5 Things to do Everyday on Twitter to Grow it

Big Tree Growth Chart item 30015 | By: byrdiegraphics

Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for for your Etsy business. The heavy hitters like Facebook and Twitter can bring in traffic and a increase your sales, but your social network has to be treated as a relationship and there has to be some give before the take.   Here are 5 things I do everyday to grow and nurture my social network on Twitter.

Twitter:

Is Twitter really all about the number of followers?  The answer is yes…. and no.  I have 32,000 followers @timothyadam. I have had this Twiiter channel for over 2 years, and if you are not giving to your followers they will leave.

So what does giving look like on Twitter?

• Sending out RT thanks when your followers are retweeting you.
• Retweet things that your followers say…. ( make sure it fits with your over Tweet theme)

Check screen shot below.  Notice how I send out a thanks to those who have retweeted me.  I also retweeted a few things my followers have said.

• Create a list and try to add to it everyday.

Here is my personal Etsy sellers list.  I like to add new sellers I run across on a daily basis.

To add a new person to an existing list you can search for new people in the Find People tab at the top.

I like to search for Etsy, handmade, jewelery, art, and vintage.

Beyond giving:

• Hold a conversation, ask questions, and engage your followers.   Questions like : What are you making today?  What is your newest item in your shop? Make the question be about them, and then you can make them be about you.  Questions like:  What item from my Etsy shop do you like best?   What do you think about this new necklace in my Etsy shop?  You get the picture.  The most important aspect to asking questions is to make sure you respond back.  The conversation can not me one sided.
• The last thing that I do on  a daily basis is find new followers.  Find targeted followers to follow to grow your following.  I like to use a few different sites to find my targeted followers.  First is Tweepi.com, and this is by far the best twitter tool I have found to manage your Twitter followers.  Lastly is  Wefollow.com, and this is another great place to find those targeted Twitter pages you will want to follow

Be sure to stop by Handmadeology on Twitter!

How to Get on the Front Page of Etsy

Apple cozy apple jacket cosy crochet handmade | by : knotworkshop

knotworkshop says:

So many folks wonder how to get on the FP. I thought I’d write a little tutorial to point you in the right direction. Granted, I’ve only been on there a few times and it was totally a stroke of luck, but I’ve done some research and think I’ve figured it out.

1) Have great photos. Yes, you know this already. But it’s not just great photos. It’s great photos that fit the Etsy opinion on what is a great photo. That means extreme close ups of certain types of items, well staged photos- meaning not just your super crisp item on a white background- it has to create a sense of space in the photo- the less two dimensional, the better.

2) Use the merchandising report. Yes, Etsy pretty much flat out tells you what they are going to be featuring on the FP. They say what colors, what ideas, etc. You must correctly tag your items for these themes. Meaning, if you have earrings with deep purple beads on them, tag them with ‘plum’ if that is a color tone that is fitting the merchandising report. If fall/autumn is a merchandising theme (like uh, right now) tag your items accordingly. Therefore if you have something that is orange, tag it ‘pumpkin orange’. That is a shade that they may be looking for. This is also how those who make treasuries will possibly find you if they are making collections based on merchandising- and if they want their treasury to be on the FP, they are likely doing just that.

3) Make treasuries. Yes, same old, same old. But it’s not just making any old treasury. It has to be beautiful. It should contain a wide variety of items with a wide variety of prices. It should fit the merchandising report and be tagged accordingly.

4) Promote these treasuries until the cows come home. We all know that views, clicks and comments make a treasury hotter (along with probably some unknown stuff). Now, having a hot treasury isn’t a guarantee of getting on the FP. But surely admin are more likely to see it if it’s within, oh I don’t know, the first thousand pages of the treasury.

5) Join a treasury team (or start one if you’d like) Power of the people here folks. Get on a team and put each other in treasuries all the time. Cross promote. Comment on each other’s treasuries. Yes, IT IS A SYSTEM AND IT CAN BE MANIPULATED. Use that to your advantage should you so choose. Sure, folks can point to this activity as mafia-like, but the mafia was a very successful business (yes, yes they killed people and it was horrible, I know, I know, but all those bastards made a ton of money). So take what you can from those who manipulate the system and learn.

All of this of course has luck play into it, which you cannot control. And of course, maybe you don’t have enough time to do all this shit and that’s fine too.

