Money or Time… you’re going to have to invest at least one of the two if you want to succeed selling on Etsy. In truth, this applies to success in any business. Always has. Probably always will.
If you’ve got the money to invest and you’ve got a good business model that will attract customers and bring in sales, then you can put your cash into things like advertising to speed-start your online business. You can hire pros to do things like creating cool logos, banners, buttons, and business cards for example. If you’ve got money to spend there is usually no shortage of places to spend it.
But what if you don’t have money to spend? No worries! You just need to plan on investing a little extra time.
If that’s you and you’re willing to invest the time, but are wondering where to invest it, then this blog post is for you.
Invest Time in Blogging
We’ve talked about blogging for Etsy sales over and over again. Here, and here, and here for example.
It’s a subject that is hard to over-emphasize and would take volumes to cover in every detail. But you know what? There is usually a really good reason some subjects get a lot of press. It’s because they’re important!
Blogging is a simple reap/sow equation. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out. And much like actual farming, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest. These usually aren’t very close together, btw. 🙂 It’s more like planting a grove or orchard than it is a vegetable farm. Once your blog starts yielding a crop, it will continue to yield for as long as you take care of it.
Are you really getting this? Do you see the opportunity? Imagine owning 1000 acres of fertile land that you could plant a grove upon. What if it was 10,000 acres or a million? The internet represents unlimited space to plant. The seeds are free. The investment required by you is time and patience. The more of each the better.
It’s so exciting and once you get the hang of it you will be unstoppable!
Here’s a quick set of FAQ’s to help you get started.
Something you can see yourself talking about day-in and day-out. Something you don’t mind reading about and immersing yourself into and feel an excitement about that you can share. For many of us, that’s the same niche as our Etsy shops. Mix in a bit of your personal life so everyone can get to know you. {They’ll like you…don’t worry!}
You can learn. The beauty of blogging is that you learn by doing and when you first start hardly anyone is watching anyway. It may feel like the world is watching because your blog is publicly visible but the truth is that your blog will grow along with your skills. Nobody is great at everything without trying. Everyone has to work at it. But if you want to succeed selling anything online, then the skills you need to be a good blogger are required learning for you anyway. So start. And don’t stop! Use Google, search websites like ours (see search bar in site header), buy a book on Amazon.com. Just learn.
First, you need to know that you can make money from your blog. It just won’t happen the day after you start. It might take awhile. Maybe longer than you think it should. But if you stick with it you will make money. First you’ll start getting enough traffic that you can send some good traffic to your Etsy shop, thereby increasing your sales. Then you might grow your blog enough that you can sell some advertising. We started with private ads and eventually got large enough to get the attention of ad networks like BlogHer. You can also make money through affiliate marketing by simply sharing some of the resources you’ve found helpful. Just remember that it’s like a farm. The hardest work comes well ahead of the rewards. Be patient.
If you’re a total beginner, the best place to start is at the beginning … For an in-depth 3000 word free guide to setting up a blog see this post:
You might also be interested in these blog posts for further information:
- How to Pick a Name for Your Etsy Shop
- Why Etsy Sellers Should Have Their Own Website – Etsypreneur.com
Once you have been blogging for awhile you’ll really start to see all your hard work pay off. You’ll enjoy it more and more as it grows because of all the great people you meet through your blog. Trust me…it’s well worth the time!
~Kim
I have to admit that I have trouble balancing my blog and my Etsy shop. When I’m working on one I feel I’m neglecting the other. My blog isn’t making money right now and my Etsy is…so should I concentrate more on the Etsy so I can pay the bills?Maybe some day I’ll figure it out. Thank you for a great post…
Same here, Ann. I know I should get my blog going (I started one and just never put any consistency into it), but my heart just isn’t into it. I never know what to write about. I’d much rather be sewing and creating.
If you start with a few subjects to write about it will make it easier to keep your blog content growing. You can take turns writing for each subject once a week or so. Try simple post ideas like “Wordless Wednesday” where you only post a photo. Write about what’s new in your shop. Write about something cool you bought…keep it simple, but keep writing and it will grow.
~Kim 🙂
Was really cheered by this – and will take heart from the bit about being patient. I haven’t got as far as selling any of my stuff yet but am determindley blogging and sharing something I’ve made every day. It can be hard sometimes but I love it.
I started following your blog recently and just LOVE IT. Your advise is so down to earth and elimentary. Really good for us beginners. Thanks.
Love the comparison to the garden! I am in the planting stages now! I have alot of work to do and with that comes patience. Thanks for the reminders that the work will pay off in time!
Awesome post! You are giving me the courage to get moving. You guys are so helpful and encouraging. Thank you very much!
Another great post Kim. I found some of your resources very helpful. Thanks for sharing them. Have a wonderful day.
great tips. and so very true. it’s a balance game – for sure 🙂
Great Post! This information about blogging is just what I needed to hear. Thanks for your support and kindness. ;o)
I love the post! Your words will help me to create a better working blog. Thank you.
Another great article. Your blog is by far my favorite learning tool for my Etsy shop. I totally love the farming analogy! Thank you so much for your help 🙂
Kim,
How often do we need to blog? Daily… Weekly?
Also, I find it really hard to find time to blog. I’m a glass lampworker and I can easily spend 8 hours a day torching. I’m finding there’s not enough time in the day to make the beads, take pictures, put them on Etsy and blog and promote through forums, write articles, enter competitions and now I’m writing Tutorials. How in the Heck can I do it all???? Don’t get me started on getting my house cleaned, cooking and family time!!
🙁
I recently posted a roman shade tutorial in my blog but so far I don’t think I’ve had any traffic at all. It’s super hard to balance all the things I have to do in one day. I love your post and you have given me encouragement. I think I’ll write about my puppy (6 mos.old) who recently chewed off huge patches of paint off my bathroom walls.
i just started blogging (last month) after a loooooong debate with myself about it. i felt i had to, to share my artwork and hopefully start making a steady income from it. i pinned LOTS of advice from EverythingEtsy for reference – thanks! 🙂
Susie – I’m so happy you found some helpful information here! It takes a little time to get things going…so be patient. I never thought I would sell anything online or have a blog…ya never know. All the work in the beginning has really paid off. Just keep it simple to start and don’t be too demanding of yourself. 🙂 Have fun sharing your work with the world!
~Kim
Your inspiration did it. New blog Zoezloft.wordpress.com started publishing today and I have to say I am finding it fun. As you say, self promotion is important. Hope I am doing it right.
carol
Thank youuuu! I finally decided to take my blog more seriously… But only after reading and repinning many of your posts, Maybe also because I consider myself a passionate crafter. And you say in another post that one the best way to start it’s by leaving comments on blogs I actually like. Ps I really like your blog 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by! Your Tumblr is BEAUTIFUL!
~Kim