So Etsy Wants to Make You a Featured Seller?....

The day you got the convo from Etsy, you were in shock and didn't really know what it meant to be a Featured Seller on Etsy. If youwere like me, you were skeptical...perhaps it was a hoax...but it said "Etsy Admin" by the person's photo so it had to be legit.

Immediately you said, "where do I sign up?" and bit your fingernails all day from anxiety because they told you not to tell anyone. Oh sure, you let "hints" slip to your Etsy teammates and you told your family because hey...they don't know what "Etssttyiie" is anyway! For months, you stalked the Featured Sellers, tracking their sales and asking anyone who would listen what to expect. You told your friends you could have anywhere from 5 to 50 sales and so you ordered some packaging supplies and a few other supplies to "get ready" for the big event.

This article is to help those who have been contacted and have no idea what to expect. Because believe me, you will not believe the attention this will get you.

My experience was a little special. After all, I was already very busy...it's candle season after all! I had craft shows scheduled and just happened to be just about completely out of vacation. I figured I am a smart cookie and I could figure out the scheduling. Plus, I had plenty of people say they would help...right?

Count on a few things:

• You WILL (or at least the odds are VERY good) need time off of work if you work full-time. Plan ahead and don't accept the feature if you can't do it. Really...I was in tears many days because I didn't know how I would get the candles made and shipped. I never expected the volume of orders I received.
  
• Your sales estimate won't even come close. I had well over 230 sales from the feature (on Etsy and my regular website) and they keep coming because there is still a link on the page that stays on for a few weeks. Granted, other people get 50 sales but those sales are way more than what they are accustomed to.
  
• They say they will help but they may not. Don't count on friends and family to help. Things come up, their phones stop working, they forget, the dog ate it...well something, etc. Yes, I had a handful of people who did help and it was very much needed and appreciated. I was still up until 2AM and getting up at 5:30AM every day because I needed more help.

Here are some suggestions from a former Featured Seller:

• Do order some supplies ahead of time. I mean some. You may end up shocked by what people order so don't even try to guess. Order a safe amount of packaging supplies so you are ready to go in that aspect.
  
• Take advantage of the attention. Promote that Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, etc. You will gain all kinds of followers!
  
• Make sure your Etsy page tells them that their orders may be delayed due to higher than normal volume. Give specifics if you can (i.e. two weeks).
• Make sure your Sellers Notes reflect the delay as well. That way they see it again in the order confirmation they get from Etsy.
  
• Send an email with information to your customers which also reiterates the longer wait and tells your customers about your Facebook and Twitter. Many said they were happy to wait and congratulations!
• Schedule the creation of your product. I know that it is easiest for me to make huge batches of one fragrance at a time. Therefore, I waited until all was said and done before I started making candles. It cut my time by more than a half!
• Keep up with the order entry. If you enter your orders into Peachtree or another software like I do, get those sales orders in the computer as they come in. It will help you feel like you have a handle on things!
• If it is in stock, ship it out now! Ship what you can as fast as you can to get the order completed. This will help your sanity and will make many of your customers extremely happy!
• Do what you can with the convos. I am all about customer service which you can see by my feedback but I simply had too many convos to keep up with while working full-time. Reply to those that are most important and go back to the others when you can. The trick for me was to read them in my email and NOT open them in Etsy if I could not reply right away. That way, they appeared unread in Etsy and I could respond when I had a chance. I did miss one convo because I did not leave it unread.
  
• Pump yourself up! You are going to need stamina and energy. Promote your feature on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and wherever else you do promo. Tell your teams and live off of the enthusiasm you get in return. After all, on Etsy, you are a "celebrity" during the feature so eat it up and use that energy to give you energy!
• Delay the unnecessary in your life. If it isn't necessary (i.e. blogging), don't worry about it until you are caught up.
• Remind yourself it is only a short time. You may very well ask yourself, "what have I done?," as you wake up from the 10th night of 3 hours of sleep and can't remember the last time you saw Grey's Anatomy or your friends/family. Just remember, it will only last a little while. Enjoy it because the attention is mind boggling! I had so many "shout outs" and team support and congratulations convos, it was crazy.

I am still running ragged from "regular" business right now. Etsy has done incredible things for my business (and of course the quality of my candles has something to do with it :)). However, I do not regret doing the feature and I am already seeing repeat business and NEW business because my feedback is awesome! I managed to rest nearly the entire day yesterday and had a very productive candle making day today.

