Ask nearly anyone who runs an online business what their biggest struggle is, and chances are they’ll say “more traffic.”

You need traffic to build an email list.

You need traffic to make sales.

You need traffic to reach your business goals and aspirations.

So the big question is…where do you get all that traffic?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

So…what makes you qualified to teach me how to sell printables on Etsy?

I wanted to take a moment to show you not only the results that I’ve been so blessed to have over the past few years of managing my own Etsy shop, but also to give you an idea of the results that you could see yourself.

Without boring you with all of the minute details, I started my Etsy shop selling business planners in August/September of 2018. There were tons of reasons why I actually started, but the one that sticks out to me most is the fear of continuing down a path of “living to work”.

My story follows a pretty cliche, over-dramatic storyline of quiting my 9-to-5 and starting over from scratch, only to come out on top, happier than ever before.

It was a rocky start (I only made like $45 in my first month in business), but after getting the swing of things, I made my first $1,000 in less than 4 months of selling planners on Etsy, plus I sustained and INCREASED my income long-term. And now I’ve been getting great results for myself and others for over 2 years!

Point is, I know exactly what it takes to grow an Etsy shop the strictly sells planners and digital downloads, and now I’m going to show you how to do it too. So stick with me, because you’re going to love the outcome!

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Related Post: How I Made $93K in Revenue Selling Digital Downloads on Etsy

Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Etsy Traffic

01. Etsy SEO

Let me ask you this:

When you plug in your tags for your Etsy listing, are you typing anything that comes to your head that briefly relates to your item?

If the answer is yes, I want you to know now before we dive into the rest of the post that this is NOT the way to go if you want your item to show up in your potential customer’s searches.

I know search engine optimization, keywords, and tags can be a pain, and you probably try and get through it as quick as possible, but if you devote a little bit of time into finding and placing your keywords perfectly, you’ll see an instant increase in your traffic and sales.

Etsy Keywords really are the backbone of selling on Etsy.

If you don’t use keywords properly, then to get traffic to your shop you’ll rely on things like Social Media, Facebook Ads, Google Ads or word-of-mouth to get sales, which takes a lot longer to see results.

The reason Etsy SEO is your most important marketing tool for your Etsy Shop is that you are targeting people on Etsy.com who are already browsing (they practically want to hand you their money!).

Other marketing methods are important in order to build a sustainable business. But when you’re just getting started, Keywords & SEO strategies are more likely going to be your best marketing method to get more sales.

And the best part?

It’s not as hard as you think!

ETSY SEO BASICS

If you’ve been on the internet as a seller for only a minute, you may have heard of something called SEO.

According to just about everyone, it’s the end all be all for creating a successful business online.

When your potential shopper searches for an item on Etsy, a variety of information is drawn from all of the shops within Etsy to produce a rank list.

The reason for this ranking is to determine which shops are the most relevant based off of the search term, and then to display the results in the order of the most relevant.

There are multiple factors that contribute to this ranking:

• Relevant terms, or keywords (used to generate traffic)
• Listing quality (listings that are being clicked, favorites, or purchased)
• Customer Experience
• Recency

Let’s dive into each of these contributions in detail and finally conquer your SEO for your Etsy listings!

RELEVANT TERMS OR KEYWORDS

The first contribution to ranking on Etsy, and one that you may be the most familiar with, are finding and using the best keywords that your customers are searching for.

These terms should accurately describe your items, be placed in certain spots on your page to be found, and a mixture between general and long-tail keyword phrases.

KEYWORD BASICS

There a few things that you should keep in mind at all times when you’re finding keywords for your Etsy shop. If you don’t take anything else away from this post, make sure you remember these 3 things:

1. Do not get creative with your keywords

Simple and boring words are what most people use to find things on Etsy.

While we love your originality, if you want to show up in Etsy searches generic phrases work the best.

2. The more an item sells, the more likely it will show up in Etsy Search Results

We’ll talk about this later on in the post, but Etsy prioritizes listings that sell a lot.

This is like a little hint to Etsy that says, “Hey, people really seem to like this item, so it must be more relevant to the keyword it’s using than that other guy with no sales.”

3. Do not use the same keywords multiple times

The more you use a keyword, the further down your items will show up in the Etsy pages for your particular keyword

In Etsy, you only get 1 spot per page in the search results. So if you have 10 items using the exact same keyword, all of your other items are going to get buried further down in all of the search results, and most likely never get seen.

Instead, I would recommend doing variations of the same keyword which will increase your chances of showing up in a lot more searches towards the top, but you are still going after the same type of customer.

