I just found this site and I am intrigued! Are any of you selling on here yet? It is a site that allows artists to upload their images / paintings / watercolors / drawings / etc. and sell them...but Redbubble takes care of the hard part...the printing, framing, silk screening, shipping, all you have to do is cash your check every month!
If you create prints, paintings or graphic images, this is a great way to make a little extra $$ if your Etsy shop is slow. Plus, you don't have to worry about the printing costs or hassles, since RB takes care of that for you.
If you are someone like me who appreciates having "real" art in their home (as opposed to cheezy mall posters, LOL), you might want to check RB out. I already found an image I am thinking of purchasing from this seller.
Don't be upset if you click my shiny new navagation bar buttons and they go to my etsy shop...I'm still working on them! But, when I am done, I will be posting a how to guide to add this cool feature to your own blog. Stay tuned!
What motivates people to buy a product is a complicated subject. Arguably, the motivator will be slightly different for each person. But, most people are driven to shop-and buy-by their insecurities. The object they purchase represents something to them that they feel they are lacking in. I think this is particularly true in women, who are your main gender demographic on Etsy. Women often shop as a means of filling a void. It might be stress relief, a means of getting over a breakup, or getting that one special item that is going to make you look like the prettiest gal at the bar, wedding, party, office, etc.
If you haven't already seen the movie 'Confessions of a Shopaholic" go out and rent it because it illustrates this concept perfectly. I know that it may sound like you are preying on people's fears as a seller and that is not the whole truth. What I am really suggesting that you do is figure out what "need" (want) that your buyers have and fill it. This is acheived through branding. High end packaging is an excellent way to offer that differentiation to your clients, especially around the holidays when people are searching for gifts.
The concept of insecurity shopping does apply to gift purchases, as the gift in question is a reflection of the gift giver. Are you someone who gives thoughtful gifts? Expensive gifts? Cool gifts? In that order, it makes the gift giver appear to be a better friend, richer friend or more fashionable/trendier friend. As you can see, even the purchase of a gift helps the buyer define who they are by allowing them to apply a label to themselves. That label will usually be what they wish they were or what they are trying to become. And I would argue that even the most confident person is always wishing they were percieved as being a little bit better in some way.
When buyers are shopping for themselves and are in "insecurity mode" they tend to make impulse purchases. I know I do! If you sell on your own website or through your blog, you must make purchasing easy and fast for this reason. If an impulse buyer is forced to go through more than 2 steps to complete a purchase they may experience buyer's remorse and cancel the transaction. When branding for this buyer, it is a great idea to come up with a tag line or business motto that defines what your products are in one sentence or less. It should be to the point and easy to remember in an emotional way. A few examples using the company name ACME are "ACME vintage...better than sex or chocolate!" or "ACME jewlery...is your outfit complete?" the second tag line is similar to the "got milk?" campaign in that it forces the buyer to question if they are without something that they need. The first appeals to an emotional craving that they would usually fill with the two "better than" options. You're saying, essentially, if you don't have a man and you're on a diet why not just shop in my store instead? It will make you feel just as good, if not better! These marketing tactics work on a subconcious level. If a buyer hears or sees these subtle suggestions enough times, they become saved on the hard drive so to speak. And when they get an urge or insecurity that relates to your tag line, they will automatically think of your shop. And therefore, they might return to it and even buy something.
Using buyer psychology and motivators is something that big business does everyday. You yourself have probably been led to purchase by one of the brilliant tactics thought up by an expensive marketing team. So don't feel bad about leading the shoppers to your site. The truth is when buyers are strongly motivated to spend by emotional urges, they are going to spend. Just make sure that they are spending in your store.
This is an addendum to my Holiday Prep Post in which I suggested that you send promotional discounts to your past customers via email. One of my readers brought up the fact that Etsy's policies state that you cannot communicate with your customers in this fashion without their permission. And she brought up a point that I had already noticed and was wanting to correct so here goes!
