How to Promote Your Etsy Shop Like a Rock Star (Without Being an Online Media Guru, or Going Broke!)

If you’ve got an Etsy shop, you’re probably creative. Talented. Independent. Probably female (>80% chance). When it comes to creating and curating housewares, jewelry, clothing, art, and collectibles, you’re in your zone. But promoting your shop may not come quite so naturally. Marketing online can be a numbers game and for some it’s a “creative right brain” vs “analytic left brain” situation. If custom party supplies are your thing, Google analytics may not be. The good news is, if you’re wondering how to market your Etsy shop without being or becoming a marketing whiz, you’ve come to the right place. 

Following are easy ways to promote your Etsy shop without spending more time or money (or brain cells) than you’d like. Save the inspiration for the hanging shelves, wedding wear, vintage clothing, and handmade jewelry. As far as how to get more traffic on Etsy, we’ve got simple solutions you’ll love, including some informative stats about Etsy sellers like you to keep in mind when deciding how to promote your Etsy shop*: 

If You’ve Got an Etsy Shop, You’re in Good Company

With more than 4.3 million active sellers on Etsy (and 81.9 million active buyers in 2020), you’re part of a strong and supported collection of artists, entrepreneurs, creators, and collectors. Etsy invested $500.76 million in marketing in 2020. Your shop is attached to a brand that’s highly promoted and protected. The chances of an Etsy scandal adversely affecting your shop brand are very low. One of the benefits of being part of a larger platform is that your small business benefits from the collective branding power of the platform. This means your customers come to your shop with an added sense of trust and familiarity. Leverage this by welcoming shop visitors with open arms, including shipping discounts, bundles, and links to any social media you maintain. 

Promoting Your Etsy Shop: Think Woman to Woman

Women sellers account for 83% of Etsy sellers, and 81% of buyers are female. When considering how to market your Etsy shop, assume your buyer is very similar to you, so promote as you’d like to be promoted to.      

Etsy Success: It Can Be Done (Within Reason)

Successful Etsy shops can earn over $10,000 per year. (There’s a statistic floating around the web that the average household income of an Etsy seller is over $56,000 per year but this isn’t substantiated enough to hang your–or our–hat on. The stat is misleading at best, as a household can include two bread winners, one of whom may earn $50K at, say, a corporate job while the other, say, the Etsy shop owner, is pulling in $6K.) The bottom line: Be realistic, keep your day job, and make sure you’re making and selling something you love. 

Consuming and applying every bit of advice on how to promote your Etsy shop doesn’t guarantee success. Just look at all the failed start-ups driven by the brightest brains in the room. Answers to the “how to get more traffic on Etsy” are seemingly endless and include social platforms, discounts, collaborations, word of mouth, and more. Whatever you choose to promote your shop, be sure you’re balancing your time and talent and having some fun interacting with customers.  

Etsy Customers Come Back

Think of Every Customer as Two or Three–or 10! Between 10% and 60% of an Etsy shop’s orders are from repeat customers. This is an important opportunity to leverage. Enjoy thrilling your customer with a product that exceeds their expectations, and a presentation that makes a lasting impression. We are fans of the “unexpected gift” as a marketing technique (we use this a lot among our customers and prospects), and recommend including a personalized “thank you” gift as a top way to promote your Etsy shop. An “unexpected gift” included in your customer’s purchase, and personalized with your Etsy shop logo, is one of the best ways to promote your Etsy shop. It encourages a thrilled customer, repeat purchase(s), ongoing visibility, and word of mouth. 

Being as we are a promotional products company, we have just the ticket when it comes to including a little something with each shipment. And we specialize in little somethings that are affordable for small businesses (our target customer) and designed to focus attention on your brand name. Our best-selling promotional items are those that are used daily and keep small business names (in this case, your Etsy shop) top of mind for months or years, for only a few bucks.  

“Ship” Your Etsy Shop with Free Shipping

Fifty percent (50%) of would-be buyers who opt not to complete a purchase say high shipping costs are the main reason. A no-brainer way to promote your Etsy shop? Offer free shipping, reduced shipping on bundled items, or a discount for repeat customers. Include a pen, magnet, note pad or other gift that’s customized with your logo and free shipping code. Your customers can easily keep the discount code on hand and your Etsy shop top of mind. 

Promoting Your Etsy Shop via Social Media: Go a Long Way with Even a Little Bit

Establishing credibility for your Etsy shop by maintaining even a small presence on a few social media platforms helps to convert customers by adding another layer of emotional engagement and trust between your brand and your customer. If you’re not an Instragram expert, no problem. You don’t need to spend hours pinning images to Pinterest or relaying amusing anecdotes on Facebook. Simply having a presence on one of these surfaces, and linking to it from your Etsy shop (in multiple places so you’re sure to be seen) goes a long way toward making your shop stand out. Also, when you’re looking at how to promote your Etsy shop organically, having a presence on external platforms helps search engines find you, and helps drive traffic from those platforms to your Etsy shop.  

