FEST Boot Camp - Week 6! Using Social Media

So here we are at our final week of the FEST boot camp! By now you’ve probably made some changes to your Etsy shop. We talked about tags, search relevance on and off Etsy, key words, titles and photos. Probably lots more, but I don’t need to list them if you’ve been following along each week.

The last thing we need to discuss is how to drive traffic to your shop from outside Etsy. Of course paying for advertising is one way, and if you have that in your budget, lucky you! But there are lots of ways to market for free and probably the easiest (and cheapest) way is through social media. Available to you are Twitter, Facebook, Flikr, blogs and your own web site. There are others, of which I’m sure you are aware, but in order to not spend all my time on the computer, I’ve limited myself to these few. So I’ll talk about them. If you don’t have accounts with these social sites, I highly recommend it.

First and foremost, make sure that every site you use has a link back to your Etsy shop! My twitter and blog link back to my Facebook fan page as well as my shop.

I use Twitter for listing treasuries I’ve made, treasuries I’ve been featured in, and some of my new listings. The icon for direct listing to Twitter is found on each page - treasuries and new listings. I even post great designs from other artists if I think they’re unique and others will like them. Because of the time element, I really don’t get too involved in conversations with other tweeters, but that’s just me. If you have the time, it’s a good thing to do instead of just marketing. Personally, I fall short in this endeavor, but I know I should be more sociable. This is probably a case of “do as I say, not as I do” lol!

Facebook is a great place to market. You’re probably already using it so my advice is two fold. One- don’t pepper the home page with new listings. Your friends and contacts will tire of that quickly, so do it sparingly. Do comment on other posts, and wherever possible, include pictures with your status updates. Two – create a fan page. Here is the place to show off your new work, your treasuries, any creative postings….it’s all about your business. Ask your friends to “like” your fan page and become fans. This will increase the traffic and they will know that you will be sending them your new or featured listings. On both your facebook home page and your fan page, be sure you are interactive. If someone comments on one of your postings, make sure you thank them or comment back in a timely fashion.

According to my Etsy stats, I get a lot of outside traffic from Flickr. I not only have my own account, but I have joined several groups appropriate for my craft that allow me to post my pictures on their site too. I get lots of comments and, according to Etsy, the link to my shop is working just fine! It’s a major traffic source. It is against Flickr rules to openly sell or market, so be careful. Your personal info can be the place you provide the link to your web site, blog and Etsy shop.

Speaking of blogs, do you have one? It’s a great way to get noticed, particularly if you can include an occasional tutorial or a “how to” related to your craft. You can join network blogs, which will automatically post your blog link on your fan page (if you set it up that way) with pictures and title. Folks have to click on it to read the blog. Blogs are free, mostly, so it’s another good way to advertise. You can include your Etsy mini which will show your work “live”.

I know most of you probably have some or all of these. If you do, and they are driving traffic to your shop, yay for you! If your Etsy stats don’t show much activity from these sites, maybe it’s time to “fine tune” them.

So, that’s it. Remember to link your item listings from your blog, Twitter, Facebook Fan Page and your website. Always include a bit of interesting context so folks will want to see more. Now is a great time to put together a Mothers Day Gift suggestion post. Everyone is looking for something for mom, so why not look at your shop?

I hope this team has enjoyed the last few weeks and that you’ve found these postings helpful. Have you made many changes? If so, do you see an improvement? I wish you all the best with your marketing plans and your future Etsy sales. Thanks for joining the team and following along with me!

Toodles,

More Mother's Day Selections!

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Lees Earring Boutique

Chiavari Designs

I love the work and the pictures showing off these lovely designs are simply great! Congrats on great photo work, everyone!

Cyndie