Top 10 Most Useful Articles for Your Etsy Shop and Website

As an Etsy shop owner and founder of a new non-profit online boutique I’ve done hours upon hours of online research on just about every aspect of my businesses. Now I want to pass on this valuable information to you! Below is a list of my top ten most useful articles to help grow and develop your Etsy business. Above all though, the #1 best way to success is experience and A LOT of hard work!

Be sure to check out my blog for more useful articles and tips: http://uncoveredartistry.blogspot.com

Good luck!

Sarah

La SuaVoce Designs

Uncovered Artistry Boutique

www.uncoveredartistry.com

1. How to Make an Inexpensive Light Tent- Absolutely the best advice I can give anyone struggling with photos! I used to wait for the right light, the right day, and the right location to take my pictures. Now I just flip on the desk lamp over my light box and get going! And the pictures hardly need any editing. Did I mention I have a tiny, inexpensive digital camera too? See it to believe it! Look below for photographs I took with the new light box.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

2. Selling Your Work Wholesale: Tips, Resources, and Links- This is a forum post I wrote a few months back that features a compilation of useful tips and articles for the crafter who is ready to go wholesale. http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6249261

3. Why Your Story is Everything- In the handmade sector, your story really is everything. You aren’t just selling your products, you are selling yourself! This podcast is a good reminder of this and gives its listeners some sound advice on creating and communicating your own unique story. To see an example of Uncovered Artistry’s story follow this link: http://www.uncoveredartistry.com/About_Us.html

http://www.craftypod.com/2010/07/02/craftypod-118-why-your-story-is-everything-with-tara-gentile/

4. 100 Blog Followers in One Month: Tips for Getting new Blog Followers- Written by a fellow Etsy seller, this forum post has great advice for getting followers to your blog. Plus you gotta love this author! Her blog is one of the most interesting I’ve ran across.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6461436

5. Maintain Confidence in a Competitive Market- An inspiring article that helped me get out of a rut.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/06/biz-ladies-maintain-confidence-in-a-competitive-market.html

6. How to Take Better Photographs- A couple articles with some sound advice on improving your shop’s photographs.

http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Better-Photographs

http://www.tabletopstudio.com/TTS_Product_Photography_Tips.html

7. 8 Ways to Jump Start Your Business-I came across this helpful and inspiring article while browsing the web. "8 Ways to Jump Start Your Business" provides helpful tips for business owners, big and small. My favorite tip, which I feel we could have used when we started SuaVoce more than a year ago, reads "define your niche."

http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-US/content.aspx?ctid=813

8. Get Inspired! Four Useful Tips for Etsy Business Owners- Writing this post was actually a great way to motivate myself. I hope it proves useful to others too!

http://suavoce.blogspot.com/2009/11/get-inspired-four-useful-tips-for-etsy.html

9. Resources (that really work!) for Writing a Press Release- You might not know it, but sending a press release to your local newspaper, who will publish it for free, is an excellent way to market your business. My sister compiled these articles when she wrote the press release for our non-profit. For at least two weeks, friends, family, and strangers couldn’t stop talking about it!

http://uncoveredartistry.blogspot.com/2010/06/resources-that-really-work-for-writing.html

10. Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design- An inspiring read for all us crafters and Etsy-sellers!

http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Nation-Rise-Craft-Design/dp/1568987870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279594787&sr=1-1

Identifying Your Target Market

Identifying Your Target Market
Steps and tips to discovering who your customers are

When I was thinking about starting my second business (a non-profit boutique), one of the first questions I had was: who will my customers be? I firmly believe that all business-owners should begin with some sort of business plan. Identifying, then analyzing, your target market is one of the most important aspects of this plan. Certainly, my method isn’t perfect, but the following is what I did to identify the target market for Uncovered Artistry Boutique.

1. Google your idea. For me this was a dead-end. There aren’t many (or any!) boutiques that sell solely the artisan work of domestic violence survivors. But if you do come across another company with a business idea, use this to your advantage; you just found some potential competitors. Ask yourself: How is my idea better? What can I do to stand out from these existing companies? What do I have that they don’t? Also remember that most likely (if they are successful) your competitors have identified their target market already. Study their websites. What items or services do they offer? What colors are they using on their site? Is their site fun, formal, young? Identify their style; it’s also their customers’ style. I wouldn’t even be afraid to contact the owners. Many business owners I have come in contact with are surprisingly happy to chat about their experiences. I am not saying to copy, but I am saying to use the resources that are available to you.

2. Identify other companies that might have similar customers. Because I found no boutiques similar to Uncovered Artistry, I studied retailers that were similar: eco-boutiques and fair trade retailers. I then followed the same strategy as #1, always keeping in mind that this market may not be exactly mine, but it will be close.

3. Research. This is honestly not that fun, but it is certainly necessary. Learn as much as you can about your potential customer base. You might realize that someone has already done a lot of the research for you. I found that my target market even has a name: The Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) consumers. I focused my research on the consumers who purchased fair trade, because I knew these products fall in line with what my business will sell. After a lot of Googling and library searching, I had more than 12 pages of information about my target market. I found statistics, charts, and loads of text. Don’t be afraid to utilize your library. You might be surprised how many books are written about your customers.

4. Talk. I also recommend talking with friends and family. See what they suggest. If you know your mom fits your target market perfectly, talk to her about what she likes and dislikes (hopefully you know some of this already!). You might be surprised what information you can get from those around you.

5. Collect and analyze your research. Weed out information that is irrelevant to your business. Start to think about how you can apply your research to your business. Everything that involves your business is directly affected by your target market. If your target market doesn’t use Facebook, don’t advertise on that site. If they respond more to print ads, try newspapers and magazines. If they buy purses but rarely purchase makeup, then you have a better idea of what to sell or produce.

6. Use your information to your advantage! The more you know and the more you use this knowledge, the more successful your business will be.

Sarah
Uncovered Artistry Boutique