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3 Fixes for the Low Views on Etsy

Low Views: Defined by Me!

Last year at this time on Etsy I could relist/renew an item and receive 20-30 views easy before that item got buried. These days I am averaging 5-10. I am also noticing a drop in my views on my bigger items (furniture). The overall views to my shop have decreased also.

As you already know, there is a problem getting your items seen on Etsy these days. With the batch loading system and the the increase in the number of shops…it makes it difficult to get views. The scenario goes like this… you list/renew one item and another shop batch loads 30 items right after yours… your item then gets sent to the 3rd page… not a good place to be for views.

Here are some interesting stats taken form an Etsy Storque Article. Notice the number of items listed…these stats are for September 2008.
  • $7.93 million of goods sold — a 5% increase over August.
  • That represents 544,157 items sold, a 5.3% increase from August’s stats.
  • 911,191 new items were listed, up from 869,000 items last month, a 4.9% increase.
  • 96,473, new members joined the Etsy community, including 18,001 new sellers. Both of these rates of new sellers and new buyers are essentially flat from last month.
  • 344,000,000 page views were recorded on the site, a slight increase from August.
Every minute 21 items are listed on Etsy

Don’t forget the encouraging part to all these stats, which is the sales numbers, and the MILLIONS of page views.

Every minute about 11 items are sold on Etsy

Here are November’s key numbers, each of which represent the highest total ever:

  • $10.8 million of goods were sold — a 28% increase over October.
  • That represents 719,145 items sold, a 24.5% increase from October’s stats.
  • 1,143,942 new items were listed, up from 976,234 items last month, a 17.1% increase.
  • 135,165 new members joined the Etsy community, including 22,744 new sellers.
  • 410,634,499 page views were recorded on the site, a 14.5% increase from October.
3 DIY Fixes

sorry these are not quick fixes… and yes you have to do these yourself

Fix number 1>> Pictures

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it has to be said. If your pictures suck, your views are going to be low. Being serious about selling online requires stand- out, amazing pictures. Take a look around Etsy.. look in the treasuries …even venture away from Etsy and you will find that pictures are the key to selling online.

Take a look at these Etsy Storque Articles about improving your pictures:

Achieving Clarity and Crispness in Your Photos

How to Style Your Photos

Photographing for Success

Photograph Your Way to The Top!

Make Your Photos Pop with Histograms and Levels

Bright Light, Big Color

These are some powerful articles so if you are serious about improving your pictures, take the time to read and implement the strategies.

Timothy Adam Designs flash back

Here is a link to the first pendant I sold on Etsy
Modern Rectangle Pendant

Here is my newest item…just listed yesterday.
Mod Christmas Tree

Fix Number 2>> Tagging

Along with pictures, tagging has been a hot topic on Etsy. Having AWESOME pictures is almost secondary to properly tagging your items. If you don’t have proper tags, your items won’t even show up in the searches.

There are 14 spots Etsy provides for tags and there is no reason you should not be using every single one of them.

I like to use Google Keyword Tool to help generate tags.

Here are some Great Articles from the Storque on tagging

Tagging for Success

Tagging on Etsy This one is awesome!

All about Tagging (Your Shop: 101 series)

Listing Process Augmented

Tagging Tips for Sellers: Kids, Baby, and Maternity

Vegan Tagging: A How-To for Sellers

Quick tip from redpanda: Maximize your shop title… HERE

Fix Number 3>> Marketing on and off Etsy

135,000 new Dtsy members in November is crazy.

Let’s chat about on Etsy marketing for your shop. Everyone wants to figure out ways to market their shop off of Etsy, but let’s face it…shop owners are buyers too. I am a buyer…I love to support handmade and the Etsy community. The best way to promote on Etsy is through the forums. Using the forums to promote will, in turn, bleed into the other features over time. Treasuries are another amazing Etsy promo tool…and these lead to the ever-popular front page!!!!

On Etsy Promo
Forum Talk: section by section

quick forum tip:::::
I do a quick scan of the first 5 threads…. I like to jump on a thread that is young with less than 10 comments…this keeps your post on the first page and your avatar and post will be visible every time the thread is open. This can be applied to every section of the forums. Now, I don’t stop there…I will keep posting in the threads if I have more to add. I also participate in threads that have been around if I feel it is still alive and kicking!

Please don’t spam the threads with your sales…it is very counterproductive to your business.  For alternative ideas for marketing, check out this thread on Etsy HERE

Site Help

I don’t really post in this section as a original poster, but I do like to help answer questions that others may have.

