Take a look at my domestic shipping article if you need a crash course in weighing and packaging.

The rates shown below are commercial base pricing offered by Etsy, PayPal and other online vendors. Be sure to check the prices against your vendor to make sure they’re using commercial prices. Expect to pay more if you show up at the post office without postage. Pricing for flat rate items is included in the table below.

USPS Shipping Calculator

USPS Flat Rates

Disclaimer: This tool is intended to help Etsy sellers, but is unlikely to cover the needs of every shop and business owner. Please use the calculator as a tool in your tool box and not the sole source for your pricing decision. Shipping is complex and we hope to ease the pain a bit. Please keep in mind that extra services, insurance, etc. are not taken into account with this calculator nor does this tool account for all package types (over-sized, balloon, etc.).

The post USPS Shipping Calculator for 2018 appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Notable for 2017 are increases for domestic shipments – including First Class, Parcel Select, Priority Mail, and Express Mail. The rates for international services remain the same. Take a look at my domestic shipping article if you need a crash course in weighing and packaging.

The rates shown below are commercial base pricing offered by Etsy, PayPal and other online vendors. Be sure to check the prices against your vendor to make sure they’re using commercial prices. Expect to pay more if you show up at the post office without postage. Pricing for flat rate items is included in the table below.

USPS Shipping Calculator

USPS Flat Rates

Disclaimer: This tool is intended to help Etsy sellers, but is unlikely to cover the needs of every shop and business owner. Please use the calculator as a tool in your tool box and not the sole source for your pricing decision. Shipping is complex and we hope to ease the pain a bit. Please keep in mind that extra services, insurance, etc. are not taken into account with this calculator nor does this tool account for all package types (over-sized, balloon, etc.).

The post USPS Shipping Calculator for 2017 appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Notable for 2016 is an increase on the maximum weight on First-Class Mail Packages from 13oz to 16oz (well, technically under 16oz so 15.999oz). The flat rate boxes for Express Mail and Express Mail International have been eliminated; flat rate envelopes are still available for these mail classes. Priority Mail Regional Rate Box C has also been eliminated. Take a look at my domestic shipping article if you need a crash course in weighing and packaging.

The rates shown below are commercial base pricing offered by Etsy, PayPal and other online vendors. Be sure to check the prices against your vendor to make sure they’re using commercial prices. Expect to pay more if you show up at the post office without postage. Pricing for flat rate items is included in the table below.

USPS Shipping Calculator

USPS Flat Rates

Disclaimer: This tool is intended to help Etsy sellers, but is unlikely to cover the needs of every shop and business owner. Please use the calculator as a tool in your tool box and not the sole source for your pricing decision. Shipping is complex and we hope to ease the pain a bit. Please keep in mind that extra services, insurance, etc. are not taken into account with this calculator.

The post USPS Shipping Calculator for 2016 appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Summer is coming and lots of opportunities for craft shows are coming up. I’ve done plenty of arts and craft shows over the years, so I wanted to share some tips for newcomers and experienced vendors alike.

Prepare

Craft shows can be fun and exciting if you’re mentally and physically prepared. Try to set up your booth at home the day before and take as much time as you need to figure out the best display. Once you have it set up, take a picture with your phone; you’ll be able to refer back to it on the busy morning of the craft show. It’s way less stressful to have a thought-out plan beforehand.

Set up

Arrive as early as possible to set up your booth space. It’s better to have extra time before the event to walk around and meet other vendors. It also ensures you’ll be in your proper space and no one “accidentally” sets up in your space. I’ve seen some dirty tricks from other sellers looking to ditch their unfortunate, awkward booth space.

If you’re in an outdoor booth, set your tent up with the removable side walls attached but rolled up. If it rains, you can quickly unroll the sides to protect your stock instead of running around in the rain trying to attach your sides.

Make sure to weigh down your tent legs. When the wind picks up, the tent’s canopy works like a sail and can pull your tent up and away – or worse, into your neighbor’s pottery booth. You can buy tent weights, but there are also low-cost DIY solutions that work wonders.

Most crafters use E-Z Up tents; they’re easy to use and usually come with sides. You can find them at Sam’s Club during the Spring and Summer, or online. You can also check the local party rental store for E-Z Up tent rentals.

