10 Ways to increase traffic to your Etsy Shop

10 Ways to increase traffic to your Etsy shop

without spending a dime on advertising

1. Start a blog

Ok, so everyone on the planet now has a blog, but that's no reason for you not to have one, too! A blog is a great way to promote your work, collect inspiration, and let the customer know more about your creative process. There are a ton of free blog publishing sites for you to choose from, including Wordpress.com. A blog is also a great way to connect to fellow Etsians, especially through http://www.bloglovin.com and taking part in blogswaps and features!

2. Tweet about it

Twitter is a really fun and quick way to give potential or existing customers the low-down on everything new and fabulous in your store. You can tweet about newest additions, featured products and even upcoming or existing sales. Also check out http://bidli.com/ to see all the Etsy products that people have tweeted about!

3. Facebook Fan Page

Everyone is on Facebook, and you should be, too. By creating a Facebook fan page you can not only increase product awareness, but it's also another outlet for you to sell your stuff! Etsy has an app for Facebook that will add a tab to your Facebook fan page called "My Etsy". It automatically keeps up to date all the changes you've made in your shop. To add, go to Your Etsy > Promote > Facebook.

4. Stumbleupon

For those of you who have never heard of Stumbleupon...beware! This site is highly addictive! Stumbleupon allows a browser to automatically stumble on a variety of websites throughout the internet. You can submit your blog or site so that traffic stumbles into your lap! It's a great way to increase product awareness to a number of different audiences.

5. Giveaways

People love free stuff! I know I do. Why not post a giveaway on websites or blogs who are your target reader or customer? There are a number of different ways that you can traffic and sales from a giveaway. Have the entrants join your facebook page, follow you on twitter, or subscribe to your blog. Once they've joined, you can notify potential customers of new products, sales, or any other business that will generate sales for you. Check out http://etsygiveaways.blogspot.com/ to submit your Etsy product giveaway!

6. Create a How-to Video

Show the world how creative you are! By publishing a how-to video on creating your Etsy product, you might think that this will deter sales...but it's not true! By showing your customers the process of your craft it will help the customer get a better understanding on the effort it takes to create your products. Youtube is a great way to get your product out there for the world to SEE! There are also a variety of different websites who promote "how-to" videos, including http://www.howcast.com.

7. Join a Team

The Etsy community is a great support for your shop. One of the best ways to reach out to fellow Etsians is through Etsy Teams. There is a wide array of teams to join, including promo teams, craft specific teams, or teams based in a specific region of the world. This is a great way to promote your products. Remember, Etsy sellers are your best customers!

8. Activity Feed

The newly introduced Activity feed is just screaming to be used as a sales tool. You can now see people who have favorited you, add people who have purchased from you, and keep up-to-date with all the goings on around Etsy. How does this help you? Do your research and keep a watchful eye on what your customers and followers are buying and favoriting. Market research is key to creating a product that people will buy. Additionally, if you add someone to your circle then most likely they will return the favour. You will now have customers who are in the know about your newly listed items! Great!

9. Spread the Love

Etsy is big on spreading the love between all the sellers. The best promotion, in my opinion, is when it comes from a peer. Treasuries are a great way to gain inspiration, promote your fellow Etsians, and thus promoting yourself. In a lot of cases the featured sellers will blog, tweet or facebook your treasury. Not only will you notice an increase in traffic to your shop, but you might even receive a sale or two.

10. Leave a Lasting Impression

Customers are buying from Etsy because they love handmade. It's more personal than buying from a big box store. So this is your opportunity to leave a lasting impression and have them come back for more. There are a number of different ways you can create a lasting impression on your customer from branding your products, including a freebie in your packages, or even just passing along a hand-written thank you note. Customers will appreciate you going the extra mile for them!

....And don't forget SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search Engine Optimization is key to generating traffic via the web outside of Etsy. You want to cross your T's and dot your I's when it comes to SEO. This is something is overlooked by a number of Etsy sellers. There are a number of topics on the Etsy forum to assist you with SEO for your shop.

Must-know Etsy Tools

tools for sellers to make your job that much easier

Craftcult

Want to see who hearts you? Need mini blog and website widgets? Check out Craftcult!

Craftopolis

Ever wonder how you can edit your products quickly without going thru them one by one? Craftopolis is an Etsy sellers saviour! Changes prices, descriptions, quantities and titles fast and easily! They also have a nifty app where you can see your visitors, hearts and sales in a calendar format!

Etsy Fee Calculator

For all us craft minded people who go cross-eyed at numbers.

EtsyHacks

A number of different "hacks" to be used with Mozilla Firefox. This is definitely a must-have for an avid Etsian. Easy edits, printable receipts, additions to the forums, and much more!

Etsy on Sale

Easily create a store sale. But the real find with this store...quick edit tags! Perfect for changing all the tags in your store quickly and efficiently!

Tagtastic!

Want to get the most out of your tags? Use Tagtastic! to find all the best tags for customers to find you amongst the crowd!

Great articles to improve your shop

Etsy Seller Handbook

A handy index of all the useful how-to's about selling on Etsy

Top 5 Etsy Mistakes

Take a critical look at your shop - a lot of these things aren't very difficult to fix, but can make a huge difference to your sales

How to Effectively Use Social Media to Market Your Business

If you want to use social media tools like blogs, Twitter, or Facebook to market your business, read on.

Etsy Bitch

Etsy Bitch - Calling out for change! This is a great site with alternatives and articles on how to make Etsy better...or just to complain about it.

International tagging

Don't want to miss out on those international customers? Check out this article for handy tips on how to tag for someone outside of your timezone.

Tips for packaging on a budget

You don't need to spend an arm and a leg on packaging to make your product look great. Have a look at these tips and tricks on how you can bundle your packages!

9 Sneaky Etsy Tips

Here are some helpful tricks to help you improve your Etsy business.