Imagine having an opportunity to quit the average ‘9-5’ grind by making products you love and selling them to those who appreciate it – It’s everyone’s dream – and the only thing preventing it from being the reality is by not knowing where to start. That’s why I’ve organized a list of 10 easy steps anyone can take to start making and selling products based on your passion!

Typically, people would advise you that the right way to start out in online sales is to set up your own personal shop, however, creating your own eCommerce shop can be overwhelming and time-consuming when you’re starting from scratch. But luckily, in today’s world, there are tons of online platforms to guide you in your journey of online sales.

Every day, millions of people shop at the largest hand-crafted, online marketplace known as Etsy, and your creations, like many others, can be making sales out the wazoo.

On Etsy, there is no charge to open your own shop, and it only costs $0.20 USD for a 4-month listing; Although, since we are now equally as excited about this opportunity, I’m even happier to tell you that you can get your first 40 listings for free by CLICKING HERE!

Like many others, you can be making a living from Etsy!

But first, it’s important you know the 10 steps to selling your creative passion and start making a living on Etsy.

1. Discover your niche (specialty)

By now you’re probably already thinking about what you would be most passionate about selling on Etsy in your future shop.

For some people, the idea comes easy and something will really stick out, however, others may be indecisive about which product to choose to build their successful Etsy shop. Most businesses find it easier to focus on one niche or specific area of products to not only be more consistent and efficient in their work but better enhance their credibility for the product.

For example, A dog food company is a part of a general sales market that could attract plenty of buyers. But what is special about this specific company? Well, let’s say it’s an all-organic dog food brand. That narrows their specialty down from” dog food” to “organic dog food”, ensuring they attract the consumers they’re aiming for. They know their consumers rely on them for quality pet food, and they want to make sure they are taken seriously by focusing all of their attention on their pet-related specialties.

With that being said, if this dog food company decided to sell something off-brand, such as a watch, consumers would question their credibility as a pet dedicated brand, leading to a potential loss in loyal customers. So, you can see why it’s critical that you stick with one specialty for your brand; it will save you and your customers time and bring in more business!

Now that you know the importance of choosing your niche, don’t let it overwhelm you! Like I said before, some people may already know what they want to focus their work on, and if that’s you, then great! You’re one step ahead into the business world. But if you’re like me and have many different varieties to choose from, don’t worry about taking some time to fiddle around with your ideas until you find one you are most confident and passionate about producing.

Knowing your niche is just one of the many secrets I have lined up for you, so once you’ve got that down, you’re ready to learn how to gain trust and connect with your potential customers to learn how to sell on Etsy.

Leading us to our next step.

2. Know your customers

It’s important to have a general understanding of who your target audience is because it will help you know how to attract them to your product. Remember, your prospects are your most important aspect; they want to know how your product will enrich their lives.

A good way to attract buyers is to make them feel a connection to your product. For example, you can start by simply stating a common issue or inconvenience that the majority of your targeted customers may face, and transition into how your product will solve that. You want your audience to see your product as a solution to their problems.

-but how do you know your customer before even making a sale?

Well, with your product in mind, think about what it does, how does your product stand out from others? What is the benefit that stands out from others selling on Etsy? You can use this information to your advantage.

A fast and effective way to make a customer feel a connection to your product is to make them feel as if they are included in a “special group’ such as the pet industry, fitness, health, or anything relating to the services your product offers.

For example, If you’re selling yoga mats, you already know the majority of your customers are into fitness/exercise and maybe looking for something more comfortable and supportive- and you know your mats are exactly what they’re looking for.

After determining your products “special group”, all you need to do now is connect the dots and explain how your product will benefit their personal lifestyle.

Knowing your customer is not as complicated as it sounds, in fact, it’s probably the easiest, most crucial step in successfully selling your product.

-Keep in mind-

Nobody likes the idea of being sold -meaning- don’t sound desperate when selling your product. I see this mistake often in the marketing world and avoiding a common error as simple as this could be a major jump into getting sales. You can use your new background knowledge skills to create a product description that helps your customer view your product as a solution to their problems. Once you know who you’re talking to, you’ll know how to better communicate with them.

A hint for properly communicating with your audience is to think of someone you’ve encountered who would benefit best from your product, and describe your product in a way the individual can relate to, without making them feel pressured into buying, or feeling like they are being “sold”. More authentic product description will make your listings seem more inviting to the customer.

So, don’t be afraid to get detailed with your specialty, be unique, and get specific!