Being the Etsy Featured Seller can be intimidating and outright frightening but once the dust settles, it is a very worthwhile adventure to take part in. Congratulations to future "celebrities"....you won't regret it...not even a little :)

-Suzanne
Former Etsy Featured Seller, November 6-8, 2009

Etsy Shops - Check Features, Hearts, and More!

There are two great websites out there where Etsy shop owners can check for treasury features, front page features, shop hearts, item hearts, and more!

Craftcult.com



Craftopolis

Have fun out there! -Suzanne

Timothy Adam Designs: Google Analytics and Your Etsy Shop

Another great video tutorial from Timothy Adam Designs! Did you know we have Google Analytics now for our Etsy Shops? Check it Out!

timothy adam designs: Google Analytics and Your Etsy Shop

Arts and Craft Show Selection Tips

Well...it's getting to be that time of the year. The craft show apps start pouring in and we're left trying to be psychic about the outcomes. For the last five years, I have lived the game. Let me start right out by saying no one is psychic and shows change from year to year. You really have to take the information at hand and do what you can with it.

Here's how you can improve your chances of finding the more successful shows:

1. Check with other crafters. Is the show good for them, bad for them? What do they sell? What items did they see walking out the door? I even check their demeanor...yep..their demeanor. Craft show shoppers often buy from the booths where the crafters are happy and participative yet not overbearing. If the person you are talking to has a grumpy demeanor or appears to be a pushy salesperson, that could a contributing factor for their lack of success. Check with as many people you can find and look on your local craft show web sites for feedback on shows. Craftlister.com is a good source here in Michigan and appears to cater to other states as well - http://www.craftlister.com.

2. Find out how many years the show has been running. I am always very flattered by the new shows and small church shows that invite me to be in their shows. The fact of the matter is I have to sell at least $2800 in product to make it worth hauling my stuff. Shows will less than 10 years under their belt typically won't yield the sales I need. I know those $15-50 application fees are appealing but in the end can you live with yourself if you don't hit your sales goals? Keep in mind that even a 25 year show can tank for an assortment of reasons. I have seen more than a couple shows fail because of a change in coordinators. Another example: This year I attended one of the best shows in this area. The sales were awful for most, actually not so bad for me because people looked for me and I did my own marketing. The show tanked because it got moved, there was poor signage, terrible parking (people literally had to walk a mile or more in some cases), it was 20 degrees out, and the Santa Clause parade was the same day. Blame it on the economy all you want, the items above had more of an impact. If you don't need to generate a great deal of sales to make it worth it, a 5 year plus show may be great for you!

3. Do people want your stuff? The outcome for you may depend greatly on the product you are selling. If it is something people want, you may be golden. However, if you are selling items over $100 in an area where everyone has lost their jobs, your likelihood of success may be minimal. If you are selling in an area where everyone has ritzy home decor, they may not go for less expensive towels and such. Talk to other crafters who have attended the show. Who did well and who didn't? Inevitably, you will have a handful of both but at least you can get an idea of what sells.

4. Where is the show located? Is the show easy to get to? Good parking? Does it offer food and snacks? If it is a church, is it a large church or a small one? The ideal: A large school or church with lots of parking, a full lunch menu (keeps shoppers happy), easy to get find, large "client" or congregation base, and booths that are at least 10x10 so shoppers have room to browse.

5. How do they market? Oh..this is a biggie! Over the last couple of years I have seen some high dollar shows produce less sales because they took on the attitude that everyone knows when their show is. Bad move. I hear customers say all of the time that they looked for it in the paper to get the right date and they couldn't find it! Not to mention, they don't get in those new customers. I always look for shows that advertise in several newspapers, utilize local church bulletins, have blogs and websites, advertise in school promos, etc. Make sure they are advertising in the right venues as well. I went to a show a couple years ago that advertised in surrounding communities and not in the one the show was in -- I was shocked. Do the homework that you can in this area. In my experience, the good shows typically put their advertising venues right in the literature that they send each year with the applications.

Again, there are numerous variables in who will be successful and where. Determine first what you are trying to accomplish and go from there. I have to make thousands of dollars worth of product to stock a show where someone else only needs a few hundred dollars worth. That makes a difference in the venue a person can choose.

Good luck with those 2009 shows!

-Suzanne

Using the New Bookmark and Share Tool on Etsy

I stumbled across a new tool on Etsy this morning and just have to blog about it! This feature, located in the lower right hand corner of your Etsy Shop, is called Bookmark and Share. I added one to my Facebook page as seen below.

Click on the link and you will see this:

Choose the location where you would like to share the Etsy Shop/page. A login page will come up for the location. Go ahead and login.

