How to make $10K A MONTH on Etsy // what no one tells you

Summary

In this video, Taylor shares her journey of making $10,000 on Etsy with her business, Boardwalk Beads, which she started at 13. She offers in-depth tips for success on Etsy, emphasizing the importance of quality photos, effective use of hashtags, and cohesive branding on both Etsy and Instagram. Taylor also discusses the value of customer reviews, the potential of advertising, and the psychology behind aesthetic appeal. She advises against begging for sales and stresses the importance of tracking expenses and focusing on quality over quantity for long-term business growth.

Takeaways

• 💼 Taylor started her business 'Boardwalk Beads' at 13 and has made significant sales on Etsy.
• 📈 Etsy is appreciated for its ease of use in managing shop statistics and orders.
• 💸 Etsy charges listing fees and transaction fees, but provides a platform that can drive traffic to your shop.
• 📸 High-quality product photos are crucial for sales; editing skills can compensate for less advanced equipment.
• 💡 Look at what works for other successful Etsy shops to get ideas without copying them.
• 🔍 Research and use relevant keywords in product listings to improve visibility in Etsy searches.
• 🏷️ Use specific and relevant hashtags when listing products on Etsy to attract the right audience.
• 📢 Positive reviews build trust; incentivize buyers to leave reviews through methods like raffles.
• 📱 A cohesive and aesthetically pleasing Instagram account can significantly boost your Etsy shop's visibility.
• 🎨 Consider investing in packaging to encourage repeat purchases and enhance customer experience.
• 🚫 Avoid aggressive marketing tactics such as begging for sales or following/DMing potential customers.

Q & A

What was the speaker's first tip for being successful on Etsy?

The speaker's first tip was to make sure to take quality photos of your products. Good product photos can make a significant difference in sales.

How much does Etsy charge for each listing?

Etsy charges 20 cents for each different item listing.

What percentage of transaction fee does Etsy take?

Etsy takes a 3.5 percent transaction fee.

Why does the speaker recommend starting a business on Etsy?

The speaker recommends Etsy because it's easy to manage everything, and it's free unless you want to update your Etsy subscription. It also helps generate traffic to your shop.

What is the importance of using good lighting in product photography according to the speaker?

The speaker emphasizes that good lighting is probably the biggest thing in product photography. If you have good lighting, the rest is easier.

What does the speaker suggest doing to get noticed on Etsy?

The speaker suggests doing good research of products, using keywords in descriptions and titles, and utilizing the 13 hashtags option when making a listing.

How does the speaker encourage buyers to leave reviews?

The speaker entices buyers to leave reviews by doing review raffles every month, where each review gives the buyer an entry to win a prize.

Why is having a good Instagram account important for an Etsy shop?

Having a good Instagram account is important because it helps with marketing the Etsy shop, especially if you have good product photography that can attract followers.

What is the speaker's opinion on collaborations with influencers for small accounts?

The speaker suggests that collaborations with influencers might not be beneficial for small accounts as it can be costly and may not necessarily lead to increased sales.

How does the speaker feel about focusing on the numbers when running an Etsy shop?

The speaker advises not to focus on the numbers such as followers or sales, but rather on the quality of what you're doing, as quality will eventually lead to quantity in sales and followers.

What is one thing the speaker regrets not doing from the start of their business?

The speaker regrets not keeping track of their spending from the start of their business.

Outlines

00:00

💰 Starting an Etsy Business: Tips for Success

Taylor, the founder of Boardwalk Beads, shares her journey of starting her Etsy business at the age of 13 and achieving significant sales and followers. She emphasizes the importance of Etsy's user-friendly platform, which simplifies order management and provides free tools, despite the transaction fees. Taylor highlights the necessity of high-quality product photos, suggesting that good lighting is key. She also stresses the value of Etsy in driving traffic to shops and offers a teaser for an upcoming video on photo and editing techniques. Taylor advises on researching and incorporating relevant keywords to improve visibility and suggests using Etsy's platform to its full advantage by understanding what works for other successful shops.

05:01

📸 Enhancing Etsy Shop Visibility and Customer Trust

In this segment, Taylor discusses strategies to increase an Etsy shop's visibility, such as utilizing hashtags effectively and ensuring high-quality listings. She underscores the importance of product photography and descriptions in attracting customers. Taylor also talks about the significance of customer reviews, suggesting a 'review raffle' as a method to encourage reviews and build trust. She shares her experience with social media marketing, particularly Instagram, and the impact of aesthetic cohesion on customer engagement. Taylor also touches on the potential of advertising and the importance of learning from other successful businesses without directly copying their strategies.

10:03

📦 Focusing on Packaging and Customer Retention

Taylor emphasizes the role of packaging in customer retention, suggesting that while it may not directly drive sales, it can encourage repeat business. She shares insights from her marketing class about the importance of repeat customers and offers tips on how to maintain a balance between attractive packaging and cost-effectiveness. Taylor also talks about the use of coupons and sales as effective marketing tools to boost sales and customer loyalty. She advises against aggressive marketing tactics that may undermine a brand's image and stresses the importance of confidence in one's products. Taylor also discusses the importance of tracking business expenses and adjusting pricing strategies to ensure profitability.

