Little voices on Etsy

 ElecticAirElements, the owner of a Etsy store that sellls unique and unusual digital collage sheets said in a thread  *So, you are mostly marketing to Etsy visitors.*


This is a perfect explanation of how SEO works on Etsy.  You can tweak your tags or change your titles all you want, but you are still marketing to people searching on Etsy.  There is supposedly a connection with Google search, but rarely do I see an Etsy shop come up when I search with Google.  

My alter identity is I train people online how to use WebEx which is online meeting software. I try to relate things to physical, real word situations.  For example, I tell them to start their meetings early, because just like in person if the door is locked and your attendees can't get it, you run the risk of losing them.

So where am I going?

Let's think of our online stores as Brick & Mortar stores. 

Etsy is our landlord AND the Mayor of the town.

We all rent our store space from Etsy.  Now Etsy wants us to succeed because if we don't make money, they don't make money. 

So as the mayor Etsy makes sure the roads are clear & occasionally they hand out maps. And keeps the sidewalks & roads clean, pretty and inviting.  Of course you have to tell the Mayor your name if you want to buy something but that is for your protection. (why do I hear music from The Godfather??)

But there are so many stores in Etsytown that not all of the make it on the maps that the Mayor hands out.  Of course the big "anchor store" (ie resellers) make it on the map because they make the most money off of them. 

How can a little cute mom & pop store, that has really awesome items, compete when the Mayor doesn't even seem to notice we're here.

Well WE have to do it.  We the shop owners have to fight to survive. We can not rely on the Mayor to direct people our way.  Sure it will happen occasionally, but not enough.

We have to BAND TOGETHER and do it ourselves.

So instead of one little store owner yelling "hey look at me" trying to be heard over the PA system the big stores have set up, there are a bunch of us working together to make sure you turn and look our way. 

Blogs are a great way to get attention.  Heck the first thing I did was give you a link to Eclectic Air Elements shop.  And there it is again.  Oh and this blogger I met at a networking luncheon.  Happy Women Work From Home.  She wants me to put together a blurb so she can talk about me on her blog, so watch for me there. 


Twitter is a great way to reach people too.  I have a friend Anna who I've done some business with, she set up a bot to tweet my shop whenever I put up a new listing.  Circles of Inspiration  She actually doesn't sell on Etsy anymore, she opened her own shop, but you still need to check her out.  I also Tweet pretty often.  It's great if you can get a celebrity to follow you back *cough* Lisa Lampanelli follows me so does Judi from NJ101.5 *cough* (lol I suck at name dropping)

Facebook is another way.  Recently I connected with Sherry at Paintin Place through Facebook. She paints amazing beachy designs on furniture and walls and floors, make sure you check her out.   Again, not at Etsy store, but a business connection made through Facebook.  She is selling some of my beach writing necklaces in her store and now I've told you about her.

Can't forget the article in the Gannett newspapers!  The writer did find me on Etsy because I had my location listed and she did a search by location. It felt like she got lost and thought she knew the name of the street I was on and that was how she found me!  She didn't do a search on beach items or beach writings, but on my location.  That was HUGE (and a huge ego boost too) The article lead me to some wonderful people (Hi Mary) and also lead to people looking for me at craft show (not doing anymore until the fall).

So you see, I did not just sit here and worry if my tags were right or if my titles were right, I stood on the corner and found people and business to work with and that is how I am succeeding!  (oh and my stuff rocks, or so I've been told *flips hair* LOL)

But I'm not there yet, so I'm still working & connecting.

You can not just open a store and hope people find you, you have to work at getting people in your front door, especially in the beginning. 

By the way, total cost for all the things I mentioned in this blog... not one red penny.  Just my time and I'm on the computer all the time anyway, so might as well as try to make some money while I'm doing it!

Probably should include a link to MY SHOP too.  LOL