4. Use targeted keywords

When you are thinking of keywords for your items, you want to use a mixture of both broad and specific search terms to increase your chances of being ranked on the search pages.

General keywords are just as they sound – a broad description of what your item is.

General keyword examples:

• T-shirt
• Wall Art
• Scarf

Along with general keywords, you’ll also want to add targeted keywords.

Think in terms of adjectives and the different ways your potential customers might naturally search for what you have for sale. Adding descriptive words to your general keywords is usually a good place to start.

Targeted keyword examples:

• Women’s graphic t-shirt
• Boy’s nursey wall art
• knitted chunky scarf

KEYWORD RESEARCH

(Brainstorm keyword ideas to analyze later)

You need phrases that resonate with your buyers because this is what they are going to be putting in the search box. If you go too specific or too extravagant, you risk never being found in Etsy.

Starting your research on Etsy is beneficial for the rest of your keyword research as it gives you a starting place and ideas to look for as you move forward.

1) ETSY SEARCH BAR

Before diving deeper into your keyword research, you’ll want to begin your search at the source – Etsy – to get a good idea of the type of keyword phrases you’ll want to look up to check the competition, clicks, performance, etc.

The place where I always start is at the Etsy search bar.

By utilizing the Etsy search bar, you’ll be able to find what phrases are frequently searched.

Begin typing in your main, broad keyword for the item and a list will drop down of recent and commonly searched terms.

As you can see, by simply typing in “Wall Art”, I am giving multiple keywords and keyword phrases that I could use for a product listing if I was selling wall art.

The more that I keep typing into the Etsy search bar, the more suggestions Etsy gives me to better describe the product.

As I mentioned before, this is a great free tool that you can use to get you thinking about tags to plug into your product listing.

You could even solely use this.

With that being said, there are some limitations to the Etsy search bar.

For instance, it doesn’t tell you about any of the performance statistics on the search terms that pop up.

It may be a well-searched keyword, but it may also have a very high competition.

To get the most out of using the Etsy search bar, it would be best if you use the terms that Etsy gives you and start to plug them into other tools that I will mention later in the blog post as a starting point.

From there, you can see more keyword suggestions and build a more complete keyword library that will get your product seen in front of thousands.

2) ETSY STATS

Similar to the Etsy search bar, Etsy gives you access to the most popular search terms directly in your Shop Manager page.

The difference is that these are search phrases that your customers have searched that lead them directly to your product listing.

This works the best if you are a seasoned seller and have generated some stats to go off of.

To access your Etsy stats, go to your Etsy Shop Manager.

Once you’re in your Etsy Shop Manager, on the left-hand side of the page is a list of tabs.

Click on the tab that says “Stats”. This will redirect you to your Stats page.

Scroll down until you see a list of your listings. Click on the listing you’re interested in viewing, and scroll down until you see “Search Terms”. These are the terms that people are finding your shop items with.

The words at the top of the list are the words that are used the most to find your things. Focus on these terms first.

Then, go further down the list to see if you can find any worth working into your listings.

I love looking at these keywords because more often than not, a keyword will pop up that I hadn’t ever thought of using that my customers are using.

If it fits my product well, I quickly replace a tag that isn’t performing as well with this keyword, which helps my search ranking.

Similar to the Etsy search bar, however, the limitations to this search tool are that you don’t know the performance statistics.

You should, again, use this simply as a starting place for your keyword research.

KEYWORD ANALYSIS

I wanted to mention the actual analysis part of doing keyword research to prevent you from picking random words that pop up in whatever tool you decide to use.

Every tool analyzes keywords differently.

Some only look at competitive rates, some includes cost per click, and others look at page bid.

For the sake of researching keywords for Etsy, I usually only look at “Competition” and “Avg. Monthly Searches” and ignore most of everything else.

I want a keyword that has a competition rate of either low or medium paired with a decent average monthly search rate.

Say there’s a keyword has low competition but is only searched a few times a month, that won’t do me any good!

There are gems out there with low competitive rates and a high average monthly search rate.

You want to try and get as much of these as possible!

I usually avoid terms with a higher competitive rate unless it describes my item perfectly and I’m willing to risk it by tagging my item with it.

1) ERANK

This is a tool that you can use to find Etsy keywords and how they rank through Etsy. There is a free version available, but I highly recommend investing into the paid version to get more access to the valuable features they have available.