Business Topics

This is a great resource section…there is a ton of useful info to soak in. I post here more often than any other section. I will post articles that I have written that will help the community. Asking questions and making the thread interactive is key to keeping the thread alive.

Critiques

This can be a powerful section. When I am creating a new product, I like to run it across the Etsy community. I will also ask opinions about my blog. Once again, making the thread interactive is very important.

Techniques & Materials

I think I have only posted here one time….but it is another great resource.

Teams & Events

Again, I have only posted here a handful of times.

Ideas

same

Bugs

again

Promotions

Now this is the place for your straight-up promotions. I post here often…I will start threads and participate in them also.

Thread examples I use and participate in:

Post your newest item

Show me….

Lowest viewed item

Most viewed item

Any blog thread

Sale threads

“I’m buying” threads

There are many more, but you get the idea.

Posting in the forums is a key to expose your shop to other Etsy shops owners…and in turn, this can result in some treasury spots and eventually a Front page spot.


Off Etsy Promo:

I am only going to hit a few key types of off-Etsy marketing.. There are so many, so I will share the 3 that I use the most. At the end, I’ll show you how to put all three together along with one Etsy promo to get 500 views to my shop in just over 1 hour.

Blogging:

I have been blogging for a little over a year. My blog has played a very important role in the growth of my Etsy shop. With my blog I have grown an e-mail list through my monthly giveaway. This list has grown to 1,500 people. Last spring I held a product test with the small list I had at the time, which was 250. Long story short…I sold 15 of the product test necklaces in less than 2 hrs. E-mail lists are very powerful!

Having a blog also increases your presence on the web for FREE.

This is my main blog ( I have 5 others)


Your blog should include links to your Etsy shop. These link should be very visible so it is easy for your readers to navigate to your shop. The best method for acheving this is to use the Etsy mini that is provided by Etsy. Here is a how-to video I created all about the Etsy mini…CLICK HERE

Facebook:

I recently joined facebook, and I have found it to be a very powerful marketing tool. I use my facebook for networking and marketing my business, but you have to tread lightly. Facebook is cracking down on accounts that are doing this…so make sure your main account is set up in your name and not your business name. You can set up a group for your business where you can promote all you want.

How I use Facebook:

> I make everyone my friend…If they friend me back cool, if not…it only took me a second. In all reality I am just trying to get people to see my work.

> Once your friend list grows, invite them into your group…where you can post discussions and pictures. You can also create events. With the group, you can also send out e-mails to everyone in the group. This is a key part to my marketing plan. Right now, I have 293 people in my group…that does not sound like a ton.. but these people seem to be weeded out, and are truly interested in my work.

Here is my timothy adam designs group… Click Here

Twitter:

Twitter is my big hitter right now…it is very powerful.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows it’s users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. wiki

I am running a “Lunch Time Shoppers” series, which generates great traffic. The most popular post is the Top 10 Monday post.
Tune in every Monday at lunch time (12pm) for my top 10 Etsy picks. This list is generated from the top 10 monday thread forums on Etsy, which starts at 11 am sharp. This is part of my “Lunch Time Shoppers” series…you can find these posts from 11:30 am to 12.30 pm. Check out more details HERE

To view my recent article on using Twitter as a Marketing tool:: Click HERE

Putting every thing together

500 views to my shop
The other day I created two awesome necklaces…I was getting ready to post them on Etsy, and thought to myself… these are not even going to get seen. Discouraged, I listed them anyway. Being in the jewelry section around 5pm they were buried in seconds. One got 5 views and the other 3…then nothing.

Step by step:

1. Listed the items.

2. Posted a blog about the new products.

3. Posted in the Critiques sections on the Etsy forums. This item was a holiday item, and it was new, so I was asking for some opinions. This generated some great traffic to the holiday item and some spill over views to the second item and my entire shop. This technique involves the thread readers and keeps the thread alive.

4. Went over to Twitter, and posted about my new items. I also involved the readers of my channel in the post…I asked them to provided some feedback.

Now here is the key to this one… the link I posted on Twitter was straight to my blog.. HERE. You will notice that the pictures are linked straight to my etsy shop and there are links in the body also. This generated some great traffic for my blog and also my Etsy shop.

I had over 20 readers respond in the first 30 minutes and a few more were still trickling in later. Granted, I have over 2,800 followers on Twitter, but like I said before, this all takes time.

5. Facebook was next.

I posted a link on my wall to one of the items…you don’t want to get spammy on your personal wall. The most traffic comes from my group. I posted the same message as I did on twitter with a link to my blog.

