Etsy Gift Guides and FP Features: Getting Noticed by Etsy Admin

Conributed by: Midnightcoiler

Are you doing everything you can to get noticed by Etsy admin? Tons of shops are joining Etsy all the time, and admin is constantly trying to keep things fresh, and continually discovering new shops and products they like, developing new marketing themes and choosing to promote accordingly. There are no guarantees or entitlements that any shop will be chosen or remain in the promotional sites of Etsy, but there are some things you can do to to increase your chances.

Taking positive action is the best course if someone wants to increase their chances of being noticed or "rediscovered" by Etsy admin. Here are 11 ways to try and catch their eyes in a positive light!

1. Become a vocal regular in the Etsy Labs, fill out feedback forms if
offered. Create listing cards in the Etsy Labs when they are enabled.

2. Become a regular participant in the Etsy Forums

3. Subscribe to all of Etsy's emails, visit their promotions, leave
comments, participate in nominations, interact as much as possible.

4. Constantly strive for shop and product improvements and innovations. Go to Etsy and team critiques, participate and apply changes.

5. Develop a fresh new line of items to add to your shop and promote it.

6. Purchase a showcase spot on Etsy

7. Follow Etsy on Flicker, Twitter and Facebook and any other social
networking site they are on. Leave comments, interact.

8. Create an event including references to Etsy and publicize it. Send newspaper articles, publicity to Etsy admin. Etsy loves having the site promoted.

9. Write an article for Etsy's blog.

10. Create treasuries, especially ones using Etsy's current marketing themes.

11. Promote and support others as well as yourself. Join a team. Mutual support= more exposure. Create good will- payback is swell!

The side benefits are just as important as being noticed by Admin, not the least of which is exposure gained with fellow Etsians, both buyers and sellers. Happy marketing!

The Etsy Treasury Team website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etsytreasuryteam/

We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!!

The Etteam

And the WINNER IS.....

We have a winner for Etteam's current giveaway, which includes 2 Celtic CDs from Anam Cara and beautiful notecards from SoundImages. And the winner is:

Carapace was comment number 35 out of 37, as determined by Random.org.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and be sure to stop back by our blog in December for another fabulous Etteam Holiday giveaway!

ETTeam Holiday Giveaway - Featuring Sound Images!

This month's ETTEAM giveaway is from etteam member Jill of Sound Images. She is offering a gift set featuring both music and stationary from her shop, just in time for the holidays.

The package includes two indie music CDs recorded by her Celtic duo Anam Cara. The first CD "The Stone" includes a mix of original as well as traditional tunes with Jill on violin and vocals and fellow musician Rosanne on guitar and vocals. The second CD is a collection of traditional Christmas Music with a Celtic flavour including two original songs written by the duo. You can hear a sample of the music at http://www.anamcara.ca or http://www.myspace.com/anamcaramusic. Also included in this giveaway is a set of four note cards with envelopes and a set of gift tags from the Sound Images "Colours of the World" stationary collection.

Bio:

Jill grew up in the town of Newmarket, Ontario, where she began playing the violin at age four. Since this time she has continued to study and perform in the Toronto area where she works full time as a music therapist in palliative care. Jill has always had a love for music as well as photography and design. She has been able to find a creative outlet for these interests through the creation of Sound Images www.soundimages.ca and more recently her Sound Images Etsy shop www.soundimages.etsy.com.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

You have 5 chances to enter. Number 1 is MANDATORY, the other 4 are optional for extra chances.

1. Visit Jill's Etsy Shop Sound Images and tell us which of her items is your favorite and why! Leave your comment here, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

2. Become a follower of the Etteam Blog. If you already are that's counts too! Leave your comment here telling us that you are a follower, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

3. Snag our Blog Button, and add to your blog or blog roll. Leave your comment here with the URL of your blog where our button is located, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

4. Twitter about this Giveaway (once daily). Leave your comment here with the URL of your tweet, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

5. Post about this Giveaway on your Blog or Facebook page. Leave your comment here with the URL of your Facebook page or Blog, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

Be sure with each comment that you leave your name and email address or Etsy Shop!

Giveaway runs Sunday, November 15th through Saturday November 21st. The winner will be picked by Ramdom.org. We'll be back next Sunday November 22nd, to blog about the winner!

Happy Holidays!

from Etteam & Jill of SoundImages

Etteam Member Nifty Knits & her Meerkats In the News!!

Click picture to enlarge to readable proportions!

See VIDEO interview

Could I be more excited?

Can't wait to find out what happens next for the traveling Meerkats? Check out their blog, or their facebook fan page ! :o)

Meerkat Update!

"Treasure" one of the traveling meerkats from NiftyKnits has arrived at his first stop. He is in the UK visiting CuteDesigns of the EtsyTreasuryTeam. You can read all about it on the CuteDesigns blog. Here is a cute picture of the little fellow with his new traveling companion, that was hand crocheted by CuteDesigns in honor of the Meerkat visit.

