Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool that can help you promote your products, reach potential new customers, and encourage existing customers to buy again. Utilizing social media effectively will benefit your Etsy shop immensely.
Tips for Using Social Media as a Marketing Tool
To make the most out of social media platforms for your Etsy shop, follow these tips:
- Post regularly to maintain engagement with followers. Create a schedule to avoid large gaps between posts.
- Respond to comments and engage in conversations with your customers.
- Share a variety of posts including product promotions, behind-the-scenes content, inspiration sources, and valuable information for your audience.
- Customize your posts for each platform to prevent overwhelming followers with repetitive content.
Creating a Social Media Post on Etsy
Etsy offers convenient tools for promoting your shop and sharing important updates on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. There are six types of posts you can create:
- Latest listings (up to 25 of your most recent listings)
- Recent milestones or successes (e.g., shop anniversaries)
- Current or upcoming sales and coupons
- 5-star reviews
- Items you’ve favorited
- Shop updates
How To Create a Social Media Post on Etsy?
Follow these steps to easily create a social media post from your Etsy account:
- Visit Etsy.com and click Shop Manager.
- Click Marketing.
- Click Social Media.
- Connect an account by clicking Social Accounts.
- When ready to create a post, click Create post.
- Select the type of post you want to create.
- Click Next.
- Add images and a caption for your post.
- Choose the networks you want to share your post with.
- Click Post.
Any photos shared from shop updates will be added to a feed linked to your shop homepage, which is also visible to buyers who follow you on Etsy. Buyers can purchase tagged items in photos by clicking on the orange price tag or clicking through the listing image on the right of the photo. For more information about marketing your Etsy shop, check out the Ultimate Guide to Marketing.
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How To Connect Social Media Accounts to Your Etsy Shop?
Etsy’s Social Media tool allows quick sharing of important updates, milestones, or promotions happening in your shop on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow these steps to link your social media accounts:
- Visit Etsy.com and click Shop Manager.
- Click Marketing.
- Click Social Media.
- Select Social Accounts.
- Choose the social media platform you want to connect with and follow the login instructions.
How To Share Items from Etsy Listings Page?
Share listings directly from your shop’s listing page onto your social media accounts as a convenient way of promoting new products or special offers. Follow these steps:
- Visit Etsy.com and click Shop Manager.
- Select Listings.
- Click the gear icon to the right of a listing.
- Choose Share.
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Promoting Your Shop on Social Media Platforms
Etsy sellers have found great success in promoting their shops on various social media platforms. In this section, we’ll explore best practices for using these platforms to attract followers and drive sales.
You may be familiar with Facebook from personal use, but developing a strong business page requires more strategic thinking. Many content marketers plan their social media content using the rule of thirds: a third of your content promotes your products and shop announcements, a third highlights stories and ideas from complementary shops or brands, and a third of the content shared provides some value to your followers (like DIYs, recipes, guides, etc.). Sharing behind-the-scenes posts about your workspace or process can help keep your shop top of mind with established customers. And creating shareable content with broad appeal, such as DIYs, can help you attract a larger network of followers and potential new customers. Read How to Market Your Etsy Shop on Facebook for more ideas.
Whether you’re promoting a sale, soliciting product feedback or providing product styling inspiration, the Instagram photo-sharing app offers a highly visual alternative to more copy-heavy marketing channels. ‘Experiment with a bunch of different types of posts at the beginning’, suggests Martha Porter of the Brooklyn-based accessory shop Buried Diamond, who has more than 52,000 followers on Instagram. ‘Take time to analyze what received the most likes and why: Was it your image quality? The colors? Your funny caption? Did you tag the image effectively? Was it the time of day you posted?’
Instagram is ideal for sharing lifestyle photos and behind-the-scenes photos. Looking for more ideas about what to post? Martha suggests exploring the accounts of other brands you respect and admire. ‘Find like-minded people, follow their accounts and interact with them’, she says. For more suggestions, read Tips for Growing Your Following on Instagram.
‘Twitter allows for instant conversation’, explains Michelle Reaney of Toronto-based shop Michelle Wandering, who uses her handle, @thunderpeep, to share short updates with her followers in 140 characters or less.
One of the most useful Twitter features for a business owner looking to make connections and promote her shop is the hashtag, a word or phrase marked with the # symbol, such as #handmade or #EtsySeller. ‘On Twitter, hashtags are used to categorize posts by topic or keyword’, explains Jessica Ulrich, a social media manager at Etsy, ‘clicking a hashtag will display every tweet that includes that tag.’
To get started developing content, jot down a list of the types of posts you would like to share over the next month, suggests Jessica. This can include general categories, like inspiration or behind-the-scenes, or more specific items like the launch of a new product or Christmas promotions. Once your list of ideas is complete, plot your posts on a calendar. Check out 5 Ways to Market Your Shop on Twitter to learn more.
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Youtube
Producing original instructional videos attracts viewers to your channel through search and encourages social sharing. To get started, brainstorm content that’s complementary to your brand and products: Can you develop a jewelry display tutorial that integrates your necklaces into the final staging? Or film a “quick tips” series on styling small spaces that feature a few of your vintage items within the example shots? Even filming a brief how-to on one of your favorite creative techniques or tools can entice new viewers — and encourage them to buy your finished product!
The key element to shooting a tutorial video is storyboarding, or creating a shot-by-shot plan for how your video will play out. Storyboarding can be as simple as listing out what’s going to happen in the video. Shorter videos typically receive higher engagement from viewers, so consider trimming or speeding up long or boring steps. For each step, ask yourself: What is the important thing that I need to highlight? Be sure to mount your camera in a way that makes what you’re doing in each step clear to the viewer, and zoom in during trickier tasks so viewers can see the finer details. For DIYs, shooting from above often works better than using a front-facing angle, where viewers would need to think backward to follow along.
