- If you're new to the page, I just wanna welcome you.
I am Julie Siomacco owner of the Southern Charm Wreaths where we make beautiful wreaths
and we also teach you how to make and sell them.
So in this video it's my business tips for the week.
I want to just go over some 10, just 10 mistakes most Etsy sellers make.
So we did a shop critique in my success circle group, which is my business group, this month
and, you know, just about every one of them were making the same mistakes.
So I thought I'd come on here and just go over with you the top 10 mistakes that I see
most Etsy shop owners making.
So you have to keep in mind that when you open up an Etsy shop, it's not as easy as
you think, okay.
So there is a system to it.
There are certain things that you must do.
You can't just upload your beautiful items and wait for people to come by.
That's not how Etsy works.
There is a lot of things that you have to factor in, including what they call SEO.
So if you're new to selling online, you're probably thinking, "What the heck is SEO?"
SEO stands for search engine optimization.
Basically it boils down to how to get found.
Alright, so we go to you, I'm sorry, we go to Google and we type in something.
Let's say we type in red shoes, well, we're gonna get a lot of information about red shoes,
aren't we?
But let's say we need red shoes for prom so we're gonna type in red shoes for prom, now
that search from shoes to red shoes, okay, let's say shoes from red shoes and then red
shoes to prom narrows down the search results that Google shows to you.
So you have to do the same thing with your Etsy shop.
Those words that we put in Google shoes, red shoes, red shoes for prom, are called keywords.
Those are what we have to incorporate into our Etsy shop in order to get found because
think about it, the algorithm for Etsy right now does not look at the photos, it looks
at the words for you to show up in searches.
So when a customer goes in and types in spring wreath for front door, looking for a wreath,
and you don't have spring wreath for front door as a keyword you're not gonna get shown.
If you are just uploading your beautiful wreaths, or your afghans, or whatever you're making
onto Etsy and you're coming up with your own cutesy names, you know, blue moon rising wreath
or, you know, something like that, that's not gonna help you.
That's not gonna help you get found in search results.
You must use words that your shoppers are using, okay.
So I'm gonna go through that in just a few minutes.
Hi, Kathleen, how are you?
Welcome, welcome Lynette.
Alright, so these are my top 10 tips, are you ready?
For Etsy shop owners, I've gone over this with my success circle group and I've gone
in it through with my wreath of the month club, but I really feel compelled to come
on here and help everybody succeed on Etsy and then this will also give you a little
taste of what I do offer in my groups.
Alright, so the first thing that I see Etsy shop owners not doing is completely filling
out their Etsy shop.
If you don't have your shop policies completely filled out, guess what, Etsy is gonna ding
you for that.
They're gonna hinder you being seen to the shoppers.
So go through, fill out everything.
If they give you a place to put a video, guess what, I want you to put a video.
If they give you a place to put an image, guess what, I want you to put an image.
I want you to fill out everything possible.
You know that big pretty cover photo?
I want you to put something there.
That's prime real estate but make sure when you do put your photos in, that you go to
your mobile device and you look at it on your mobile phone.
You wanna make sure that you're seeing what your buyers are seeing.
It might look really pretty on the desktop, but then you open it up on your mobile device
and it doesn't look so good.
So you wanna make sure that it looks good on both mobile and your computer or laptop.
So fill everything out.
The about section, why did you get started?
What inspires you?
Put some keywords in there.
Your cover photo, I said that.
You're gonna have your shop name, everything, you're gonna fill out, okay?
Because if you don't fill it out, you're just leaving business on the table, alright, and
so I just want you to incorporate everything Etsy offers you.
Can't wait for them to add more video, I hope they do that soon.
Alright, so that's tip number one, completely fill out your Etsy shop.
Tip number two, make sure you have clickable cohesive looking product images.
What does that mean?
I mean, you can't, it's harder for if a buyer is going to your shop and they see an image,
you know, that's dingy or hard to see or blurry or there's, you know, not enough images, you
know, they're not gonna make the sale.
