step 3: tweak (and keep tweaking!)

There is nothing more depressing to a shop owner as inexperienced as I am, than searching for your own items on the open marketplace that is Etsy. For example, if you type "baby quilt" into the Etsy search bar it fires back at you with 63,171 results. That is a ridiculously enormous number of pages that no-one in their right mind is going to sort through to find what they want. Are they? I would love to say that my quilts jump right out at you from page 2 or 3 but, sadly, they don't. In fact I have never persevered for long enough in sifting through pages to find out where they do in fact turn up. Like I said. Depressing.

So, what is to be done? Tweak, of course! Go into your listings' descriptions and "think like a buyer" as one article put it. Each listing has a number of tags that can be added to it (13 to be precise), to aid the search engine in picking it up. The first time I listed a quilt I used four of them. I couldn't think of a single other word that could possibly describe my creation. Nowadays, 13 seems pitifully few. The idea is that you think of every  permutation of 'baby quilt' and use it to tag your item, along with words that buyers might use if they were loking for your item in particular. That way, when a buyer types in 'camo crib quilt', mine should be nearer the front of the line than one that isn't tagged with those words. I have experimented with this and found the key words that other quiltmakers tend to use (bedding being one I hadn't thought of) and tweaked and tweaked and tweaked......

The title of your listing is another element that can be tweaked. This one is a little more tricky. This is the description that will appear to a regular search engine, and appears on your item's page in your shop. It needs to be to the point and attractive (to a search engine) without looking like a thesaurus exploded. For example, I might write:

                 Camo crib quilt Real Tree Blaze orange perfect for a nursery with a camo theme

which highlights what it is with a couple of my more obvious tags to make it searchable, but isn't just a long list as some tend to be.

Does any of this actually make a difference?  I don't know yet. I'm keeping a running total of the number of views each month. If they suddenly jump up into the millions I'll be sure to let you know what did it!

it's back!

My new Camo quilt! I am really pleased with this one and couldn't wait to get it finished and listing on Etsy.

It's a crib quilt again but has a different pattern from my first Camo creation. There is a cushion to match, which I love, and maybe a diaper holder? We'll see!

step two - again!

So...I finished another quilt today which brings my shop listings up to 9. Is that a reasonable number? I'm not sure but I do know that people are still viewing my SOLD OUT Camo crib quilt (Yay! Go me!) so I need to finish that one too. You never know, it could be the one everyone is waiting for!

                                                                Spring is coming!

step two - list more items

If you read all the very helpful blurb that those in the know at Etsy write, then you will hear over and again how important it is to have well stocked shelves in your shop. For several reasons: your shop will appear more often in search results, people are are more likely to stop and browse and therefore you are more likely to make a sale, and of course, the more choice you can offer......

However, for those of us just starting out with items we make ourselves, the thought of listing many, many items is frankly scary. After all, the more items you list, the bigger the initial financial input and what if nobody buys anything? What are you going to do with all that stuff?

And of course, it takes time. Lots of time. I have small children,  a husband and a home to look after, a part time job, as well as training, so I tend to be on the busy side. Aren't we all? So just how much time am I prepared to put into this experiment? And how much money? Both difficult questions to answer.

As my Dad so eloquently put it, "Well, are you planning on making your living from this or just having a bit of fun?'

A perfect quilt for Spring! Available soon.

Can you tell what it is yet? Feeding the Camo obsession....

Decisions, decisions!

good news!

I made a sale! And not to someone related to me! A bona fide customer bought my Camo crib quilt and I mailed it off in its drawstring bag this morning. I hope it'll be very happy in its new home!

Things I have learned:

1. the Etsy app on my phone makes a sound like a cash register when a sale is made. Ker-ching!

2. the printing of postal labels using Etsy is delightfully easy and works like a charm. Plus the lady in the post office was super helpful explaining the system to a first time Etsy mailer.

3. I have pitifully few items in my shop. Time to get busy!

 

the first step - Facebook

I took advice from those in the know and I started up a MegAndMama Facebook page . I wasn't so very impressed with this right from the start. First, it wouldn't let me join the words in my shop title together because it was 'grammatically incorrect". Have these people never read Facebook? Now, I love FB along with the rest of today's mind-numbing, soul destroying complete wastes of time,  but being harassed and continuously reminded exactly how little effort you are putting into your site is taking it too far; "You haven't posted on your wall in three days!" "Make an effort to reach 100 'likes' by Christmas!" "Your page has had 12 views over the last month, loser!" Not really for me.

Also, being English, the blatant self-promotion required to start everything off is beyond me. "Invite your friends to 'like' your page" it repeats over and over again. What if I have already invited them and they chose not to? No-one is going to thank me for constant reminders - ask me, I know!

So, there it is. I have a FB page which I plan to fill with interesting anecdotes and fabulous pictures, just as soon as I can summon up any interest whatsoever in doing so.


Unfortunately there is no ' Baby Redneck Furnishings' category in Etsy. I think this crib quilt would fit right in! Camo crib quilt