9/12/2020
Etsy is one of the ways I invested in another income stream. Etsy is a platform that allowed me to generate extra income. I was able to grow my revenue source at home after work, during naptimes and after the kids went off to bed.
I am going to talk to you about the top 5 resources that helped me gain everyday sales on my Etsy shop. Using these resources help me turn my hobby into something that generated extra income.
So before you start selling its important to know exactly what you are getting into. First and foremost etsy is a platform for all things handmade and people are buying. In 2019 47.9 million people when on the platform and bought. On a seller slide, there are 2.5 million sellers today that use etsy as a platform to sell their unique items.
Although there are 2.5 million sellers, not all of them make significant money. About 65% of etsy sellers make average of $100 dollars a year, which if you look at it on a monthly basis, that is only $8.33 a month.
The truth is it takes a lot more to be successful in the platform than just putting a listing up. I hope these resources give you a great start into your journey!
- Etsy Community
When I started on Etsy, the very first place I spent a lot of time was Etsy community. Etsy community is a way you can connect with other sellers. This was great because I did not know ANYONE who had a etsy store!
To access etsy community, go to shop manager, go to “community and help” and “forms.” You can go into this section and see popular discussions. If you have a specific question you can go search the question.
What I would do is search what you are going to create – for example, if you plan is to sell “digital items” you can search and see what sellers who currently have shops and see what questions they are asking. It give you an opportunity to foreshowing what to expect and future road pumps ahead. Being able to connect with other sellers was extremely encouraging especially when you are just starting out.
I also have join Facebook Etsy Seller groups, however I would say I like Etsy community a lot better than the Facebook Esty seller groups. I noticed etsy facebook groups are more about other “promoting” your store or people asking for their shop to be critique.
2. Etsy Seller Handbook
Etsy Seller Handbook is advice and inspiration for successfully running your Etsy shop. SO this is different than etsy community because this is published advice and guidance from “Etsy Staff” and not “sellers.”
Etsy Seller Handbook is valuable because I trust the content. Esty is a is a publically traded company and it is in their best interest to provide you information that will help you be successful. The company only makes money when YOU MAKE MONEY . So it’s in their best interest to give you the right advice and resources. I don’t think sellers take advance of this resource enough.
Etsy Seller Handbook is valuable because I trust the content.
3. eRank
eRank gives you the tools to learn what buyers are earching for and helps improve your Etsy growth. eRank gives you the tools to learn what buyers are searching for and helps improve your Etsy growth. eRank helped with my SEO and key words.
4. Pinterest
Pinterest is an image sharing and social media service designed for users to discover information using images and, on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pin boards.
Pinterest is the main way I sourced external intrest into my shop. To build a successful and sustaining shop, you have got to leverage a way to drive people to your etsy store. In order to be successful, you need to be proactive, you can’t expect to be successful by depending etsy business to drive sales.
For reference, 69% of my views were brought in from etsy. 31% of my views were brought externally. This can be “Direct or other traffic,” Social Media or etsy ads.
Direct or Other traffic is when blogs or other sites link to your shop Social media can be “Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, twitter and tumbler” Out of all these social medias I prioritize Pinterest. This is right for my shop and may be different for yours.
5. Tailwinds
Tailwinds is a Pinterest extension. It allows you to Tailwind is a Pinterest and Instagram post scheduling tool that helps you strategically schedule posts and discover new content. If you aren’t using it yet, I recommend that you get a free trial and try it out on your Pinterest account.
It allows you to be active and emphasis Pinterest while saving time.
I hope you enjoyed this first post! Leave a comment with your questions!