It is 100% true that you should always gain permission from your customers to communicate with them, not because Etsy says so, but because that is the right thing to do. I think because I communicate with so many of my past customers on FB/twitter/blogs so often I forget that not everyone keeps in touch with all of their customers in that way and an email could seem intrusive in those situations. Although I stand by my suggestion to offer promotional discounts to past customers, you should ask them first if they would like to receive them. I think a great time to do this is at the point of sale. Just include at the end of your last convo "would you like to be on my mailing list for future discounts and sale info?" Also let them know that they will only recieve these emails a few times a year and can change their mind and opt out at any time. Another way to do this is to offer your email address on your blog and state "join my mailing list for future discounts and sale info!"
As an experiment, I've added a poll on the sidebar of my blog (to the right) that asks would you (as a buyer) be OK with recieving emails from people you have bought from if they included a discount of 25% or more AND you only recieved 2-4 emails per year? I personally would welcome those emails since I love a good discount and they would be coming from a shop that I already know I like. What are your thoughts?
Your customer feedback, or "testimonials" as they are called in the business world are one of your most powerful marketing tools. But, don't assume that your potential new customers are reading your feedback! Most will simply look at your feedback score and if it says 100%, odds are that is going to be good enough.
Large businesses actively pursue testimonials from their clients and use them prominently on most if not all of their marketing materials as well as their websites. The reason for this is that it takes the fear out of buying from you. Since past customers have offered up such a glowing review of your products or services, the new customer need not be afraid of a 'con job' or terrible customer service. Yeah, yeah, you say...I already know that! Ok, but again, are you putting your best feedback quotes somewhere where your new customers will actually see them? Here are some places that are prime locations for you to quote some of your past customers:
Your Shop Announcement
At the end of your item descriptions
On your Blog
On promotional materials (business cards, post cards, etc.)
On your website, if you have one
In Twitter 'tweets'
On your Facebook page
And don't be afraid or embarrassed to proudly post those amazing feedback quotes. You earned them! And if your past customers were that happy with their experience buying from you, they'll support your shop when asked about it. Remember, your business is the team and you are the cheerleader. If you believe in yourself, so will your customers!
How many of you have seen those Ebay commercials? You know, the ones that are super colorful and whimisical and focus on the "fun" of bidding for an item..it's their "shop victoriously" campaign. And I think it's brilliant. Take a moment to watch the commercial below.
Now imagine that same commerical except for Etsy. A room, no a house, no a city full of us, the Etsy sellers, holding our knitted scarves or handmade necklaces or vintage dresses, all vying for the attention of one wonderfully overwhelmed and shop happy buyer. It would really drive the point home that Etsy has thousands of sellers with millions of options-at incredible prices, wouldn't it? Well, I think so. That's why big companies budget for advertising campaigns...because they work.
My frustration is that Etsy has quite publicly stated that they do not believe in ad campaigns and have zero intent of ever launching one. Hmm. Let me grab a quote that I found on SuperNaturale:
"Don't look for them at halftime: Still, some sellers have criticized Etsy's marketing efforts as insufficient. But Stinchcomb [vice president of communications at Etsy] says that the staff is happy with the results they've been getting and the way they've been getting them. Strategic partnerships– like holding a sewing contest in conjunction with Instructables– are one piece of the site's marketing plan. Etsy also sponsors events, such as New York's Renegade Craft Fair, and hosts regional street teams, members who get together to promote their wares and Etsy."We find these grassroots things are better than a $4 million advertising campaign," Stinchcomb says. "One, we don't have that kind of money, and two, I think it would be bad for our brand."It's almost easier for him to say what the Etsy marketing strategy is not: a Super Bowl ad. "I can't see anything more antithecal to what we're about than that," he said.Word-of-mouth is the crux of Etsy's notoriety. Stinchcomb estimates that about 80 percent of Etsy members learned of the site through word-of-mouth, and the site attracts 1,500-2,000 more members daily."A big ad doesn't yield as many results or as fruitful results as being out there and talking to people," Stinchcomb said."
Not to be one to believe everything I read on the internet, I emailed Etsy support directly and inquired as to their progress on a marketing campaign, similar to Ebay's. The response I got from a staffer who I will kindly leave unnamed was "did a big advertising campaign ever make you buy a toaster?" I find that response laughable quite frankly, as anyone with any marketing background knows that advertising does work particularly when there is a large target demographic who is unaware that the product / service exists.