Try experimenting with different styles and remember to review your statistics periodically to see how your videos are performing. It may take some trial and error to find your niche, but the key is to create compelling content that’s true to you and your business.
Millions of people use the visual collage board Pinterest every day to explore their interests, find products to buy and connect with people who share similar passions. ‘Many pinners are already interested in the things you make and sell, so the more people pin, discover and repin your products, the more likely new customers will be to discover your Etsy shop’, explains Kevin Knight, a former marketing manager at Pinterest.
‘Create a range of boards that showcase your shop’s personality and taste’, Kevin recommends, ‘and try to pin at least once a day so your followers get fresh content in their home feeds.’ He also suggests adding groups of pins simultaneously in order to tell a more complete story around your products and brand, capturing the imagination – and attention – of other pinners. Read How to Promote Your Etsy Shop With Pinterest for more tips.
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How to Build Your Following on Social Media
To maintain your social media momentum and expand your network, follow these steps to create a robust social media presence that connects you with potential customers.
1. Spread the Word On and Offline
Ensure your customers are aware of your social media profiles by connecting your accounts to your shop. This allows visitors to easily click through and view your content, see tagged product photos from past shoppers, and become followers. To further promote connections offline, include your social media information on business cards or thank-you notes in packages, encouraging customers to share photos of their purchases online while tagging your accounts.
2. Save on Etsy Fees When Driving Sales
Etsy’s Share & Save program rewards you for driving traffic and sales to your shop. By sharing a unique link to your shop or listings that results in a sale, Etsy will reduce its fees by 4% for that order. Use trackable links when sharing on social media platforms.
3. Use Hashtags Effectively
Hashtags help place posts into broader contexts by adding them to public feeds related to specific phrases. Research hashtags relevant to both the target audience and the products you offer. Utilize Instagram’s Explore tab or apps like Leetags or websites like All-Hashtag for sourcing relevant tags
4. Engage Through Comments
Actively responding to comments can boost engagement rates and indicate attentiveness on social media platforms. Most social network algorithms favor posts with higher engagement levels; therefore, aim to respond promptly to comments whenever possible.
5. Establish a Consistent Posting Schedule
Consistently posting content can help gain more followers who engage regularly with shared updates. Determine the optimal posting frequency based on each platform – for instance, Instagram recommends posting 1-3 times per day while overposting on Facebook may decrease visibility in timelines.
6. Follow Relevant Accounts & Collaborate with Other Sellers
Following other users’ accounts and engaging with their content can attract new users to yours. Collaboration with other sellers, such as sharing or featuring their content and having them do the same for you, can help boost visibility. Hosting joint events like Facebook or Instagram Live sessions to discuss shared experiences can also be beneficial.
7. Consider Running Paid Campaigns
Although follower acquisition campaigns can be costly, engagement campaigns may result in increased visibility and attract new followers who engage with your paid content. Test various audiences and ad types to determine which strategies work best for your Etsy shop.
Things to Avoid in Social Media Marketing
Building an engaged following takes time and effort. While shortcuts may be tempting, they could lead to negative consequences or even suspension of your account. It’s crucial to avoid the following practices:
- Buying followers: Some sites promise to deliver authentic followers for a fee. However, these “followers” are often bot accounts that don’t contribute to actual sales and may result in your account being flagged if there is rapid growth.
- Buying engagements: Similar to buying followers, fake engagements might offer a temporary boost but ultimately have little impact on your business.
- Following and then unfollowing accounts: This tactic involves following numerous accounts per day and then unfollowing them within a few days. Such behavior can get you flagged by platforms like Instagram as a spam account.
Focusing on genuine engagement and building connections with real users is essential for achieving sustainable growth and success on social media platforms as an Etsy seller.
How to Set and Reach Your Marketing Goals
Before launching a new marketing campaign, take time to consider your objectives and what you hope to achieve. Setting goals will help you evaluate the success of your campaign and inform future strategies.
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Consider these common marketing objectives and choose one or two areas to focus on:
1. Engagement
Customer engagement can include hashtag campaigns, giveaway contests, or value-adding blog content. Encourage shoppers to actively participate in your brand for better results.
2. Awareness
Increase awareness by creating a cohesive brand identity that customers easily recognize and associate with your products. Launch a paid ad campaign, partner with complementary brands or shops, or create shareable content to establish your expertise in your field.
3. Sales
To boost sales volume, review your shop’s stats and identify areas of focus. If you’re receiving visits but not enough sales, consider campaigns centered around pitching your products to the press or revamping your SEO efforts.
4. Followers and Subscribers
If you’re struggling to gain followers or subscribers, improve your social media and email strategies by offering incentives such as coupon codes for new subscribers or discounts for customer referrals.
5. Visits
Increase the number of people browsing your shop by launching a paid ad campaign or collaborating with a complementary shop on cross-promotional social media campaigns.
6. Conversion Rate
Calculate this metric by dividing the number of orders by the number of visits (e.g., 30 orders ÷ 500 visits = 6% conversion rate). To increase conversion rates, try running sales promotions in your shop or reaching out to influencers on social media.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, leveraging the power of social media marketing is essential for Etsy sellers to boost visibility, engage with customers, and increase sales. By implementing effective strategies tailored to each platform and setting clear marketing goals, you can successfully reach potential customers and foster growth for your shop.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content or promotional tactics; consistently analyze the results and learn from them. By staying committed to engaging with customers on various platforms, responding promptly, and providing valuable content that resonates with your target audience, you’ll be well on your way to building a thriving Etsy shop backed by a loyal community of followers.