If It Works... Work It!

So in the last week I have had 12 sales in my Etsy store.... that number amazes me. Most of my dolls will be traveling overseas to Australia (insert Happy Dance here) and I can't wait to hear what people think of them! And I actually know how I am getting the sales- the Etsy Forums!

Yes, the Forums, where people can be mean, bickering can and does occur, but there are tons and tons of people there looking for advice, sharing their stuff, and in general- being a community. And that my friends is what Etsy is all about!

If you have never been to the Forums it can be quite intimidating. You have to really watch what you say, how you say it, and most of all be really polite when critiquing other shops. But you start to see a lot of the same faces, meet some new ones every day, and most importantly you get your shop looked at. I have gotten some really great advice which boosted my sales immensely right away- I changed my banner and avatar to reflect what was in my shops. This is the before and after:

See how much better the new one looks and works for my store? And you can actually tell what is in my shop! I never would have even questioned my look if someone else hadn't pointed out that the avatar has to be eye-catching and make people curious enough to click on it! Now they see a photo of one of my Spoolie dolls, and from there I have gotten all these sales. In total I have gotten 31 sales (10 the day after) I changed my look- that is an amazing amount! 

So my Etsy advice is this- make your banner and avatar stand out and represent your art accurately. Make the photos nice and bright (light boxes help immensely!), don't use common fonts or fonts that are unreadable, and seek professional help if you don't think you can get the look you want on your own. And when in doubt- go to the Forums and ask (politely) for advice and help... people want you to succeed there and really listen with an open mind!