How Newlovedesignshop got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
I’m Vanessa Valarese, owner of New Love Design Shop, a baby branch of my six-year-old business, New Love Design Company. New Love is a full-service digital marketing and design boutique specializing in web design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and brand design. The idea for New Love Design Shop was simple and basic. When Cricut machines first came on the scene and everyone was slapping vinyl on everything and anything, I immediately hopped aboard that train because, seriously, what crafter didn’t want to cut and stick the vinyl on everyday objects? After the allure of the designs from Cricut wore off, I began making my own. Those designs then became part of my blog, which I also inserted into my email newsletters for those who wanted "freebies." Soon, I had so many designs that I built a simple shop page off of my company website. However, the designs were still free, and the downloads kept coming. I decided it was time to turn my "hobby" into something a little more lucrative.
I took to Google and searched for a few things, such as "passive income trends" and "seller platforms," and before I knew it, I stumbled my way into digital downloads and Etsy. I’m thankful a lightbulb finally went on in my head because New Love Design Shop went from being a free download on my company website to a regular source of passive income. Working in the brand design industry allows me to keep up with current trends in social media, which greatly influences how I create the products in my store. I know what people are looking at when they are looking at it, how often, and how they are searching for it, which allows me to tailor my designs to media trends.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
My favorite designs are Salem Apothecary, Cupid is Stupid, and Ok, Karen. However, these are far from my top sellers. I prefer these designs because they are more in line with my own personal style, something I am most likely to put on a tote, mug, or shirt.
However, it’s not about me. What I sell are trends, and these are not trending right now. When I make a design, I have to think about what’s trending on social media, Apple Music, Netflix, Hulu, and so on. So who’s the big-ticket trend right now? Wednesday Addams. Wednesday from 1964, 1991, and 2023 I imagine you’ll be seeing Wednesday totes, mugs, shirts, greeting cards, and an abundance of stickers just about anywhere you go for the rest of the year, and I hope it’s one of these designs: Wednesday Addams SVG Bundle, On Wednesdays, we wear black SVG, or even the What Would Wednesday Do? SVG.
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
I think things took off rather quickly when I first opened New Love. I know it’s not typical to bring in a sale on the first day, but I think I was part of that incredibly small percent that did. I just hit the platform at the right time. The first day, maybe the second, I remember hearing the "cha-ching" of a cash register chime in my phone and wondering to myself, "What on earth is that sound for?" Shortly after, I kept making sales and felt overwhelmed with gratitude that people actually liked what I was offering. In the beginning, my marketing strategy was to share my listings through Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. I set a weekly budget for Etsy ads and let their platform market my listings as well. Now that my shop is a bit more seasoned, I don’t rely as much on social media advertising as I do on Etsy ads and my own keywording and content descriptions in my listings. Believe it or not, the language you use in your product listings is crucial to how your listing is displayed.
Managing Newlovedesignshop
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
With the exception of two furry friends—one golden floofball on my feet and the demon disguised as a sweet kitten warming the back of my computer screen—New Love is a one-woman show. Designs are made using Adobe Illustrator, and mockups are composed in Adobe Photoshop. I use Dropbox to manage the thousands of files uploaded to Etsy, which is my MacBook’s saving grace, or else it would likely implode within itself from file overload. Another helpful tool I use that connects directly from Etsy is Quickbooks Online, which I use to manage all income and taxes at the end of the year. Grammarly double-checks my spelling in my listings, and Marmalead helps with Etsy SEO. Other than that, New Love Design Shop is simple. It was exactly the way I wanted it to be.
The future of Newlovedesignshop
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
I don’t have any intention of expanding New Love Design Shop now or in the future, but I have had a few ideas for a secondary shop. Who knows? Maybe 2023 is the year I make that happen.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Don’t walk into your first Etsy shop thinking that sales will be instantaneous. They almost always aren't, and there will be times when they come in waves. I’ve experienced weeks without a sale. I found that joining Etsy groups on Facebook was immensely helpful because it allowed me to gain perspective on a lot of other people’s experiences, not just my own. You can ask questions of other shop owners and gain a better understanding of the Etsy environment. Another huge piece of the puzzle? Photography.
Everything is visual on Etsy, so your listing photos need to be as close to perfection as you can get. There are plenty of apps available for iOS and Android, so don’t feel like you need to spend thousands of dollars on a fancy camera because you don’t. You can even watch a few YouTube videos or TikTok reels if you don’t feel you have the right skill set to take the photos you need to. When listing your product, don’t gloss over keywords and tags. These areas are vital. Take the time to learn how to properly fill out every little detail in the description. The tags are one area I didn’t think was essential in the beginning; trust that all 13 are a blessing and you’re going to wish you had more. It’s inevitable that you’re going to make mistakes. We all do when we first start, and I’m sure I’m probably still making them. It’s a process, and the rules are always changing. As long as you love what you are making and enjoy what you do, then open that shop and get selling.
