Sunday, May 8, 2011

How can Treasuries help my Etsy Shop?

Not only are treasuries super fun, they can be great for building traffic and sales for your Etsy shop. The obvious way you think of treasuries promoting your shop is to...well... make treasuries. That is a way of getting people to check out your shop, but there are some other ways as well.

Step 1 - Research!
  • Treasury makers, in addition to selecting great looking items, look for items that will get their treasury to the front page of etsy. They do this by finding out what is trending, by selecting items that Etsy suggests in their marketing news. (click HERE to see the May edition)
Example: In the last couple of days I have noticed some recurring types of items on the front page of Etsy like Bikes, Birds, Deer and Horses.

Step 2 - Tagging
  • Tags - I am not talking about treasury tags, I am talking about shop tags. If I have an item that fits into something I know is hot for treasury makers, I need to tag my item as such.
Example: If Deer keep showing up on the front page, that means treasury makers will search on the word "Deer", "Woodland", "Buck", "Horns", etc. I have a card in my shop with a Deer on it. Currently I don't have the word "Deer" as a tag. I should add it if I want treasury makers to find my card.

Tips:
  • Treasury makers love making treasuries around holidays. If you have an item that isn't specifically Father's Day, but is masculine and would look great in a treasury be sure to tag it with words like "Father's Day", "Father Gift", "Masculine", "Dad", etc.
  • Treasury makers love to reciprocate when they are included in a treasury you make. The more treasuries you curate, the more treasuries your shop will be featured in.
  • Use craftcult (link HERE) to see which etsy users have multiple front page treasuries. See if you can use something from their shop in a treasury you create. They are more likely to reciprocate when they make their next treasury.



  • Take a look at your avatar. If you are commenting on lots of treasuries, your avatar should show a product from your shop. People looking at the treasury will be more curious if they see one of your products next to your name. There have been lots of times I have discovered a shop by reading someone's comment and seeing a cute product.
Here is an example of some avatars that might get your shop noticed. They use a avatar that shows items from their shop or advertising a sale. I think that owl is super cute so even though this person isn't involved in the treasury other than commenting, I might check out the shop. If the avatar had been of the shop owner's face (I am sure you have a very lovely face), it might not have inspired me to check out the shop.

I would love to hear your tips on increasing shop sales using treasuries! Please comment and subscribe.

9 comments:

  1. Thanks Christine! I am curious to see if anyone has some additional tips for us

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  2. I agree of most of it :)
    but the avatar-Item or avatar - face is stil is a dillema for me .. personally I like to connect with someone I potenttialy want to boy from..
    But your article is very great !
    Thank You

    www.madebymada.etsy.com

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  3. It would be nice if Etsy added an option to add a personal photo on our shop page in ADDITION to our avatar as I am with Mags on this one, I will go check out a shop if I find the avatar interesting, I rarely check one out that has a personal pic.

    Great article!!!

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  4. You've done it again Mags! Great article.

    I do have a different point of view on the avatar however. Originally, when I started, I thought I would actually change my cute little puppy picture to show my dog growing up as I "grew up" in Etsy. However, I changed my mind as more and more people commented on the cute pic. I came to realize that I could promote the avatar as another tool to identity with me. I want people to recognize that cute little puppy!

    Another tip is doing what I call a "message" treasury by using the curator's opening spot to write a particular message. For example, I once did a breat cancer awareness treasury featuring the color pink, of course, then relayed a personal message as the curator. People who identify with a particular message has a tendency to look up your profile and shop- even when you dont have one :).

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  5. Please forgive all the typos above - good grief!

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  6. That is great advice, I do love your puppy avatar! I do think brand identity is important and personally connecting with your potential buyers. Great points!

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  7. Really great article! I've been on Etsy for a couple years but just getting the hang of it. I've been in two treasuries and now want to make some of my own to help others as well. There are so many great things on Etsy! On the avator-- not sure what to do. I have a little logo of my business but if that doesn't get their attention. Then i would want to change it. I have pictures of myself on the "about page" which was a dilemma at first because I don't want the whole world to see. But I guess that is part of doing business. And I like to know who I'm buying from. Thanks for the great article!!

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