21 November 2009

Promoting my etsy Shop

I have had an etsy shop for a few years, but haven't paid much attention to it. Recently I decided that I should pay more attention to it, and after my most recent indoor craft shows (during which I had way too much time to think, unfortunately) realized that I could think of my etsy shop as a type of art show. Considering that the jury/application fee for a typical art show is $30, I could afford to list a lot of items at 20¢ apiece over the next month. By working hard at promoting my shop, I can hopefully generate enough sales to help me through the winter months.

SO! That is what I have spent the majority of this week doing: taking photos, adjusting them, uploading photos to etsy, and creating listings for items. I have also been reading a lot of material online about marketing and promotion. It is quite nice to finally have time to sit back and assess the business!! I have been participating more in my local etsy Street Team: Handmade MN. I've gotten some great information and leads from the great membership of my Minnesota team, and hopefully have been able to give them some useful leads as well.

Another website that has taken up a lot of my time this week is ArtFairInsiders.com. I don't remember, now, how I stumbled upon this site but I am VERY glad that I found it! It is a networking site by and for artists who display their work at art fairs. It is full of great information and I have been spending many hours reading posts and discussions from the past year. And I have been actively participating, too. This is such a great resource; if you are an artist who participates in art shows (or wants to!), then do yourself a favor and check this site out!

3 comments:

Purse Stuff said...

I hope your Etsy shop is successful. Won't you please keep us posted as to how things go for you at Etsy.

Jan-Ra said...

Thank you for the well wishes, Paula! I will certainly be reporting on how things went at the end of the weekend. I had one good sale at 1AM so I am already pleased.

Purse Stuff said...

The sale is great news. I know several people who have Etsy shops. I get mixed reviews; some good, some not so good. All the good reports tell me it takes work to get an Etsy shop up and running. I love the "hand-crafted" concept of Etsy. I hope they stay true to their mission statement. Jan, wishing you ALL the best.