Next you will see what is going to be posted…like this:

You will get a confirmation and further instructions. It’s that easy! Remember, all sites work differently but if you follow the site instructions, you won’t have any problems.

Have fun with this new feature!

-Suzanne

How to Create a Fan Page in Facebook

Facebook and other social networking sites offer another free avenue for artists to display their products, send notes to "fans," and promote their web sales sites (i.e. website, Etsy, Artfire, etc). One popular option is a Facebook Fan Page. Here are instructions on how to create a Fan Page in Facebook for your business.

1. Login to Facebook. If you don’t have a login, you will need to create one. You need to decide ahead of time whether the base profile you are creating will be for your business or personal. You can make the profile personal and the Fan Page business related.

2. The easiest way I have found to create a Fan Page is to go to another Fan Page. Therefore, go to mine at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Soy-Candles-Bliss-Soybean-Candles-and-Gifts/32950178226


3. If you want to become a fan of my page, now is the easiest time to do it. You should see “Become a Fan” in the upper right hand corner in the options.

Now, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Click on “Create a Page for My Business.”

4. Choose the type of business you are promoting.

5. Type in the Name of the Business you are making the page for. Keep in mind that you do want to use wording that will trigger your page to come up in searches. While my business name is Bliss Soybean Candles and Gifts, Bliss Soy Candles may have been a better choice.

6. Click on the "Create Page" button.

7. Edit the page. You can upload a primary photo and other photos, add information about your business, post notes on the wall, and even set up a calendar with upcoming craft shows and other events. Once you have some members you can start discussion topics and offer product reviews.

It’s that easy! Now be sure to promote your new Fan Page on your blog, on Etsy, on ArtFire, and wherever else you have a voice!

Taking Advantage of Black Friday

Competition is going to be tough this holiday season with consumers having fewer dollars to spend and making more careful selections for holiday gift giving. Harder yet for sellers of handcrafted products is the fact that the “big guys” are slashing prices to unheard of lows which we can not match and stay in business since we don’t mass produce. To all of this, I say “oh well!” I have made a plan for the day…have you? An aggressive plan may just be the key to winning the sales that you need this season.

Here is what my Black Friday is going to look like and what you can do to stay at the top of your game tomorrow:

1. Specials – I will be having daily specials targeting different customers. Figure out who you want to target and go for it! If you want those big sales, market to the people who have the need and the money for your product.

2. I’m going to blog like crazy! Artist features, fragrance reviews, specials, articles, gift guides, and more are in store for my blog. And I will be spreading the word to all of my teams and in the Forums. Review your own products, do special articles with words of encouragement for other artists, do short artist features, brag about that blog in the Forums!

3. Gift Guides – I will be putting together gift guides featuring other artists and promoting Etsy. This takes some time but you can start small. Pick a theme and feature four items. Do a short description of the items with links and away you go!

4. Listings – I will be listing and re-listing more than usual this weekend to stay on that first page.

5. Artfire – I opened a shop on Artfire and I am working feverishly to get it ready! Go to http://www.artfire.com/ today and get signed up. For only $7 per month, they have a fantastic low cost plan. Don’t have the $7? They do have a FREE plan too!

6. MadeitMyself – I will be doing listings on the MadeitMyself site too! This is another inexpensive outlet.

7. Lollishops – Lollishops is getting up and running this weekend. If I get lucky enough to be in the first beta group, I will be very active there this weekend!

8. Email List – I will be sending out an email to my email list with all of my specials for the weekend. If you have an approved list, use it to promote those specials and your blog.

9. Team participation – I will be blogging on all of my team sites linking out to my regular blog, my Etsy shop, my Artfire shop, and more! This is easy…just login and get busy!

10. Forums – I will be very active in the forums, helping other artists and making a contribution! Remember, doing nothing but self-promotion is a negative in the Forums. Participation is the key.

11. Blog commenting – Comment like crazy on other people’s blogs this weekend. Make sure you are logged in so that avatar shows up!

Notice that most of these items require no funds – just time. If you don’t belong to any teams, see if there are any you can join today! Most have an ING site where you can upload pictures, blog, share with others, comment, etc. It’s a great place to make friends.

Now…what is your plan going to look like for the day?

How to Use Twitter

Check out this fabulous Forum Post by Timothy Adam on using Twitter. I'll be reading this carefully over the weekend!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5877230

-Suzanne

The Economy is Bad ... Really?