Check back often to follow the Meerkats on their round the world adventures! You can also become a fan of the Meerkats as they have their own facebook fan page as well.

Happy travels, little Meerkats!

Meerkats embark on World Tour!!

Contributed by: Glorious Hats and ZaftigDelights

The Etsy Treasury Team is preparing for really cool global happening!! Heather Leavers better known as Nifty Knits, who is well known for her adorable hand knitted Meerkats, will be sending out two of her little creations to become globe-trotting adventurers. That's right, the little Meerkats will be traveling around the world, meeting many of the ETTeam members and will learn and do something interesting at every stop; maybe learn about where ETTeam member lives, get to know the ETTeam member, help the ETTeam member craft. Lots of special events are planned for over 30 total stops, approximately 15 stops per Meerkat. The trip finale is a photo shoot of the meerkat and all the fabulous souvenirs (great items crafted by each ETTeam member) amassed along the way. The photo-shoots will be done by Tyarkoni and Lori411.

Each stop in the traveling Meerkats journeys will be blogged in several places as well as shared on a dedicated facebook fan page. As secondary points this project will show shipping times; the variety of places around the globe that Etsy sellers are located; and highlight the way a global ETSY team can function and work together on a project. There was such great interest in hosting a meerkat by ETTeam members, that the happening was expanded from the original one, to two traveling Meerkats, each with their own itinerary.

Once home from their journeys, the traveling Meerkats and all their souvenirs will be going to a new permanent home via a fabulous GIVEAWAY which will be hosted right here on the ETTeam blog - in two separate giveaways.

The adventure has begun, and to read all about it - stop by Heather's NiftyKnits blog. By the time the Etsy's Friday Finds promotions goes live on Nov 13, 2009, the Meerkats will have been begun their journeys and may have arrived at their first stops.

Stay tuned to this blog for more news and fun from the Meerkats world tour adventures!!!

Happy Birthday, SpringColors!

Contributed by: NiftyKnits

October 24 is the birthday of Etsy friend and ETTEAM member, SpringColors - and you can win this gorgeous Black Rose OOAK pendant from her shop (value $50.00). You can find out how to enter, by heading on over to her FACEBOOK PAGE. Be sure you follow all of her directions carefully, because I know you will want a great shot at winning this gorgeous pendant!! The Giveaway starts today October 24th, and ends at Midnight, October 31th. She will announce the winner on November 1st on her Facebook Page.

ETTEAM Featured Etsy Seller - BeadStylin'

Contributed by: NiftyKnits

I interviewed Jeannie some while ago...but promptly lost it in my marvelous filing system. Oooops. Have a look at the tagline in her banner - sound familiar? We're twins, beadstylin's shop and my blog!

Right - let's get to know all about beadstylin...

Quickies for starters:

Cats or dogs?

Cats! We have two black kitties. Our male cat is a polydactyl. He has eight toes on each front foot!

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Trek, but only if it's the 60's version. The other stuff just leaves me scratchin' my head.

Fruit or chocolate?

How about a chocolate-dipped strawberry? :-)

Favourite colour?

Peacock!



Favourite meal?

You mean like breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Or favorite food? I'll answer both. Favorite meal: supper. Favorite type of food: authentic Mexican.

City break or weekend in the country?

Country for sure!

Soaps or documentaries?

Documentaries, hand's down.



Bath or shower?

Nice hot shower with lots of fragrant Etsy soaps.

Now we’ve got you warmed up…

What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop. Do you sell anywhere else?

Word of mouth brought me to Etsy. I sell handcrafted jewelry. I've been making jewelry for about 12 years now and absolutely love it. It's relaxing and addictive, as well as educational. I do sell at craft fairs and out of my home, but I much prefer selling on Etsy.



What’s the favourite item you’ve made so far?

My favorite item was a metalsmithed earring creation I named "Silverleaf". I toiled for hours over those earrings, soldering, sanding, and polishing.

What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learnt (about Etsy) so far?

Renew, renew, and renew.

If you could start again, is there anything you’d do differently?

I'd make sure I start with killer pictures.



How do you see your store developing?

I'd like to get a bit more into metalworking. And, once I get my new torch set up, I will continue to add my lampwork beads to my shop.

What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted?

Not a thing. Just recovered from a craft fair, and it feels good to get off my feet.



What’s your top marketing tip for today?

It's all about presentation. There are others out there who are selling similar items, so you have to be creative in not just WHAT you do but HOW you present it. And that means outstanding photos, detailed, interesting descriptions, and excellent customer service.

Thanks Jeannie! If you're hankering for stunning jewelry, don't miss Beadstylin's shop

Preparing your Etsy Shop for the Holidays!

