Do you dream of having a successful handmade business and quitting your 9-5? Do you romanticize the concept of having a little home studio and creating all day, and packing your orders with cute “thank you” notes before sending them on their merry way? Yeah, we vibe.

Here are the top things you can do to achieve maximum sale potential on Etsy:

1. Know your target audience
2. Have a cohesive brand
3. Use high-quality photos and descriptions
4. Provide Quality and Choices
5. Provide excellent customer service
6. Tell your story

This article will give you the inside scoop on how to sell like a pro on Etsy, the leading platform for handmade and vintage goods. Let’s get into it.

Know Your Target Audience

Whether you are a newbie in the world of Etsy or a seasoned shop owner, knowing your target audience is very important because it will allow you to reach them more easily and know what they want from your product.

If you sew kawaii clothing, for example, you want to immerse yourself in the kawaii culture and explore the latest trends, the most popular influencers, and the general mentality of people who live and breathe kawaii.

Another aspect of knowing your target audience is SEO keyword research. Let’s stick with the Hawaii clothing example- what kinds of keywords are you going to include in your listing and social media posts?

What are potential customers searching for? What are some of the buzzwords that are associated with Japanese fashion culture?

An equal counterpart to Etsy keyword research is Etsy listing optimization. When you make listings on Etsy, you might notice a place to insert tags and attributes and a description. It’s crucial to give attention to all of these to maximize visibility on Etsy’s search engine.

Etsy allows up to 13 tags per listing- taking advantage of all 13 is a very good idea. Use phrases and words that describe your product and that potential buyers are searching for.

Etsy SEO: Ultimate Guide To Helping Customers Find Your Shop

If you are selling a silver labradorite teardrop necklace, for example, you might use tags like “silver and labradorite”, “blue teardrop pendant”, “blue-and-green stone teardrop necklace”, “natural labradorite drop pendant”, “adjustable silver necklace with labradorite pendant”, and “iridescent teardrop pendant with chain”.

The attributes are also beneficial to search optimization. Depending on the category you choose for your product, you can select the materials it was made with, what occasion it’s for, the style of the product, orientation (vertical or horizontal) if it’s a painting or print, measurements, and color, among others.

The description of the product is another aspect of the listing that should be laden with keywords and tags. The key is to think like a customer and use words and phrases that people often search for.

Make sure to answer questions customers might have about your item in the description- don’t be shy to really get detailed here.

Mention how the item was made, what the colors or variables are, how much customization you can do, how you ship it, what the specifications and measurements are, and anything else relating to your listing.

Knowing the most effective keywords can boost your views and possibly even raise your conversion rate because you will be reaching your target audience rather than just advertising to random people.

To learn how to optimize your listings and what keywords to use, get in touch with us today.

Our all-in-one Etsy optimization tool will let you know in real-time the most searched keywords with the least competition allowing you to exponentially grow your Etsy sales!

Have a Cohesive Brand

Once you’re selling on Etsy, it’s important to have a memorable and streamlined brand- this can include the way you set up photos for your products, the way you package them, or even the content you share on social media.

One of the more crucial things you can do to brand your products is to establish the aesthetic, or vibe, that you want your shop to exude.

If you’re selling edgy gunmetal chokers, you most likely won’t choose a flowery script as a font choice for the logo.

Take some time to narrow down who you want to market to, and how you want your products to come across. Investing in packaging such as getting “thank you” cards and cute boxes or envelopes can be the difference between a one-time purchase and a returning customer.

The same goes for the photos and videos you take- what kinds of backgrounds and props work well with your style?

What kind of content reflects your shop’s vibe on TikTok and Instagram reels?

It’s a lot more interesting to follow a shop that has a strong personality.

Use High-Quality Photos and Descriptions

Say you were looking to buy a vintage China set online and you found two deals on Etsy. One had two grainy, blurry photos taken in a dimly-lit setting, with a short, half-hearted description about the set.

The other had many beautifully curated, professional photos showing off all the pieces on a crisp linen cloth, with a thorough and enticing description about the history of the set, the condition, the shipping, the manufacturing, et cetera. Which are you more likely to buy?

Presentation is key, so be mindful of how you go about taking photos and videos of your products, and how you describe them to shoppers.

When taking photos, take some time to make sure the space is well-lit (natural light is always best) and free of clutter.

Have a dedicated camera or even get a small tripod to stabilize your phone for clearer pictures. Maybe even consider getting a lightbox if you sell things like jewelry or small trinkets.

If you sell garments, a mannequin would be a wonderful way to professionally display your pieces.

Descriptions are also important because they hold crucial information about your product that photos might not convey.

Things like materials or ingredients, measurements and other specs, and the creative process or the history of the item are all important to note, and even better if they are written well and succinctly.

Provide Quality and Choices

The four principal values a good or service should provide are price; quality; choice; and convenience. It’s no secret that Etsy has grown to be a handmade and vintage marketplace behemoth.

This means that the market for a large variety of stuff is very saturated and competitive.

Depending on price and convenience alone won’t maximize sales because there are so many replacements out there that are priced similarly to your products and are as easy to obtain.

Etsy levels out the playing field in retrospect, so you need to diversify your shop by other means.

That is why quality and especially choice matter when selling your products. Choice refers to the range or versatility of goods or services a business offers.

When a customer feels like they have many options to choose from and can narrow down exactly what they want, it should be no surprise that they will gravitate towards a business that offers them that value.

Provide Excellent Customer Service

Giving your customers quality service is as important as the product itself.

You will have potential buyers asking questions and inquiring about custom orders, and you will most likely have customers who were displeased with their purchase for one reason or another.

The key is interacting with each one with efficiency and compassion.

Quickly answering inquiries and questions and handling upset customers is part of the territory, and if done well, it can result in a loyal and enthusiastic following.

Even including small things like thank you cards and complimentary stickers makes a massive difference.

Tell Your Story

It’s no secret that people love to see and know the face behind the business- that’s true of musicians and bands, bestselling authors, famous people, and, yes, Etsy shop owners!

When making content for your products on social media, don’t hesitate to showcase who you are, as well. Show people little bits of your life and creative process.

Document your journey and the behind-the-scenes, interesting things about what makes your shop special.

Examples of this would be showing viewers how you cast and fire ceramics, how you choose the fabrics or yarn that you work with, how you package your orders, or a “crafting supply haul” showcasing all your tools and supplies. The sky’s the limit.

Running an Etsy shop is so much more than making handmade goods. You are wearing multiple hats at all times and making your art a business.

Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge of how to maximize Etsy sales, you are one step closer to running the business of your dreams. Thanks for reading, and happy selling.

Get in touch with us today to learn how you can optimize your listings on Etsy to attract the most customers.

At Sale Samurai we have created an all-in-one Etsy optimization tool that will help you find the most relevant and high-ranking keywords with the least competition.

Find out in real-time exactly what your customers are searching for and where your competition on Etsy is falling short.

Get in touch with us today!