But if you want to get on the FP, you can just wait for it to happen, or you can optimize the chances of it happening. The FP is TONS of exposure. I don’t care that people say it doesn’t lead to sales all the time. If you are getting on the FP twice a month, or twice a day as some folks do, you are going to get a bunch of free advertising. And that can in fact make a huge difference.

If your time is better spent elsewhere, so be it. But then don’t worry about who is getting on repeatedly. Those folks are working the system and are getting rewarded for it.

Join the conversation in the Etsy forums HERE!

Fall/Halloween Online Open House Going on Now

HTTP://WWW.RABBITHOLLOWPRIMS.COM

Swap Deadline

Ok swappers we are almost to our deadline if I missed emailing you then sorry but here is what I wrote just a quick note that swaps are due out Sept. 1st :)  Remember to let  your partner know it is on the way and take pics and send them to me before you ship so I can add them to the blog....

Thanks
Sue

Etsy Success- Work it On Kaboodle

Kaboodle is a social shopping community where people discover, recommend and share products. This innovative site abounds with fabulous Etsy items, thoughtfully curated by community members (check out Etsy Admin marymary's picks as a Kaboodle guest curator). Today Kaboodle's community managers, Adiel and Melissa, share tips on how to utilize their tools to promote not only your Etsy shop, but also your favorite handmade and vintage items from your fellow Etsy sellers. 
We’re delighted Etsy invited us to share tips on making the most out of Kaboodle. As you may already know, our staff and community — the largest and fastest-growing bunch of passionate shoppers online — absolutely love Etsy products. (Etsy products are everywhere on our site — we currently have more than 200,000 past and present Etsy finds listed on Kaboodle and more than 15,000 Etsy fans! In fact, Etsy.com is the number-one destination from Kaboodle!) Because of this, our community also includes many very active and adored Etsy sellers...and we like it that way!
We know that, as independent businesses under the Etsy umbrella, our current tools make it hard for you to promote yourself and all of your fabulousness without spamming. We’re working hard to allow you access to your very own brand page/store without much extra effort on your end. Until then, we hope the following tips will help you to heighten your products’ visibility on our site and get you more sales and fans while keeping you in good standing with our Terms of Use.
So, without further ado, here the top ways to work it on Kaboodle:

Create a profile page if you haven’t already!
Upload a profile photo, choose a name that fits you, tell our community a bit about yourself, and make sure to let people know that you're an Etsy seller! Letting others know that you're a seller ensures that you become friends with the types of people who like the same things you like and will be excited to interact with you.

Upload your products to your profile page using the Add to Kaboodle button (found on Etsy product pages under the Share option and as a browser add-on).

By creating unique lists (maybe try a theme?) you'll entice your newly-minted Kaboodle friends to flip through your items and get to know you a little bit better. These lists can also act as an archive for past works, since the images and information associated with each product you upload will remain there long after you’ve sold it. Neat! Also, don't be afraid to add things to your list that aren't from your own arsenal — you can show your style, character and gain new friends by amassing a cool wishlist collection of things from across the Web!

Only send messages and comments that you'd want to receive yourself.
Remember, the people you are sending messages to are your friends and don't want to be inundated with comments and emails that contain loads of links back to your store or only talk about your products. Comments and messages aren't the place to market to the community. In fact, it’s against our Terms of Use. Instead, include links and product information in your "About Me" section and leave the messages and comments to personal, friendly messages — you know, the kind you'd send your friends.
Create styleboards that showcase an entire look and feature a variety of different products from different places.
We currently don’t allow big brands to create styleboards at all. You get this ability because of your unique seller situation. In exchange for this perk, we ask that you kindly create styleboards that speak to your style and sensibilities but do not merely show off your own goods. Of course, the pièce de résistance can be one of your creations, but be sure to pull in other items to give your styleboard some personality and charm, and make it something your fellow Kaboodlers will be excited to see.

Kaboodle, and Kaboodle often!
Feel free to interact with others — make friends and show love by giving hearts to others' Styleboards, Blogazines, and Lists.
Let your fabulous items speak for themselves.
Here on Kaboodle we’re all about transparency. We don’t sneak advertising messages into unexpected places or inundate our friends with newsfeed advertisements under the guise of friendship. That would not make for a good friend. If you let people discover you and your products in organic ways (by seeing your products on the site, which will naturally happen if you upload them to your profile page), they will have a positive reaction to you and your products. In other words, rather than trying to share your products with the community, let the community come to you.
Share your findings with your friends on Facebook and Twitter using the Share buttons found across Kaboodle.
It’s a great way to get the word out and bring people to browse all of your past and present products on Kaboodle while staying cozily within our Terms of Use.
Follow the golden rule: “Treat others as you'd like to be treated.”
If you don't like being spammed, don't spam others. (Not that you would do that!) Be familiar and in good standing with our Community Guidelines. The best way to make sure you are in good standing with our rules of happy, fair Kaboodle engagement is to know what they are. You can check them out here. Also see our Terms of Use. And, should you ever need help, feel free to reach out to us — find us on Kaboodle as Adiel, a.k.a. triplyksis, and Melissa, a.k.a. ilovejeans. We're standing by, probably buying your stuff right now, and forever anxious to help!
Thanks again, and happy Kaboodling!


