Thursday, June 16

Promote Your Etsy Coupons for FREE on Etsy Coupons

Etsy Coupons
So you have your Etsy coupons all set, but how do you get more exposure and get these coupons in front of more buyers.  EtsyCoupons.com is the perfect solution!
Etsy Coupons is designed for all Etsy sellers to submit and promote their coupon codes. Submitting coupons is free and simple.
Benefits of submitting your Etsy Coupons:
Etsy Coupons is brought to you by the team at Handmadeology.
1. Gives Etsy sellers a specific place to send their buyers to promote their coupon codes.
2. Etsy Coupons utilizes social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon, and many more to promote submitted coupons. Your coupons will be seen by our vast social media reach.
3. By submitting your coupons here you will gain valuable backlinks to your Etsy shop that will help improve your Etsy shop SEO.
Etsy Coupons is a simple site to use. Here is a step by step walk through of setting up your account and adding your first coupon.
1. You want to register for a new account. Fill out the user name and email and you will be sent an email with your password and login instructions. You can change your password once you are officially logged in.
etsy coupons sign up
You will find your account info on the top of the site under My Account. Here you can change your password and add important info like, your website, and short bio.
etsy coupons account
2. Submit your Etsy coupon:
Once you have your account all set up, you are ready to add some coupons.
You can submit your Etsy Coupons HERE.
etsy discounts
Click the green button and you will be taken to the upload page.
Fill out the form entirely. Be sure to add the correct category and your Etsy shop link. If you don’t have your shop link added shoppers will not know where to use the Coupon code. Make sure you also enter the coupon code correctly. All of this info can be edited once your Etsy Coupon is accepted and posted by the admin. When uploading your picture for your coupon be sure to use a rectangle shaped picture. For the best results use a 280×210 size.
Etsy deals
* Tip: When you are creating a title for your Etsy coupon be sure you are descriptive. When these coupons are Tweeted and shared on Facebook, you want people to know what you are offering.
3. Managing and Editing your Etsy Coupons:
You can manage your coupons HERE.

Edit your Etsy Coupons
Check out Etsy Coupons on Facebook…. HERE

Wednesday, June 15

Top Etsy Photographer Interview

The Swing Set - Fine art photograph - fair - carnival
The Swing Set – Fine art photograph – fair – carnival
I had the privilege of interviewing Irene from  Is Photography and asking her a few questions about successfully selling photography on Etsy.  Irene is the top selling photographer currently on Etsy.  I have included a few of photos in the interviews, so please take the time to check out her amazing work and learn from what she has to say.
1. When and how did you become interested in photography?
I first became interested in photography in the mid 1990s. I started traveling and wanted to learn about photography so that I could take decent photographs on my trips. I took a night course at a college to learn how to use my camera. I became much more serious about photography in 2005 when I purchased my first digital SLR and found flickr.
2. How did you find Etsy, and why did you start selling on Etsy?
I noticed that a couple of my flickr contacts were selling prints on a site with a weird name: Etsy. I wasn’t even thinking about selling prints at that time, but a seed must have been planted and the idea began slowly percolating in the back of my mind. About a year later, in early 2007, I opened a shop. Initially it was simply a means to make a little extra money to pay for all the photography gear I was coveting.
3. When I first started selling on Etsy I was afraid of failing, did you ever encounter that fear? If so how did you overcome that fear?
I wasn’t afraid at the start. I didn’t have many expectations at first and I had a full-time day job. The start-up costs were minimal, the risk was low, and at that time there was no thought of doing it full-time. I decided to quit my day job in May of 2008. Then in September the economy crashed. Then, hello fear. The way I live with it is to have a Plan B and a Plan C. Last year I started photographing weddings to diversify myself and to develop a new skill set. If sales ever seriously slump, I can seek more wedding and portrait work. My Plan C is to go back to what I was doing before (technical writing), at least on a part-time basis. So far I have been blessed and feel so fortunate to be making a living doing what I love in this tough economy.
4. Do you remember your first sale on Etsy? How has your product changed since then?

Yes! I sold my first print the day after I opened my shop. It was so exciting!
At first I only offered photographic prints. Over time, I have added other products such as greeting cards, calendars, and photo jewelry (in collaboration with another Etsy seller). I also offer a matting service and I work with a local professional framer to offer framed prints at a reasonable price. My style has evolved over time as well. My color palette has shifted from darker colors to lighter hues. I feel it has gotten more impressionistic and abstract over time too.
5. Do you still get that “feeling” when you see your sold item number go up?
Oh yes! I feel that little jolt in the heart region every time.

Read more of the interview on Handmadeology

Monday, May 30

Monday Connection - May 30


















Connections are everything when you are running a creative business. Here is your opportunity to leave your links and connect with other sellers, bloggers, and like minded creative business owners.

Leave a link to your shop, blog, twitter, Facebook... you got it you post it.  How about a new item in your shop or a freshly posted blog post....

Ready ... Set.... Connect...

Saturday, May 28

Stay At Home Moms - Here Are Some Tips to Help You Get More Etsy Sales

Forest Knit Alpaca Neck Cowl with Cedar Buttons - ready to ship
Forest Knit Alpaca Neck Cowl with Cedar Buttons - ready to ship

AlpacaCreations says:
If you’re a stay-at-home mom like me, you probably laugh every time the “Quit Your Day Job” advice hits your inbox. Although I’m sure we’ve all had moments when we’ve wanted to, the simple fact is…we can’t quit our day jobs!

While I love the Etsy marketplace, the fact is 70% of my sales last year were local. Promoting your work on Etsy takes a lot of time – a commodity that is always in short supply when your main job is running a family!
What’s a busy mom to do? Promote while you work! What does that mean? Read on for examples…

1) BRING YOUR WORK WITH YOU EVERYWHERE. OK, I knit, so it’s portable. But, even if you paint, pot, bead, etc. find some aspect of your work to bring with you, even if it’s a sketch pad to draw out new ideas. I knit while waiting at the dentist, bank, car shop, airport – everywhere. Other people around me are invariably interested in what I’m doing. Which leads us to…

2) BE PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK. While I was waiting for my car to be repaired last year, I had 3 car salesmen watching me knit. I started talking about knitting, and one of them shared a story about how he remembered his grandmother knitting when he was younger. Turns out he also loves supporting local handmade and took several business cards to pass out to friends. Once you start talking, you’ll find people will be more engaged with your work, which can also lead to sales.

3) BRING PHOTOS AND BUSINESS CARDS. I can’t stress this enough. We can’t carry a store full of products around with us, so I have a small photo book on hand to show people my work. At my last dental appointment, my photo book got passed around the entire office and I got 3 orders that day! Keep an ample supply of business cards on hand, too. That way people can check out your Etsy store and have your contact information.

Read more tips from AlpacaCreations in the Etsy forums HERE.

Giving important Etsy forum threads written by the Etsy community a second look, so Etsy sellers can Read, Learn, and Apply!  Find more Etsy Tips Here!
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