Etsy Hustle? (Second income stream goal)

[TokiDokiKitty]

So, I have an Etsy shop - have had it for over a year now - and was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks to get it going? I've got the business cards, branding, etc all set up, but short of shelling out FAR too much money for Facebook ads, sponsored listings, etc., I'm really not willing to sink any more money into the shop for anything other than materials. 

 

Has anyone else found success setting up an income stream on Etsy? If so, what worked for you? 

[KeysMcGee]

I noticed that this was posted a while back. How are things going with the Etsy shop so far? 

[TokiDokiKitty]

Sadly, pretty crap. I did list more items, but I read somewhere that I should probably have upwards of 150 items listed (instead of 30-ish) so I'll need to hunker down and craft for a day or two and then photograph, etc to try and increase the offerings.  I did wind up turning off the promoted listings - it doesn't make sense to pay $15 a month when nothing comes of it. :/ 

 

[And I'd also love feedback on WHAT to offer, but no one really gives me any when I ask other than "it's nice!" which is either, they like it, or they don't and won't speak up.] 

 

 

[Jord]

What about talking to local shops about selling your wares (with your business card near them). They will most likely take a cut, but it would be a way to promote your business. Every town has little shops that sell gifts and things like handmade jewelry. 

[TokiDokiKitty]

I could try that. I'd have to figure out where to begin. I live in a suburban sprawl so finding a shop that sells such things is an interesting challenge on its own.   But it's a good idea! 

[Lydiechan]

On 2/24/2017 at 11:35 AM, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

What about talking to local shops about selling your wares (with your business card near them).

 

 

I think this is a great idea.

 

I also have some suggestions for you.

 

I looked through some of your items, and I noticed all your items have stock "descriptions" that don't talk about the item at all.  Search engines don't base their searches on images, but on words on the page.  That goes for Etsy, too.  I recommend either writing up descriptions/stories about each individual item, or, if you're not confident in your writing abilities, hiring someone else to do it.  (I'm thinking $3-5 for a 100-word description.)  Your description needs to tell your potential customers why each piece is special and why they should bring it into their home or give it to someone they care about.  Here's an example:

~~~

Amethyst and Jade stone earrings:

Amethyst and jade join together on silver French hook earrings to represent wisdom and love.  Semi-precious amethyst is also purple, the color of royalty, and the soothing tones of jade have been valued by Chinese aristocracy for millennia.

I chose these stones for this pair of earrings because I loved the smooth, undefined shape of the roughly polished material.  The amethyst, more angular, balanced perfectly over the larger, smoother angles of the jade, and reminded me of violet mountain peaks standing peacefully over a cool, green stream.

Whether you purchase these one-of-a-kind earrings for yourself or for your loved one, I hope you enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoyed crafting them by hand.

~~~

That may seem a little cheesy, but individuals who shop on Etsy are looking for something unique and handmade, and they want to know that the items they're buying are made by someone with imagination and creativity.

 

So that's recommendation number one.

 

Number two is, start exploring jewelry-making forums and crafting websites.  Get involved in discussions and, when you give thoughtful insights, make sure you link back to your Etsy store in your signature, like you do here.  The more traffic you get to your store, the more likely you are to sell items.  More than that, if you're targeting people who already love handmade items, you're going to attract looky-loos who are more likely to become customers.

 

I hope those are helpful.  I know this is kind of a book.  If you want some really phenomenal advice on starting a business, look into Christy Wright at BusinessBoutique.com.  She has some free tools on her site that can help you clarify your goals, and she has a few podcast episodes that give great advice on marketing your product.

[TokiDokiKitty]

That was super helpful, thank you!