Opening an Etsy shop can be a daunting experience, so here's a few helpful hints to help your shop look and feel professional and eye catching for potential buyers.
Profile picture: In the world of Etsy, your shop name and your avatar (or profile picture) are the two main ways people are going to recognize you. So, don't skimp on the picture. Use either a photo of yourself that emphasizes your craft or your shop style, or a photograph of a currently “for sale” item in your shop; but make sure you put something. You can add or change a profile picture by clicking on My Account/Profile and browsing for a picture on your computer. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click SAVE
Fill out your “About” section (or your bio). This helps a buyer feel more at ease and more secure purchasing from someone who has taken the time to share something about themselves. Just like we enjoy knowing something about companies we purchase factory made items from, it helps to know something about the person your are purchasing handmade items from. Share your “creative” story, talk about your products, or even just welcome customers to your shop, but be sure and take a few moments to put something in this section.
You can edit this section by clicking on My Account/Profile and scrolling down to the About section.
Location, location, location. You don't have to be extremely specific; but put something. Whether it's United states, California, Ventura County, etc it helps buyers to have a general idea of where their product is coming from.
Shop Banner- Make one!!! This is like a storefront sign that welcomes your customers into your shop. It should match the theme of your shop and be easy to read. If you sell pastel colored floral jewelry, it's probably not a wise idea to use a neon banner with guitars on it. Some great ideas involve adding images of actual items in your shop, or creating a basic banner with the general color scheme of most of your items or even having one made for you, if you have a hard time with it.
Here's a great link for banner tips from Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/seller-how-to-banner-tips-6265/
Item photography...there will be more about this later; but let's start with this...keep it simple! The most important thing is to showcase your items as crisply and professionally as you can. Most items are first seen on a small thumbnail scale and it's important to remember this when shooting, so that you can catch the viewer's eye right at that moment. Because how will they ever see your shop, if they never click on the thumbnail? Also, be sure and try to use all five photo slots. Why not? It's one of the best ways to showcase your work from all angles.
Here is an AMAZING link to a wonderful Etsy photographer's blog that give a very helpful easy guide to shooting product photography.
http://www.bomobob.blogspot.com/2010/07/50-cent-lightbox.html
Item descriptions...Be detailed! The biggest thing to remember is that a buyer can't touch or feel your item on the Internet, so photographs and descriptions are essential to convincing a customer that your product is worth buying. Some sellers opt for straight forward thorough descriptions, others opt for creative stories and advertising. Whatever your method, just make sure you get the most important details of your piece (such as size, materials, colors, etc) in the description to attract buyers and avoid any confusion.
Shop policies...FILL THEM OUT!!! No, seriously...do it. This is a huge part of being a professional, successful seller. This not only makes your buyer aware of how you handle your business, but also helps to safeguard you with any possible disputes.
And last but certainly not least, Item tags. Be sure and use all of your tags that pertain to the description of your item. These tags help people to find your item when they search Etsy's site. If you find yourself having a hard time using all your tags, try to get creative. For example, if you are selling a piece with a bee and a flower on it, you can use words like bug, insect, flower, nature, garden, spring, etc. The possibilities are endless...just make sure the tags you use do actually apply to the item you're selling.
Hopefully some of these tips can enhance your shop and help you to put your best foot forward! If you want to see these techniques in action, check out a few of these great shops from the Ventura County Handcrafted Etsy Street Team:
Meredith Dada Mixed Media Artist
Jessie McCann Handcrafted Jewelry
SugarSkull7 Hand carved Stamps and Fine Art
byTonetti Handcrafted Wire Wrapped Jewelry
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