Internet sales

[nicks creative stuff]

Hi everyone,
can I pick your brains about etsy stores, i’ve noticed a lot of people have them.

being a latecomer to the digital world I’ve never sold anything over the Internet.
i would love to try and have a go somewhere somehow.

Would etsy be a good place for beginners just starting out?

Do you have many sales or is there a lot of competition?

do you have any top tips for a new-be on Internet marketing?

thanks

inquisitively .... Nick

[josef1]

I sell on Etsy but not very much, I think it helps to have a product that's called something you would search for. If you say 'wood inlay ring' you would be lost in a myriad of wooden rings but if you were to say 'ring inlaid with wood from Old Trafford stadium' you have more chance of there been less people selling that and people may search Old Trafford ring for example. I have spent lots of time trying to work out social media and online stores etc and think you will sell on them but it will cost you a lot of money in advertising/promotion to sell a lot of things. I would love to understand it properly.

[nicks creative stuff]

thanks for your reply Josef,

you make it sound similar to search terms in YouTube. so ideally an item that is a popular searched word with low competition.

social media would be good start for me although I’ve not started on that one yet.

To understand Internet marketing properly it seems to be a vast labyrinth of knowledge to learn.
i’ve been looking for a local evening class to attend on this subject, with no avail so far.

selling bits and bobs to friends and family has given me an incentive to take it further.

your website looks fabulous, must be a lot of effort to get up to that standard.
The octopus ring really grabbed me, it has very curious look.

all the best Nick

[Sheen]

I personally think etsy works well if you link it to a social media account like Facebook or Instagram. I follow folks on instagram get to interact with them then buy their product on their esty account. The biggest problem with etsy for jewellery is the huge amount of items listed with the same keywords. Even something like 'silver flower ring' gets lost in a mountain of cheap commercial stuff.

[Ruedeleglise]

Hi there Nick (of the gizmo/template/video fame) I have a bit of a diy website which isn’t really up to date and is a bit “clunky” and also I have a presence on Numonday. I must admit I use both as a convenient form of catalogue to refer people to. I am not looking to make my hobby a full time occupation at my ripe old age. I found that going to a farmers market regularly every week where there are other crafts as well as all the “edibles”, has been the best advertisement. People talk! I have regular birthday present and other followers including just a couple or more people asking me to design and make specific items. Also I have an exclusive high quality small clothing shop that stocks items and encourages me in design and variety. I am becoming as busy as I want. It really depends upon your ambition.

[nicks creative stuff]

thanks Sheen,
I regret not keeping up with social media, it now seems a daunting task to learn.

I probably need to spend less time tinkering in my workshop and more time sat in front of a screen.

i’ve started watching beginners guides to etsy on YouTube and it does seem to be a lot about search optimisation, keywords and tags. What a challenge to try and sell something like simple silver earrings.

I thought etsy was about handmade items, looking at it there’s a lot of people reselling commercial stuff.

all the best... Nick

[misspond]

Sadly Etsy is no longer about handmade items, that changed a few years ago, and there are huge amounts of people pushing through cheap bought in stock. That said, there are some awesome creators who use Etsy as their platform (or one of their platforms) so I can be done but I suspect it takes a lot of work. I have a website but find I get more sales through a Facebook page I have. If I had the time and inclination I'd get my head around Instagram a bit more but I'm not about to try and take over the world so I don't see the point in spending too much time on that.

Not that I've done one for years but I do think in person events can be better for sales - although even that can take time to build an audience - and obviously we've got other issues with in person events at the moment.

[nicks creative stuff]

hi David,
Numonday is a new one to me, amazing how much is out there.

having a website and presence on the Internet must be a great benchmark for people looking to buy.
I would like to turn my hobby into a small pension one day, so I do have a bit of time left to get it sorted.

I have sold some silver stuff from arts and craft stalls, A lot of work but very rewarding socially.
your shop outlet sounds great, i’ve always dreamt of an arts and crafts boutique near the sea.

what’s your website name .... can one use the same name across the board of social media. YouTube is where I started with all this and have used the same name on this fabulous forum?

all the best Nick

[Ruedeleglise]

Hi there Nick…..website is www.fieldsportsjewellery.com. I will pm you with other details and chat.
David

[CJ57]

I have several friends on Etsy selling from a linked account on FB. From recent comments there seems to be a lot of complaints about new terms and costs. I looked at it in the past and it requires so much work and information on top of what has already been said about the quality of work being sold and using the right hashtag to get your work in a search amongst some inferior tat. It’s taken me years to get a 700 following on fb but that doesn’t relate into sales. The whole social media thing expects so much time spent on it over various linked platforms I would lose the will to live as I find it really tedious. If it’s your full time job then I suppose it becomes part of your marketing time.
My only reason for my page was to link to an event I take part in every year and remind people of my existence even if I haven’t made anything for a while.