Change

Never forget your change. I always start each show with about $100 in cash: 50 $1’s and 10 $5’s. Rounding your prices to the nearest whole dollar amount can make things easier if you don’t need to charge tax. If you do need to charge sales tax, check with your state to see if you can have the sales tax included with the price. Brittany’s Fixed Pricing Worksheet helps figure out what to pay in tax with whole dollar pricing.

Seller stare-down

Be mindful of your booth setup, and if your position in the booth is approachable to buyers. It’s all psychology, and this is where it’s important. The number one mistake I see sellers make is to face whoever approaches the booth head on. I call it the “seller stare-down.” A seller looking directly at the approaching customer can be very intimidating for some folks, and they’re less likely to stop. This is easily fixed by pivoting your chair 45 to 90 degrees.

You can feel out how comfortable a person is by the vibe they give when approaching your booth. Don’t pounce on them like a lion, let them settle in; once they’re in your booth, you can make eye contact, smile, and give your opening line.

Opening line

The opening line! This is important. Like it or not, this is when browsing buyers get their first impression of you. You want to be approachable, but not pushy. If you’re not used to doing craft shows, this can seem awkward at first but you have to just get over it. I use a simple opening line of “Hi there! Feel free to pick anything up or ask any questions” while looking at them and smiling. I leave it at that and don’t say any more unless they give me a cue.

I love this opening line – it lets the buyer know that I see them, gives them permission to touch, and creates a non-pushy opening for conversation. If another person approaches the booth, say it again to the new person. In the rare case that another person approaches right when you’re finished giving your opening line, find something on them to compliment to spread time out and then give your opening line again. You’ll end up saying your opening line a billion times and that’s okay; have a smile on your face every time.

If you have a helper at the show, make sure to explain that stories or chit-chat between you will get cut off if a customer comes into the booth. Don’t finish telling a story to your friend before you give your opening line to a browsing customer. The opening line comes first and takes priority.

Prices

If you don’t have clearly labeled prices, buyers will be turned off. It takes some investment to ask for a price, and many buyers will walk away rather than risk the embarrassment of having to turn an item down. It can also give off a vibe that the seller is “profile pricing” – telling buyers different prices based on their appearance.

Make sure you have a price on everything!

Payment

I accept cash and credit cards only. No checks. Checks are too much of a hassle, and it seems like the only people using checks at modern craft shows are those trying to pass off bad ones.

If you have a smart phone or tablet, get an app to accept credit cards. I’ve found Square easiest – they will send you a free card reader, and the cost is only small percentage of each payment. Paypal also has a similar device. Square can also send you a sticker sheet with a tent card to advertise that you accept credit cards. Make sure that you make a sign, this is very important! You have a better chance of making the sale if buyers know you accept credit cards.

Be prepared for no cell service or a dead battery. Buy some credit card slips from an office supply store. These are a great back up if you’re in a building that prevents cell service. Just fill out the paper slip, then have the customer sign it and include their phone number. When you get home, manually type all the credit card charges into the app. If there’s any problem with the charge, call the customer and make sure you have the info correct.

Business Cards

Put a few small stacks of business cards on your table. It’s up to you to decide what info you want on your business cards. I have my name, city, and website on one side; the other side has a short bio. I don’t include my phone number. That’s strictly a preference – I like all my messages to be through the computer, where I can refer back to them if needed. People will call you if you put your phone number on your cards. Order business cards from sellers on Etsy, or from places like Vistaprint or Moo. You can also buy blanks at an office supply store to print your own.

Product

Take as much product as you can. You can cover your table with tablecloths that reach to the floor to hide extra stock under the tables. If you have a craft that you’re able to do while sitting in your booth, that’s great – but make sure you don’t get too caught up and ignore customers. Leave the books at home. Never, never read a book in your booth. It will make you look bored, closed off, and too busy to approach. This is another huge mistake I see all the time.

Be observant of what the browsing customers do. If you notice customers beelining for the next text after spotting it through your booth, roll down your side wall and make a visual block. Don’t start the show with your sides down – your booth might be the one that customers will beeline to from other booths! Stay alert and adjust things to your advantage.

Food

Craft show days get long. You have to be “on” all day with a peppy smile and a pleasant attitude. It’s exhausting! Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and pack non-messy snacks, drinks and a meal. You’ll most likely be eating in your booth, so bring a compact to make sure you’re not smiling at potential customers with a hunk of lettuce in your teeth. If a buyer comes into your booth, put the food down until there’s no one around again. That way you won’t seem too busy eating for them to buy something.