Read more tips on social media marketing for small businesses. 

Keep Your Name on the Brain with an Etsy Shop Promotional Calendar

Let visitors to your Etsy shop know when the next sale is coming up. It may seem counter-intuitive to incentivize your customers to hold out for, say, your Big Memorial Day Sale, but when your customer can plan on purchasing from you a few weeks down the road, that’s a few weeks that they’re anticipating a great product and a great deal, and keeping your Etsy shop brand top of mind.  

Etsy Ads: Pay to Play?

With millions of active sellers like you, Etsy Ads, or Promoted Listings, are important to consider, but not always the right choice. If you’re new to Etsy and pay for your listing to be seen above the rest, chances are you won’t have the stellar reviews or sales volume to encourage customers to convert once they hit your Etsy shop. It’s a good idea to hold off on Etsy Ads until you have the sales and reviews under your belt to increase the odds that the money you spent to get the customer to your shop, results in a sale. When you do venture into the Etsy Ads water, just know that you can control exactly how much you spend per ad, per day, per click, and more. So if you’re into that sort of thing, you can test and modify what you spend for an ad based upon how likely you are to make a sale from it. 

Cut Out the Middleman

We love a good chaperone as much as the next guy, but there’s a time and place for any good ambassador to exit stage left. Communicating through Etsy for a specific transaction protects the buyer and seller and adds an additional layer of convenience and safety. However, when you’re left without a customer’s contact information, it’s hard to upsell, cross-sell, promote a sale, or encourage a repeat purchase. When you package their item, include a card or other personalized “thank you” gift (more on that below) that includes a website where they can sign up for early access to sales and new products, discounted shipping, and more. 

How to Promote Your Etsy Shop With Personalized Gifts For Your Customers

Many Etsy buyers are shopping for a gift. Promote a strong customer review, customer loyalty, word or mouth, and repeat purchases by including an unexpected “thank you” gift for your customer with their shipment.  

Check out this curated list of customized “thank you” gifts that are budget-friendly, the ideal size and weight for tucking into your mailing. They’re designed for daily use so your Etsy Shop stays top of mind among your customers as well as their friends, family, and colleagues. Enjoy!  

Design Wrap Colorama Pen with Metallic Trim: Choose from over 50 full wrap designs or upload your own. Your imprint covers the barrel and makes your branding stand out from every angle. 

Mineral Soft Touch Diamond Stylus Pen with Rose Gold Trim: The best way to promote your Etsy shop may be with an attention grabbing giveaway everyone will want to borrow. Your branding’s at its best with this this top-tier, professional pen, featuring rich mineral barrel colors with color-matched stylus, rose gold trim, chrome rings, and a diamond patterned grip. 

Classic Deluxe Bottle Opener: This heavy duty bar tool features a stainless steel corkscrew, knife, bottle opener and bottle wrench. Each tool folds back into the handle for safety and ease of use, making it compact in size and super convenient. If your Etsy shop’s about housewares, home improvement, or special events, this unexpected gift will be appreciated by all.  

Britebrand™ Spiral Flip Pad: Discover the power of colorful marketing with this customizable full-color spiral flip notepad, imprinted with your Etsy shop branding for daily visibility as your customer takes notes, makes a shopping list, and plans their next purchase from your shop. 

Telescopic Stainless Steel Straw in Carabiner Case: This retractable stainless steel straw with a straw cleaner comes in a portable keychain case so that customers always have a straw when they need it, and your Etsy shop branding on hand. 

Recycled Plastic Noah Tote Bag: This bag’s made of 80% recycled plastic and 20% polyester for Earth-friendly toting—and all-around-town branding, too. 

Silicone Phone Pocket with Stand: This phone pocket adheres to the back of a smartphone and sports your Etsy shop name as well. Made from lightweight and durable silicone material, it comes with a snap button closure to keep contents secure. 

Universal Sticky Holder in Case: This giveaway is kind of crafty, if we do say so ourselves! These pop-up sticky holders can be used as phone holders and also for hanging items on walls for easy access, such as earbuds, scissors, and craft materials. 

Lip Balm SPF 15: Market your Etsy shop while your protect the lips of your valuable customers. This SPF 15 balm features a scratch resistant, white waterproof Tuf Glossthat’s customized with your messaging. 

The Best Way to Promote Your Etsy Shop? Do What Works Best for You!

Clearly there are many ways to get the word out about your offerings, be they garden boxes, pet supplies, handmade measuring spoons, boho jewelry, wooden toys, bridal face masks, and more. The world likes small business more than ever, and wants to support you! Use the marketing tactics that come naturally to you. Start small, experiment, and grow as your business does. We are here to help get your Etsy shop name out there with giveaways that work as hard as you do!   

*Stats in this article are thanks to Writers Block Live, Tech Penny, and Why Does Everything.