Etsy Tips

Much to my amazement, one of my Goodpaper monograms was featured on the front page of Etsy AGAIN today! This makes twice this month! I chaulked the first feature up to “luck” and kept going about updating Etsy as usual, but after this feature – decided I’d give it some more thought. A few Etsy friends have asked me what I’ve been doing differently? Well.. a few things are key (or so I’m believing at this point)…

RULE #1 :: Make sure your shop reflects your brand and is clean, clear and concise. The Goodpaper brand is very simple and I’ve tried to make my shop reflect that sense of “white space” and minimalism. The introduction contains only what needs to be there – most importantly, links to my website, blog and email address (these get used frequently by visitors).

RULE #2 :: Take REALLY good photos. Invest in a good camera.
I changed all my photos out just before the first front page feature. I think this helped a lot. Clear photos (where the whites look white, not gray… I've found lightboxes dont help this... only natural, direct sunlight) are so important. Here's a good tutorial. Again, I’ve tried to make these as clean as possible. A few months ago, I bit the bullet and invested in a real Rockstar camera – my Canon Rebel XSi with a Macro lens (this is perfect for photographing text and small details). I love this camera and have found shooting in natural sunlight is key.

RULE #3 :: Update and renew items regularly.
I try and add to my shop pretty regularly, but it doesn’t always happen. Most importantly, I try and renew at least 3 items (including one best-seller) every morning. This keeps my items showing up on the “newly listed” feed (also on front page) and shows them early in searches.

RULE #4 :: Be kind and courteous even with outlandish requests. I’ve gotten a few crazy convo’s on Etsy the past few months… buyers asking for me to design logos for free, asking me to copy other designer’s monograms, asking for 3 for the price of one. Even though I can’t help these buyers, I make sure to point them in the right direction and thank them for coming my way J

Best of luck to all you Etsy’ers! New Etsy items to come in the next few months including wedding pieces, Christmas photocards, new monograms and LOTS of personalized stationery!