How to make money while you sleep

Aug 15, 2012 | Etsy, Sparkly Love

Etsy has become synonymous with overwhelm in some crafter’s minds.  This is for good reason, since there are now over 850,000 sellers from every inch of the planet. How the heck do you compete with that?!

It is actually easier than you think. For one, stop focusing on ALL the competition and instead zero in on your own shop. While it is good to check out what your peers are up to, if you spend all your time ogling other’s shops and feeling sorry for yourself because you have no idea how they are doing it, you will never rise above. It is a vicious cycle, so stop right now!

Once you have stopped the silly of game of constant comparison, here are my 5 best tips for Etsy success:

  1.  Post only what you love. It might sound woo-woo, but if you are posting products that you despise making or that your think kinda suck, customers will energetically sense this and be repelled without ever knowing why. Stick to only posting items that you know are awesome. Surefire test: would you wear or display it in your home? Good, then someone else will too!
  2. Describe your items like you were talking to a good friend. Be your friendly, fun and personable self. No one wants to buy something that a robot might have listed! Be human and engage your customers like friends.
  3. Consistency. Do your listings have flow to them? Do they look like they belong together in the same shop? Are you photos a similar style? Does it seem like 5 people are randomly listing on your shop or only 1? Consistency is crucial. Make sure it is top of mind in everything you do.
  4. Are you promoting outside the orange rectangle? Are you directing traffic to your Etsy site via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc? Success is largely due to hype. The more you create, the more energy surrounds your biz. If you have great product (which I know you do) the end result is sales. Cha-ching!
  5. Tag like you are the customer. Don’t use technical, complicated lingo that only you and your peers use. Keep you tags logical and simple. Think like a customer, and if you need help ask your friends. How would they search for your products?

If you would like more awesome tips and tricks for growing a super successful Etsy shop, I highly recommend you check out Etsy 101: Keys to Selling Online!

Working on this course was so much fun for me, mostly because I got to go down to Etsy HQ last June to be officially trained as an Etsy Educator for this exciting pilot program. I got to hangout with the other 15 amazing women in the program (who are basically all crafty rockstars!) as well at some of the great folks at Etsy. It was an amazing day and one I will not soon forget.

Etsy 101 Keys to Selling Online, is an online course that give you EVERYTHING you need to start and grow a successful shop. I walk you through it step by step and take all the guesswork out. As a special bonus you also get interviews with 2 superstar sellers and Michelle Spaulding who is the brains behind The Sellers Handbook…which is basically the Etsy bible for success! These interviews are overflowing with amazing tips and helpful insight. Hearing what these 3 women have to say will blow your mind! This information is invaluable for newbies and Etsy pros.

Teaching people how to be successful doing what they love is my greatest passion. It truly makes my heart sing. To be able to do this for a company I totally believe in, like Etsy, feels like a dream come true.

I hope you will check it out.

Have any Etsy tips of your own? Please share them in the comments below 🙂

Sparkly love,

Jenna

Meet Jenna

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