Vendor apron

Forget the change box, use a vendor apron. I bought a fantastic one on Etsy. They tie at the waist and come in all sorts of patterned fabric to make you look cute and hip. I get compliments on mine at every craft show. Vendor aprons have several pockets for pens and business cards, and a zippered pocket for money. The apron keeps your money on you; there’s no chance of someone grabbing your cash box and running.

If you do use a cash box, always keep it down low in a place where it isn’t easy to grab. Never trust your money with another vendor while you run to the bathroom. Take your money with you to the bathroom.

Bags

Bring bags to put customer purchases in, and make sure to include a business card in each one. I forgot my bags for one craft show, but it was a lucky turn – I had to use the clear cello sleeves I use for my art prints as bags. Every customer was walking around with a clear bag so others could see what they bought. It was like a giant walking commercial for me. So many people came to my booth and said “Oh! Here’s where they are. I’ve seen so many people with these!” I’ll never use anything other than a clear bag again.

I hope these tips have given you some ideas. If you have questions or tips of your own, please post in the comments. Craft shows are great fun, and you can make some money to boot. Good luck!

Molly Spilane of Unique Art Pendants creates cool jewelry and gifts that tell a visual story. She has over 14,000 sales on Etsy, and is featured in modern art museums. Follow her on Facebook or read her QYDJ interview on the Etsy Blog.

The post Molly Spilane’s Summer Craft Show Tips appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Notable for 2015 is Canada switching to zone-based pricing for Priority Mail International, with 7 zones rather than a single rate for the whole country. Priority Mail International (Canada) is now a separate option in the shipping types. Take a look at my domestic shipping article if you need a crash course in weighing and packaging.

The rates shown below are commercial base pricing offered by Etsy, PayPal and other online vendors. Be sure to check the prices against your vendor to make sure they’re using commercial prices. Expect to pay more if you show up at the post office without postage. Pricing for flat rate items is included in the table below.

USPS Shipping Calculator

USPS Flat Rates

Disclaimer: This tool is intended to help Etsy sellers, but is unlikely to cover the needs of every shop and business owner. Please use the calculator as a tool in your tool box and not the sole source for your pricing decision. Shipping is complex and we hope to ease the pain a bit. Please keep in mind that extra services, insurance, etc. are not taken into account with this calculator.

The post USPS Shipping Calculator for 2015 appeared first on Brittany's Best.

I made a treasury without thinking about team requirements. I made a treasury without intending to promote it. I made a treasury just for me – and I realized how much I missed the creative spark.

I’ve been in an Etsy slump lately. Well, maybe “lately” is an understatement; it’s been the entire fall and winter. It started after a fun-filled anniversary trip to Las Vegas. Five days in the Sin City will make normal life seem downright dreary. I just couldn’t muster enthusiasm on my return.

The trip coincided with Etsy’s controversial change to the front page, switching to a personalized news feed instead of the classic front-page treasury. Some of my treasury teams shuttered the doors, others went into an identity crisis and started trying downright wacky promotion strategies.

My Etsy experience started to feel empty. I fought it as best I could; I threw myself into a holiday market, then blamed the holidays after that was over.

The new year brought a new determination to get back to writing, making, promoting and listing items. So much determination! I set out each morning with such grand expectations, only to disappoint myself by late afternoon. The daily routine felt like a plod; my heart wasn’t in it.

I used to eat, sleep and dream Etsy. Treasuries were a big part of it – a creative outlet, and a connection to the community. The fall of the front-page treasury made me glum. I bought into the naysaying of fellow sellers, declaring the treasury dead.

Treasuries aren’t dead, at least not for me. After making that free-spirited treasury, I felt invigorated! Some people saw treasuries as a means to an end, as a lottery ticket to land on the front page. For me, treasuries are inspiration. They stir my creativity, and help me focus on photography and the latest trends.

Etsy stole the spotlight from treasuries, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. Something about these collages enraptures fans; images of treasuries get more interaction and engagement for my team than ordinary social media posts.

I found a spark, and it’s helped me out of my funk. I’m making again – not only treasuries, but articles and items for my shop. The more I make, the better I feel. It’s an upward spiral!

