Of all the things that other sellers ask me, the top question would have to be- "How do you promote?" Usually, the question is coupled with an assessment of the amount of sales I have, and how short my shop has been open.
...And usually, no one likes my answer.
I don't promote my shop.
I have attempted to promote in the past, though I can definitely tell you how much a waste of time those endevors were.
That being said, here is my list of things I would NOT suggest doing to promote your shop.
1.) Paper flyers
It is a waste of money and trees to advertise your shop with flyers and plaster them around town. Not only is it a waste of resources, but its also a waste of time and money, Also, when was the last time you actually enjoyed finding a flyer on your windshield? When was the last time you actually paid attention to a flyer taped to the front of a convienience store?
One last thing to consider is the legality of it. Most cities have laws about what can be posted where on public property, and most businesses have rules against papering their property. So just don't do it.2.) I just got myself thinking after that first "do not" and this suggestion is going to cover all the other paper related advertising tactics that you should NOT do.
Don't put your business card in books at the libraryDon't make inserts and tuck them into magazines and newspapers.
Don't put stickers with your shop addy on any surface imaginable.
Long story short, these things don't work, and they're usually against the law. 3.) Twitter
If you have a twitter account, please don't send constant tweets advertising your shop, sales, and newly listed/relisted items.
This is a super quick way of pissing off your current followers, and keeping yourself from attracting new followers. To be completely honest... No one cares. The more often you post your nonstop shop spam, the less often people who do continue to follow you are apt to click on them. 4.) Do not depend on inside Etsy promotion for the success of your shop.
Yes, you post a new thinly veiled self promotional Forum post every two hours, you comment on the weekend deals storque article with information about your own "weekend deal", and you routinely go into the Etsy chat rooms and "advertise" your latest sale, offer discounts to chatters and basically beg and plead for someone to buy from your shop. This might help you get an odd sale or two, but it just isn't cost effective.
Think about it though... How many people go into the forums looking to buy something? How many people actually scour through the comments on the storque looking for more deals? How many of those people that you make contact with in the chat rooms are also there looking for a sale? If you truly put it into perspective, it really is not worth your time and effort to make a point of doing these things.5.) Advertising on Craigslist
Ok, so I haven't done this... but I dont know about you, the last place I look to buy something that is brand new, artisan made and high quality... is craigslist. (This is probably not the best time to share that I met my husband off Craigslist, but whatever. Different story all together ;)6.) Assuming that Etsy owes you promotion or advertising of any sort.
This is a biggie. I will shout it from the rooftops forever and ever again, but no where on Etsy does it state that your $.20 listing fee pays for anything other than a spot to list a single item for four months. It does not pay for equal time on the front page. It does not pay for a spot in a gift guide, it does not pay for a showcase, and it does not pay for a featured seller spot.
Etsy owes you nothing. Sure, Etsy could stand to streamline a few things, and improve a few other things, but its still a work in progress. Etsy does not owe you advertising, promotion, or featured spots.7.) Etsy Showcases
Oh this is a huge waste of money. My biggest problem with the showcases is their placement on the site. They really ARENT showcased. You have to know where they are located on the site, and specifically seek them out. If you do purchase a showcase spot, you'll notice that you may not gain sales, but you might gain a lot of hearts. Hearts do not equal sales. Why? because a lot of customers don't even know about the hearting system. They go to Etsy to buy, not to use its social networking features. Yes, there are customers who do heart things, but the vast majority do not.Ok, so I'm tired of listing things to not to do, so here is a list of things to do.
...Don't focus so much on promoting. Focus on having an online presence.
Go ahead and open a facebook fan page, and a myspace page, and have a blog named after your shop. Go into the chatrooms and hang out in the forums. But don't expect those things to bring you sales. Their effect is not immediate, but cumulative. Overtime, people see your name around, and they associate it with a need or want...
So if you're that neat guy with a great personality in chat, and you just happen to sell soap, when someone who has been involved in your chats needs or wants soap, chances are they're going to remember your shop first, and check you out.
Also, never underestimate the power of excellent customer service.
Just because a customer buys only one item does not mean that they're any less a great customer than someone who buys 10 items. Treat every customer, big and small, as they should be treated. With respect, professionalism, and kindness. Respond to queries quickly and be proactive in communicating with your customers. Send your customers a little note to let them know that you've received their order, or a little note when you've shipped their purchase.
I know what you're thinking. "But I don't have the time to contact each of my customers to tell them I've received/shipped their purchase!"
Bull shit.
Take 10 minutes. Write a little ditty in wordpad and save it. Then when a customer buys from you, send them a convo with the contents of the ditty.
Something along the lines of-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi there!
I just wanted to thank you for your purchase! I've received your order and will ship it soon! If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this conversation, and I'll do my best to help!
Thanks again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course if you know when you will be shipping their purchase, be sure to include that information, as most customers want to know. If you have an email where they can contact you, include that, too.
The thing is, customers want that contact. They expect it, first off, because they're buying from a person, not a big box store, but also because EVEN THE BIG BOX STORES DO IT!
Thats right. I'll admit that I've ordered from walmart online, and they sent me an order confirmation, and when they shipped my items, I got another shipping confirmation email. Now I know that those were automated replies, but my goods were not handmade, either. I didn't buy from them to recieve handmade goods, lovingly created by their maker. I bought from them because they were cheap (and they had yoga pants in my size. LOL) So I didn't expect a personalized email.
And sure, you can argue that there are customers who do not want that sort of contact, but there are far more who do. Alright, I'm getting off my soapbox.
Another thing you can do to improve your online presence is to network with other handmade artists. Blog about other people's shops. Comment on other people's blogs. participate in contests, join Etsy street teams. Use Etsy chat to meet neat people. Neat people who like you, tell people about you. When you like neat people, you're probably going to tell people about them, too.
Networking is by far the best 'free' promotion for your shop.
Chicken vinyl wall decal by CircleLineStudioAnd with that... Until next time! If you've got any questions, PLEASE leave them in the comments. I promise I'm taking note of them all for future blogs in this series. Coming soon, photo tutorials!
Same bat time, same bat station.
-Drea
Its made by Megan Stringfellow, and just look at how cute it is! Sitting guard on its pirate treasure (carrots, how fitting) I LOVE how cute this little guy is!
So damn cute, aren't they? But really, she has even more adorable bunnies in her shop! Check it out at Stringfellowart@Etsy!