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18 Responses to “3 Fixes for the Low Views on Etsy”

  1. sakizome says:
    August 8, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    This is just amazing! It is so useful and helpful. Many many thanks.

  2. Sue says:
    May 28, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Tim, you have done it again. Your desire to help others is awesome. I am ready to list, and have learned tons from this one post.

    I have one concern. This blog is so hard to read, with the light grey print on black. My husband is color blind and can’t read it at all. Any hope in getting it changed to a lighter colored background? I would spend all day here learning but can’t because of eye fatigue.

    Keep up the great work!
    http://www.susanleeglam.com

  3. whitenights says:
    May 23, 2009 at 6:31 am

    thanks for great information. I stuck with the problem of first sales . Hope it will
    help to get over this problem. Thanks again.

  4. CountryByTheBumpkins says:
    April 26, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    Great Article! You have some really useful information.

  5. Hmadmin says:
    March 22, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    Cool!!! Good luck on Etsy!

  6. chryssy says:
    March 22, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    What an awesome article!!! I’m relatively new to etsy and this was perfect timing! Thank you so much for sharing this

  7. Cathy Trott says:
    March 4, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Thank you so much for all the good advise. I agree with Debra’s post above. The more you give, the more you receive :)
    Thanks
    http://www.cathytrott.etsy.com

  8. Carole Leslie says:
    February 17, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    Lots of great info here. Kind of boggles the mind though. I am like Denise and think my pictures are okay. My work is original paintings and mixed media and there is only so much display you can do?? I too may be delusional. Denise I like “low views” sounds like some sort of illness! ha! cute

    I sometimes wonder if Etsy is the best forum for art work but do look around and see people whose work is fabulous and they seem to sell quite a bit.

    I have posted some to the forums but like that tip and the “how to’s ” of it. I will try to do this more.

    So much to consider and then there is of course the creating of your art and sleeping sometimes! (Looks to me like you (Timothy) are one of those super humans and very efficient at it! Thanks for sharing all this great info.

  9. NoRaHzArT says:
    February 15, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    Thanks Tim for creating Handmadeology.

    I have low views on Etsy, and really needed the advise on how to get higher views, and market my shop. I am definitely planning on putting it together with my etsy shop. …one step at a time. NoRaHzArT

    http://norahzart.etsy.com

  10. Lisa Janowiak says:
    February 5, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    Hey Tim!
    You never cease to amaze me with the things that you come up with! I knew you had it in you! Everything looks great! Congrats on your new endeavor!

  11. pixyst6 says:
    January 31, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    Thank you very much for the info about etsy and twitter. I just opened up my etsy

    shop on Jan 12, 2009 and I need lots of input to get more hits.~Emily from

    Washington state

  12. stitchcrafter says:
    January 28, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Man, I am so glad for your comment re: the batch lloads on etsy.. I have been very frustrated by them, and really feel that it puts the little person at a disadvantage.. Makes on e question exactly what the definition of’handmade ‘ is, as there’s no way these sellers are doing their own sewing.. I don’t know, I think it would be a good subject for discussion.. do you?? I’d love to hear your opinion… Thanks for handmadeology, Deb

  13. Bunny says:
    January 28, 2009 at 11:54 am

    I am seriously considering starting a Timothy Adams Fan Club. You’re great!

  14. Denise James says:
    January 28, 2009 at 10:48 am

    Hi Timothy - In regards to low etsy views. I have what I would consider low views.
    (sounds like an illness) When I list a new item I may get 8 or 9 views on that item. I may be delusional LOL but I”think” my photos are good and I have proper tagging . Of course we are not always our most objective critics. I’m not sure if you would ever consider making critiques part of your “fixes for low views” but if you did, I would Love to volunteer to be a guinea pig even if it means brutal honesty.
    http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5161904

    Warm Regards,
    Denise

  15. Marion says:
    January 28, 2009 at 3:11 am

    Congratulations on the launch of Handmadeology, and many thanks for the very useful tips, I’ll be putting some of them into practice.

  16. Sarah Stahl says:
    January 26, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    Great tips….2 questions though

    1. How do I start a group on facebook

    2. How do I add pictures to my twitter posts

    Thanks, Sarah

  17. Hmadmin says:
    January 26, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    oh thanks Debra!!! I enjoy every second of it!

    ~tim

  18. Debra Gilstrap says:
    January 26, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    Congragulations. Timothy

    Handmadeology is so good and you are always so helpful on the forums. You give a lot and that’s why you are so blessed.

    Thank You
    so much

    Debra

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