How to start an Etsy shop and be awesome at it Vol #3

There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen

Look Ma, No Hands!

Believe it or not you are on your way to a great start! So mentally kick yourself. After all you are opening your shop to cause a little trouble. Not lock you up and throw you into  jail trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. I meant your aim is to celebrate your rockstar-ness with some kick ass know how.  Like I said before, I'll tell you everything I have learned about making consistent money while hanging around Etsy over the past decade.

Pull up a chair or your favorite upholstered recliner and get yourself a margarita. Make it a strong one. Oh, and you can let go of my hand now.

We talked about keywords, titles and tags. What we have not talked about is the P words. Photography. Pricing. Promotion.

Photography. One of the keys to selling items on Etsy is utilizing attractive photographs. You have probably read about it thousands of times. The internet is plastered with some good and some terrible advice about photography. There are a few really simple tricks you can implement for the immediate Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Use a light background. White even.

Noone wants to spend their lunch break on Etsy only to find nothing that inspired them. Get really close to your product. Close up or macro photography requires you to look at the object differently. Focus on textures, patterns, shape. Look for the Light (and the shadows).  Light is everything. The play between light and dark is what creates texture, mood, and depth. What will make your shop memorable?
 
Emotion.

Experiment with different lighting options and camera angles to come up with the ideal photography style for your brand. Can you hear me now? Whatever you do, you must let the light in! 

That was easy. Now lets talk about emotional stuff some more. Etsy as a marketplace is real. Your buyers are human with emotional baggage like you and me. Ive been told mine is held together with duct tape and chewing gum.

it’s not all about the aesthetics, it’s about telling a story with your photography. Capturing authentic emotions and feelings or playfulness is key to creating beautiful, truly compelling images that speak to your audience on a more personal level. Pheww! that was a really long sentence. If you don't want to use your sister as a model wearing your jewelry, hats or boho headbands use your dog as a prop.  Assuming your dog is a diva and really knows how to wear hats. Practice it and your photos will shine bright like a  diamond.

How to create compelling images for your etsy shop by using your 'diva' dog as a prop.

Pricing
Ask people to pay too much for your product or service and they will stop buying. Ask too little and your customers assume your product is poor quality. Price shouldn’t be the point. I want this conversation to be about value. Know what your products are worth. 

Know your market. You need to find out how much customers are willing to pay as well as how much your competitors charge. You can then decide whether to match or beat them. Simply matching a price is dangerous, though - you need to be sure all your costs - both direct and indirect - are covered.

Calculate your costs
The first step in deciding how to price your product is to establish how much it costs to make your goods or provide your service. After all, your goal is to turn a profit—which is impossible if your expenses aren’t covered. Expenses fall into three categories: materials, labor, and overhead. Add these together, and you’ll arrive at an accurate figure for your total cost of output.

Know your customer...
better than you know yourself. The truth is, most people tend to charge too little when they first go into business. It’s not always clear, after all, what customers are willing to pay or how much they value what they’re getting. So there’s uncertainty, and there’s also fear. First-time entrepreneurs and newbie etsy sellers usually feel as though they need every customer that they can get just to survive. They’re afraid that if they ask too much, they might lose a customer’s business. 

REPAT AFTER ME: I am worth it, my time is precious, my hats are dope. I will not undervalue my hats or be intimidated by my competition. I will act my age and eat my competition for lunch. 

When all is said and done, err on the side of higher prices. It’s easier to lower prices than to raise them, and the market will provide a quick correction if you overshoot the mark. And this leads me to my next topic. Promotions. Oh not now - I am exhausted. Aren't you?

Now go take action. See you soon.  I'll leave the light on for you.
Gina, xoxo