[misspond]

NuMonday gets very bad press from folks in the Facebook groups I'm in, seems to be the case that there's a lot of advertising around gaining sellers - who pay the fees - and little to no presence when it comes to buyers.

[josef1]

I agree Caroline, It takes so much time for the return you get. The only time it worked for me was when I spent money to promote my products on facebook and Instagram which are linked, but it wasnt really worth spending the money for what I got back, I have tried allsorts give aways, compertitions even been nice to people but its set up to take your money off you. I suppose thats why the social media companys are some of the richest. I also read that 97% of websites dont get any regular footfall so unless your paying google etc your not going to see many veiws. I wish I knew the answer, Ive spent so much time and money and its not really worth it yet. I would love to hear from anyone who is making social media work for them that could give me some pointers.

[nicks creative stuff]

thanks for that Misspond,
yes with that massive amount of stock being sold through etsy, some creators stuff shines through and must be a great opportunity for them.

Nice to hear Facebook works well for you, i’m well behind with it all and have shied away from the modern digital world.
Facebook is probably next on the list for having ago at after starting something on etsy. suppose they all go hand-in-hand.

I love doing events in person, they’re great for a confidence boost. I had done half a dozen or so but then at one event I forgot you can’t trust all strangers and lost some heavy silver rings. i just have to be careful about what i do and were.

nice one ... nick

[pearlescence]

The days of any old website being the key to pots of dosh are very long gone. Now it takes a lot of hard work. I closed my etsy and amazon sales portals and my ebay one is down to one regular selling item. Otherwise selling through them was not worth the bother. I also stopped County Agricultural fairs and similar and farmers markets when I noticed a clear decline in sales. And as for craft fairs. |Mostly people just want your ideas. If you are going to do this you might consider via Instagram. In any case you will have to work daily (facebook, twitter, insta, relevant forums, write a book (ahem!) to get your name out there

[nicks creative stuff]

Hi caroline,
I suppose terms and costs are constantly evolving, i’ve not yet dared look to see how much selling on etsy costs.

your Facebook link looks like you’ve put a lot of time and effort in over the years, you have a great looking presents.

luckily for me this being a hobby, I can find the time to put into research and learning for what’s needed.
on I’m sure I’ll find some beginners guide to Facebook on YouTube.

thanks for your feedback ... Nick

[CJ57]

Thanks Nick. At the moment I’m just trying to keep interest up by sharing past work until I have something new to share. Taking a decent photo is key. It’s really quite easy to add a page if you have a personal page. You can then build up your photos until you’re ready to share with the wider public. Videos get a lot of likes and really build up an audience. Fb algorithms are the devils work so you need to keep people interested and interacting or your posts don’t get shared with all your followers

[nicks creative stuff]

thanks for your pearls of wisdom,
sad to hear you’ve closed most of your outlets because they’re not worth the bother. although there is a lot to be said for focusing your energy in one direction. haven’t a clue about Instagram so another one on the list of challenges.

people must have to find a healthy balance between creative workshop time and promotional screen time.
I know where I would rather be, but you can’t have one without the other.

producing a book must’ve been a huge work commitment, goes well along side your professional and confident looking website.

people seem to be very focused on a niche market and have worked hard on there USP.

something I need to pick up on and be less of the ... jack of all trades master of none.