If you’re feeling glum about your Etsy shop, throw a treasury together from your favorite shops. Do it without pressure. Do it to make something beautiful. It might just be the pick-me-up that you need.

The post Making a Case for Making Treasuries appeared first on Brittany's Best.

I’m a firm believer that most sellers can learn how to take great photos without the help of a professional. If you focus on basic product photography, mastering camera settings, and the 4 simple tips for stellar photos – you’ll be in the upper class already.

If you’re just starting out, stop reading right now and check out those articles I linked. This advice isn’t for you.

The rest of you have read the articles, you’ve put in the time. Looking back at your first product photos, you feel mildly embarrassed. I remember being so proud of photos I wouldn’t give a second glance now.

We’ve come a long way – improved our photos dramatically, maybe even bought some expensive studio equipment. It’s an investment in the business, after all.

But eventually you hit a plateau. You can’t quite get the photo you want – all the sellers you admire are so creative with their photos, and you’re stuck in a rut.

It’s time to seek professional help.

Reasons to hire a professional

The rut. Sometimes you need a little creative spark – someone with a few tricks up their sleeve.

I finally broke down when I needed some fresh ideas for a new line of wedding napkin rings. I wanted to shoot them at a real wedding; my props weren’t cutting it.

I considered crashing a wedding. Instead, I found a wedding photographer. She brought lots of new ideas, was excited to experiment – and best of all, had access to venues with an array of wedding decor options.

Jessica from Crow Jane Jewelry had a different reason; she wanted shots of her jewelry on models to show what her products looked like when worn.

She had no experience finding or photographing models, nor the studio set up to even consider it. She knew right away that she would need help to get the photos she wanted.

So maybe you’re sold on hiring a professional for their creative energy, props and equipment, or experience.

If not, I’ll throw in one last reason that’s the hardest one to accept: professional photographers take way better photos than you.

I don’t even know you and I’m totally comfortable saying that.

I’m also willing to wager that you craft way better than professional photographers. That’s just the way it is. Practice makes perfect, and professionals have deleted way more photos than we’ll ever take.

Good photography sells product. Sometimes it’s worth experimenting to get an edge on the competition. Mix up your tags, get a few listings with professional photos. See what works.

Finding a photographer

Since you want a photographer to take professional shots of your products, it’s tempting to search for a product photographer.

This turns out to be a terrible idea.

Product photography is not the hottest field – most photographers earn their living taking portraits or capturing events.

Focus on the type of photographs that work well with your products. If you sell knit hats for newborns, a baby photographer is a slam dunk (and might even have some volunteer models). If you sell throw pillows, seek out a real estate photographer who is used to capturing inviting rooms.

Okay great, but where do you find a photographer?

Jessica has a trick for finding motivated photographers – contact a local art school and get a list of recent alumni who do the style of photography you want.

If you’re seeking out a wedding or baby photographer, ask your baby-laden friends if they’ve had any good experiences. Real estate photographers are easy – call the local RE/MAX or The Group office and get a recommendation.

Local Etsy teams are a great resource, along with local crafters. If you have a stack of business cards mined from craft shows like me, peruse the websites and see if anyone is looking suspiciously professional.

Tap your photographer friends; amateur photographers may still bring new ideas and techniques to the table. It seems like we all have that one nutty relative that’s spent thousands on photography equipment.

If all else fails, Google “baby photographer <your city>” and see if anyone with positive reviews comes up.

Just the right fit

Hold up, hold up. Before you go running out and hiring a photographer, there’s one important thing to get straight.

What exactly do you want?

You should have a clear vision that you can explain to prospective photographers. Most importantly, you should be able to explain your business and what makes your products special. We’re talking 30-second elevator pitch here, not your life story.

The vision will give them a starting point, and the elevator pitch can help them lead you in a new, better direction for your image.

Jessica has a collaborative Pinterest board with her photographer for inspirational images and angles. She stresses good, open communication with the photographer to make sure your combined vision is compatible.

Photographers have experience with lighting, angles and locations – they just might open your eyes to great things.

Weighing the costs and benefits

It’s easy to get sticker shock when considering professional photography. Talk yourself down.

Underestimating the cost of photography is par for the course, especially when you’re used to your own seemingly-free toils.

Think about how much you’ve spent on photography equipment, and how long it takes you to get a stellar shot (times a healthy minimum wage) – not to mention editing the photos afterwards.