Contributed by: Laura of LamaWorks



As much as we don't want to admit that the holidays are just around the corner, for those of us that sell potential gifts, it is important to start thinking about the holidays now! I just went to the Etsy Virtual Lab on holiday products and they had some great tips that I thought I'd share with everyone:


Hot items:
1. personalized items
~use names, initials, numbers, anything you can personalize ~hostess gift sets
2. Secret Santa gifts
~presents for neighbors, coworkers
~$5-20
~offer bulk orders so people can stock up
3. Quirky items for men
4. Home decor
~ entertaining, favors, invitations

Use holiday colors --take current items and use new colors:
~metallics
~blue and silver
~embellishments
~red and white
~blue and white
~jewel tones

Photography Tips:
~stage pictures with holiday themed items like berries, snow, tree branches
~when you take pictures think about what you would look for if you were shopping
for something in a store
~try to picture someone using the item
~put a group of photos together almost in a grid using picnic.com
~never use a flash
~always use the macro setting on your camera
~use natural light
~use a solid background

Shop organization:
~don't give too many options if you do custom work, i.e. Don't list one item
with with 5 different color choices and monogram, instead list that item 5
different times in each color, then use just the monogram as the option.
~create sets of things to hit different price points
~for the holidays use the Sections to organize by price category
~if you have a two items that coordinate, make sure you link to that item in the
description
~Write a good first paragraph description! This is what shows up in a google
search.
~When you create a new listing, above the materials box there is now a button
that says "How it looks in google" so you can see what your listing will look
like when it is searched
~Send along coupons with orders now for holiday specials.

Tagging no-no's:
~gift
~hostess gift
~stocking stuffer
~do not tag with potential uses for items

I hope this is helpful for everyone! I'm all jazzed up about the holidays now
and I just got some new holiday die cuts in the mail, so I'm off to design up
some gift tags!

Happy Holidays?? :o)

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

ETTEAM Featured Etsy Seller - SpringColors

Contributed by: NiftyKnits

Hadass of Springcolors is a fellow member of Etteam. She describes her shop as a place where we will find necklaces and bracelets made of crystals and beads, expressing the joy, optimism and beauty of spring, so I'm keen to get to know her a bit better!



Cats or dogs?

CATS! Hubby and I have 5 cats including two black ones. You can see them in rare moment of brotherly love.



Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Trek. Hubby and I are long time trekkies and For many years I take part in organizing the Israeli annual sci-fi convention.

OH WOW! finally I meet a team member who is more of a trekkie than I am! Live long and prosper Hadass!

Fruit or chocolate?
Really hard question. First chocolate and then some fruit, especially the pink ones. I love anything pink.



Favourite colour?
Pink, fuchsia, rose, blush, flush, mauve! (I've just copied the correct line from the excellent tagging list).

Favourite meal?
Any meal which includes good bread with a hard crust.

Soaps or documentaries?
Star trek!

City break or a weekend in the country?
Hubby and I love to travel. Hubby dreams of storming the wild on a jeep with large wheels and I dream about finding a good restaurant nearby.

Now we've got you warmed up:

What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop.

I make and sell handmade beaded jewelry. Each of my items is my design, handmade and one of a kind.

Since childhood I've been interested in all kinds of handmade. Four years ago, a friend showed me to crochet jewelry and I've became addicted to beadwork. Beadweaving is all about playing with colors and that is what fascinates me.

Since then, I've made a lot of items, kept them in a drawer somewhere and never wore them.

Last year I was diagnosed with cancer, had chemo and sat home for 6 month. I had the time on my hands, so I've arranged my drawers and decided to start selling my items. After all, I don't wear them, so why not let someone else enjoy them?! That how I've opened my Etsy shop.



What's the favourite item you've made so far?
My favourite item is always the last item I make. I try to improve my work with each and every item. Now I working on a pendant inspired by the Celtic Knot and I fascinated with this design.


What has been the most useful lesson you've learnt so far?
Every lesson I've learned was useful, I think.

However, I think the best lesson I have is about photography. I learned a lot about photography since I've started with Etsy, and got a lot of useful advices from ETTEAM members. Before that I was so cluless and afraid to use the camera and never thought I could get a good picture. My pictures still needs improving, but now I know how to make them better.




If you could start again, is there anything you'd do differently?
I need to promote more and better. I'm struggling with all the different promotion ways and not focused enough.

How do you see your store developing?
I hope to make better and more original and interesting beaded jewelry. I hope to sell my designs and not just the jewelry itself. And of course, I hope to see more sales.

What have you been doing today that I've interrupted?
I'm going to continue working on my beaded Celtic Knot.

What's your top marketing tip for today?
Facebook. Just signed in yesterday and already an addict.

Thanks Hadass! I'm very impressed by your positive stance towards the dreaded C, and wish you every good luck for the future.
Springcolors
www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com.