I know the world is my oyster and just need to learn how to find the pearls.

all the best ... Nick

[nicks creative stuff]

thanks for that Caroline,
it sounds like you could write books on the subject with your experience.

i’ll have to start with search terms like ... facebook marketing for beginners and Facebook algorithms for dummies.

your Facebook page looks very focused and not the normal friends and family titter tatter.
Setting up a YouTube channel has given me the confidence to look at taking things further with other platforms.

keep up the good work ... all the best .. Nick

[CJ57]

thanks for that Caroline,
it sounds like you could write books on the subject with your experience.

i’ll have to start with search terms like ... facebook marketing for beginners and Facebook algorithms for dummies.

your Facebook page looks very focused and not the normal friends and family titter tatter.
Setting up a YouTube channel has given me the confidence to look at taking things further with other platforms.

keep up the good work ... all the best .. Nick
That’s just my jewellery page for public view, I have tight controls on my personal page.
Somewhere our Open Studio social media expert shared a post on how to best manage accounts to get the best from them , I’ll have a look and see if I can find it. I do remember that sharing videos worked really well and got a lot of hits but there was no way I was putting my old visage in a film so I didn’t really look into it as what I do meets my needs. If I can find it I’ll pass it on.

[pearlescence]

Yes, videos are popular.

[Sheen]

thanks Sheen,
I regret not keeping up with social media, it now seems a daunting task to learn.

I probably need to spend less time tinkering in my workshop and more time sat in front of a screen.

i’ve started watching beginners guides to etsy on YouTube and it does seem to be a lot about search optimisation, keywords and tags. What a challenge to try and sell something like simple silver earrings.

I thought etsy was about handmade items, looking at it there’s a lot of people reselling commercial stuff.

all the best... Nick

Consider Instagram, as it really doesn't need any knowledge to use and at the very least you'll have a page of lovely looking squares of your jewellery. Where instagram excels is it's filters and photo editing buttons. They are incredibly easy to use and give great results. Also because insta is owned by Facebook you can use your posts on Facebook if you wish to
Facebook is much more confusing though the most popular.

[Sheen]

I agree Caroline, It takes so much time for the return you get. The only time it worked for me was when I spent money to promote my products on facebook and Instagram which are linked, but it wasnt really worth spending the money for what I got back, I have tried allsorts give aways, compertitions even been nice to people but its set up to take your money off you. I suppose thats why the social media companys are some of the richest. I also read that 97% of websites dont get any regular footfall so unless your paying google etc your not going to see many veiws. I wish I knew the answer, Ive spent so much time and money and its not really worth it yet. I would love to hear from anyone who is making social media work for them that could give me some pointers.

I think that with social media you need to find your tribe. So on instagram you need to follow people who would be interested in your style and comment on their posts. I also can't recommend highly enough following as many folk in your local area as possible, they're likely to follow you back and people love to buy from someone in their home town.

Also in answer to Nick, yes you can have a jewellery range, that is often the most recommended way, but I see quite a few successful jewellers who make anything they fancy and still do really well, because they have a following.

[CJ57]

I think that with social media you need to find your tribe. So on instagram you need to follow people who would be interested in your style and comment on their posts. I also can't recommend highly enough following as many folk in your local area as possible, they're likely to follow you back and people love to buy from someone in their home town.

Also in answer to Nick, yes you can have a jewellery range, that is often the most recommended way, but I see quite a few successful jewellers who make anything they fancy and still do really well, because they have a following.
I don’t want a tribe to be honest and I don’t follow other jewellers if I can help it due to the fact I’m never anywhere therefore don’t want other designs sticking somewhere in my brain cells. I used to get the occasional ‘I’ll follow you if you follow me on my fb page that’s the deal’. Eh no I’ll follow you if I like your work and for no other reason. If you like me follow me otherwise I really don’t care. Although I didn’t say that! Also had if you sell things under £50 I’ll share on my shop page which was mostly fair trade but it had thousands of followers:/ My fb is supposed to be linked to my Instagram page and it’s really quite enough of a waste of time. Given the limited energy I actually have to make anything I only feel the need to really put it out there when I have a new collection to show or an event I’m taking part in.

[Sheen]

I don’t want a tribe to be honest and I don’t follow other jewellers if I can help it due to the fact I’m never anywhere therefore don’t want other designs sticking somewhere in my brain cells. I used to get the occasional ‘I’ll follow you if you follow me on my fb page that’s the deal’. Eh no I’ll follow you if I like your work and for no other reason. If you like me follow me otherwise I really don’t care. Although I didn’t say that! Also had if you sell things under £50 I’ll share on my shop page which was mostly fair trade but it had thousands of followers:/ My fb is supposed to be linked to my Instagram page and it’s really quite enough of a waste of time. Given the limited energy I actually have to make anything I only feel the need to really put it out there when I have a new collection to show or an event I’m taking part in.