What I mean by that is, did you ever stop to think that for the most part sellers are buying from eachother? I can't tell you how many people I've told about Etsy (women with shopping habits and expendable income) who have NEVER heard of Etsy. I also find it interesting that Etsy is so vocal in their encouragement of sellers spreading word of mouth (advertising for them for free) but is so unwilling to advertise on our behalf even though their pockets are much deeper than ours are.
According to Tech Crunch, Etsy is valued at $90 Million as of 2009. And they just recieved $27 Million from investors to expand. However, founder (no longer CEO) Rob Kalin states that Etsy is "almost break-even" in terms of profits. Although I am not qualified to make this statement, and I understand that "valued" takes into consideration more than operating costs, I find it hard to believe that it costs that kind of money to run Etsy. But, for the sake of argument, lets say it really does cost 117 million dollars to run Etsy. Would you as a seller be open to the idea of an increase in your fees (maybe 5-10 cents) to fund a national or global ad campaign? It is estimated that there are currently 650,000 members. I know that they aren't all sellers so lets say 50% of them are sellers. 350,000 times 10 cents is 35,000 dollars and that is assuming a one time charge of 10 cents, not an ongoing increase. If they added 5 cents to each item sold, we're talking some serious money.
I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this important subject. The more time that goes by, the more I start to feel that the Etsy sellers are getting the short end of the stick. Speak up, I'd really like to start a healthy debate on this subject!
Do you know a blogstress who hasn't blogged for long (less than 3 years) but is one of the next generation of super bloggers? If so, this award is for her! This is the first "blog star" award, and I would like to nominate the following blogs:
If you have been nominated for this award, you must pay it forward! The rules are, you must post an acceptance speech on your blog (feel free to thank the academy!) and then nominate as many other blogs as you wish. and, if you have been nominated, feel free to post the above award proudly on your blog!
With the holidays only 4 months away..yikes!..now is the time to begin preparing for a spike in sales. Even though the economy is down, people will still be buying gifts for the holidays and I wouldn't be surprised if they look to Etsy as their shopping destination. After all, you can get a handmade, OOAK, high quality gift for a fraction of the price that you would pay at a department store. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing some smart pre-marketing and strategizing on how you will drive that traffic to your shop.
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Below are some tips on things you should be doing, thinking about or preparing for....
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1. Create promotional fliers or purchase a design (like these) that you can send via email reminding your past customers that your shop is a great source for their holiday shopping needs. Offer them a "valued customer" discount if they shop in your store between certain key dates (Oct-Dec 24)
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2. Stock up now. If you sell items that can be pre-made, start building your inventory.
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3. Remember to be politically correct. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, remember that your customers may not have the same religious beliefs as you. Don't push any one specific holiday in your ads. Use the word "holiday". Be diplomatic.
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4. Create (or hire someone to create) custom holiday cards that you can send out to your past customers. Make sure to put your web address and company name prominently on the card. If you haven't been keeping past customer emails in your contacts list, start now!
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5. Have a sale. Do this right before Christmas day, about 1 to 2 weeks prior to December 24.
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6. Offer free shipping or free gift wrapping. Most big businesses do this cost effectively by adding the cost of the "freebee" into the cost of the item. Is it really free? No. Free stuff never really is. It is however, a good marketing tactic.
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7. Team up with a charity. Promote this this like crazy! Any charity is great, and you will not only be generating good PR but you will be doing something for a good cause.
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Remember, it's never to early to be prepared, especially when it comes to your business!
I am honored! I recieved this blog award from Dee over at Runako Designs. I am supposed to share 5 things I love and then link 10 more blog award recipents...so, here goes!
THINGS I LOVE:
1. My two rescued greyhounds, Marley and Keiki
2. My family...I'm really lucky, I got a good one!
Are you using Etsy love yet? Etsy love is an application I created on Facebook to let the handmade community send eachother some Love...Shop Love, Item Love, Blog Love, Twitter Love, Facebook Page Love...and more! Some of the newly added Love is below! So what are you waiting for? Fan the page today and start showing your handmade pride!
I had the honor of being the featured girlfriend on GNO last weekend and the prize I gave away was 3 ad boxes, customed designed, a retail value of $60! The lucky winner was Design Knit Fun and I had to share the final product with you!