Also, keep in mind, that when you do get down those keywords and you're being found in search
results, a lot of times images are so dark and blurry and dingy that people don't even
wanna click on them.
So you want clickable images, you want bright.
You wanna see the product, what are they gonna get.
Sometimes if you stage it, you get better click through rates.
So in other words, instead of just putting a wreath on a door, put it on, you know, a
mantle, hang it over a mirror, prop it up on a fireplace, do some other different ways
to stage your wreath or your product so that it's a little bit more clickable.
People might want to click into it, that's what I mean clickable, you want people to
click.
So, I'm going to show, if I can figure out how to share my screen, I wanted to share
with you this shop and I love her shop and whenever I train anybody how to do Etsy, I
always pull up her shop because she's just rocking it.
So I'm just gonna show you a shop that has beautiful shop photos, really quickly, very
cohesive, meaning they all look the same.
If you just give me a quick second to open it up.
Alright.
Share my screen.
Just give me a quick sec and I am on monitor two.
Share, okay.
This is not the one, this is, I'm sorry, I went to the wrong one.
Here we go, here, so Khalea, sorry Khalea I'm always showing yourEtsy shop.
If you sell wreaths, look at this.
Alright, do you see the background?
It's chippy door, it's got really pretty vibrant color photos, you can see the whole design
in that one icon of that product image.
It's just very pretty, I love the chippy door look.
So that to me is what I say is has a cohesive look.
Also, if you're selling bath bombs, look at this.
Do you se how all the images have this one background?
I like that, that's cohesiveness but then if you go down here, it's got all these different
images that are very bright, colorful, a lot of white on the background, that to me is
a cohesive look as well.
So that's what I mean is when you wanna have a cohesive look for your items.
Alright, so other things that I want to show you or to encourage you to do.
So that was, let's see, what tip was that, was I on?
So a cohesive shop look with your product images is tip number two.
So tip number three, use all or most of your Etsy shop photos.
So, for example, Etsy gives you I think 10 photo slots.
You wanna use as many of those as you can.
It doesn't have to be 10 individual photos, it could be five individual photos and then
you duplicate four, you know, duplicate two or three, duplicate another two or three,
in order to fill them up because what's gonna happen is when you put in your key rich title
for that product, it's gonna attach it to that image so anybody who's going into Google
and looking for spring summer wreath, you're gonna have 10 images that fit that keyword,
spring summer wreath, does that make sense?
So you want to incorporate as many photos as you can and making sure you have your keywords
down.
So use as many photos, zoom in, zoom out, crop, not crop, take from the side, take from,
you know, staging it on, like I said, all these different areas you can stage your products,
how can users see your product being used?
The more information you give them, the better chances you have of being, making the sale.
Alright, so let's see, that was tip number three.
So tip number four, for your Etsy shop, the mistakes that most people make is to do your
keyword research.
So, we talked about keywords just a few minutes ago in the beginning of the series.
Let me share my, the beginning of this video, let me just share my screen one more time
and I will show you what I'm talking about.
Okay, so we're over here on my other screen and I just wanna show you when I put in summer
wreath, here's what comes up, 30,000 results.
Do you have a chance to get seen?
Very slim, very slim chance, okay.
But they do give you these keywords up at the top of the screen, which you can use,
because these keywords up here are what shoppers are already using but I wanted to show you
when I typed in summer wreath, do you see how it drops down right here?
These are all keywords buyers are already using.
Why not see if they work for you and use the same ones?
Alright, so we have summer wreath right here but let's say we type in summer wreath which
we already saw it had 30,000 results and we have a slim chance of getting seen, what if
we typed in that summer wreath for door, hey, our wreath is for a door, maybe that will
work, let's look at that, we get 24,000.
Alright, so it's not quite 30 but there's 24,000 results still we're gonna have a hard
time getting seen because, listen, I'm just saying if I'm a shopper, I'm gonna scroll
down and do you think any buyer is going to go through 250 pages of wreaths?