Once you create an account with eRank, head on over to the “Keyword Tool” section and type in a keyword that best describes your item.

eRank will give you a multiple pieces of information, the top section being one of the most important thing to look through.

Analyze the number for “Average Searches”, which is how many times that particular keyword is searched per month…

The “Average Clicks” which is how many times users click on a listing after searching for that keyword…

And the “Etsy Competition”, which is how many other listings on Etsy are also using and attempting to rank for that listing.

You want to find a keyword that statistically has great average searches per month, high engagement, and low competition in order for you to have a good chance of ranking for that keyword.

Another great thing about eRank is that they give you similar keywords or terms that you can also search for in addition to the current term you’re searching for!

This seriously helps me when I just can’t think of any more words that perfectly describe my product.

A bonus to having a paid version of eRank, is that it shows you the stats for each of those additional tags all on one page so you don’t have to keep typing them in!

Once you have a collection of keywords that have great stats and describe your product accurately, begin to narrow down your list until you have 13 optimized tags!

2) LSI GRAPH

I find myself using LSI Graph more and more lately for my tags on Etsy.

There is an option for paying for LSI Graph starting at $24 a month, which honestly isn’t bad at all.

There is also a free version, which limits you to only three searches a day.

What I love about LSI Graph is that it’s extremely user-friendly and has a simple layout that doesn’t overwhelm you.

The premium version will give you more thorough results but I find the free searches LSI Graph provides gives plenty of related keywords and is in-tune with current Google practices.

As you go into LSI Graph, type in your main keyword phrase into the search bar.

Once you search, it will redirect you to a page that gives you the keywords, and if you’re using the free version, it won’t show you the analytics of each keyword.

For this tool, I don’t mind not having that extra information like the competition and average page visits because the keywords that LSI Graph suggest are very detailed and always work great in Etsy.

3) ANSWER THE PUBLIC

This next tool is so much fun to play around with and isn’t like any other keyword search engine that I have seen.

If you go onto the Answer the Public website, type in your main keyword phrase into the search bar and hit “Get Questions”.

Now, when it redirects you to your keyword search, you’re going to see similar to the pinwheel below that gives you multiple questions involving that keyword.

From there, you can find questions that most relate to your product and make sure that you answer that question when you’re typing your description and taking your photos.

Doing so will capture your audience and they will be more likely to buy your item if they know it is going to solve whatever problem they have.

While this feature is neat, I mostly use this tool for what comes after the pinwheels.

If you keep scrolling, you’ll eventually run into a huge list of keyword phrases that begin with the main keyword that you typed in. The word that follows your main keyword is alphabetized for every letter in the alphabet.

This is a very very long list where you’re bound to find some hidden gems of keywords.

I also love this tool because it gives me more ideas on long-tail or targeted keyword phrases, which you should be including in your mixture of tags and keywords.

LISTING QUALITY

Another way Etsy determines your relevancy to a search from a customer is how well your listing has done from prior customer experiences.

This includes how often your item is being clicked on if your item is being favorited, and how if people are actually purchasing your listing.

These are all factors of the time and energy you put into your listing in making it look appealing to your potential customers.

I have found that the two biggest indicators for this are the photos and descriptions.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Another contribution to your Etsy ranking is your customer’s experiences while at your shop.

This can be in the form of positive reviews, which increases your chances to be seen. However, it can also help with getting referrals and repeat business, which increases your traffic and sales in the long run.

Providing stellar customer service should be one of the pillars of your shop’s foundation at all times, even for those difficult customers.

Make sure to answer questions quickly, comment politely, and helping your customers in any way that you can help to establish a great reputation.

I installed the Sell on Etsy app, which notifies me when anyone messages me via Etsy Conversations.

RELEVANCY

Etsy reward recency with higher placement in searches.

Every time an item renews, which could be after a sale, for example, it comes back into the search at a higher ranking.

While getting a lot of sales basically does this for you, for those who are just starting out, you can “trick” Etsy into ranking you higher by renewing your listing manually.

Renew your items at peak traffic times, which you can track through your Etsy stats. If you don’t want to do this manually, websites like Etsy On Sale can do this for you.

Don’t feel like you have to renew each and every item every single day. I usually renew about 3-5 items every day. I typically choose items that aren’t my best sellers so potential buyers can find these as well.

WHERE TO PLACE YOUR KEYWORDS

Now that you have a list of keywords you can use for your item, you’ll want to place them in the best spots to be ranked by Etsy.

Where I see a lot of people go wrong with their SEO is that they get excited and start slapping them into random spots on their listing.