15:04

🔢 Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity in Business Growth

In the final paragraph, Taylor advises new business owners not to get disheartened by numbers like followers or sales but to focus on the quality of their work. She believes that by concentrating on quality, quantity will follow. Taylor encourages viewers to reach out for questions and suggests that while she enjoys making business-related videos, she is open to more ideas. She also reminds viewers to subscribe for more content and shares her contact information for direct inquiries.

Keywords

💡Etsy

Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. In the script, Etsy is the primary platform where the speaker conducts their business, 'Boardwalk Beads'. The video discusses strategies for success on Etsy, such as quality photos and effective listings, which are crucial for attracting customers and making sales.

💡Quality Photos

Quality photos are emphasized as a key component of successful Etsy listings. The speaker mentions that even though cameras can be expensive, one can use a phone to take good photos if they know how to edit them. Good lighting is highlighted as particularly important, as it can make a product look more appealing and increase the likelihood of sales.

💡Product Photography

Product photography refers to the practice of photographing products for advertising or marketing purposes. The script stresses the importance of product photography in making items on Etsy look high-end and attractive. The speaker plans to create a separate video on photo techniques, indicating its significance in the success of an Etsy shop.

💡Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform where users can share photos and videos. In the context of the video, Instagram is used as a marketing tool to build a brand and attract followers, which can lead to increased visibility and sales for the Etsy shop. The speaker has built a significant following on Instagram, which complements their Etsy business.

💡Hashtags

Hashtags are metadata tags used on social media platforms to identify content and make it easily searchable. In the script, the speaker advises using specific and relevant hashtags when listing products on Etsy to increase discoverability. This strategy helps customers find the shop's products when they search for related items.

💡Reviews

Reviews are customer testimonials that provide feedback on products or services. The video mentions that having a high number of reviews can build trust with potential customers, making them more likely to purchase from the shop. The speaker uses a 'review raffle' strategy to encourage customers to leave reviews.

💡Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing involves promoting products or services through social media platforms. The script discusses using Instagram as a primary marketing channel for the Etsy shop. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having an aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed to attract followers and drive traffic to the Etsy shop.

💡Collaborations

Collaborations refer to partnerships with other businesses or influencers to cross-promote products. The speaker mentions having done collaborations in the past but advises against it for small accounts due to the costs involved. Instead, they suggest using personal networks and resources for modeling and photography.

💡Packaging

Packaging is the process of enclosing or protecting a product for shipping, sale, or storage. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of investing in attractive packaging to encourage repeat customers. Good packaging can enhance the customer's perception of the brand and increase the likelihood of them returning for future purchases.

💡Coupons and Sales

Coupons and sales are promotional strategies used to offer discounts to customers. The script mentions the use of coupons as a way to incentivize repeat purchases and build loyalty among customers. By offering discounts, the speaker aims to encourage customers to return to the shop for more purchases.

💡Business Expenses

Business expenses refer to the costs incurred in the course of running a business. The speaker in the video acknowledges the importance of tracking expenses to ensure profitability. They advise against over-spending on aspects like packaging and emphasize the need to balance costs with sales to maintain a profitable business.

Highlights

Taylor shares tips on selling on Etsy and achieving business success.

Started Boardwalk Beads at 13 and made $7,713 with 57.1k Instagram followers.

Etsy's ease of use and management is praised, despite transaction fees.

Etsy generates customer traffic for free, aiding business growth.

Quality product photos are crucial for sales, and editing skills can compensate for less expensive equipment.

Good lighting is key in product photography.

Observing successful Etsy shops can provide ideas without copying.

Researching popular products and keywords can increase visibility on Etsy.

Utilizing Etsy's 13 optional hashtags effectively can boost product discoverability.

Encouraging reviews through incentives like raffles can build trust with potential customers.

A strong Instagram presence with aesthetically pleasing photos is essential for marketing.

Cohesive branding on Etsy and Instagram enhances legitimacy and customer interest.

Etsy ads and social media advertisements can boost sales when organic growth stalls.

Collaborations with influencers can be beneficial but are not necessary for small businesses.

Investing in packaging can improve customer retention.

Offering coupons and sales can incentivize repeat purchases.

Avoid aggressive marketing tactics that undermine product confidence.

Maintaining financial records is crucial for managing business expenses and profits.

Focus on quality over quantity to naturally attract more sales and followers.