Source:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/etsy-success-work-it-on-kaboodle-9156/

Pay it Forward Challenge!

We all need help sometimes and what better way than to Pay It Forward? My challenge to you today and the rest of the week to to simply select your favorite MySpark Mini-Site from the new “My Favorite Product Gallery” then share the link to their gallery feature with your fans and friends on Facebook, Twitter or Blog.  There are 15 great shops to choose from! Feel free to drop a link to @HandmadeSpark as well to let the rest of us know what products you are falling in love with from the gallery. Be sure to connect with your favorite HS Mini-Site seller on Facebook and Twitter, tell them we sent you so they can feel the Spark Paying it Forward love!  Feels good doesn’t it?

What ideas do you have to help you connect with other members on Handmade Spark? The handmade community is known for helping each-other (I love this, don’t you?). Talk to us and comment below, what is your favorite way to connect?

~Amber Jordan

Etsy Announces Sign in With Email

Later next week all Etsy sellers and buyers will be able to sign with their user name or email.

Etsy Announces:

Very soon you’ll be able to sign in to Etsy with your email address or username.

We hope this makes life better for Etsy members who don’t always remember their username.

We plan to launch this change later this week or early next week.

If you have any questions, please post in this thread:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6610806

Etsy Sales Tax Option

Calling all sellers! 

We're happy to announce that the much-anticipated new Checkout will support collecting sales tax. 

Important: If you would like to collect sales tax from buyers who use the new Checkout, please set your rates by 12 a.m. ET, Thursday, August 26. 

You can go to http://www.etsy.com/your/taxsettings to set tax rates for U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and countries where you would like to collect sales tax. You can also indicate whether the tax rate for each region should apply to shipping charges.

The sales tax settings only apply to the new Checkout, so they won't affect orders until we ramp up the new Checkout late this week. We're launching the tax settings in advance so you have time to set your tax rates before we start to roll out the new Checkout.

While we ramp up the new Checkout, many shoppers will continue to use the old Checkout. We won't apply sales tax to orders that use the old Checkout. However, if you have sales tax settings at PayPal, PayPal will continue to apply those settings to orders processed through the old Checkout.

If you have sales tax settings at PayPal, the new Checkout will ignore these settings, so there's no way your customers could be double taxed.

We'll keep you updated when we start to roll out the new Checkout.

Learn more about collecting sales tax with the new Checkout on the Etsy Blog.

Handmade Spark: Find the people making great handmade things

Handmade Spark: Find the people making great handmade things

Etsy Renewing

daniellexo says:

First, I want to note that we here at Etsy are working on other more interesting and innovative ways for buyers to find the Etsy items they’ll love and purchase AND more interesting and innovative ways for sellers to promote their work on Etsy. Our amazing product and engineering teams are on the case! These guys will undoubtedly speed up this process: http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/handcrafting-etsy-6508/) Until then, I’d like to share some tips and start a conversation on getting views without having to spend a pretty penny renewing.

I recently received a convo from a seller who was renewing every single item in their shop every day. She was frustrated at the fees she was accruing every month (as she should be!) I immediately had a few ideas for her shop that she could implement instead of renewing. I thought I’d share them here.

1) Make sure you are using all 14 tags. Your item’s tags are directly related to search. If you aren’t using all 14 you are missing opportunities! (Helpful article:http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/guidelines-tips-tagging-on-etsy-281/)

1a) And make sure those tags relate to your items style, very specific colors, textures, size and themes/motifs. (Helpful article: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/seller-how-to-tag-o-rama-with-descriptive-keywords-5474/)

1b) Don’t just copy and paste your tags from one listing to another. Varying your tags will get your work seen in many different searches.

1c) Make sure your tags are accurate! If you are tagging a necklace with “earrings” in the hopes of getting more views, I beg you to reconsider this tactic. Shoppers looking for earrings are going to pay no mind to your listing so you’ll only be wasting a tag!

