Thursday, February 7, 2013

Strategies to boost online business and sales in my Etsy shop

I was thinking about the strategies I should take right now for improving my online business.  What should I  prioritize in  to boost sales in my my  Etsy shop?



Researching, I came to know there are lots of  things I need  to do to boost my online business.  There are quite a few good articles and books  that talks about how to shine  in your online business  or improve your Etsy shop. There are  so many advertisements, everyone shouting to buy their product,  At the end  I feel   confused and overwhelmed.

So, I decided to start with  the very basic strategies.

 Do what you do best- make more jewelry: Add new items regularly:

This is crucial we all know, yet quite difficult to accomplish. It involves not only making products, but photographing, editing, writing and marketing too.  But it has to be done and I plan to bring at least two new items a week- that is my goal.

As I have about fifty items on my shop  I can renew at least one item on a daily basis.

I also came to know that deactivating an item and then activating it with in a short period of  time  works wonder for the search engine .  In an Etsy Team discussion  Donna from Classy Lady has suggested doing  this.  This was quite new to me.  What do you think?   I'll give it a try.


 Be social- have some good karma too :

Regular blogging and taking part in the social sites become absolutely essential for  running an online business successfully  .  As I  am not techno savvy at all, I miss a lot in  understanding Facebook and Twitter techniques.

 One thing I can not stand is when people only talk and show  off what they have done.  It is like tacky advertisement to me.

 I understand that it is necessary to post in Facebook, tweet it and pin it as soon as I post a new item in my store.  At the same time  I think it is equally important to appreciate other creations , take interests in other peoples thoughts, beliefs and lives and promote other artists in these social net work  platforms. That take enormous time.

Writing blogs is not enough, reading and commenting  on others' are equally important too.

I don't do that as much as I should.  I need to put it in my calendar.

Write right:

Writing  excellent articles,  not just for my own blog but for other blogs and do that consistently is another thing I need to work on.  Chris Guillebeau writes about the importance of guest blogging in his excellent blog 279 Days to Overnight Success 

Keep it simple. Simply  work consistently

From Chris' blog I came to know about another  powerful blogger - Leo Babauta.  His Zen Habits clicked with me.  I like his minimalist approach on life.

Slow down, remove the clutter around you, with in you and you'll get where you want to go...slowly and steadily.  This is what he says in his book - The Power of Less.   This is how I want it too.

I have not finished his book, nor am I an affiliate. I am just writing as it helped me in my plans.

Editorial Calendar:

This is the concrete approach of what I was just  talking about.

 Rena Klingenburg  in her  excellent e book Jewelry Blogging Success Guide  talks about the importance of having an editorial calendar.

Again I am not an affiliate of this product of hers,   but I think it's an excellent resource that I have and I  own this book  but did not incorporate all the tools.  What a shame.

This is what I am going to focus on.

Now,  I know I did not mention that the banner in my Etsy shop could get a little help, the photos could be redone,  writing the descriptions all over to make them SEO happy is a must, and  the tags... and all that

.  Slowly and steadily I'll get there I hope.

What strategies did you use for your online  business  and had good results?  If you are joining me in this journey, will you give me your feed back, please?



8 comments:

aneri_masi said...

Dita Di! Great compilation of ideas!
Here's a blog I follow (as in read, but sadly, have not implemented much of what they say), which might help you too:
http://www.marketyourcreativity.com/

The basically point out the same things that you do, and give guidance on HOW to do it.

What has helped me, at least get some traffic, is to create treasuries, and style sets on Polyvore. Blogging has helped too!
And tagging other artists when I use their components, that's like feeding off their popularity too.

Anindita Basu said...

I think the number one important thing for me is to lay out the plan and carry on consistently, like you said about treasuries, new products and so and so, which I don't do and must do!

Handmadeology and market you creativity are both my favorite sites for this. Dita.

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Anindita Basu said...

Thank you for your comment.

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Anindita Basu said...

Hi Diamond Links,

Where do I get my information? Through serious studies and research of course:)

I usually give the links of the sites and/or references of books, articles or any other resource about where I get my ideas. I am in the process of learning also, not a master in this area.

So if you are willing to take this journey with me, you are very welcome.

I try to give authentic information to my fellow jewelry making entrepreneur friends, I do not want to pretend that I know it all.

Thank you for your feed back though. Please come again.

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