They're not, they're probably gonna go through the first three or four and then they're gonna
say, "Okay, I'm not finding what I want."
So either they're gonna buy what they see from those pages or they're gonna try to refine
their search results.
Alright, so let's go instead, let's think of something else we could do.
So let's say we do, let's see, there's for front door, alright, so summer wreath for
front door, matches what we are selling and it does narrow it down so now we've got 11,000.
Do you see how I'm using my keywords and I'm coming up with ways in order to narrow down
the search in order to have a better chance of getting seen?
Listen, I know a lot of you are thinking, "Yeah, but there's so many, you know, "there's
a lot of results."
There are a lot of results but the chances of you being found through all of the noise
is too great.
Instead, narrow it down as much as you possibly can.
So let's think about this, alright, so let's say we have a grapevine wreath and let's just
type that in, summer grapevine wreath, comes up, we're working, we're working, and let's
say we click on summer grapevine wreaths for front door.
Jackpot, do you see how now I've got my results are 2,800?
It's even less, so if I'm using summer wreath for a keyword and I have to compete with 30,000
other results, versus I have summer grapevine wreaths for front door as my keyword, I'm
only gonna have to compete with 2,800.
Do you see I'm upping my chances of being found through all of the noise?
So this is exactly what I'm talking about and if you can narrow that down even further,
that would be good.
So, it's good to have some keywords that are, for example, if I switch over, let's see if
I can find my Etsy shop, right here, so for example, if I have my main keyword at the
beginning of my title, then I can find other keywords.
I could also use summer wreath for like maybe part of the second keyword in my title then
I'm gonna put a comma, and I'm gonna put another keyword, and then I'm gonna put a comma, and
another keyword.
So my title right here should have tons of keywords in it.
Remember I just showed you how to find the keywords.
So do the same thing until you get several different versions of keywords to go into
your title and I don't mean one word, I mean long tail keywords, meaning multiple words.
So for example, summer wreath with bow, that's a long tail keyword.
Alright, so that's how you can find the keywords that people are already using.
Alright, so the other thing that I wanted to talk to you about was tip number five,
use the keywords in your shop title.
Let me go back to sharing my screen again and show you other places, you're gonna use
them in your title, you're gonna use them in your description, you're going to use them
in your the first paragraph of your product description, you're gonna use some really
everywhere.
Alright, so for example, again, give me a second to share the screen.
So if we go back over here, I've got, you see, how I've got my keywords summer wreath
with bow, down here summer wreath with bow, in the first sentence of my paragraph so when
Google, when people are looking for a summer wreath with bow, this right here, this paragraph
is what's gonna be shown as their meta, it's their meta description and it's very important,
let's just put it that way.
Alright, so this first paragraph is what's going to show up in Google so you want to
have keywords.
So I've got summer wreath with bow in my first sentence.
Front door, that's a keyword for wreaths, is right there.
Let's see, I'm mentioning the tiger lilies and spring and summer, oval wreath, you know,
those are keywords, so sympathy wreath, that's a keyword, so I'm making sure that I'm incorporating
those keywords that I've found in that first paragraph of my description.
I'm also putting a few keywords throughout the description to help on Etsy search results
and I'm putting all of those same keywords down here in the tags of my product.
They have to go all three places.
They have to be on the title, they have to be in the first paragraph of your description,
and they have to be included in your tags.
So when that happens, guess what, Etsy says that this wreath or this image or this product
is relevant for the keywords, summer wreath with bow, does that make sense?
So I'm hoping that this is helping you guys.
Just giving you little, you know, tips on some of the mistakes that I see Etsy shop
owners making.
Alright, so the other thing that people are making is they're not incorporating, oh wait,
wait, we did, okay, so we did, tip number six was keywords should not have a lot of
competition, we did that, and tip number seven was the most important keywords should go
first.