3. Create your Etsy shop name

Remember what I just said about being specific with your niche? Well, when creating your shop name, it’s actually best to choose a name that gives you room to grow. Let’s say you chose organic beauty products as your niche, and your main distribution are handmade soaps. You wouldn’t want to name your store “organic soaps” in case you one day decide to create other organic beauty products for your line like bath bombs or facemasks.

You want to keep it short and simple while leaving a good impression of your business.

The reason for that is, if your name is “too unique” or too long to remember or hard to pronounce, it won’t leave a long-term impression, and not all customers want to put in the extra work to go all detective mode on your business name, which is why I advise creating a short and easy-to-pronounce name that best represents your brand.

You can use the site https://namechk.com/ to see what names are available across different platforms. 

An easy way to test your shop name is by doing a quick search on Etsy, google, and other social media platforms of your potential names to first see if they are available. If the name happens to be taken, you can use that as an opportunity to check out their page and get some insight on what is and isn’t working for them, so you can get a better idea of how to compose your next shop name! If you look your name up and it happens to be available, it never hurts to check out shops with a similar niche to grasp a better concept of the ever-changing online marketing methods.

Once you’ve settled with a great, original name, it may be beneficial for you to test it out on some people you are close to. Get their input and critique your work! It is never a bad idea to have an outsider’s opinion!

4. Create a product line

At this point, you’ve probably realized that by selling with Etsy, you’ll have an easier head start in the online sales business than most creators do when trying to sell their craft. That’s why you should know the exact steps to take to succeed in making a living on Etsy. By now, you’re already ahead in the game, but I’m here to help you play your cards right to ensure you keep your place!

Those who try to save a small percentage of time by skipping or putting minimum thought into steps 1 and 2 will struggle to find the right flow they need to have steady business. This results in creating an online yard sale – a type of shop and could be a major setback in your goal of being successful.

With that being said, knowing your target audience and niche are simple steps that will help you better accomplish your short and long-term goals in selling on Etsy, so, once you have those in mind, you can easily start coming up with some amazing product ideas!

A good way to get started with your products is by choosing to create a line that matches your niche. Obviously, if you chose a health-related niche, you’d create some form of health product, such as vitamins or supplements, to stay on-brand with your shop.

Not only will that boost your credibility to your customers, but you’ll also find yourself in a more professional and stable environment which, in itself, is a great way to know you’re one step closer to where you want to be; At home, showing your friends and family how you can make a living with Etsy!

Something to always consider when creating product lines – it’s better to keep each line categorized by similarities. If you ever question what products might fit in with a specific line, just think to yourself,” What supermarket aisle would I find this in (health, beauty, pet care, etc.), and does it match my niche?”

The exciting part now is that you get to start creating and organizing the list of products you’ll be selling on Etsy! When thinking of ideas, don’t be afraid to jot down all the items that cross your mind, however, you should eventually end up choosing roughly 3 pages worth of products to market for your business.

5. Put a price on your products

Pricing your product line is one of the fun parts about setting up your shop, you’re literally creating your own income! But to make sure you hit that lucky number that satisfies both you and your customers here’s a tip on how to calculate a fair product price;

Determine how much money you spend on the supplies to create the products and add them to your desired rate of pay for creating it. Say you’re selling blankets, and the supplies to create them are $10 a bundle. Then let’s say it only takes half that bundle to create one blanket. So now you know you’ve at least spent $5 on creating one blanket. After that, you can estimate how long it took for you to make that blanket.

I know we’re getting a little math, but it’s as minimalistic as it gets, and once you know what you’re doing, you’ll have no issue trying to figure out your prices for each individual product. So back to the numbers: You spend 3 hours creating your blanket, how much pay do you think you would deserve per hour at a local business creating those products? Theoretically, we’ll go with $10/hr. for the blanket, and here’s where we do our quick math-

3 hours x $10/hr. = $30

So now, just add that to the cost of the product materials (in this case, $5) and voila, you’ve found your price at $35 a blanket! – Remember to always determine the cost of product materials first to ensure you’re including the amount you have invested in the product as well as your cost for the time spent on it.

When starting out, it’s equally important to not overprice your listings to maximize your opportunity to gain customers. Another idea that could be of consideration is to actually just average out a reasonable-sounding price based on similar competing products. Once you’re more familiar with your Etsy sales, you can think about fudging with your prices based on the quality and demand the product has.