My photographer could take wedding shots with a different tablescape every week. Pier 1 would love for me to try to match that.

Jessica’s professional shots have not only helped sell her product, it’s also polished her image. It’s helped grow her business by attracting boutiques and other sales routes off of Etsy.

I broke out of my rut. Sherri, my photographer, inspired me to try out new angles and techniques.

I’ll give you fair warning, it’s addicting to have your products looking so good. I was so nervous about dropping the cash for professional shots – now I want to have her shoot everything!

An affordable alternative

If you’re still on the fence, Amanda from The Party Orchard has a strategy to get professional photos without spending a dime: crowdsourcing.

Amanda offers a discount to customers that provide a professional photo of her product in use. It’s a perfect fit for her party supplies, since customers may already have a professional booked.

She admits it’s tough to get perfect product shots this way; shots are submitted with her banners out of focus, or in the background. These aren’t a lost cause, even the duds can provide some variety as the second or third photo for a listing.

Still have questions about hiring a photographer? Ask questions or share your experience in the comments.

My wedding napkin rings were photographed by Sherri Barber. Jessica’s model shots are courtesy of Amanda Baker. Amanda’s banner was shot by Farrah Jobling. Feel free to contact them if you enjoyed the photographs in this article.

The post Seller Secrets: Working with Professional Photographers appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Tell us about your background as an artist.

I earned a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011. In college, my focus was painting and printmaking. I really enjoyed the precise detail of printmaking. The process fascinated me – carving the image into the plate, inking the plate, using acids, etc. I loved the idea of having to wait to see what the finished product will actually look like.

Much of my work in printmaking was inspired by nature and fractals. Painting, on the other hand, is where I feel the most spontaneous. I start with the beginning of an idea in my mind and it continues to unfold as I paint. I love bright colors, and I mix and change them as I go. Again, nature is my biggest inspiration. I use lines, forms and images that I see in nature or my imagination.

The summer before my senior year in college I started working at GoPaint!, a studio in downtown Evergreen, Colorado. The pre-made pottery we sell there soon became my new 3-D canvas. I’ve been experimenting with designs and colors for the pottery ever since. I paint abstract designs with colorful underglazes and then kiln fire them.

Your work is so detailed! How long does it take you to paint one of your designs?

It varies with each piece. For a mug, it usually takes me 2-3 hours to paint it. A large platter or bowl can take up to 8 hours to paint. This picture shows a bowl in progress that took 3-4 hours yesterday just to paint the inside.

Have you ever discarded a piece because you were unable to “erase”?

I’ve never been the type to throw away a piece. If there’s something that I don’t like about a piece, I’ll just wipe it away and start again. The underglaze that I use allows me to easily wipe away 90 percent of the color. I like to be free flowing with my artwork and not let a single line or color distract me from my end goal. I always want to finish a piece that I’ve started.

What inspired you to start painting on 3D surfaces instead of canvas?

I had three inspirations. First, I started working at a paint your own pottery shop. I started to paint samples at the store and found it relaxing – and I kept getting positive feedback for the pieces. It gave me the inspiration to keep on painting – then I just took off with it. I’ve painted at least 300 different pieces in the past 3 years.

The second inspiration was wanting to find a quicker way to create beautiful art. I found that painting full canvases was too time consuming for me. I ended up not enjoying the process near the end of a full canvas piece.

Third, I had lots of family members and friends who were interested in my art and wanted to have something of mine, but didn’t have a good space for a large canvas. I wanted to have more options for them to choose from, and something durable that would last for a long time.

Do you have a plan for the design before you start a piece, or does the design happen spontaneously?

My work is free flowing and spontaneous from the beginning. I might use the same design element, but it’s never exactly the same. I enjoy continual changes in my work. Sometimes I choose to just use a few lines, while other times my pieces become very intricate.

You have a wide variety of hand painted ceramics in your shop. Do you have a favorite item to embellish with your designs? If so, why is it your favorite?

I love to paint very large bowls. It gives me the most freedom in designing and applying the paint. When I have such a large surface to paint on, I can picture more closely in my mind what the end result will look like.

What led you to open an Etsy shop?

I wanted to find a way to get my artwork out to more people. I’ve been a fan of Etsy for some time and wanted to learn more about it, and to see if any of my items would sell online.