I’m here to tell you that this is the absolute worst thing you could do for your ranking in Etsy.

There are certain techniques you’ll want to use when you set up Etsy listings.

And when you do, watch those sales soar!

Here are the major pieces of an Etsy Listing you need to focus on in order to optimize your listing for SEO:

PHOTOS

While it is not directly related to SEO, having good quality photos of your product is extremely important.

After a customer types in a keyword, the photos are the first thing a customer notices, so in order to stand out from all of the other products, compelling photos are the most important thing you need in order to get clicks to your product.

Also, Etsy seems to imply that the more photos you have on your listing, the more likely they will rank your product high in search results.

On the listings page where you edit, Etsy instructs you to “Add as many as you can so buyers can see every detail.”

SEO aside, it’s still a good idea to include as many photos as possible for the customer to see. Because the customer cannot physical see the product or touch it in person, the more high-quality photos you can include, the better.

Fill up your product listing as much as possible with photos so people have a really good idea of how it looks and might look in a room or space or on a person.

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Related Post: 3 Simple Steps to Optimizing Your Planner Etsy Shop to Convert Your Traffic into Sales

TITLES AND TAGS

When you’re creating your title, pay close attention to the first 40 characters for two reasons.

First, Etsy ranks the first 40 characters as the most relevant because they are in front of the listing.

Secondly, buyers only see the first few characters of your item on the search page. You’ll want to make sure you’re telling them specifically what you’re offering them within those first few characters.

“If you’re not meeting your visitors’ needs, it doesn’t matter how ‘optimized’ your site is.” — Stoney deGeyter

Place your main keyword or keyword phrase at the beginning of the title, followed by a mixture of general and targeted keywords. Use the formula:

Main keyword phrase + 1-2 targeted keyword phrases + 1-2 general keywords…

Add any form of punctuation in between the keyword phrases. Whatever you choose won’t affect how your items show up in search results, but make sure you choose something that is easy for your customers to read.

Additionally, make sure you use all of the available characters for your title, filling them with other keywords and keyword phrases that you think people might type into the search box.

Once you have your title in place, you will basically copy the keywords from your title directly into your tags.

If your keyword phrases are too long for one tag, divide them into two tags and put them right next to each other. If you have any available tag spots left over, fill them with other relevant words for your items.

If you’re struggling to find keywords to use, you try taking the words within your listing title and mix them up. Combine them in different ways until each of the spots are filled in.

DESCRIPTIONS

When writing your description, you’ll want to use the same keywords you have been focusing on in your title and tags.

It’s best if you place these keyword phrases near the top of your description in a natural sounding way.

Fill in the remainder of your description with any other details about your item, such as the shipping information, shop policies, and a detailed description of the item and everything the order comes with. The more your potential buyer can learn from your description, the better chance you have of making a sale.

02. Etsy Sales and Coupons

So now, you’re listing is looking a little bit more enticing, but you want to make it an absolute no-brainer for your audience to purchase from you rather than your competitor.

One way to do that is through the use of coupon codes.

Here are some great ways to utilize Etsy coupon codes:

Create Exclusive Coupon Codes for your best customers

There are a few ways you could do this.

You can set up a coupon to be sent to a customer who has purchased from you as a thank you to them.

Or, if any of your customers have left you an amazing five-star review, send them an exclusive coupon just for them.

Either way, you’ll be making your customers feel special and entice them to return back to your shop and purchase from you!

Give People Enough Time To Use The Coupon Code

You don’t want to let your coupon code expire too quickly or allow your coupon to go on forever.

There should be a sense of urgency to use the coupon without your customers filling like they’re being rushed.

You’ll have to play around with this to find a time frame that works best for you, but around a month or two seems to work for many people.

Create coupon codes during popular Sales times

Here are some popular sales times during the year:

• Federal Holidays – like Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Presidents Day
• Holidays specific to your niche – like Valentine’s Day, Easter, National Cats Day, whatever you sell I’m sure there’s a special day catered for it!
• Right before Summer
• Right before School Season
• Black Friday & Cyber Monday
• Most of Christmas time, from Black Friday up to Christmas

Experiment with Percentages

This is where sellers tend to not know what to do and just make it up as they go.

Though any percentage off is great for people who want to save money, your customers want to feel like they’re getting the most value out of their purchase for the least money as possible.

Therefore, you want to figure out the highest possible discount you can afford.

Every product and Etsy shop is different so you’ll have to experiment on your own to see your customers reaction to your discounts.

However, you first want to figure out how much of a profit you’ll want to make from a purchase after the discount has been applied.

