Etsy is a popular option for creative start-up businesses. Whether you sell vintage clothing, build WordPress templates or make jewellery, Etsy might be the best place to start out. If you’ve already settled on Etsy as your shop front, you need to get started in the right. Work with this guide to give your new Etsy start-up business the best chance of success.

Think Of Etsy Like A Brick And Mortar Shop

Take your business seriously, and think of it like a physical shop front. Just because you’re online, doesn’t mean you can take things casually. Keep on top of keeping your shop fresh, professional and offering great service.

• Keep stock updated with new items regularly. If they stock never changes, customers have no reason to make return visits. Fresh stock encourages customers to come back and see what’s new, and can attract new customers who might like the new items. 
• Take good quality pictures. Blurry, dark shots won’t show off your products. Make sure the pictures are clear, in focus and well lit. Take pictures from several angles and include some detail shots to show them off to their maximum potential. 
• Write detailed descriptions. Your customer can’t interact with the product, so give them all the information they might need. Write clear, detailed descriptions that promote the product. 
• Answer customer questions in the descriptions. Try to pre-empt what they might ask, like the items size, materials used and some shipping information. 
• Think about SEO. Use titles, keywords and tags to your advantage. Do some keyword research to find the terms that people are searching for on Etsy and use relevant ones in your product titles, tags and descriptions. 
• Price consistently. Factor in the cost of materials and your time before you set a price. Keep prices consistent between products. 

Get Your Offer Right

Don’t treat your Etsy shop like a department store. The most successful Etsy stores are focussed on a niche. This is important as it encourages customers to think of you as a specialist. For example, imagine a customer is searching for birthday party invitations. They find a design from you on the search results. They like it, and click onto your store to see what other designs you have. If they get to the store and find pages of name necklaces, website designs and children’s jumpers, they’re not going to search around for your other invitations. Find your niche and stay in it, so customers know what they’ll find when they visit your store. 

Marketing

There’s no point having a great looking Etsy store if nobody knows about. You need to get out there and promote your business to draw in customers. 

• Use Etsy’s own marketing tools to your advantage. Within Etsy, you can pay to promote listings so they appear at the top of the search results when shoppers use the site. Getting your product in their eyeline first can really boost sales. 
• Use social media. Set up your business on Facebook and Twitter. Match the look of your Etsy store and try to use the same bio and profile pictures so customers can immediately recognise you. Use social media to shout about new products, offers, sales and bestsellers. Depending on what you sell, Pinterest may be a useful marketing tool for you as well. 
• Consider influencer marketing. Depending on the products you sell, influencers could be useful. If you sell wordpress templates, partner with a blogger with a big platform to showcase your services. If you sell jewellery, choose a few bloggers whose readers match your target customers and send out some products for review. 

Get Packaging and Shipping Right

How you ship out products makes a lasting impression on your customers. Get it right to keep them on board. 

• Ship promptly. Once they’ve parted with their money, nobody wants to wait long to receive their products. Be sure to ship out orders in a prompt manner and use a speedy delivery service. 
• Pack products securely. You want your orders to arrive safely, so pack delicate items carefully. Buy smart looking poly mailers for small items, so orders look professional when they arrive, not like somebody’s eBay order. 
• Consider offering a few tiers of shipping at different prices. A standard shipping option is great, but offer more options such as next day shipping, tracking options or signature confirmation. Depending on what they;re buying, some customers will want to be able to track where their order is or recieve it faster.