This week on our Etsy Shop Makeover series, we are going to talk about you…that’s right, you.  We are going to talk about what you need in your About Page, Shop Announcement, and Your Public Profile.  So are you ready to talk about you and nothing but you today?  I hope so … let’s get started!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:

The first thing that you have to do before you even think of opening your Etsy store is to believe in yourself! Period. Believe. In. Yourself. If you believe in yourself, then others will believe in you.  If you believe in yourself, then others will believe in your product.  That is the plain and simple truth.

The picture at right is me.  I might not like myself every day, there might be things that I think need changing … did I mention I still want to lose 20 more pounds and I love food … but the bottom line is that 95% of the time, I believe in myself.  My Dad whom I admire, love, and respect taught me the Value of Believing in myself from a very young age.  As a child and definitely as a teen, I lacked self-confidence.  My Dad and Mom bought me this book as a kid, The Value of Believing In Yourself.  It’s the story of Lois Pasteur and how he found the cure for rabies, but not without consequences.

You have to market not only your product, but also yourself.  Who wants to buy from someone who doesn’t like themselves? You must be confident in what you have, what you offer, and what you sell.  So how do you communicate this? Through your social media channels, website, and blog … allow people to know who you really are.  People want to be inspired and uplifted and you and your handmade items can do that, you just have to believe in yourself.

Your About Page:

What do you mean you don’t have an About Page?  I just went to the front page of Etsy and over half of the stores I went to did not have an About Page.  I am stunned.  WOW!  If you do not have your About Page set up, you need to do this…today. Don’t wait any longer! You are missing out on valuable meet-and-greet time with your potential customers.

First, you need to think of your About Page like a mini-website.  People are entering your world, they are learning about you, seeing how you work, seeing your process.  Etsy generously gives you 5 spaces to add photos (sized 760 x 428px).  Your About Page photographs should contain several things:

• A photo of your supplies
• A photo of your typical work space (try to clean it up a little…don’t show piles to your customers, show passion)
• A photo of other relevant spaces (I show a shipping area and how I store my polymer clay too)
• Perhaps offer a teaser graphic that matches your logos and branding that also offers them a discount.
• Perhaps a close up of a few of your creations (in collage style maybe)…but please do not clutter your photos!

SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT:

Your shop announcement is what Google sees when people look for you or for a handmade item.  Plain and simple, your shop announcement needs to be short and key word rich without looking “key word rich.”  This section is 100% about reaching your customers, and being SEO smart.  Yes, there is a reason that Etsy gives you a Google preview of your store’s listing for Google search.  You should be happy about this, so make it work for you.

Don’t Show Off Your Coupons:

While customers love getting your coupons, if you put your coupon first in your shop announcement you lessen the chances of Google picking up your store! Why would you want to do this? The argument has been made that many people shop Etsy and want a discount, while this is true, let’s look at it from another point of view.  If you want an online deal, where do you shop? Most likely eBay or Amazon, right? Not Etsy. People come to Etsy looking for quality handmade items and vintage items. It’s okay to put your coupon last in your shop announcement. The argument for seller’s who are against that is that people won’t see it to use it.  I agree, but if you feel that badly about it, once they are paid, simply send them the value of the coupon that they would have saved if they would have used it.  You may have just earned yourself a repeat customer for being nice, friendly, and honest with them!

SEO Rich:

So how do you make your shop announcement SEO rich and dense while being friendly and sounding “real?” Easy.  Take a piece of paper and write down the five things that your store offers in medium, supplies, type, etc.  I’ll use my store as an example:

• polymer clay
• figurines
• sculptures
• handmade
• Parker, Lolly, characters

Now I’m going to use the next 70 characters to write an SEO dense description that Google will love and will (hopefully) get me found: “Polymer clay figurines & sculptures that inspire joy, laughter, & a smile.  Where handmade items come to life! Parker, Lolly, & other characters too.”  Obviously your shop announcement is longer than this, you can add more after this, but your first 70 characters are the ones that count for Google, so use them wisely!

Your Public Profile:

There is a difference between your public profile and your about page…though it is small!  Your public profile includes you avatar (which we will talk about with Kelly J Sorenson when we discuss branding), details about you such as age, gender, location, a mini about section, and what you want shown on this page from teams, treasuries, your store, and favorites.

Here’s the big difference…where your About Page is all about you and who you are … your public profile is more about your store than you.  It’s a small difference and many of those things on your About Page may actually overlap in this about section of your public profile. (If you are confused, log into your Etsy account and check out the difference).  Use this section to share a few product testimonials, include newsletter links, and information about what people will find inside your store.

I hope that you are knee-deep in giving your Etsy store a Shop Makeover.  Don’t forget to sign up to receive the Build Your Brand newsletter for more valuable information!