This post is all about Etsy tips for beginners.
Are you looking to start selling on Etsy? If so, you’re in luck! This article is packed with information that will help you get started and be successful on the Etsy platform. I’ll discuss everything from setting up your shop to marketing your products. So, whether you’re a complete beginner or just looking for some new tips these Etsy tips for beginners will give you the best advice on how to succeed on Etsy!
Top Etsy Tips for Beginners
- Select a profitable niche
- Pick good products
- Create a marketing strategy
- Take good photos
- Focus on product descriptions
- Learn about SEO
- Figure out pricing
- Provide great customer service
If you’re thinking about starting a legit Etsy shop that the first step is planning!
Planning
1) Select a Profitable Niche
One of the most important things to consider when selling on Etsy is your niche. This is what will set your shop apart from the millions of other sellers on the platform.
What exactly is a niche? It is simply a category or specialization that you focus on. For example, you might specialize in selling vintage clothing or hand-painted mugs. The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing your niche, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
When choosing a niche, it’s important to select something that you’re passionate about and that you have knowledge of. Then it’s also important to pick a niche that has a demand and ideally low competition.
You can verify your niche demand with tools like:
Both these tools will show if there is a demand for your niche, prior to you investing the time into creating products that no one is looking for! And fortunately, both of these tools have free trials, so you can give them a test run before committing!
If you pick the right niche, you’ll be able to provide valuable content to your customers and create a successful shop. So, to get started first write down a list of every single niche you can see yourself working within. Then look these niches up to see if there is high demand and low competition. If the answer is yes to all of the above then you may have a winner!
But what if there’s a niche that you’re super passionate about but meet the other requirements? Don’t worry! Just be sure to set reasonable expectations and realize that your shop will require some extra work and some extra risk. The one key factor is that you pick something you are passionate about, so you can be consistent.
2) Pick Good Products
After you’ve selected your niche, it’s time to start thinking about the products you want to sell. You should also make sure that your products are high-quality and well-made. On a platform like Etsy, reputation is everything. The products you create and distribute will influence the reviews left on your page. The easiest way to get some free marketing is to make sure that reviews of your product are good. How do you do this? Have a good product!
Also recognize that there are 2 forms of products: digital and physical. A physical product will involve additional fees like materials, time, and shipping costs. Whereas with a digital product, you can create it once and distribute it as many times as you wish! Make sure to pick a product that fits your goals and how much time you’re willing to commit to your shop.
I go into a bit more detail about creating a passive income shop in the article below.
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Picking good products will help you stand out from the competition and create a successful shop.
So, you’ve picked your niche and have a line of products in mind? Then the next step is working on your shop setup. You’ll need to have one listing to start opening your shop so the first two steps are crucial.
Shop Setup
This includes setting up your shop name, profile, and banner. When choosing a name for your shop, be sure to make it catchy and memorable. You’ll also need to create listings for your products. When creating listings, be sure to include clear and concise information about your product, as well as high-quality images.
3) Create a Marketing Strategy
One of the most important things to do when starting an Etsy shop is to create strong branding. Your branding should be consistent across all platforms, from your shop name and logo to the colors and fonts you use. It’s also important to come up with a clear mission statement for your business. What are you selling and why? What makes your products unique? Answering these questions will help you create a brand that customers can connect with and want to support.
Try to use a consistent color scheme in your shop and make things look uniform, so it looks like a real shop! Just look to some of the top-selling Etsy shops to see what I mean:
48 hour monogram: This top seller has a great theme. The neutral tones and well-designed banner make the shop look instantly professional. The consistent borders around all images and a standard “ships in 48 hours” messaging on all products also adds to the appeal.
Definitely take note of some successful shops and use similar strategies. A solid marketing strategy is one of the most important Etsy tips for beginners.
4) Take good photos
Your product photos are one of the first things potential customers will see, so it’s important to make sure they’re high quality. That doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money on a professional camera, but you should take the time to learn how to take great photos. There are plenty of online tutorials and resources that can help you with this. And once you’ve got the hang of it, try experimenting with different angles, lighting, and props to really make your products pop.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to take the product image yourself you can use mock-ups. These are photos that already have the lighting and placement down, and you just add your product to the image.
Some great platforms to find mock-ups on include:
5) Focus on Product Descriptions
In addition to great photos, you also need excellent product descriptions if you want to sell on Etsy. Your descriptions should be clear and concise, and they should highlight the unique features of your products.
You should also use keywords throughout your descriptions to help potential customers find your products in search results. This concept is based on search engine optimization, which leads well to the next tip.
6) Learn About SEO
Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your shop and listings so they appear higher in search results. There are a number of factors that go into SEO, from the keywords you use to the titles and tags you include in your listings. The more effort you put into optimizing your shop, the more likely customers are to find it.
SEO is essential if you want to be successful on Etsy. The same tools that helped with niche selection can also help optimize your Etsy product listings.
While these tools will streamline the process for your Etsy listings, SEO strategy is actually a huge topic to delve into. In the future, if you’re looking to scale up your shop or transition away from the Etsy platform, I would definitely recommend learning more about SEO. This will be the difference between ranking on major search engines like Google, or being completely undiscoverable!
7) Figure out Pricing
One of the most important things to consider when selling on Etsy is pricing. You need to strike a balance between making a profit and charging enough to deter customers. It’s also important to consider the cost of materials and shipping when setting your prices.
Another factor to consider is the fees that Etsy will charge. A quick overview of the fees is:
Listing fee: 0.20 USD every 4 months
Transaction fee 5% of (listing price + shipping cost)
Advertisement fee: 12-15% (unless you make less than 10 000 and opt-out)
Set a price point that will earn you enough profit after accounting for these fees.
A good way to set an initial price is to take a look at competitors’ pricing. If your product is better (more value to the customer) then you can charge more. If it’s about the same value, then charge roughly the same price.
After your first few sales look at your finances and see if you need to adjust your prices at all.
8) Provide great customer service
Last but not least, one of the most important things to remember when selling on Etsy is to provide excellent customer service. This includes responding to questions and concerns in a timely manner, being polite and professional, and going above and beyond to make sure your customers are satisfied.
Etsy is a platform that emphasizes supporting small businesses. Human connection is a huge part of what makes people want to support a small business. Treat your customers the way you would want to be treated and they’ll keep coming back for more. Also, accept constructive criticism and use it to improve your product offering!
And there you have it—the top tips for selling on Etsy. As you can see, there are a lot of things to keep in mind when starting an Etsy shop. However, with a little bit of hard work and dedication, you can create a successful business that will thrive online. The hardest part is just getting started! Just remember to stay focused, be consistent, and provide excellent customer service, and you’ll be on your way to success. Good luck you little entrepreneur, you’ve got this!
This post was all about Etsy tips for beginners.
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