Do you sell your work locally or in craft shows?

I have sold my work in art fairs in the Denver area for a couple years. I’ve been happy with the sales. I had very positive results at Summerfest in Evergreen, Art and Jazz in Denver and Art Stir in downtown Denver.

What do you do when you’re not painting?

I like to hike, and I enjoy movies and cooking. I spend a lot of time looking at the changing seasons and getting color ideas from the nature around me.

Coloradoans can find Britt selling her colorful items at the Evergreen Winterfest craft show on November 1st. You can also see her continually evolving designs in her Etsy shop.

The post Undiscovered Treasures: Britt’s Vibrant Pottery appeared first on Brittany's Best.

I assume you’ve already polished your product descriptions and improved your photos. You’re doing something on social media to promote your shop. Maybe you’ve even read a few things about SEO. It seems like you’re doing everything right, but tumbleweeds blow past when you look at your sales numbers.

There’s a huge mistake that nearly every new Etsy seller makes. They work hard to make a great product, list it on Etsy – and wait. They wait for the sales that will never come.

I’ve interviewed dozens of Etsy sellers, and there’s one stand-out habit of the successful ones – they don’t wait. Successful sellers all follow the same foolproof formula. It’s so simple that I’m embarrassed to reveal it.

Are you ready? Here it is.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do. Duh, right? Of course everyone knows that. Thank you, Captain Obvious. Think about it, though – in the past month, what have you done to find people who need your product? What have you done to convince anyone to buy your product?

If you’re looking down at your shoes right now, I don’t blame you. I’ve ignored the formula for a long time myself. It’s intimidating because you don’t know what to do. How do I find people who need my product? How do I convince them to buy it?

There’s plenty of marketing mumbo-jumbo out there like “target market” and “branding.” It’s all killer advice, but it sounds like Greek when you’re first starting out. Even the word marketing is intimidating. Gosh, that sounds like a lot of work. Don’t people do that for their job?

It’s not that complicated. That formula up there is basically the definition of marketing. I’m going to show you some easy tricks to get yourself in front of the right customers and start making sales happen – instead of waiting.

Find people who need your product

Let’s take on the first part of the formula. Unless you’re selling air on Mars, no one really needs your product in a necessary-for-survival sense. We’re talking about a craving. You’ve had it before, a sense that my life is not complete until I have that thing. I didn’t even know my life was incomplete until you told me 5 minutes ago, but now I’ll suffer in a pit of despair until it’s mine.

Who is going to have that reaction about your product? If your answer is everyone, try again (unless you’re selling Girl Scout cookies). If your answer is teenagers, or middle-aged women, try again. That’s way too broad, I guarantee not every teenager is going to be excited by your product.

Finding that narrow band of people who need your product is what marketers mean when they say “target market.” It’s targeted because that helps you figure out where to spend your time and money. Marketing to middle-aged women as a whole means getting on Oprah, and that’s really expensive. Marketing to middle-aged women from the south who like home decor and entertaining – now that’s achievable.

That’s my target market for my napkin rings, by the way. Hipsters in San Francisco might buy my napkin rings too, but I’ll get a much better result trying to lure in those Southern gals.

So how do you narrow it down?

Start with assumptions. You probably have some idea about who would like your products. If your product is specific enough, that may be all you need. If you sell beer pong accessories, you don’t need to think too deeply about it.

Next, take a look at the sales you have made. What do they have in common? In my case, I get lots of orders from southern states. That one little piece of information is huge. What can you glean from conversations you’ve had with customers?

If you have a Facebook business page, this next trick might blow your mind. Facebook has something called graph search that lets you to ask some interesting questions. Go to Facebook and try typing some of these in the search box:

• Pages liked by people who like <Your Business>
• Pages liked by people who like <Your Business> and Etsy
• Favorite interests of people who like <Your Business>
• Pages liked by women over 40 years old who like <Your Business>
• Favorite music of people who live in Colorado and like <Your Business>

Kind of crazy, right? This should give you some clues about your audience. I just saved you thousands of dollars in market research. You can thank me later.

If Twitter is more your style, go to the Followerwonk analysis page, punch in your Twitter name and change the dropdown to “Analyze their followers.” Take a look at the biography word cloud at the bottom – it’s like a target-market-North-star.