So the words that you wanna rank for on your products should go in the beginning of the
title, alright, and the first paragraph of the description and, listen, don't just put
a paragraph of the description, that's one I'm gonna be going into tip number eight,
you want to put at least 300 words, you guys, you want to tap into a buyer's emotions.
So, y'all, ladies, listen up, listen, Linda, listen, listen.
You know that showthat they always do?
When we go shopping for shoes, do we need them?
Do we want them, yes.
Well, why do we want them?
Well, because we wanna look good, we have an event to go to, or we wanna look hot for
our husbands, or we just need something comfortable to walk around, we don't wanna have blisters,
you know, there's different reasons why.
You have to tap into those emotions because buyers don't buy things they don't need as
a necessity unless they're fulfilling some type of emotional need, okay.
So for example, I need a loaf of bread for sandwiches to feed my children.
That's a necessity, I need a gallon of milk.
We've got to drink and have calcium and stuff like that.
That's food, we need, you know, water.
You know, those are needs.
A wreath, not a need.
It's a necessity, it's a luxury.
An afghan for our bed, luxury.
New shoes, luxury, bath bombs, luxury.
What else, jewelry, luxury.
They're not something we need so we have to then start tapping into an emotion for a buyer.
You can't just list out keywords and say, "It measures 24 by 24 by eight," and be done
with it.
You've got to say, "Ladies, I know you're working hard "and you wanna come home and
enjoy your house.
"You want to have a beautiful entryway "to greet your family and friends with.
"Well, let me help you do that.
"We have wreaths that can help you.
"Make your entryway beautiful, one to be proud of.
"One to wow the neighbors and be the best one on the block."
You know, something like that.
When you start tapping into an emotion, "Let me help you take the stress off "of decorating
for the holidays.
"I've got the perfect wreath for you.
"Just hang it on your door and then put "some pre-potted ferns on either side "and I've
helped you decorate, I know you're busy, "you can't do it all, you're not expected to, "but
you deserve to have a beautifully decorated home "for the holidays, I'm here to help you,
"this wreath will help you."
You know, things like that.
That's what I'm talking about.
Tapping into a buyer's emotions, helping them, how is that product gonna help them?
You've got to tell them, how is it gonna make their life easier?
How is it gonna improve their day?
You know, make sure all of that is mentioned in your product descriptions because what
that's gonna do is it's gonna help seal the deal.
So in other words, you get found because of your keywords, you've got that beautiful shop,
clickable image, they click onto it, and they look at the description, and if it's just
got a few sentences and with a measurement, they're probably thinking, "Oh well, it's
just another wreath."
But if they read it and say, "Dang, I do deserve this, I am, I need a house to be, "you know,
that I wanna come home to.
"I should have a door that my family and friends "feel welcomed with."
That ties into their emotions and they're more likely to make that sale, it works, I
promise that works.
Alright, so that's what I'm talking about, making sure that you have good descriptions,
300 words, type into their emotions, and make sure that you can, you know, help them out,
how is your product gonna help them out with their daily lives?
So that was my tip number eight.
So tip number nine for your Etsy shop.
If you're just joining us, we're doing Etsy shops, I'm talking about the top 10 mistakes
most Etsy shop owners make.
Number nine would be you want to post an image, a product once a day.
So, if you can make one a day, great, post it.
If you can make five on Monday and you can't make any the rest of the week, you wanna make
five on Monday, post one on Monday, post one on Tuesday, post one on Wednesday, post one
on Thursday, you see the point, you're posting something once a day to get more items in
your shop, to get more views on your item, alright.
Those people who loved and hearted your shop, guess what, when you post something in your
shop, it shows up on their feed.
So if you're not posting anything, then they're not seeing it.
So even if you don't sell, like let's say for example you had a hard week and you couldn't
get five things made, you only got three things made, so you post Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday you're gonna renew, Friday you're gonna renew a product that you've already
posted, okay, so you just, every day you're doing something to get more activity going
on your shop.