For example, if you sell an item for $20 USD, it costs you $5 USD to make, and you want to make at least $5 USD in profits, then you can afford to have up to a 50% Off coupon code ($10 USD Off).

If you sell products that are more expensive to make and maintain, you may not be able to afford such a huge discount.

Find a profit you’re comfortable with making and start your percentages there and adjust as you see fit.

03. Marketing Your Etsy Shop Using Social Media

So you’re focusing on marketing your Etsy shop so you can drive massive traffic to your shop. So far, you’ve perfected your SEO, set up your Pinterest account, and implemented sales and coupons into your marketing strategy.

Then, you’re left asking, now what?

Another way to boost your listing in Etsy is to promote it online to your existing marketing
channels, such as your email newsletters, blogs, or your social media accounts.

Now, before we begin, here’s a word on social media.

While I encourage my students to look into social media, don’t get sucked into it!

Research shows that social media just does not convert to sales very quickly, especially for small businesses.

Why?

Because, when people are on Etsy, they are looking to buy something from Etsy. When people are on Facebook or Instagram, they are looking to socialize with their friends.

With that being said, building a social media following is a great way to build a community and have a platform for your existing customer base to go for quick updates about you and your business – which is why I tend to encourage it after hitting a solid 200 sales or after your first year of building your Etsy shop.

If you think you’re ready to divide your time away from growing your Etsy shop and focus on social media, read through the following guide to know how exactly you can use each platform to help your Etsy shop.

WHY PROMOTE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

I mentioned this earlier, but using social media is a great way to build organic relationships with your customers and target audience.

You’ll be able to easily build a community of like-minded individuals who enjoy you for you! And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get some additional traffic coming in from these outside sources.

Here are a few reasons why I recommend developing a social media strategy to promote your Etsy shop:

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE PURCHASING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

I know you’ve seen tons of Instagram influencers promote and advertise products on their profiles.

Nowadays, more and more people are likely to purchase something after they’ve been influenced by something they see on social media.

Don’t expect your sales to triple or even double, but it is likely that you’ll get a few people who see you rocking your products and just have to have it!

IT INCREASES YOUR EXPOSURE

Obviously, with utilizing hashtags and staying actively present on your social media accounts, there are going to be people who naturally begin to find you through your accounts.

As your exposure increases, it’s your job to convince them to head on over to your Etsy shop after they’re done browsing through your profile.

Don’t think that it will happen naturally!

I’ll give you a few of my tips on how exactly to do this later in this guide.

IT BUILDS TRUST WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

Most importantly, having a solid social media strategy is going to help you build trust with your audience.

Instead of using your social media accounts to pitch your products all of the time, use it as a time to show your audience behind the scenes of your business and an inside look into your personal life.

With this, you’ll build a community of people who know, like and trust you.

And if you end up asking them to check out a new product or tell them about an upcoming sale, they are going to be so much more likely to purchase from you and support you in all of your endeavors.

It’s a win-win for everybody!

HOW TO PICK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

This is where it gets a little tricky.

I’ve seen some of my students just pick a social media platform that they’re the most comfortable with or, even worse, they use all of the platforms that are available to them.

You do not want to do this!

I know you may think to establish a presence everywhere so you can increase your exposure is the most logical thing to do, but it’s going to become extremely challenging to manage multiple social media platforms at one time.

The outcome?

You’ll get burnt out and end up neglecting all of them.

What I recommend is starting with one platform, and mastering it (as in you have a steady following and you can handle posting to it consistently).

If you feel like you can add more to your plate as time passes, you can add one at a time.

At the end of the day, you don’t want to lose sight of your main responsibility, which is your Etsy shop.

If taking on just one social media platform right now takes time away from running your Etsy shop, then table it and come back to it later. No social media strategy will be good enough to replace the work you can do on Etsy to build up your business.

FIND OUT WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE HANGS OUT

As we work through this social media guide, you’ll find that I don’t tell you “Do exactly this to market your Etsy shop with social media.”

I don’t do this because what works for one Etsy seller may not work for another.

Each and every one of our target audiences differ from one another.

In other words, you want to make sure you’re conscious of where your target audience hang out and what they are looking for through social media.

If your target audience typically hangs out on Instagram and engages more with an inspirational quote and funny baby videos, but you’re posting news articles and promotional content on your Facebook page, then you’re doing nothing but wasting your time.

Remember, creating a social media strategy isn’t about what you like, it’s all about your target audience if you want to see a difference in traffic and sales.

