3 Best Shop Owner Tips on Etsy

I had come up with my own small business idea a few years back, and I couldn't wait to get a head start on it. I had zero expectations of myself and of the success of my shop. I thought that I might sell one product here or there. I was constantly afraid I wasn't pricing my products correctly, and I kept changing around how I took pictures of my products. It was safe to say that my shop was a hot mess in the beginning. I was absolutely stunned when I got my first order. Like stunned. I was so excited. I had no cute packaging, but I had a lot of excitment. Thankfully, my little shop has become pretty profitable in the past few years, and I have also cleaned it up and made it look a little more put together.

I want to just put a mini disclaimer here at the beginning: I am by NO means an Etsy shop guru. I am still learning new tips and tricks everyday, but here are my top 3 tips on how to clean up your shop and earn a stable profit!

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1. Have a good header and shop icon!

This might sound silly and pretty obvious BUT it is so so important! I customized my own shop icon and header using Canva, but if there is another website you feel better using than that's great! I started with my shop icon first. I created a color palette I liked, added small details and the main focus of my icon was the name of my shop! Next, when I went on to my header, I used the same color palette and details from my shop icon. This allowed me to have that consistent feel to my shop! I love using Canva because it actually has an Etsy section so you know your design will fit perfect when you upload! I've included a picture of what my site looks like so y'all can get a better idea of what I mean by consistency!

2. Market yourself and your products!

This one was a hard one for me to do. I don't like self promoting myself. Even with this blog and my instagram I get so uncomfortable and I feel like people are tired of seeing it! Even though I struggle with this, I have seen social media promotion really kick off some of my products! I have made a seperate instagram account for my shop where I post new products, when I restock something, etc. I have the link to my Etsy shop in the bio so its a quick way to attract new people! I also started seeing a trend on Tik Tok where small businesses show off their products and packaging and there has been some amazing results. I decieded to give it a shot one day (and please note I am a TERRIBLE tik toker). Amazingly enough, my video reached a huge amount of people and I even gained a few orders within the week of posting it!

Another big thing I have learned when promoting my shop is that people like to see the shop owner! They like to see how you might package an order, how a product gets made, and they like to know more about you! People love to know where they're buying from, and having Tik Tok and Instagram Reels has made that more possible! These are great platforms to show yourself and your products off!

3. Communication is key!

Keep up with your customers! One major tip I learned was that there is an option on Etsy to set up a marketing campaign to send little discounts to those who have liked/favorited your products! This is a GREAT tool. This makes the customer feel special and it shows that you are aware of what and who is looking at your shop! Not only that, but then they might feel more encouraged to purchase something from you!

Use the announcements features on your shops main page!! Let your customers know whats going on! If you're going on vacation or have to extend the shipping days, let them know why and for how long! If you've just added a brand new product, put it on blast in your announcements! If you're having a shortage of something, keep them updated! Its one of the first things they'll see when they click on your shop page.

Make your packaging personal! Include their name, a personal note, or something to make them feel excited when they get their package. You want it to sort of feel like christmas morning when they get your product. Show them your grateful for their order and they'll return the favor with good reviews and repeat buys!

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There are so many other little tips out there on how to have the best Etsy shop, but these are what I've picked up on and learned the most from. I wish you and your shop the best of luck, and I hope these helped to get you a good jumpstart to selling!