Oh My! Handmade

Making a good life since 2010

#OMHG – July 12: Being Awesome on Etsy

by

Last week we celebrated @ohmyhandmade becoming a certified Etsy Educator (yay!) with a chat that was all about how to be awesome on Etsy. Filled with insight, tips, and suggestions from sellers!  There’s a lot of great info here, folks, so I’ve broken it down into 5 questions… there’s also some helpful Etsy links at the bottom.

QUESTION 1: What do you feel is the number one key to a successful Etsy shop?

QUESTION 2: What makes a great photo?

  • sparrowscript A great photo: clear, focused on the item, styled well but without busy background or other distracting elements. #omhg
  • designcoyote @ohmyhandmade COLOR! Great depth, color balance, clarity. #omhg
  • pigandfish Engaging, descriptive, inviting photos, creatively shot in natural lighting are key. #omhg
  • thelanguidlion lighting, imagination, clarity & focus RT @ohmyhandmade: But what makes a great photo? #omhg
  • MarisaEdghill For me, a good photo of a handmade item also shows its use / scale. Love to see jewelry on model, etc. #omhg
  • RocajoStudio Yes, a cohorent look = professional look RT @sparrowscript: @ohmyhandmade Also, a consistent style between all photos is key. #omhg
  • ohmyhandmade The best shops have a narrative feel to them-each image flowing into the next uniting all the items-even if products are quite varied #omhg
  • anastasiamika Yes! RT @sparrowscript: @ohmyhandmade Also, a consistent style between all photos is key. This ties the shop together visually. #omhg
  • InkandDirt I love photos that are fab, composition spot on & have trademark style to them where you know who it belongs to w/out seeing shop name #omhg
  • @MoxieLisa: Your photography should definitely have its own “brand” so that it looks cohesive with your shop #omhg

EXAMPLES OF ETSY SHOPS THAT USE PHOTOGRAPHY TO TELL THEIR STORY:

QUESTION 3: After images, the second most important piece of your shop is content – the language you use & how you describe your work… 

  • @designcoyote: Process is key! I love learning about the behind-the-scenes processes. Makes me feel special. 🙂 #omhg
  • ohmyhandmade Be careful to format text so you don’t have huge lumps of information-you’ll lose readers fast. Bullet points, spacing>all friends #omhg
  • ohmyhandmade Seller Handbook!RT @designcoyote: I need to write my policies still for my shop. Any tips/resources for that? Im such an Etsy newb. #omhg
  • InkandDirt I’m a structured girl so I do quick story, then sections, “what you get”, “what you should know”, “ready to order”…that’s my pref #omhg
  • pigandfish If your shop is syndicated, use key words in your first few lines as google crawls thru there 4 searches. #omhg
  • ohmyhandmade @tickleandsmash More than 2 paragraphs is too long. You can always link to more information ie: blog posts on process or pieces #omhg
  • LoveLeeSoaps About pages on @Etsy are a great way for customers to get a behind the scene peek & learn more about the owner. http://t.co/GaZZiUVI #omhg
  • MarisaEdghill RT @ohmyhandmade: Make sure your content reads well though-dont sacrifice readability for SEO! #omhg
  • @PatternedApp: Balance is key. I hate when descriptions/photos are beautiful but I dont know the size or other essential details. #omhg

QUESTION 4: 1. Great pictures tell a story 2. Descriptive content continues the narrative 3. What’s next?

  • pigandfish Next? Banner + logo – your branding. #omhg
  • @skoopehome: policies? youve drawn customer in and they are ready to buy but wait, are there any stipulations on this order? #omhg
  • ohmyhandmade Policies & connection are your next pieces-how do you protect your customer, follow up with them, make yourself available/connect #omhg
  • PatternedApp @ohmyhandmade @skoopehome seems to me it’s more than policies. It’s your customer service/communication.Is it clear? Timely? Friendly? #omhg
  • sparrowscript @ohmyhandmade A note in the “message to buyer” box at checkout letting him or her know how/where to contact you is very important. #omhg
  • skoopehome when they ask questions about the item, respond as quickly and nicely as possible #omhg
  • @sparrowscript: Prompt, honest communication is key. Make a mistake or hit a snag? TELL the customer & he/shell probably understand #omhg
  • anastasiamika Policies = customer service. It’s so important to make your customers feel at home when shopping. Treat ’em with honesty + kindness. #omhg
  • pigandfish Be honorable when dealing with customers. #omhg

QUESTION 5: The @Etsy community is vibrant & full of people to connect with to help you grow + thrive – where do you connect with them?

  • designcoyote @ohmyhandmade I am just starting to join teams on Etsy & it’s an exciting new world! #omhg
  • embergrass @designcoyote I have learnt practically everything I know from my awesome #SFetsy team ! 🙂 #omhg
  • @PetiteTuques: Teams are good, but they need strong leaders. #omhg
  • sparrowscript Teams are great, but don’t join more of them than you have time for. It’s best to have one or two that you can really get involved in. #omhg
  • pigandfish Being on a team makes navigating @Etsy so much easier, u can tap into knowledge base of all members! #omhg
  • anastasiamika Just like we can’t survive without our friends + family for support, we need our teams + communities to help keep us going. #omhg

Jess then finished up this whirlwind-of-info chat with a smattering of shout-outs for the community… read the full transcript here to find those links!

Here are some handy Etsy links for the discussion on today’s chat:

Wondering what is #OMHG anyway & how you can join in? Visit our chat schedule to find out what we’re chatting about this month + what our community is all about by clicking right here.  This month we’re all about the Awesome!