Black and Purple Headband - $34.95
Well, it happened. Took longer than I thought it would, but I am nothing short of positive about it. I made my first 100 sales in my
Etsy Shop. The big 100! It’s supposed to get easier from here right? Haha, who am I kidding. But whether it’s gets harder, easier, or stay the same (which is pretty damn hard enough already) I am still going to allow myself some sense of accomplishment and a little pat on the back. I’ve worked very hard to for those 100 sales. I’ve invested time into making pretty pictures to go with my pretty products, spent hours fleshing out my descriptions and promoting them all over the web. I’ve built up a small, but growing Facebook fan base, gathered some Twitter followers, and have dedicated myself to this blog. I may not have the readership I would have hoped to achieve yet – but I think I’ll get there.
[I'm thinking I need to post more pictures of cute kitties and puppy dogs, people like that shit right?]
Once upon a time when someone reached 100 sales they would post on the Etsy forums a “My first 100 and this is how I did it” milestones post. Technically these aren’t allowed and are considered promotional. Because I know the rules and will abide like the good little girl I am I will refrain, but I know that you my dear readers are hungry for knowledge and advice on your own business, so I’ll drop a couple of tidbits as I pass by:
Evil Eye Ring - $8.95
(1) What you make >>>IS<<<< good enough. It just may not seem like it at first. Selling more intricate bead work pieces, I often felt a sense of despair at all of the charm on a chain pieces selling around me while my work sat there. The problem was, the charm on the chain stuff is popular with the general crowd, while my work has more of a niche. A niche can be good thing, but you have to figure out where it is and stick your stuff in front of it. I joined some forums and online community groups that I figured harbored members that would be more likely to be interested in my stuff. For example, the steampunk/gothic crowd tends to be interested in my evil eye rings, whereas the bridal groups tend to be more interested in my white rhinestone headbands. Think critically about what you make, and join some OFF-ETSY communities that share your tastes.
(2) Interact with the blogging community. Yes I blog. I write these delightful posts that you all just LOVE and don’t simply skim over to find the juicy parts. [sarcastic laughter] But I don’t spend but 15% of my blogging time actually blogging. The other 85% of that time is spent reading and commenting on other blogs. This is significant. For starters, you’ll learn a lot of useful information [and entertain yourself with a lot of useless information and pictures of puppy dogs], but you’ll also get your name out there. A lot of blogs allow you to link to your site via you name, or to your own blog. If you leave an interesting and relevant enough comment, most readers who see that comment will click on your name out of curiosity. Presto! Leaving comments is a great way to get exposure for your web site and your blog. [Feel free to leave a comment on this post to grant yourself some of that delightful exposure. ;-)]
Bridal Headband - $19.95
(3) Don’t get boring. I have some favorite shops on Etsy that I Just LOVE to check out again and again because they keep adding more awesome stuff to their shops! Always keep it updated and fresh. Add a new item at least once a week, preferably 2 or 3 times a week. New items grant a lot of exposure, and they show up in the right-hand side of all of your fans’ activity feeds. I know I click on those little thumbnails all of the time, and I am sure that your admirers will too.
(4) Share the love. Make some treasuries. Buy some awesome shit from other Etsy sellers you admire. These actions get reciprocated, and they make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
That’s all I got for now. You can check out my post on relevancy to find out how to get found in the searches, how to sell and market at crafts fairs, and one of my other posts on how to handle running your Etsy shop along with everything else you have going on.