Now let’s get even sneakier. You can do this even if you don’t have a following built up by putting in your competition instead of your own business. Your competition is a great source of information to find people who need your product. Check out who they’re marketing to, and consider how to make your business stand out.

The last source of information is arguably the best – asking customers themselves. I put it last only because it’s easy to piss people off, and Etsy’s Conversations Policy prohibits most customer contact after a transaction is complete. Tread carefully and don’t send unsolicited (spam) email.

If you’ve had custom orders off of Etsy, or customers that contacted you in other ways, reach out to them. Customers from the last few months are best, since they’ll still remember their buying process. I’ll even make it brainless with a template that you can drop right in, or modify to fit your shop.

Remember that people who need your product aren’t always the people buying your product. Most of the year, my target market for napkin rings is middle-aged women from the south who like home decor and entertaining. Just before Mother’s Day it changes to college-aged kids from the south whose mothers like home decor and entertaining. See what I did there?

Convince them to buy it

I’ve known so many artists that kill it at craft shows (provided they find the right craft shows) but can’t sell a dollar for 50 cents on Etsy. Okay, let’s be totally honest – I’ve been one of them. What’s so different about selling online?

At a craft show, customers are basically trucked in and forced to walk past your booth. Etsy is like a craft show, but it has a million booths and they’re handing out teleporters at the door. They also hand out a map and your shop isn’t even on there. Oh yeah, and if someone mistakenly finds your booth you can only play a pre-recorded message.

So there’s a little difference.

The first hurdle to convince someone to buy your product is to make them aware it even exists. Thankfully, there’s a really easy way to get your product in front of people. It’s another thing I’m embarrassed to reveal because it’s so simple and obvious.

It’s advertising. I bet the little hairs on the back of your neck just stood up.

If you haven’t tried advertising before, or if you’ve tried it unsuccessfully, you might be wondering what crack I’m smoking. Brittany, I’m reading this because I have low sales, and you want me to go spend money on advertising?

Hear me out.

Good advertising is like printing money. If you don’t make at least your advertising costs back in profit, you’re doing it wrong. Suppose I offered you an ad for $100 that would bring in $200 in sales and a surge in awareness about your products – would you take it? I’ll answer that for you, of course you would.

The crucial part is finding the right place to advertise. I went through this recently myself – I found lots of bad places to advertise, and some very exciting ways to flush my money down the toilet. I also found a trick that actually works.

It’s not even that hard.

In fact, if you’ve followed along this far you’ve already done the hardest part – figuring out who needs your products. The next step is finding somewhere those people go that has great traffic and affordable advertising rates. That combo is a tall order with ad networks, but it’s the norm on blogs.

So here’s the trick – add “blog” to a Google search about your target audience. I wanted to find blogs about Southern home decor that would fit my market, so I searched “southern home decor blog”. The first search result is a Southern decorating blog with 300,000 monthly visitors that only charges $60/month for an ad.

It’s important to find a blog that really fits with your products, so even though that’s an amazing deal on advertising, I kept on the hunt. If you find a blog that’s close-but-not-quite what you’re looking for, see if they have a “blogs I love” section – these are almost always blogs with similar themes.

I found a great blog with a humongous section devoted to tablescapes. It was like I’d died and gone to napkin ring marketing heaven.

Lots of blogs also invite product donations to review or give away to their readers, or they might want to do an interview. A friendly, personal email to the blog author could land you free advertising.

If you really want to make an impact, read through their recent posts and start a discussion in your message.

Stop sitting by the phone waiting for customers to call. You worked hard to make your products, and you and I both know that you deserve more sales than you’re getting. Put down the Pinterest, step away slowly from the Instagram. I don’t call it the “foolproof formula” because it might work for your shop.

Look critically at everything you do through this lens. Here’s a recap of the things you should be doing right now.

• Find people who need your product through savvy social media analysis and customer surveys.
• Glean information on potential customers from previous sales and customer interactions.
• Think about who might be buying gifts for those people, and how to reach them.
• Search for niche blogs that nail your target market.
• Contact the bloggers with a personal, heartfelt message to win them over.

Low sales might soon be a distant memory. I won’t judge if you prepare your speech for Quit Your Day Job ahead of time.

The post The Foolproof Formula of Successful Sellers appeared first on Brittany's Best.