6. Your picture-perfect products

Photographing your products may not seem like a super important step, but before your customers are able to be persuaded with your well-thought-out product descriptions, you need to first pique their interest with an eye-catching and professional photo of the product.

Being an online business means that since your customers can’t observe your products up close and in person, it’s good to lay out every aspect in great detail on the functions and design so they can fully comprehend the greatness of your products.

Providing your customers with photos and layouts of your products is as easy as snapping a photo from your smartphone while increasing your chances to make sales on Etsy!

Anyone can read a listing online for a ‘sterling silver ring” and decide it’s not worth their time to look into; however, a listing for a “sterling silver ring” along with a photo of a beautiful, 2 carat, the diamond wedding band will allow your customer to actually ‘picture’ themselves with your product, bringing them one step closer to buying.

Just like your product line, try to keep your photos similarly categorized, making sure your shop comes off more formal and professional. The first photo of every product should always stay consistent with your others, whether they all have blue, white, or black backdrops, just make sure you pick one and stick with it!

Although it’s advised to keep the first image of every product very similar, it’s also never a bad idea to add some more personalized photos of your products in their natural habitat! Being able to picture the objects in use gives your customer an even better understanding and desire towards the product.

7. Set up your Etsy shop

Now that you have all of the information you need to run your Etsy store efficiently and professionally; you can create your Etsy seller account!

A couple of things you will be adding to your shop include your shop picture, banner, announcements, shipping settings, payment info, and your policy page.

For the most part, Etsy will help you put your steps into action, all you need to do is refer to these tips and work through them diligently!

A simple way to help guide you through setting up your shop could be from investigating other Etsy shop pages, determining what does and doesn’t stand out from the rest, and using that information as building blocks for your own profile! Like I said before, times are ever-changing, and there is really no way to ever know what trends will fade or evolve, so taking a couple of quick glances at successful (or even unsuccessful) shop pages now and then can give you better insight on what marketing methods will bring you the most business!

8. Create your Etsy listings

One of the many great things about Etsy is that they have a listing manager to walk you through creating your listings, all you have to do is fill out the information they provide!

Remember to include the features and benefits of your products in their description (how your product stands out from others and acts as a solution to a general problem.)

If you’re feeling a little stuck with creating your listings, sometimes it helps to have someone with an outside perspective aid you in creating your content.

There are plenty of online platforms to help you quickly find professional and affordable help, such as Upwork or Fiver. Make sure you check your applicants’ credibility or ask for samples of their work, so you know they are capable of assisting you with how you desire.

9. Enhance your listings on Etsy 

When creating a name for a product, you want to use words that will intrigue your customers without leaving them questioning what your product actually is. Always including your product name and key features at the start of your listing will greater your chances for someone searching in that category to come across your page – including key features in your tags and descriptions are equally as important for the same reasons.

Don’t get discouraged if at first, you struggle to find the most effective keywords for your products, just remember that you’re already doing great! And if you need some extra guidance, grab my FREE Etsy SEO guide by clicking here!

10 Pick your marketing focus

I know you’re ready to really jump into your business and start selling your products but to really be successful in making sales, you need to do your marketing first.

 Creators that spend the majority of their time focusing on their product designs and listings are setting themselves up for low sales.

Marketing is a major part of selling on Etsy, or any place really. Marketing is what will help you stand out from various other creators, it’s a way to show your customers what your business is without ever meeting them!

Social media is a big platform you can easily take advantage of to start marketing your business, aside from that, there are tons of other easy ways to get your name out there such as direct emails, blogs, paper ads, etc.

No matter where you chose to start marketing, you need to identify your marketing focus.

Picking one place to market might seem tricky due to all of the options that are available, but it’s better to have too many opportunities than none at all!

By sticking to a single market, you’ll have a stronger goal focus to improve your work, rather than jumping around from place to place while making little progress in each.

Think of your market as glass and your effort as water. You have so many empty glasses that you could fill up, but you wouldn’t sprinkle a little bit of water into each cup until you eventually circle back to the first. You would start by properly filling up one cup and moving onto the next when you have succeeded, which is what you want to do with your market!

Designating about 6-12 months to focus on one market will definitely be a smart move to improve your business and leave you more focused.

Now that you know all of the tips and tricks, I had to give you, don’t be afraid to keep digging! It never hurts to explore more information on your new career to help you grow – Stay steady with your business and you’ll be making a living on Etsy in no time!

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions! ????

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