Decide the best way to drive traffic to your Etsy products
There are a lot of things that you have to consider when it comes to running social media for your Etsy shop. You hear that sellers on Etsy need to be active digital marketing, which covers managing social media accounts and email lists. But how do you know which one is the right strategy for you? Take note that people have a different approach or plan on how they can market their handmade products.
Now, let’s get started in identifying who you are and what type of marketing may work for your brand.
Are you the type of person who feels like you can do it all? Do you think that you can handle anything and everything that life throws at you? If yes, then you are most likely giving your time and attention to many things.
Beware, having too much on your plate can be a bad thing for your business. This situation will prevent you from getting the “big things” done. Otherwise, you will become a jack of all trades, but a master of none.
To excel at something, like being good at Etsy social media marketing, you have to focus only on one thing. Put your hard work, effort, and time towards your one area of focus.
If you are Etsy seller using multiple social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Snapchat, and Pinterest, then there is a high chance that you will find it challenging to keep up with each account.
Do you think that it is a good use of your time to dabble a little in each platform for the sake of being available on all of them? Or is it better to focus on just one and be the best at it?
Marketing your Etsy business is not an easy thing to do. Aside from making sure that you have a good social media marketing strategy, you must also optimize your keywords and listings. All these can take a big chunk of your time, which is why you have to be wise.
Here is my best advice for you: Choose only one platform and get good at it. Once you have accomplished this, then maybe you can also start adding your Etsy business in other platforms.
My Etsy Story
Personally, I have not used social media for my Etsy shop. When I started building my shop in Etsy, I was still working a full-time job. This is one of the reasons I could not keep up with the use of digital marketing. Instead, I focused on the Etsy platform and did everything I can to drive more customers. I utilized SEO within the Etsy platform.
Let’s talk about social media..
Have you ever tried going online and started using Facebook for your business but only ended up getting three likes for each post? Have you ever experienced going to Tiktok to spend an hour making a video to promote your products or service? Have you also tried going over LinkedIn to find more connections for your brand?
What is surprising is that you fail to notice that you’ve already spent a lot of time doing them. You will start to wonder where the last three hours of your time went. The worse part of all is that you are not even aware of what you accomplished. Did you make a sale? No. Did you attract new people to at least check your products? No.
Don’t get me wrong. I do know that some sellers have a good social media presence. They are the ones who can increase conversions through online posts. However, you need to take note that they have put a lot of time and effort before they were able to experience success in social media marketing.
Imagine this: You post about your new product on your preferred social media channel one afternoon. Then, you check your Etsy dashboard and see new sales placed using a coupon code from your post by nighttime. Now, that would be a good use of your time. Why? Because your action resulted in a positive outcome.
Discovering The Right Platform
Once again, I want to emphasize that there is no single best platform for an Etsy user. Keep in mind that everybody has a different approach on how she wants to promote her brand online. What may work for one seller may not necessarily work for others.
I have used some Pinterest for my Etsy shop and according to my statistics, around 30% of the traffic to my site came from Pinterest. One of the many things that I love about the platform is that the content will last for a long time. It will not disappear after twenty-four (24) hours or more. This means that my effort will not go to waste!
While Pinterest has been great so far, I want to highlight the fact that it is quite a long game. Hence, I wasn’t able to see my sales increase immediately after I started using it. It took a long time for my posts to start showing up on the feed of the platform.
Nonetheless, I always thought that posting to Pinterest for my Etsy shop was one a good use of time. Since I began using the platform, I was able to see a good return on my investment. It was truly worth it.
Web Traffic for Your Store
Everything that I have shared so far was made under the premise that I run an Etsy store. However, if you do not have an online store in Etsy, then that is going to be a different conversation. The reason behind this is that you will solely be responsible for driving all of your traffic to your store. This is a lot harder than you think.
If you already have a huge number of followers on your social media page, it will be easy to drive your own traffic. Conversely, for those who are still starting out or new to the world of digital marketing, then it might be quite challenging to get it done.
These are the reasons why I always revert to the benefit of using Etsy as the official home of my online store. It has its algorithm and can help in building traffic for my shop. Etsy is one of the most visited websites of people who want to buy interesting items or simply look around.
In fact, it is safe to say that it works like Amazon because it has become a distribution portal for a lot of people. People are no longer interested in visiting company websites and shop from their online store. Instead, they go to marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon because consumers or shoppers can view different products from various sellers. The options are unlimited! At the same time, the transactions will be a lot easier as they no longer need to create a new account and the payment details can be saved.
Etsy: A Unique Marketplace
If there is one thing that makes Etsy a unique platform for both sellers and buyers, it is the fact that most of the items available in this marketplace are hand-crafted. Almost all items were products of the efforts and hard work of the makers, artists, or creators. At the same time, these products were also made using high-quality materials.
As a store owner in Etsy, it is important to create and use the right tags for your products. As much as possible, use the correct keywords in drafting your title or header, tags, and product descriptions. Make it a top priority to write content that will make your products stand out from the rest.
The goal is to see to it that your Etsy store is highly optimized. Implement search engine optimization strategies to ensure that you can get more people to see your products. When this happens, it will increase your conversions, which normally results in increased sales and profits.
Think about this: If people can’t find your products, then how are they even going to buy them?
Email for Etsy shop
The first thing that you have to understand is that starting your email list is a bit of a learning curve. Fortunately, there are several ways on how to get started and how to do it. Take note that once you come up with the list, it becomes part of your asset. You own your email list.
The best thing about having that list is you always have an option to reach out to your target audience in a different way other than social media. For example, if Facebook or Instagram go through an update and they will not become available, you do not need to worry about it. Instead, you can just draft an email campaign or newsletter to reach out to your target market.
In my case, I never completed an email list yet for my Etsy shop for some reason. The first one is that I was working full time, so it was challenging to set aside time to do it. Second, most of my buyers are brides. Hence, they are the type of clients whom I cannot really become “repeat buyers.” Of course, they won’t get new wedding stuff for their second wedding, right?
But, I know that soon-to-be brides on Pinterest are interested in creating boards and saving pins for their dream wedding. These future brides are also planning to make purchases for their upcoming wedding.
When I got married, I remember that Pinterest was just starting to be popular. The said app helped me to create an online “box” for all my wedding ideas. In the past, people used magazines to arrange their wedding ideas, but with Pinterest, things got a lot better!
Other social media options
Remember that every action has a corresponding outcome. The more you put your efforts into something, the higher the probability of accomplishing better results. Know you are and embrace your talents. If you are the type of person who enjoys making videos, then you may want to consider uploading your videos in Tiktok. On the other hand, if you have no video-editing or video-making skills, then don’t worry. What is essential is that you know how to be authentic wherever you go.
For me, I think I chose Pinterest because I am an introvert. Pinterest actually allowed me to share my Etsy products but not necessarily invite people into my life.
Make better use of your time. For instance, if you have absolutely free time, then hone your skills in learning about SEO. Discover the different ways on how you can optimize your store. Find out the top keywords that your target audience is using when they go online.
Think about where your audience hangs out and how you can reach them effectively.
If you have the time and the availability to do it all, then, by all means, focus on going for it. You can either go big or go home. Conversely, if you are burning out on the social media hamster wheel, then feel free to the downside. Again, what truly matters is that you know what works well for you and what doesn’t. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to take a break and spend some time with your family. When you’re done, get back up and start working on your digital marketing needs!
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