I meant more tribe in terms of if you're making steampunk jewellery find out where the steam punk enthusiasts lurk and chat with them. The same goes for wildlife jewellery, where are the animal lovers? To be honest with you I have far too many jewellers following me and they're not really going to be customers :)

[CJ57]

I meant more tribe in terms of if you're making steampunk jewellery find out where the steam punk enthusiasts lurk and chat with them. The same goes for wildlife jewellery, where are the animal lovers? To be honest with you I have far too many jewellers following me and they're not really going to be customers :)
That’s where the hashtags come in I thought.They're supposed to do the work for me:) I find this whole idea of likes quite damaging. I know how much it affects young people, I even find it upsetting when I lose a page like on my jewellery page and then I remember that FB just plays around with your numbers and reach and then they send a daily post about buying advertising. You do wonder why you spend hours taking photos and editing and then when you post them they reach no more than 100 of your 700 followers. I believe the norm is around 10% so that’s a lot of effort for little return

[nicks creative stuff]

hi caroline, thanks for your help,
you seem to have found a balance between the real world and digital one.

your open studio thing looks great, nice to be part of a large real world community especially in the arts.
Bristol has a sort of arts Trail programs, but it’s not as advanced as yours.


it now seems Facebook is the first platform to start to get on top of and maybe focusing on a commercial account like yours would be a better way of getting something new going.

all the best Nick

[CJ57]

hi caroline, thanks for your help,
you seem to have found a balance between the real world and digital one.

your open studio thing looks great, nice to be part of a large real world community especially in the arts.
Bristol has a sort of arts Trail programs, but it’s not as advanced as yours.


it now seems Facebook is the first platform to start to get on top of and maybe focusing on a commercial account like yours would be a better way of getting something new going.

all the best Nick

Our OS even only happens once a year in May and has about 80 participants and has been going for about 15 years. Last year was a disaster, they only postponed not cancelled and then puddled about undecided later doing an online event but it meant I lost my fees. This year they are mooting the last weekend in Oct but that’s a terrible time to have people coming through the house, used to be around 300, so not for me this year. It’s ok for people with a studios out with the house but I can’t see me taking part again for the foreseeable so will have to find another way. I like being in charge of my work until point of sale. I can spend an hour with a customer, trying on, fitting, meeting their needs and knowing all is well when it leaves me. Not sure what I’ll do now.
Fb is a start and will take a bit of work to get a presence.

[nicks creative stuff]

wow... what a fascinating and informative read all of this has been on a complex and challenging subject.

thanks to all the contributors for sharing their insights, experiences and wisdom.
The content has been very informative, motivational and has given me a lot to think about.

good on Cooksongold for providing this fabulous forum to participate in.

all the best .... Nick

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_LgeGMfarf9BHtKU4lFUhQ

[nicks creative stuff]

yes has been a difficult year for a lot of people. must be helpful to have a few fingers in many pies for when one goes bad other opportunities can be focused on.

I think the Bristol arts Trail has the same problem, I don’t fancy hundreds of strangers trampling through my home on a cheap day out with there kids.

I think what I’ve understood from all this is....

use any social media that you can find the time to manage properly, whilst linking and networking between them all.

work on developing a digital presence, getting a name out there, and finding a niche.

thanks caroline,

Nick

[CJ57]

yes has been a difficult year for a lot of people. must be helpful to have a few fingers in many pies for when one goes bad other opportunities can be focused on.

I think the Bristol arts Trail has the same problem, I don’t fancy hundreds of strangers trampling through my home on a cheap day out with there kids.

I think what I’ve understood from all this is....

use any social media that you can find the time to manage properly, whilst linking and networking between them all.

work on developing a digital presence, getting a name out there, and finding a niche.

thanks caroline,

Nick
That’s about it Nick.Good luck!

[ps_bond]

Internet marketing hasn't changed significantly since 2021.

Interesting that a self-described newbie would assume the mantle of an old hand...

[ps_bond]

Tiktok has been around since 2016. AI-driven tools are currently at the Emperor's new clothes stage.

Mostly it's just about experience. I've seen far too many people get carried away with believing they need SEO, glitzy websites, logos on everything and an obsession with brand - all the while failing to accept they can't even solder a basic joint.

Then there's the spammers...

[pearlescence]

Totally agree, Peter. Flashy premises, expensive website, all the facade and none of the product all too often.