There is no getting away from the fact that Etsy is a marketplace. A big, bustling, open all hours marketplace. And like a traditional marketplace – unless you’re very, very established, you’ll have some days when sales are booming and you’re already planning your retirement in the Bahamas. And other days, okay, weeks, months – whole business quarters, even, where sales are depressingly slow and you wonder why you bother at all.
In this article I’ll show you 5 ways to grow your Etsy profits, with email marketing for Etsy store owners. Most of these email marketing strategies are incredibly simple to execute – yet so effective… you’ll wonder why you didn’t do them sooner.
I’ll also share with you my time-saving resource library, containing the best information and training on how to create a winning newsletter for your eCommerce store (that converts). But I’ll tell you more about that later, first, let’s dive into my email marketing for Etsy tips… you can thank me later !
Email Marketing for Etsy: How to grow your profits in 5 simple steps
- Put everyone on the list (unless they say otherwise!)
Now what I’m about to suggest goes against popular wisdom, but I’ll explain my reasoning in a second.
Whenever a customer makes a purchase from you, this customer should automatically go onto a email list of buyers –buyers whom you will send your email newsletter to (until or unless they say they don’t want it).
Here’s how to do this with minimal ‘ick’, invasive marketing, and unsubscribes.
- Include a simple “thank you for shopping with us” card in a prominent place in all your packaging. Additionally, on this card, let theknow that all new customers are added to your mailing list.
- Add all new customers into a separate email list, and shortly after receiving their purchase order send them a welcome email. In your welcome email thank them for becoming a customer, and again, let them know they have been added to your mailing list so they can be first to hear about new products and promotions that might interest them. Let them know they are welcome to unsubscribe at any time should they wish, and voila! That’s it, they are now on your list and no kittens died.
This type of communication is a win win. It lets your customers see that you value them and only want to send them information that they want, and it also gives them the chance to unsubscribe.
Image credit: Pinks and Minks
Add a sign-up box on your website
While Etsy does not allow or encourage you to promote the other places you retail online on their platform, that does not stop you from including an email opt-in box on your own website, if you have one.
Most email marketing service providers have easy to use opt-in boxes that you can modify and add to your website. I use Aweber, but would recommend MailChimp for creative entrepreneurs looking to begin a email marketing for Etsy campaign. If you currently have a small list – MailChimp is free.
Don’t just slap up a opt-in box anywhere on your site and expect people to give you their email. You need to include your opt-in box in a prominent area of your site and give your visitors a strong and compelling motivation to give you their email address. Here’s that resource I mentioned earlier on the best ‘how-to’ training I’ve found around the web on how to set up your newsletters, generate content ideas, and get people to subscribe. Grab Everything you need to create a killer newsletter, right here!
Image credit: Arturo Rios
- Promote your mailing list on your social media accounts
I’m going to assume that you are not relying on Etsy to do all your promotion, and that you are actively marketing the benefits of joining your mailing list over on your social media profiles?
Use your social media profiles to let your customers know you offer exclusive offers to subscribers to s, and entice them to want to join. Now, again, I’m going to go against conventional wisdom and recommend that don’t just promote your own stuff on your social media platforms. Take the time to find products, services and things of interest to your target customer (ask them, even!) and create a varied and exciting social media marketing plan that allows you to promote and profit — without the hard sell.
This type of varied content curation strategy has two strong benefits.
- When you share the products of other complimentary Etsy sellers, they’ll be more open to sharing your products, promoting your newsletter, or saying yes to requests for interviews. In fact, this careful curation of interesting products to share with your audience can often open up opportunities to cross promote and collaborate.
- It keeps your social media marketing fresh, well rounded and interesting – and you don’t have to keep coming up with new content. It also allows your customers to see your products in context with other items that suit their personal style or needs.
Image credit: Tovi Corrie
- Crank up the content and keep it comin’
Don’t be of those business owners who starts out with big plan for their email marketing strategy, only to see it fizzle and die just a few short weeks later. Plan content for your newsletter in advance – especially around significant dates or promotions for your business – and this will stop you ending up in a last minute rush to just get. something. out.
I recommend emailing your customers at least once per month, outside of that, identify key dates where you will want to email – such as the release of a new product line, sale, or news of a contest or promotion. And where possible, create your newsletter content in advance – it’s always good to have a head start.
The thing to remember with email marketing for Etsy is to keep it personal. Your customers buy handmade because they value that personal touch. If your email marketing becomes wooden and robotic this will be noticed by them and will eventually damage your brand.
When sitting down to create your email newsletter, don’t just think about what you will be writing about, think about the overall tone, and presentation of it. Is your message uplifting, entertaining or educational? Also, don’t forget that your newsletter don’t always have to focus on your products. Some of my clients have had found they have driven more customers back to their websites when their email newsletters promoted the work of another great artist.
Don’t think of this as promoting your competitors work and therefore counterintuitive. Look for Etsy store owners who make products that compliment what you sell. The trick is to find interesting angles for contacting your subscribers – each email you send should offer your reader some sort of value. But if you approach your email marketing content creation this way, not only will your readers buy from you, but they’ll look forward to it.
Image Credit: Knicker Rocker
- Reinforce your brand message
Every time you send an email to your customer it’s an opportunity to reinforce your brand message through the language you use, the way you position your products, and the visuals you select. If you have your customers attention, make sure your presence is memorable.
Take a look through the wide variety of templates, styles and colour palettes offered by most email service providers, then upload your logo and make further customisations to suit your brand.
Having access to your customers inbox is a powerful tool for connection – if done right. So think about the style and content of newsletters you like to receive, and use that as your standard. Focus on making your email marketing for Etsy jam-packed with well-written, interesting content and great visuals. Look for ways you can make your newsletter interactive and get your readers to respond to you. The important thing is not let it become a monthly chore.
Readers can tell when you send our poorly thought-out newsletters with thin information. The idea of committing to email marketing for your Etsy store may be daunting. There’s lots of information out there, and if you’re not particularly technically minded, some of the seemingly small tasks to get things up and running can take away massive chunks of your day.
I’ve put together a resource guide of all the great content I’ve found on the web on how to create, populate and run and a popular, profitable newsletter. I think you’ll find it really handy and I’d love to share it with you – it won’t cost you anything. Here’s what’s included:
- Get started with MailChimp or Aweber ( decide which provider is best for you)
- Create your mailing list and set up your template ( step-by-step instruction)
- Add an email sign up box to your website ( it’s easier than you think)
- How to segment your email list and why you should do it (this is where the money is)
- How to create a content creation calendar and why you need one ( a must watch)
- How to promote your content in a smart, non-salesly way (you’ll love it)
Image credit : Boowah clothing
To grab instant access to this time saving resource of some of my most recommended training on how to get started creating your email newsletters, just click here and get everything you need to create a killer newsletterHey, just before I go, let me ask you something … A few of my clients have been asking me how they can set up a system for creating incredible content for their blog – with little time and little budget, but major a impact on traffic and, of course, sales. I was thinking of putting together a training session on how you can create a content marketing strategy from scratch, where I’ll share with you some of the competitive analysis secrets big brand marketers use to create content that gets their target customers attention. Interested? Just drop your email here, and I’ll let you know when it’s running.
And if you’ve gotten value out of this post on email marketing for Etsy…be a total rockstar and share it with others. Pssst….all the images are pinnable and shareable on social media.
