The Secrets of Etsy Success

Hey there people and Happy Tuesday to you! I am so excited today to begin my newest series on ACLC. Welcome to my Secrets of Etsy Success Series.

In this monthly series I will be interviewing some fabulous Etsy store owners and picking their brains about how they made a success of their small business. The aim with this series is twofold: 1. To bring some of their lovely items to your attention and 2. To inspire you in your own Etsy Success Story.

I have been inspired by reading some of the pearls of wisdom in these posts and I very much hope you will be too. So, have you got yourself a notebook and pencil? Then let the learning commence!

First up is the lovely Natalie.

{BLOG} {SHOP}

Tell us a little something about your stores and what you sell.

I sell quirky and colourful handmade home décor items including cushions and other textile products such as lavender pillows, banners/bunting, tableware (place mats, napkin rings) and decorations (Christmas ones coming in now!). I also sell a range of hand painted porcelain mugs and plates.

What made you decide to start your store?

I reached a point about a year ago where I realised that it was time to make creativity the centre of my life (I had recently completed a degree in creative writing which in retrospect probably got me into the mind-set of living a creative lifestyle!)

I have always been involved in arts and crafts. I’ve taken classes in ceramics (and worked in a potter’s suppliers). I’ve also done some jewellery making (and been the manager of a jewellery shop). I’ve painted in my spare time (mainly abstract with acrylics) and have worked in an art gallery selling contemporary art.

It’s a significant step to move from focussing on promoting other’s work to creating and selling my own. I still have a great interest in what other designer/makers are producing but it also feels very ‘right’ for the expression of my own creative potential to have moved off the side-lines and into the centre of my life.

 
Where do you get your inspiration from for your products?

I live in the countryside and take a great deal of inspiration from the colours, shapes, textures and smells of the natural world around me.

I am also a home centred/family orientated person and cosy domesticity has a significant influence on my work too.

To me, creating is all about expressing and sharing love so this is a running theme too and there are lots of love hearts around in my shop :)

What is your definition of success? Did/do you have a set number of sales/items listed that you aimed/are aiming for?

I think that for me success is feeling that I am doing myself justice, that what I have created resembles my vision and inner potential. I get a little bit of that feeling every time I make something I’m proud of, or hear from a happy customer, yet I’m also aware that there is a way to go until I will have a complete feeling of successfulness. I don’t have specific goals but I’ll know when I’m there!

If you have achieved your definition of success, how long did it take you to get there?

I think my first taste of feeling successful regarding Free Spirit Designs was starting the business in the first place and even before that, learning to sew on a sewing machine! There are little successes all along the way, that’s what keeps me going :)


What would be your top tips for:

Marketing

Create a clearly defined brand. Even if you’re just starting out, brainstorm some ideas until you can come up with a phrase that encapsulates what you’re trying to do and after that a business name and an image or logo that coordinates with that phrase. You will use these things every time you represent yourself and your business and it will help people identify and feel confident in what you are all about.


Networking

Networking is all about connectivity so make sure that all your profiles and signatures have links to each other. For example, your facebook timeline should have links to your website/shop, blog if you have one, and as many of your other social media pages as possible. Your twitter profile should have a link to your website/shop or blog. Your email signature should have links to shop/blog and social media etc

Choose two or three (or four or five depending on time available) of the social media sites that appeal most to you and focus on developing your presence there. The more you comment, post and share the more followers you will get and the more impact the site will have on your shop/websites visitor numbers.

Forums such as the ones on Etsy or the  UK Crafts Forum are a great way to connect to and learn from your fellow crafters as well as generate awareness of your business.


Encouraging sales

Get your prices right (easier said than done).

You might also consider offering incentives such as free shipping or discount codes for particular groups of customers (e.g. your facebook followers or repeat customers).

Take a look at businesses similar to yours (or what you would like yours to be) that are selling well and work out what they are doing that you’re not!

Product photography is everything when you’re selling online. Aim to take photos of your products that are so good people want to buy the photos themselves!


Keeping your customers loyal

Excellent customer service is key. Courteous communication and prompt dispatch of goods are essential. Pretty packaging and thoughtful extras are lovely to receive and encourage customers to return. Exceed expectations regarding the quality of your products if you can.

Also, make it easy for customers to remember you. Include a business card with their purchase (perhaps with a discount code so that they are more likely to keep hold of it). Also, brand your products with a tag or discreet stamp if you can so that they remember where it came from in years to come!

Anything else you have found invaluable

Promote and share the work of others who inspire you. Your fellow crafters are not your competitors they are part of your team and if you are generous with them, they will be generous with you. (Also, displaying pretty things is a sign of your own good taste! - this can help to promote customer confidence in your own products).

Pick an item to feature from your store – it could be your favourite, your newest or a best seller. What do you think is so special about that item? Sell it to us!

My ‘Autumn Leaves’linen cushion cover is one of the newer items in my shop and I have to say, I am completely in love with the romance of it!

I’ve used a gorgeous pale cream linen for this cushion and a beautiful Michael Miller cotton fabric for the leaf decoration. It has a hand written postcard print with scattered roses and I have been saving it for the perfect project! Each applique leaf has a stitched outline from a palette of Autumnal coloured threads and I have also embroidered ‘swirls’ of wind to give a sense of movement. There is a practical envelope closure on the reverse side, which is embellished with a single leaf and embroidered swirl.

I’m thrilled with how this cushion turned out and I think it would be a very pretty addition to a favourite chair, sofa or bed at any time of year!

Thanks so much Natalie for sharing with us your shop story and the creative processes behind your items. I don't know about you but I am feeling really inspired about creating for my own store after reading about Natalie's story. Don't forget to check out Natlie's lovely blog and store and show her some love. My favourite item from her store? This one:

No surprises there eh? Me choosing the loveliest cat mug in the store! And it's rainbow coloured too - yay!!
I hope you've enjoyed this series. Don't forget to come back next month for the next feature in the series. I have a lovely line up of talented ladies all waiting to share their small business insights with you lovely readers.
If you'd like to be featured in the series just send me an email with your shop link to sarahevanswriting(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll have a looksee and send you out an interview pack.

Have a great day people!!