word "vintage" in the title.

So , maybe it's not in a name.  I like to go against the grain so I'm doing my own experiment.  I've opened a new store with the keywords Vintage in the title, a blog, and I'm going to compare visits, views and sales with my other store in six months.  I'll get back to you.


Stay tuned. For more...

IN THE MEANTIME YOU MAY WANT TO EXPLORE FROM PROFESSIONALS:

TAXES-ACCOUNTING-FINANCE-ORGANIZATION
Are you clueless at running your Etsy business?  There are some sellers whose entire stores give you sage advice on running your business, such as JJMFinance, who offers bundles of files for the self-employed and has 100% positive feedback to date, having sold upwards of 756 sales.....I've never bought anything but with this type feedback from other Etsy sellers it's definitely worth mentioning. 




FOR TIPS-TRICKS-SELLING-MORE-ORGANIZATION
I see this seller BusinessMinded having a LINK on Facebook all the time!  This item is the main item they sell, for $24.95, and the feedback is great...check it out!