I did a craft show yesterday that is usually one of the best in this part of the state. One of those ones where you pray you can even get on the waiting list. This show, typically a $3800 show for me cashed in at $2600 (ugh). I wasn’t alone. Several people reported barely making their booth fee. The reason according to most…”the economy.”

Every time I heard those words, I tried to hide my cringing and started my dissertation as to what really occurred. Why you ask? With a lot of hard work, I am doing just fine in this supposedly horrible economy. As a former English and Education major, I had many things drilled into my brain, one of which being to dig in and look at things from all different angles. I stepped back and looked at the realities of the day to put things into perspective.

1. Number one and most important of all, they changed the location of the show due to construction. Now add to that the fact that the only signage they put up on the old location was something saying “located across the street” – it really was not across the street – and you have your first recipe for disaster. Now throw in a parking lot one quarter of the size of the usual lot and you have people (many elderly) having to walk for several blocks in 30 degree weather – many wouldn’t bother.

2. The annual Santa Clause parade (pretty big deal here) got scheduled on the same day – ouch!

3. Two major college football games were televised that day – we Michiganians love our Spartans and our Wolverines (and also Ohio State for some reasonJ).

So with that, there really wasn’t much chance at record sales that day.

Now, looking at the big picture as a whole, is the economy really that bad? For those with investments and stocks, sure it looks bleak. I can’t imagine losing $20,000 per quarter in my pension (which I am seeing as an HR professional with my employees). While there are reports that unemployment soars well over 9% in Michigan, we forget that means there is 91% EMPLOYMENT! Those people are still buying. And as an Etsian, we have the opportunity to sell to the rest of the country as well – hooray!

So what does it take? It takes hard work. We can’t sit back and wait for the orders to come any more. As someone who works full-time and whose business is booming, I understand “busy.” Here are the things I do that I can fit into my busy schedule that you may consider:

1. List Three Times Per Day – Yep. That’s right. Budget 60 cents per day for your listings. Post one in the AM before you go to work, post another at lunch time, and one more before you go to bed. Those of us on the east coast often forget that when we are heading off to get some zzz’s, the west coast is getting home from work and they want to spend! After you do this for a while, you will find out what your busy days are and you can scale down to listing just on those days. Be patient! You need to get some sales and some feedback before the orders will start rolling in. It will happen.

2. Create Your Own Blog – No I am not able to post daily. However, I blog at least every 3-4 days but usually more frequently than that. I feature other Etsy Artists. I send a set of questions which they answer and then I format it for the blog. Total time commitment – about 15 minutes. Schedule that time in and it will be a breeze for you. I am also getting into doing what I am doing right now – help and advice. Not everyone will be able to do this but I guarantee it is worth it!

3. Blog Comments – Read and comment on other people’s blogs. Don’t make it time consuming. Make yourself a goal of reading two per week and commenting. That is more than manageable.

4. Twitter – I will admit I think Twitter is a little different..probably because of my lack of time. However, it is a fabulous marketing tool. You can go to Twitterfeed.com and have your Etsy listings go up on Twitter and your blog posts! That way people who follow you can see what you are up to. Timothy Adam Designs has great tips and thoughts on Twitter on his blog – http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/.

5. Join Teams – I know some people don’t believe in joining teams but the value I have seen is tremendous. My teams are all incredibly helpful and “nurturing.” Not to mention their promo is out of this world! Find someone who fits your interests. Once accepted, participate at least once every couple of weeks in their forums or on their ING site.

6. Chat it Up in the Forums! - Wow does this make a difference!! Again, make a goal and try not to get addicted. Go in three times per week and make legitimate contributions. Only post all of your links when appropriate. I only add my blog address when I feel there is some value to the readers.

7. Treasuries – Make a treasury or set a goal for commenting. If you only have time to throw a few comments out there, make that goal and stick to it. This gets your avatar out there. I always try to comment on those that are brand new and they have two to three days to go.

8. Follow Timothy Adam Designs’ Blog – This guy is fabulous! He is so tech savvy and has such awesome advice. Make the time where you can to read what he has to offer - http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/ Once you are rolling in the dough, buy something from him:)

There is much more to cover but these are the things that are somewhat quick and easy. You don’t have to take a beating from this supposedly bad economy. Just fight back!

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Please do me a favor and post a reply to this Forum thread (http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5923350)to keep my thread alive. I think a lot of people will find this info beneficial and I am afraid it will get buried. Thank you!

-Suzanne
Bliss Soybean Candles and Gifts
http://blisscandles.etsy.com/
http://www.blisscandles.com/