- Image used courtesy of abrushwithhumor.com
I’m always interested in learning new ways to bring in extra income – who isn’t in this economy? That’s why I was so pleased when Robin Wiesneth from A Brush With Humor agreed to share part of her Etsy class here on Dandilyon Fluff.
Robin focusses less on the how to mechanics of creating an Etsy shop. Instead her class is designed to teach you about the most important element of your shop – getting potential customers to notice your shop and purchase from it.
The first step is finding a shop name. It should be something catchy but not convoluted. In her class, Robin asks important questions to help pick the right name. Not having an Etsy shop, I answered the questions myself with Dandilyon Fluff as my name. Here’s are a few things to ask yourself about your shop name.
- Is the name unique? I’d say yes.
- Does the name have a visual element to it? Yes again… I’m winning!
- Is the name short? Um… define short.
- Do any colors come to mind for good branding? Yep! I should use more yellow.
- Does the name have market/commercial appeal? … I like it…
- Type the name 10 times fast… is it easy to type? Hmmm…
- Are any of the words easily misspelled? Oops… it’s misspelled on purpose.
If I were going to name my Etsy shop Dandilyon Fluff I think I would have to reconsider. If I had products to sell (besides books of course) I would want everyone to be able to find and remember my shop. The name Dandilyon Fluff doesn’t describe any products, probably wouldn’t be searched for with the misspelling and is hard to type.
Robin also teaches about effective product tagging. In a department store the term tagging has to do with pricing but online it’s the way you help people to find what they are looking for – namely you! She has a list of questions she uses to create an easy tag strategy. The idea is to ask the how, why, where, how questions you learned in middle school creative writing in relation to your product.
Here’s a peek at one of Robin’s class handouts giving clarification on tags:
I confess my own method for tagging blog posts is haphazard at best. I pick out a few names that are in my subject matter and go with that, if I remember. From Robin’s lesson I see that I could have a more organized approach that would help random searches find me better. This post would have had the keywords Robin Wiesneth and Etsy Shop as my tags and probably nothing more. Tonight I’ll follow her advice and systematically create a relevant web of tags.
An example of what tags I might put on this post would be;
how to have a successful etsy shop, crafters, artists, craft sellers, promoting, picking your etsy shop name, how to use tags…
Robin is a pro at promotion. From helping you write a compelling description of the items you’re selling to handing out actual graphic art borders you can use, her class is a brilliant introduction for anyone serious about making money with Etsy. You can attend one of her classes in person at the Bad Girls Art Gallery (call 850-226-6463 for more info) or subscribe to her blog for excellent ongoing tips and valuable info. You can also visit her Etsy shop, Tails of Imagination.
Robin is considering giving another class next month and if I get to go I’m so blogging that! I might even do something crafty and try out a shop for real…
Read my first post on Etsy, Crafting a Successful Etsy Experience from May 2011
Wow, great subject, I don’t even know how to tag. There is so much I need to learn/read. Maybe I could make money at home. Have you mastered that computer cash register yet. My son, the artist, will be going to VCU for his internship in early July. So excited. Keep up the great blog and have a great book signing. How do I get an autographed copy?