Guest Post - Top 10 tips for Etsy Sellers

Hey there, beautiful people! I'm Melanie B. and it's freaking wonderful to be with you today. I'm a full-time Etsy seller and my absolute number one most favorite tool is Instagram. With Insta, I have been able to connect directly to my customers, find out what exactly they want, create an highly engaged community, and grow in both confidence and numbers. But let me tell you... adapting the available Instagram info for Etsy needs hasn't always been easy. That's why I'm here on Jennifer's blog (haay, girl!) sharing with YOU my Top 10 Tips for Etsy Sellers on Instagram!

1. Think of Instagram like a magazine instead of a catalog.
2. To get the most out of Instagram, posting the same old photos from your Etsy shop just isn't gonna cut it. Your Etsy pics are most likely product shots, which are designed to replace the tactile experience of holding a physical object. Product photos have a distinctly catalog-like feel. Instagram, on the other hand, is about creating an emotional experience. Your goal is to create stunning photography that your audience can connect to. Capture images with the editorial style of a magazine by incorporating props, textures/patterns/colors that represent your brand, and real-world settings.
3. Use Instagram as an opportunity to step out from behind the work bench.
4. I get it. It's SO much easier to hide behind your screen... #guilty. But try to remember, it's not about you... it's about your customers. They don't want to buy handmade lotion from some random person who may or may not be a creepy neckbeard living in his mother's basement, sawing up bodies. (Wow, that went dark fast!) Believe it or not, they want to connect with you. Give your brand a face and learn to step out from behind your workbench. Consider using a photo of your pretty mug as your profile pic instead of your logo. It's scientifically proven that people react more positively to other human faces rather than a logo, unless you're mega-established like Nike and Lululemon. Now, before you start whining about brand consistency, let me first say that your feed will be filled with your brand, so no problem there! (This is coming from me, a retired graphic designer who specialized in branding.) When I switched from my logo to me, I suddenly found myself being contacted via DM almost every day. I now have thousands of super engaged followers who love my guts and know they can talk to the real me.
5. Keep your personal life separate.
6. Unless you're selling baking supplies, I probably shouldn't see your dinner. Unless you're selling baby clothes, I probably shouldn't see your kid covered in spaghetti. While you DO want to share a bit about who you are, no one wants to know the gritty details. To be brutally honest... they just don't care. They care about what you've promised to deliver, which is your primary focus. If you're a jewelry artist, you're promising to deliver the bling. If you're a candle maker, you're promising to deliver cozy home décor. Not pasta-babies. Not burritos. Save that stuff for your personal feed! The more focused you stay, the more your audience (and customers) will love you for it.
7. Use hashtags your customers would use.
8. One of the biggest mistakes I see Etsy sellers making is dedicating almost their entire set of hashtags to things like #etsyseller, #etsyhandmade, #handmadewithlove, #makersmovement, etc. While you DO want to use SOME of these hashtags, keep in mind that their audience is other Etsy sellers and sometimes bloggers. So... unless that's your target audience, your efforts will be better spent researching what kind of hashtags your audience is using. While 88% of them are going to be utter crap, the 12% that aren't are going to be worth their weight in GOLD. The idea of hashtags are to get yourself in front of the people that actually want to connect with you, become your followers, and then your customers.
9. Engage through Instagram Stories.
10. Instagram is undergoing an TON of changes right now, and as a result, engagement has been suffering for most all across the board. Don't panic! While you may be in an Instagram growth-rut right now, try something new with Instagram Stories. Stories have the unique ability to be featured on the Instagram Explore tab, allowing you to reach an entirely new audience. Because Instagram Stories are only active for 24 hours, they also give you the opportunity to highlight behind-the-scenes and sneak peeks you wouldn't otherwise want in your feed. Experiment with different types of content, alternating between video and photo, and try to limit yourself to no more than five or six clips.
11. Get a mailing list.
12. So what's the point in having a bunch of followers if none of them convert? EXACTLY. You need a place where you can start storing the people who want to buy from you... Ta-da! You need a mailing list. There are several options out there, but I suggest starting with Mailchimp. It's free to start, gives you the ability to send automated messages (brand new feature for free platforms), and allows you to create easy sign up forms. Consider adding an incentive for signing up, like a free download or discount code. Now, encourage people to sign up by mentioning it in posts, including it on your landing page (if you have one), adding it to your Etsy shop announcement, listings, shipping confirmations, and even in your packaging. Your mailing list will become the backbone for your business.
13. Cross-promote your Instagram.
14. Be sure and let everyone know that you are on Instagram and you can be engaged with. Consider starting a branded hashtag and let people know that if they use it, you'll feature the best pics. You can even sweeten the deal when you first start out by handing out discounts to people who use your hashtag via Instagram DM. Cross-promote your Instagram on your other social media accounts by linking to it and mentioning it in posts. Also mention it in your Etsy shop announcement, listings, shipping confirmations, and even in your packaging. The more places you promote your Instagram, the more your customers will reach out and connect with you.
15. Teach, don't tell.
16. Today's consumer wants to know where their products come from and how they are made. They want to know WHY EVERYTHING, like an annoying toddler during the “why stage.” WHY green? WHY soy? WHY you and not someone else? WHY are you better? WHY do you do what you do? WHY do you make your decisions? WHY are you driven? WHY are you helping? It's part of your job as a business owner to educate your audience about everything. You want them to make better well-informed decisions, so give them the tools to do it with education. Be transparent, be patient, and teach instead of tell.
17. Show your beautifully imperfect self.
18. People LOVE seeing a whole process. A friend of mine who does embroidery made a short video to show how to add the backing to a finished piece. It got over 1,000 views in less than 12 hours. Don't be afraid of a little mess on your desk or if your hair is crazy. Sharing your beautifully imperfect self and process will help build the trust necessary for your followers to become customers. Incorporate behind-the-scenes, tutorials, and sneak peeks to engage your audience.
19. Ask your audience.
20. I don't know about you, but I LOVE to give my opinion! Guess what? So does your audience! Don't be afraid to go directly to them to ask what they want. They will absolutely tell you. Try to keep your questions specific to get the most engagement. For example, “what do you think?” is really hard to answer, but... “which one? Pink or blue?” has a very direct answer. Imagine not having to guess what's going to sell in your next line and then selling out the day that it launches! #truestory

Ok, babes, that wraps up my Top 10! If you loved everything about it and want to connect with a massive group of Etsy sellers who use Instagram to drive high-quality traffic to their shops, then check out the Facebook support group, The Hive. If you need specialized help for Etsy on Instagram, we've got you covered. Love your guts!