Finding the right platform can be tricky, but here are a few ways you can determine where to find your audience:

1. What is your target audiences demographic? From there, what platform does your demographic generally gravitate towards? For example, teenagers and young adults can typically be found on Instagram, you may find an older demographic on Facebook, and a more professional target audience will be on LinkedIn.
2. Do some research on your competitors. Which platforms do you see they’re using the most? Typically, if they gravitate towards one specific platform and you have the same target audience, then they’ve done most of the hard work for you and you have a pretty good idea that you’ll find your audience there.
3. If you want to be positive you get it right, simply survey your current customers and ask them which social networks they prefer the best!

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE LIKES

It’s not enough just to know where your audience hangs out.

You’ll also want to find out what type of posts your audience likes and are the most engaged with.

You’ll want to review multiple competitor profiles and look through their posts.

Which ones get the most likes and comments, do you notice a trend in what they post and when they post it?

How often do they post a week? Determine if you should stick to the same schedule or make it better.

Doing this type of analysis may seem like you’re copying your competitors, but you’re simply getting an inside look into what your target audience is attracted to and implementing it.

When it comes down to actually posting things on your account, stay original and never copy someone’s post!

But if your competitor posts gifs and memes and that get a lot of engagement, then you may want to consider doing the same thing.

FIND OUT WHEN YOUR AUDIENCE IS ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Another component of posting on social media is posting when your audience is active on your platform.

This may take you posting regularly for some time before you can calculate accurate times, but you can also guestimate good times by analyzing your competitors.

Or, you can use the Preview app to see your personal best time to post.

The app analyzes your Instagram account and tells you:

• Your best time to post
• Your best time to interact
• Your best day to post
• Your best day to interact
• Use this information to grow your Instagram

Having all of this information is super important when it comes to developing your social media marketing plan.

BENEFITS OF EACH PLATFORM

I’m going to write this guide assuming you already know the fundamentals of how social media works and the features that each of them offers.

I won’t be going into detail on how to set up each platform and how to use them because I know you want to get to the real benefits of using each platform catered specifically for Etsy sellers and making sure you’re using each network to its full advantage so you can boost your views.

PINTEREST

Pinterest, unlike other social media platforms, is more like a visual search engine where your target market goes to look for content, which leads them directly to you!

Though Pinterest can be compared to Google for its search engine qualities such as the importance of keywords, it’s also different from Google because the way your pin looks like is a HUGE factor in why Pinterest users click on a certain pin.

To best utilize your Pinterest marketing to double your Etsy traffic, be sure to complete the following steps:

• Optimize your Pinterest Account
• Determine the types of pins you want to post
• Design eye-catching pins that convert
• Crackdown on your Pinterest SEO
• Utilize a consistent pinning strategy

Check out the post below for the complete step-by-step walkthrough of our Pinterest strategies!

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Related Post: The Complete Guide to Utilizing Pinterest to Grow Your Etsy Shop

INSTAGRAM

Instagram works similar to Pinterest, considering it has a strong visual component – which makes it great for Etsy sellers!

Unlike Pinterest, Instagram has more of an interactive component, so not only is it effective to share photos of your products and behind-the-scenes details, but it’s also a great place to make your brand more personable and community-based.

This is going to be the key to making Instagram work for you and your shop!

Here’s a review of how to utilize Instagram to market your Etsy business:

• Show snapshots of your work in progress
• Reveal brand new items that are on sale
• Use Instagram Stories to showcase an item and direct them back to your Etsy shop
• Tell the story of your brand
• Make your Instagram full of exclusive incentives
• Be vulnerable in front of your audience
• Build a community by encouraging your audience to comment, like and share – and always return the favor!
• Don’t just share photos of your products or promotional posts, include personal photos as well
• Use contests and giveaways to increase your exposure

To learn how you can specifically use Instagram to promote your Etsy shop, read the complete post where we teach you the steps to take to grow your following and increase your engagement.

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Related Post: My Secrets to Using Instagram to Promote My Etsy Shop

FACEBOOK

Facebook is a great place to go to build relationships with not only your target audience but also other people in your niche because it offers a space for dialogue and communication.

Not only does Facebook make it ridiculously easy for your customers to message or contact you through your Facebook page, but they also offer the ability to join Facebook Groups, which gives you access to thousands of people that you can build a relationship with.

With the power of Facebook Groups, not only will you be able to promote your Etsy shop, but you’ll also be able to ask for feedback from your peers, ask or answer burning questions, and have a space to interact directly with your audience on a daily basis.

