Tagging... revisited

Tags seen above can be purchased from TheBeehive over at Etsy.

I know there was a post about tagging long ago and far away, but I think tagging is so important that it deserves another post. I know we'd all like to sit back and let Etsy bring people straight to our shop, but get real guys, your shop is exactly that, your shop. Etsy isn't going to stand at the door, calling for customers, or are they?

There seem to have been many complaints lately about Etsy's search function, but if you ask me, I am okay with it. Sure, sure, I know how to navigate it, but I'm almost always able to find what I'm looking for provided the sellers tag correctly. Has Etsy created a tagging system that, essentially, brings people straight into our shops to do some shopping? Perhaps they have. It's wise for new and old sellers alike to search through the catagory for items you sell and see what sub-catagories there are. It's wise to use these for tagging instead of creating your own tags as they are hard wired into the system to be chosen while searching for items to buy.

The Storque has published an article about tagging and you can read it HERE. Tagging everything, using all 14 tagging options, and tagging well is very important - don't ignore that part of your shop.

Oh, and by the way, make sure that each and every one of your items has the following tag "AREtsy Team" - this allows people to search by team and Etsy has asked that we add "team" to our team name when tagging... you can be flagged if you don't (but who would be that mean?).

Helping Hands

Greeting Card seen above found in OhCDcards shop here.

The AREtsy Street Team really is an amazing group of crafters. We're a great resource for new and old sellers alike. If you have a question about selling on Etsy or promoting both on and off of the site, I'm sure someone on the team has an answer.

Where do so many of us get this information? How do we know how things on Etsy work. It's not like some of us were sent an email with all of the answers when we signed up and others were not. Easy, almost everything you need to know about selling on Etsy can be found here.

How many of you know about The Etsy Seller Handbook? Don't worry if you haven't, it's just been presented in its current format in the Etsy Storque. As more and more members join Etsy and the AREtsy Street Team, I've noticed that there are a lot of questions going around that can best be answered with this handbook. I challenge all of you (even if you think you've read this already) to take some time to read through this before 2009 gets too far along. I think you'll learn some new things along the way.

I can't wait for The Storque to do something for the Teams along these lines. Perhaps they could showcase some of the very active teams and interview the group on what works for them and what they all do to get the word out about Etsy and each other. With that, what are some of your favorite benefits to being part of this, or any other Etsy Street Team?

New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year, AREtsians - I hope you all are ready to head into 2009.
photo above found in thewishingwell's etsy shop

We all claim to set resolutions for the new year. Perhaps yours is to get into shape, to save money, be more organized, cook at home more, or perhaps to just take more time for yourself. Have you considered resolutions for your shop? Some people call them goals, but goals require me to reach and endpoint and I honestly find resolutions are easier to follow. Don't get me wrong, goals are good too, so whichever you prefer, how about take some time to think about them.

Back in October I spent some time browsing clothing boutiques and galleries in Little Rock. I saw things no different than what I make, other than some higher quality materials (nicer glass beads, more unique findings, silver wire, etc) which a price tag WAY higher than I had my items priced. I first thought that there was no way these things sold, so I checked online for similar items. Guess what guys? These things sell, and they sell fast. I made it a point that my shop would begin to showcase new items, items made from unique supplies and higher quality metals, and one of a kind items.

Perhaps this would also work for your shop. What can you do to make a better profit without putting too much more time into your work? I think of it as working smarter, not harder. If I can work with better items in front of me, perhaps I can make twice as much as I was making before?

I also have made the resolution to be more organized in all aspects of my shop this year. I did a good job of tracking sales, keeping track of sales tax, and so on last year, but this year perhaps I'll step it up. I want to create an inventory of my supplies. I know I won't run out of my favorites if I'm keeping a better eye on it. Also, I need to keep a better stock of shipping supplies (also will be included in my inventory) so I won't be faced with needing to ship out a custom item in the morning, but not have anything to wrap it in the night before.

So, AREtsy, what are some of your shop resolutions for 2009? Please share them in the comments section below so we can all be inspired to run the best shop possible this year.