1d) Team Tags don’t need to be added to every single item in your shop. Just use them on a couple of items. Same goes with your shop name. It’s smart to tag a few items in your shop with your business name – just in case someone searches your name in search but forgets to use the drop down menu to choose search sellers.

Read more HERE

Giving important Etsy forum threads written by the Etsy community a second look, so Etsy sellers can Read, Learn, and Apply!

High Traffic but No Sales?

One of the top complaints I hear from online sellers is that they have plenty of traffic, hearts and activity on their website; however, very little of this activity actually converts to sales. While there are manyreasons that factor into an actual conversion, I am going to cover 3 simple things that you can do to at least improve your odds. Did you know that you have only 10 seconds to capture the attention of a prospective customer? When someone lands on your page the average shopper will make their decision to stay or leave within that time frame. Harsh isn’t it?

1. Logo/Banner

So imagine you are perusing through Etsy and you see a lovely shop name and avatar that captures your attention. You hop on over to their page and are confronted with a blurry, pixelated half-hearted attempt at a banner. Why? Oh Why? The horror!  Now, this is probably one of the most common first mistakes of a new seller. You see all the spots that need to be filled in on your shop; panic and open up Microsoft draw and start copying and pasting away until you have a rectangle that can be plopped into the banner location. Time passes as you get busy filling up your new shop and that banner just gets left in the dust. This insanity has to stop. I am not asking you to become an overnight graphic design success story. I am asking you to hire help. There is a plenty of talent available on Etsy for you to hire and design a custom banner that fits your shop’s brand and vision. Some graphic designers offer pre-made versions for as little as $5.  A true professional graphic designer can run anywhere from $50-70 to design your banner, avatar and vacation banner. Price too high? Check out alchemy on Etsy and let the bidding wars begin.

Your banner is the first shot you have at making a good impression. Would you wear flip-flops and ragged bermuda shorts to a job interview?  Not likely. Take your business and image seriously and potential buyers just might do the same.

2. Product Shots

Yes. I’m going there. You know who you are. Many sellers make excuse after excuse of why they don’t have the time or resources to improve the quality of their product shots. Such a shame. You can be the sweetest seller on Etsy and may have incredible products to offer; however, if your photos are dark and clearly shot on your couch or carpet..goodbye potential buyer. Why would I want to buy a crochet cap for my newborn niece that has been sitting on your living room floor, where who knows what has stepped on that carpet? You are an online store, your product shots are your only way of showing off  your wares. If I can’t see them or maybe that yellow 1970′s couch just isn’t my thing, why would I choose your store over the hundreds of others out there? Product shots are a learning curve that can absolutely be mastered with a little time and training.  Sure the thought of starting over can be a bit daunting but once you start researching Etsy Success stories: your simple point, shoot, and load concept will disappear.

Change your attitude and sink into the process of taking product shots. Look through your favorite magazines. If your products were to be sold in their pages, what would that set-up look like? Soft, natural lighting? Beautiful fillers? Do you need to steal your brother or sister for an afternoon to model your latest line? Learn the settings on the camera you already have, your only investment will be your time (and maybe a latte’ for your model). Find an open Saturday morning and go to town with your shots. Looking for more help? Check out our Photography Spark series and let’s crop those excuses down to size.

3. Shop Selection

Fun scenario, let’s say you need to find a birthday card for Aunt Sue and land on a promising little card shop. You start scanning through their listings and see a birthday card, a bracelet, organic soap, mosaic tiles..wait, what was I looking for again? My mistake, I thought this was a card shop as advertised..off I go to the next seller on the list. Nothing irritates a potential customer more than to be mislead. If your shop is a mix of all things crafty then please do not advertise yourself as “cards by so and so.” Do you need to define your focus? Do you love both jewelry and soap? There is nothing wrong with opening up a second shop. Your perceived hassle of  juggling two stores is minimal compared to the potential of  two solid product brands. Why should your incredible sea glass jewelry have to take a back seat to your best-selling organic hand cream? Showcase your products, do not confuse buyers. There is nothing wrong with a little cross-promotion between shops but if I’m on the hunt for a bath bomb..those earrings better get out of my way.

*Images shown in this post are shops that are doing things well. Professional logos, product shots to inspire you and a shop selection that flows. These shops keep you in their virtual door. Now get after it!

~Amber Jordan

Noaki Jewelry

Juella Designs

source:

www.handmadespark.com