I want you to get the number of items up, alright, so people always come to me and say,
"Guess what, I can't make any sales.
"I do all the keywords, I got really pretty images, "I'm tapping into all the emotions,
I don't know, "I've got to lower my prices."
And I'm like wait a minute here, wait minute, let me just go see, let me just go see.
And I take a look and guess what?
They got five items in their shop.
Now let me ask you, if you were going into a shoe shop, a boutique, looking for those
shoes for prom that we were talking about, would you even spend any time in a boutique
that had five pairs of shoes in it?
No, you'd be like, "Uh, let's leave, "this just doesn't feel right, let's go.
"They don't have our options, they don't have enough."
Buyers want options.
They want price point options, they want sizing options, they want color options, they want
many, many options.
So if you can get your minimum up to 50 items in your Etsy shop, you will have a higher
chance of guess what, making a sale just about every day.
I promise you, it works.
Get your Etsy items up in your shops.
Have many options to offer.
Different price points, different colors, different seasons, you know, different holidays.
Just get the items that you have in your Etsy shop up so that you could get those buyers
more of a chance to be seen.
So tip number 10, you want to make products that are multiples, so, jewelry makers, make
more than one pair of earrings, make these earrings and sell them over and over and over
and over and over again.
Bath bombs, make them.
Sell them over and over and over and over and over again.
Wreath makers, make one wreath and make multiples of the same wreath.
You don't wanna just be making one of a kinds.
One of a kinds are great but they don't really help you that much in an Etsy shop because
Etsy loves it when a buyer goes and buys your item and then it renews and relists again,
automatically or maybe you manually do it, you renew the same item.
They buy it and guess what, you renew it again.
They buy it and you renew it again.
Etsy loves that so Etsy shows shops that do that constant renewal, constant selling of
the same items, more so in their search results than they do one of a kind designs.
So just try to get your items up and make sure to incorporate multiples of the same
item to help with that Etsy algorithms.
Alright, so you guys, those were my top 10 tips.
This was just a drop in the bucket of what you could be doing for your Etsy shops.
You know, there's many, many, many more things that you could be doing but these were, to
me, I feel like are the top 10 reasons why Etsy shops, people can't get it going in their
Etsy shops.
I mean, I know there is a lot to do with pricing, and, you know, things like that.
I mean, just for example, this wasn't even a tip on here, a lot of you feel like you're
not getting your sales on your Etsy shops and you drop the price, that is really the
worst thing that you could do.
It's not your prices that's wrong.
It's typically your keywords are off, your images aren't good enough, or you're not tapping
into a buyer's emotions, you know, something like that is typically what the problem is.
When you drop your price, you're still even hurting yourself even further because when
you do, listen, when I go to Etsy and I'm looking for something to buy, you know, the
first thing I do?
I go to the sort feature and I sort price high to low.
Because I know in my head, higher means better value.
Higher means better quality.
Higher priced items mean those shop owners know what they're doing, they're making the
sales, and I wanna buy from a professional.
I mean, this is exactly what a shopper thinks.
You can't tell me that you don't shop that way.
You can't tell me that when you're shopping, that you don't think that low price means
low quality.
I'm telling you majority of the people think that way.
So when you're taking your price and you're lowering it, you're thinking, "Why is it not
selling, it's basically cost?"
Well it's because people think that it's going to be a cheap product.
They don't think it's gonna be anything valuable, it's not gonna be quality, you know, so you
have to make sure that you incorporate that into your thinking when you're pricing your
items.
So people, I've taught this in my wreath making of the month club and one lady said, "You
know what, I went across the board "and I upped the price on everything "and guess what,
I started selling."
I'm like, yeah, yeah it works.
Alright, so you have to be careful that you're not pricing too low.
Lower is not better for sales, okay.
Alright, you guys, I hope you found this useful.
Just let me know if you have any questions under this video but I want to thank you again
for joining me and you guys have a blessed Easter.