Practically overnight, Jessica’s photos went from dark, blurry and unflattering to WOW. The before and after shots below will have you convinced she hired a photographer. She must have at least bought an expensive new camera, right?

Wrong. Jessica’s shop critique revealed 4 simple tips that sent her product photography quality skyrocketing. Jessica is still using her husband’s middle of the road Nikon camera, but now she takes stunning photos that tempt buyers into her shop and land her on Etsy’s front page.

The transformation was so unbelievable that I had to share it.

It turns out Jessica isn’t terrible with a camera, she’s actually really good. She just needed a push in the right direction. Encouraged by the thought that her shop could look like the professional shops she’d seen on Etsy, Jessica put the photography tips to work right away.

Photos at the right time of day

Jessica was taking many of her photos in the evening, since it was hard to find time during the day. The lack of natural light meant using her camera flash, which caused bright spots in her photos.

Ditching the flash and using natural light for her photos put the focus on her product, not the unusual lighting. Jessica went to each room in her house during bright parts of the day and scouted for the best conditions. She learned from the critique to find a room not only with plenty of light, but one with light coming in from more sides as well.

She now makes sure to set aside plenty of time to take photos when the lighting is at its best.

Simple product staging tricks

Most of Jessica’s shots were taken top-down, with her linens laying flat on a dark table. The products looked a bit lifeless, not to mention blurry from overusing the macro setting on her camera designed for close-up shots.

Jessica bought some white poster board to use as a neutral backdrop, rather than a fabric; the extra sheen from the poster board gives the photos an added pop of light.

The products in her shop have a simple, rustic feel that she wanted to convey in her photos. Jessica managed to find an inexpensive bulletin board cover that looks like a fence as a backdrop. She hung the towels against the backdrop rather than laying them flat, to better show how the towels look in use.

Staging doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Jessica’s bulletin board cover is a great example – a few bucks well spent. Backdrop paper or a neutral fabric with a light pattern can do the job, too.

Jessica also started adding natural botanical elements like fresh flowers, fruit or dried leaves. She nailed the rustic look that she was going for and made her shop consistent with her overall branding.

Safety in numbers

Professional photographers have expensive studio setups with tons of bright lights to make sure they can consistently take good photos. It’s tougher to get good shots every time taking photos by the light of a window. Jessica learned the secret to getting great shots without the expense of a studio – take lots of photos!

Since natural light and a home studio setup is less reliable, taking 20-100 photos of a single product will increase your odds of snapping that one killer photo. It also gives you plenty of choices for secondary listing photos.

Snap photos until your shutter finger gets tired, then take 10 more. Stand at different distances to the product and try new angles. Without film, there’s no reason to limit yourself to only a handful of shots. Jessica takes at least 25 shots of each item to get a few that she likes.

Brighten, crop, enhance

Why settle for reality? Photo editing software gives you a second chance to improve the shot. Whether you’re adjusting a not-so-perfect angle or cropping out an unwanted part of your photo, you’ll find that your pictures are greatly improved by adding this step to your listing process.

Jessica discovered PicMonkey, a simple online photo editor, through her critique. Picasa is another free tool that makes photo editing a breeze. Both editors even have one-click auto correct for contrast and brightness to take the dull right out. It’s a great way to start out before fiddling with the controls yourself.

Make sure to size all your photos the same so Etsy doesn’t add gray bars to the side of listings photos as customers flip through.

After the critique

Jessica started making changes rapidly after her critique. She was amazed with the photography tips and started taking photos that she never imagined were possible.

The upgraded photos made a huge difference for her shop. She immediately started getting featured in lots of treasuries and watched her shop stats slowly climb.

The biggest surprise for Jessica was that she could take these photos herself. Her team members gave her the encouragement and confidence to try her hand at better photography. Jessica went into her critique with an open mind and didn’t take the comments personally, and her shop is so much better as a result.

Six months later, Jessica continues to improve her shop. She views her new product photos as a major accomplishment for a person that hardly knew how to use a camera. She’s proud to have kept her shop’s vision while implementing changes from the critique.

I still have work to do on my shop. The critique was so full of information, it was almost overwhelming. I learned there is a lot that goes into a wonderful Etsy shop, and I still have a lot to learn and improve upon.

I can’t believe how far Emilia’s Luxe Linens has come. I owe Jessica a big thanks for opening up her critique to share the photography tips with everyone.

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