Here are a few tips to utilize Facebook and using it to promote your shop:

• Give your audience an incentive to visit your shop by offering coupons and special promotions
• Use Facebook’s sell feature that allows shoppers to click on your products and be directed back to your shop
• Join Facebook Groups and stay active!
• Consider investing in Facebook Ads (if it makes sense)

If your audience hangs out on Facebook and you want to learn more about using it to promote your Etsy shop, head on over to our Facebook post, which walks you through setting up your Facebook page and tips on how to market your Etsy shop.

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Related Post: Expert-Proven Strategies to Promoting Your Etsy Shop With Facebook

TWITTER

I’ve heard that Twitter is attractive to certain target audiences because of its ease of use and simplicity.

This makes it extremely easy to interact with customers and connect with people within your niche.

I personally do not use Twitter for my Etsy business (my audience just doesn’t hang out there enough!), so I can’t offer too much information on it and I would hate to steer you in the wrong direction.

If you want to learn more about Twitter and how to promote your Etsy shop with it, I recommend you check out the following resources to get a good idea:

Twitter for Promoting Etsy Shops – My Craft Assistant
Using Twitter for an Etsy Business – Everything Etsy
An Etsy Shop Owner’s Guide to Twitter – Handmade Weddings Blog
Twitter Marketing for Etsy – Around.io

ETSY SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT STRATEGY

BUILD TRUST BY BEING CONSISTENT

Consistency is a key element in a business’ success. Of course, there are other important factors, but consistency is what will create name recognition. Consistency is what will build your tribe so you can develop a trusting relationship. Consistency is what will showcase your expertise to new followers.

Here’s an example:

You go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant and you fall in love with your entrée. A few weeks later you take a friend to the same restaurant, order the same meal, but it tastes different and you send it back to the kitchen. Their lack of consistency in how your meal was prepared will now leave doubt in your head about that particular dish and possibly about the whole restaurant in general.

Doubt in a customer’s mind generally means you have to rebuild that trust again to show that they should continue doing business with you. It’s not impossible to earn their trust again but you’re basically starting from square one. Working your business consistently and focusing on superb content and excellent customer service will help to keep your clients happy and trusting in you.

CONSISTENT BRAND IMAGE

When it comes to branding, consistency and repetition will help develop name recognition. If you always wear clothes that match your website colors, people will make the connection. If your trademark is a purple stripe in your hair, don’t go changing it to fire engine red; your followers won’t recognize you!

Be consistent with your brand image, colors, and message, both online and offline so you’re always recognized. Engaged audiences are those who already trust you, like what you have to say, and are eager to have a conversation with you. These are the people who will sing your praises to others, thereby growing your business!

SHOW OFF YOUR PERSONALITY

Social media platforms were created primarily as a way to connect with people, as a way to be social online without being in the same vicinity. However, with the increased popularity of social media and the ways you can promote your business with these platforms, some business owners forget about the ‘social’ part of social media and use it as a free advertising platform.

It’s been proven by experts that people will spend their money with those they know, like, and trust. But if all you’re doing is posting photos of your product or hyping your service or your signature program, you’re not allowing anyone to know you. If your followers don’t know who you are, it’s impossible for them to genuinely like you and you’re simultaneously hindering the trust factor.

So, show off your personality with your social media posts. Let the real you shine through and you will naturally attract your tribe of followers. Here are 3 ways to spice up your social media posts with some personality:

1. Act like you’re the hostess and your followers are at your party.

When hosting a party, you want everyone to be happy and having a good time, right? The same is true on social media platforms. Don’t just hang out on your page; visit other pages and leave comments. Ask your followers questions. Really listen to their answers. Respond to questions or comments that are asked of you. Be compassionate and friendly. Offer friendly advice when asked.

2. Share your sense of humor and be entertaining.

This doesn’t mean acting fake because you want people to be entertained; rather, be yourself and tell the funny thing your kid said or relay something comical that happened at work. Everybody can use a laugh and posting videos or funny photos is a way to lighten the online atmosphere.

3. Provide value and inspiration.

Talk about your business and let your passion shine but let it be more than, “Buy my services!” Your audience wants to know what’s in it for them; how will your services benefit or help them. Do you have the solution to their problem.  It’s not you making sales; it’s about helping them find solutions. Share your favorite inspirational quotes, especially around the holidays, which can be a tough time of year for some folks.

