It’s that time of year where we set ourselves New Year goals. Last year mine was to better my online content and start up another Etsy Shop . Luckily, 2016 was a fantastic year for my journey and I did both of those things and continue to do so. I have partnered up with Etsy to talk you through my Etsy experience, so you can also achieve your goals.
Etsy Shop Resolution
The #EtsyResolution campaign is essentially a step by step guide to opening your own Etsy Shop. With the help of myself and Etsy, we hope to give you the tools to start your own journey. If you have a creative passion that has the potential to become a business then this is perfect for you. Perhaps you would like a new direction to your life or something extra to keep you stimulated. I’m sharing my story to help you feel inspired and turn your hobbies into a success story. I still have a long way to go but starting it is the biggest challenge. With these tips and the free 4 week boot camp from Etsy you can do it more swimmingly then ever before.
My Experience
I started an Etsy shop originally back in 2012 when I was selling along side doing my degree. It was my way of branching out and sharing my artwork with a creative world of influencers and makers. I automatically loved the process of uploading and selling on my own platform. The structure of it is so simple yet still feels really professional. It opens your work up to thousands of online shoppers looking for something unique.
Sadly when I started full time work after Uni my shop took a slight set back and I ended up closing it for a while. It wasn’t until mid 2016 I began to feel confident again in my ideas and products. It was with the help of a friend of my mine pushing me to pursue it that I decided to go for it.
My Etsy bio and idea is: Paige Joanna has been an online blog for over 4 years and has now become a store. It is for colourful people living fast and colourful lives. If you collect pins, brooches, one off designs and like to express yourself, then Paige Joanna is for you. Life is too short to wear boring clothes.
My idea is to share my personal colourful style in the shape of fun accessories, painted jackets and up-cycled clothing. I continue to do this and hope this year to bring in new products, custom orders and refine my overall branding. You can check out my online Etsy Shop here.
Starting Out
Starting your concept is probably the most challenging because it’s important to have something different to offer. What is it about your product that is unique or eye catching? For example, if it is a card for cat lovers, maybe it could come with a free sticker? These quirky touches are things that can turn your hobby of selling into a successful business.
Don’t let pressure put you off going for it. Simply starting off with 5 hand made items can be all it takes to give you the confidence. See what reaction those items get and learn from it. Did people like one item in particular? If yes, then run with that!
The way I did it was making sure I had 10 items to ‘launch’ with. Because I have my online blog and social presence I wanted to launch my Etsy store with more to it. Having a minimum of 10 items made it feel more like launching a ‘collection’ and showcasing my overall look and brand feel. I’d recommend this to anyone starting out.
Things to plan:
- Your product
- Target Audience
- Photography of product
- Shop Bio (on Etsy, SEO and bios are great for getting you noticed with more search-ability)
- Store/Brand name – Making sure the name you want is available on Etsy and on all Social channels will tie your brand together on every platform, giving it a more professional finish.
- Postage & packaging ideas
- Promotional material, i.e business cards, flyers and tags.
- Logo and banner design
- Pre-made stock or made to order? The great thing with Etsy is you can do both of these things.
There are probably more things to organise, which signing up to the Etsy boot camp can help you with. These are just a few of the things I know I needed before I could start. It took me about 2 months to feel ready to launch.
Branding Tips
As a creative person branding is very important. I believe branding is the key to success and my background in Illustration, social media and blogging has really helped me on this side of things. If you know what your product is going to be then creating a logo (or getting one made for you) with a similar feel is a great idea.
My product is colourful fashion pieces with a custom hand made quality, so that’s what I try and portray in my branding. My logo uses the same type face as my blog, with a colourful circle background to modernise it. I have promotional material printed using my street style photography to put in with my orders when I dispatch to customers. It’s these extras that bring the branding together and give the customer a great quality experience when buying hand made items. I find the small details really make the difference for long term customer engagement, so they spread the word and shop on my store again.
Go for it
I hope after reading my experience and tips as well as signing up to the Etsy Bootcamp, it gives you the motivation you need to start. Just go for, you never know what you can achieve unless you try. 2017 could be your year to change up your lifestyle and turn your hobbies into a business. It can be so rewarding selling items to others who appreciate your skill. I have loved starting my own shop and hope to to progress further this year. Come follow my store and support others who are also doing the same! Check out the hashtag #EtsyResolutions for more inspiration.
xxx