How to be successful on Etsy 2021
Ah Etsy. The place that so many folks hope to be the thing that will make them successful and able to run their business from home. Stay at home moms. People that want out of the 9 -5 rat race. Creative folks that need a place to showcase their wares. But is it what they say its? Can you make six figures on Etsy? You can.
I know how hard it can be to grow any business including an Etsy business. These platforms make it sound so easy. Sure go ahead. Create a product listing and watch the sales roll in. Well if you’re here, you know that doesn’t work. So what do you need to do? Below are a few tips to help you be more successful on Etsy in 2021.
- Search engines including Etsy and Google change their algorithm all the time. One day, your product is showing number one in the search results. Next day? You are not found. That is why it’s so important to connect with your customers. They need to know who you ARE. Think about. You are walking down the road and a guy jumps in front of you and says I have this product I want to sell to you, give me your credit card. You’re going to do what? Run away as fast and as far as you can. But if you’ve been showing up in your business. REALLY showing up and visible on social media, email and more, your customers will feel comfortable buying from you. Their first purchase may be something small but as you provide them with a high quality product that exceeds their expectations, they’ll be back. And they’ll recommend you to their family and friends.
- Which brings me to the next point. Work on building your email list NOW. Don’t wait a moment longer. Why? You don’t own anything on Etsy, Ebay, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and the list continues. At any given moment, they can shut you down and you lose access to everything including your customers. How do you sell to them now? Onto the next point.
- Have your own website or at least a one page hosted page on your email provider where you customers can join your newsletter, give away – whatever it is you decide to do. This allows you to collect their name and email address. I prefer Aweber. Perfect for beginners with their one step landing pages to build your list. No need to have a website if you’re not quite ready for that. However, I recommend you create one as soon as you can. Read this to find out what happened to my client when Etsy shut her business down: ETSY PUT MY SHOP ON VACATION MODE AND IT KILLED MY BUSINESS!
- Write good product titles and descriptions. I’ve been a copywriter and SEO pro for more years than I care to talk about today but there is one thing that’s remained the same. Taking the time to write GOOD, detailed product titles and descriptions will put you leap and bounds ahead of your competition. How do you do this? You write to real people. Imagine your perfect customer. Who are they? How old are they? Does your perfect customer have a family? Do the work or are they retired? All of those things are very different and honing in on the product title with search terms that your customer is looking for can make or break a business. Really take time to think about this person – your perfect customer. Get a visual in your head of what he/she looks like then write for THEM. Remember you are not only writing for the search results, you’re writing for a human. That human is the one that will open their wallet and take out their credit card.
- Tell YOUR story. People connect with you, the person as I mentioned above. Tell folks your why. Why did you start your business and get into the nitty gritty. It’s easy to say I want to quit my job but that’s not your real why. This is what I mean: “Hi. I’m Denise and I’m glad you’re visiting my ABC Etsy shop. I live a quiet life in rural Florida with my rescue horses and dogs. My girls are all grown up but less than 2 hours away. It wasn’t always this way. Raising kids in between a high pressure job in Miami almost put me in the hospital. I was trying to do it. Be the best mom. The super employee. The attentive wife. The volunteer at all my kids events. It was too much. I found myself feeling worse and worse. If you’re like me, family comes first. I knew I had to make a change but I wasn’t sure what that change would be. One day when a friend was visiting, she saw my beach gadgets and said where did you get that? I love it. I told her I made it. She said why aren’t you selling these? They’re amazing. And that’s how ABC Etsy shop was born. I started slow while still working at my job. Yes I made a lot of mistakes but I wouldn’t trade the freedom I have now. If my kids were sick, I didn’t work. If I want to go on vacation, I let my customers know and would take a week or two off. It really means a lot to me that you’re here and I hope you enjoy looking around. If you have any questions or want to talk about a special order, please message me and let’s get creative.“ Big difference from I want to quit my job isn’t it?
Simply starting with the few tips above will have an immediate effect on your business plus help you securely scale in the future for yourself on your terms. Keep checking back as I add more tips to build your Etsy business. Why? Because I was you once upon a time. Story may not be the same but the end goal probably is.
Don’t give up!
Denise
p.s. Need help with storytelling? I absolutely recommend you take the time for this course: Irresistible Storytelling We all have our strengths and weaknesses. If crafting a message for your store puts you into a cold sweat, you owe it to yourself to take this short but very effective course. Get your message and story crafted and watch the difference it makes in your sales.
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