That's right!! This Friday through Sunday kMT is the featured hostess on GNO! If you haven't already followed this blog, please stop by and follow this weekend! Not only are there some amazing and incredibly friendly Etsians on there, there is a contest each week! Free stuff?? Oh Yeah!
This week's contest will feature a prize from my shop. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is...it's a surprise!
So stop by, have a chocolate martini with the girls, enter to win in the contest, and meet some new friends!
Please take a moment to stop by my latest blog design, Shopmollyd! Shopmollyd's blog is the "dog blog" and is 100% about everything doggie. If you have your own fur kid, or are just a dog lover there will be tons of fun in"fur"mation, doggie pics and more. Shopmollyd is also dedicated to donating to rescue groups and dogs in need, so you will be seeing opportunities to help dogs that have been abandoned or abused. She will post their pictures, stories, rescue organizations and a link to how you can donate, even as little as a $1.00. Hey, everything helps!
I'd love to hear what you think! And if you love dogs, you gotta follow this blog!
Before I get to why I am so ANGRY right now, I want to discuss leaving feedback and how to do that appropriately on Etsy. These are the things you should be focusing on when deciding what feedback to leave:
Customer Service
Speedy Shipping
Quality of the item (did it look like the picture)
If you are the buyer and the seller has been prompt, polite and accomodating, you leave positive feedback, right? What if there was some other issue that bothered you, but the customer service was fantastic and the item looked just like it did in the picture...the decent thing to do IS CONTACT THE SELLER DISCREETLY AND ASK FOR A REFUND OR EXCHANGE. You do not, I repeat do NOT leave underhanded feedback that will affect all their future sales without contacting them first. ESPECIALLY IF IT ISN'T TRUE.
This recently happened to an Etsy seller who is a good friend of mine. No, it did not happen to me. The person who did this to her is a BUYER ONLY and does not have a shop. She also referred to it as "positive feedback". Ha.
PS-the lesson learned today for sellers is NEVER LEAVE FEEDBACK FOR YOUR BUYER UNTIL YOU RECIEVE FEEDBACK FROM THEM! Someone might leave a comment about your items (that isn't true) and it could affect your sales and you will have no means of responding to their accusations.
I just completed a new design for Alex from Alex Keller on Etsy. Stop by and take a look! I think together, we really captured the retro, black and white movie feel of the 50's and 60's. Alex designs recycled jewelry from that era and creates new, modern looking pieces.
You'll see a few of her items featured above, and yes, that is a Twilight necklace! Thanks Alex, you were fantastic to work with and I love the way your new design looks!
Want to show some love to your Etsy friends on Facebook? Now you can with Etsy Love! EL is a new FB application that I created to show some love (and help your friends market) their shops! Make sure if you send some love to include a link to the shop, blog or item you're loving!! To use this application, click here!
If you haven't stopped by Girl's Night Out yet, today is the day! GNO (as the girlfriends like to call it) is the brainchild of superwoman Etsy seller and Diva Extraordinaire Dee of Runako Designs.
Every week, Dee organizes a trip around the world. We've already been to Paris and Australia, driven a Maserati, stayed in the poshest hotels and next week it's looks like we're going to Rome! If you're like me and either don't have the time or the money to travel the world, GNO will make you feel like you have actually spent the weekend overseas. And us busy Etsy gals could use a vacation, couldn't we? Oh, and did I mention there is a free giveaway EVERY WEEK?? To become an official girlfriend, CLICK HERE. I'll see you you gals in Italy!
Thank you Dee for letting me design your awesome blog!
As many of you know, Shopmollyd is my mom. She used to think that it was a good thing to have a graphic designer in the family, until her shop was re-done constantly! Well, this is the latest and greatest, and so far the feedback has been really great. What do you guys think?
Interested in becoming the next Etsy Mentor? If you have 50 sales and 1 year of Etsy selling experience, you may qualify! Convo me at kMTgraphicdesign.etsy.com to apply!
Your customer feedback, or "testimonials" as they are called in the business world are one of your most powerful marketing tools. But, don't assume that your potential new customers are reading your feedback! Most will simply look at your feedback score and if it says 100%, odds are that is going to be good enough.
I just completed a new design for Alex from 
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