Consumers are beginning to have a better appreciation for the personal touch. This appreciation is becoming an economic factor as this influences the way people spend their money. Fewer customers are looking to big business for gifts and personal items for their homes. Social media platforms have broadened their horizons and increased their expectations.
People now desire to have items around their homes that they know are unique, rare, and custom-made. Big business can offer quantity and low prices, but consumers know that they are just one of many to the conglomerates.
Each customer is an appreciated individual to an Etsy store owner. An Etsy store might be online, but it has the warmth and personal touch of a Mom & Pop store. The comfort of this emotional connection is a huge draw, and you can reap a sizable profit. You have to turn from a hobbyist into a small business owner.
Presentation Is Key
As a hobbyist, your approach to the look of your Etsy store might be somewhat haphazard. As a business owner, you have to streamline and polish your store’s appearance to look more professional and attractive. The photos of your products are the first step in convincing your customers that they want to spend their money.
If you sell beautiful jewelry but the photos of your items are shadowed and dull, then the potential customer will find another store. Do what you need to do to improve the look of your photos. Whether this means investing in a better camera, using better quality materials, or using photo-editing to bring out sparkle; improving the presentation will improve sales.
Social Media Marketing
Your success depends on people actively purchasing the products you craft. This means you need as many people as possible to know about your product. A good quality product will always generate word-of-mouth business, but this is highly sporadic. But spending on advertising might not be quite within your financial ability at this time.
Use social media as a tool to create a digital marketing campaign that will cost very little money but improve your store’s brand.
You already love your hobby, so bring that love to bear to make fun pages on social media sites that feature your products. Connect with interested people, tell personal stories behind the creation of individual items, and respond in a timely and friendly way to queries and general interest.
Have a Goal
Set goals and plan strategies to achieve those goals. Work within a reasonable schedule and stagger the size of the goals across a period of months. This will keep you focused and interested while avoiding burnout.
Know what you want from your business. Read books by entrepreneurs, connect with other Etsy store owners, and consider taking a short business management course online. All of these can open your eyes to a variety of resources out there all designed to help you in succeeding as a business owner.
There might even be tax breaks and SME schemes that can help you keep costs low while maximizing your business viability. Do some research into these areas and pick and choose what works for you, your business, and your overall goals.
Streamline Your Shipping
As a hobbyist, you might have allowed your customers to choose how they want to receive their products. As a business owner, you need to streamline the way you deliver your products to your customers.
It might be wise to begin looking for a shipping service that suits your needs and has reasonable rates. There are some indie or small-scale shipping services which will likely be happy to sit down and work out a deal with you. This sort of collaboration between your two small businesses can be profitable for both. You will also have begun a culture of networking that can further aid you in gaining business contacts and growing your business.
Choose wisely when it comes to shipping as reliable order fulfillment and lack of delays can be the difference between making a loyal repeat customer and having a one time customer.
Think carefully and plan wisely before changing from a hobbyist to a business owner. While you might enjoy making your product now, the rigors of running a business can lead to a loss of enjoyment on your part.
You must be sure that the added revenue and opportunity for more financial stability is enough of an advantage to you and your lifestyle. If it is, then there is no better time to make the leap than right now.