04. Develop Relationships to Boost Your Marketing Efforts

HOW TO GET STARTED NETWORKING

The idea of walking into a room without knowing a single soul can no doubt be daunting. But the alternative of not sharing your story and your mission to those who may be seeking this exact answer to their problems is equally troubling. No matter how you want to start networking in real life, put on your brave face and tackle your social fears head on.

1. JOIN A RELEVANT BUSINESS NETWORKING GROUP

Very often there are dozens of business networking groups and chambers of commerce spread across the country in every locale, so you really can pick and choose which group is best for you. Yes, you want to reap a reward for being a part of the group, but your acceptance into any business group will depend on what you can contribute. After all, it’s all about building relationships.

Ask to visit a meeting or two before submitting an application and never be afraid to ask questions about the other members or when the group was formed.

2. HOLD LIVE WORKSHOPS

What better way to showcase your authority and expertise than to speak to your local community! Turn an online webinar into a live presentation or create a presentation customized to your community’s needs. Contact your local library, business association or community college with your ideas and very often if the presentation is unique and relevant to the community, you will get a booking.

Even if live events are not your forte, choose a topic you are passionate about and that you could speak about for hours. Your passion will carry through and you’ll be less likely to be nervous or get tongue-tied.

Make sure to collect business cards or to have attendees sign in so you can connect with them on social media and continue the relationship building.

3. VOLUNTEER IN THE COMMUNITY

Look for groups or charities that are relevant to your experience, but don’t go in thinking you need to change everything. Building relationships should be a positive experience, so offer your guidance and input when asked. Otherwise, enjoy conversing with other volunteers, board members, and administrative personnel, all of whom hold the possibility of referring you to their family, friends, or other networking contacts.

4. BE A GUEST

Everyone needs content. It’s the one thing that remains consistent among all content creators—there is never enough. That’s where you can help.

By guest posting on other influencers’ blogs, you can “borrow” some of their traffic.

You can’t simply regurgitate old content and send it out in a dozen directions though. To get the best results, you’ll want to:

• Create custom content designed with your host’s unique audience in mind.
• Provide stellar value with actionable ideas and strategies not found everywhere else.
• Inject your personality so those new to you will instantly connect with you.
• Offer a compelling reason to click through to your website or blog for more information.

5. PARTNER UP

Here’s a quick way to “borrow” someone else’s audience to kickstart your own…schedule a free event with a partner.

Here’s how it works:

1. You (as the one with the small list) create a compelling, free training which leads naturally to a low-cost, no-brainer product.
2. Install an affiliate tracking system such as aMember, Infusionsoft or 1Shopping Cart.
3. Offer your best affiliates a higher percentage of profits in exchange for co-hosting your webinar and bringing their traffic along for the ride.

This is a win/win for both of you, as you gain the traffic while your affiliate gets a bigger payday. Just be sure you have a good funnel in place so that your new list members can benefit from all that you have to offer.

6. GET INTERVIEWED

Want to really show off your expert status and bring traffic back to your site, too? The easiest way is to get on the interview circuit. Just like authors with new books and actors with new movies, coaches and service providers can get in front of new audiences simply by answering questions about what they know.

Of course, you’re probably not going to appear on the Today Show or Oprah (although that’s not impossible), but there are still plenty of opportunities out there for coaches and consultants in every niche.

Look for interview and speaking opportunities on:

• Podcasts
• Other blogs
• YouTube
• Periscope and Blab
• Local events
• Industry conferences
• Telesummits

Start by reaching out to your colleagues and to podcast and blog hosts you most admire. Get the word out with your friends and your list that you’re looking for opportunities. Even if you don’t yet have a list of your own, it’s easy (and fun) to kickstart your audience growth simply by making yourself available for these and other opportunities. Each guest post, podcast interview and webinar is another chance to get in front of a whole new market, so take advantage of it!

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Check out one of our interviews! Directly from an Etsy Influencer: Tips for Starting a Successful Etsy Business

Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Printable Etsy Shop

Yes! You did it!

You’ve taken that first step in growing your Etsy traffic…which is learning from other sellers.

And while this is great, it’s also important to actually implement things you learn to get the same results as those you are studying!

I encourage you to practice at least one of these techniques in your Etsy Shop this week and track your results.

If things don’t go as planned, switch up your strategy until you find the perfect rhythm!

Let me know in the comments:

• What are your goals for growing your Etsy shop? Is there a certain amount of views/favorites/orders you’re aiming for? If so, what’s your timeframe for achieving your goals?
• What are some of your favorite marketing strategies that you’ve seen huge results from?
• What is your least favorite marketing technique?