Transcripts

so a lot of you have been asking me for

tips to sell on etsy and like how to be

successful in your business and i know i

made like a video

already but a lot of you want some more

in-depth stuff

and more related to etsy so this video

is gonna

how i made my first ten thousand dollars

on etsy if i were to tell you

tips this is what i would tell you

[Music]

so for those of you that don't know me

i'm taylor i started boardwalk beads

about a year ago in july 2019 when i was

13.

i'm now 14 and i've managed to make 7713

sales as of right now on etsy

and build 57.1 000 followers on

instagram

we're gonna ignore the fact that i

literally looked dead because this was

after school so i was like really tired

okay

thanks so obviously etsy takes a lot of

fees

which kind of sucks but the thing that i

like etsy and why i still use etsy is

because they make it so

easy to like manage everything

everything is super easy like look at

your statistics and like print orders

out

they make it so easy and it's free

unless you like

want to update your like etsy

subscription but it's free

so they take 20 cents for each listing

so each different item like different

type of item you put it's 20 cents they

charge you

and i know they take a 5 or 10 percent

charge like transaction fee i'll look it

up yeah i was really wrong it's 3.5

percent

but so at the end of the day they take a

lot i know i've definitely

lost a good amount of money i honestly

really like etsy because they just make

it so easy and for me i'm

lazy if you're starting a business etsy

is such a good place to start

um another thing i like etsy for is they

generate people to your shop like people

go on etsy looking for things and that's

how a lot of people will find out about

your shop so

etsy basically gets you customers for

free

so i definitely like it for that reason

because

you not only can push your shop like

through social medias but you can also

use

etsy like themselves so that's

definitely really good if you want to

start off because that's how a lot of

people end up finding your shop

my first tip which is this is probably

like the biggest one i'm just gonna like

first one biggest one is make sure you

take

quality photos if your product photos

aren't good

then you're not going to sell anything

and i know cameras and stuff are

expensive but you can use your phone you

just have to know how to edit them right

because if you can edit your photos in a

way that makes them look super high-end

and nice then people will click on your

stuff and they will buy it

i'm gonna be making a whole separate

video on like

photo techniques and like editing

techniques and how i do my product

photos

in case anyone's wondering so that video

will be up probably

in the next week or two some sometime

around there

but make sure the lighting is good i

feel like key lighting is probably

the biggest thing in like product

photography so if you have good lighting

then it's the rest is easy another thing

that's really good on etsy

is what was going to say

okay yeah so another really good thing

about etsy is that

you can see what a lot of other people

are doing and kind of don't copy them

obviously but use them

as like an idea of what works well for

other people

and maybe that'll work well for you like

if you see like certain product photos

with like super good lighting are

working well for other people

then you know that you know you have to

take some better product photos or

if you see that someone is just doing

something whether it's like

making their descriptions really nice or

making the names of their items really

nice

sorry my dog's literally barking as an

example to grow your own brand

because look what works for people and

what doesn't work for people

if that makes any sense so a lot of you

already have an etsy shop and you're

wondering okay how do i get noticed on

etsy

so you're going to want to do some good

research of products like

what is coming up on your recommended

page you know what keywords are people

using

that get the searches and that get

people to look at your shop there's not

like an example of this that i can think

off

of like the top of my head but

definitely do some research you know see

what the

top like searches are and then include

that somehow in your description or your

title

so when people search for that thing

let's say

boho gold necklace or something like

that if you include some of those key

words

in your thing when people search that up

your products will come up and that's

what you want

and another super super good one um

when you go to make a listing on etsy

they'll give you an option of

listing 13 hashtags you have to do it

i know it's like optional or whatever

but you really should do it

and don't make it like random hashtags

if you're selling jewelry why would you

make a hashtag like hashtag keychain

make it like specific to your product

let's say you're selling a golden chain

necklace or something like that

you want your hashtags to be like

hashtag gold jewelry

gold necklace you know things that

relate to your product which will also

help people find your shop in the

searches

people don't know about your shop

they're not going to search up your

shop's name they're just going to go

looking for items that they might like

so what you're going to have to rely on

is what you use in the listing

so this all kind of wraps up to be to

basically say that

the quality of your listing is the most

important thing

how you name it the description um the

photos

so the listings that you do are probably

the most important things

well something else that's super good is

when you get reviews on your shop

you're obviously going to want reviews

and you know you're going to get

positive and negative reviews over the

time it's just how it is

so don't be bummed if you get one bad

review and you want to cry just

i know it's it's tough but like you have

to focus on the good

but what you want to do is you want to

get people reviewing your items

so the more reviews you have people look

and they think okay this is a

trustworthy brand

so what i do and what you guys can do is

you have to

entice the buyer to do a review so

for me i do review raffles every month

and

for each review someone writes they get

one entry and then

i just draw out of everybody that's

reviewed that month so

it's kind of me giving buyers that

little push

to add reviews to my items so that's why

i have so many reviews i think i have

850 right now or something like that

the more reviews the better because

people see that you're reliable and

you're real and you're not a scam which

you definitely don't want them to think

you're a scam

another really good thing to have in

your back pocket is a good social media

account i definitely recommend having an

instagram account

but another thing with an instagram

account you have to have good pictures

if you don't have good product

photography then you're not going to get

followers and no one's going to care so

don't just go

to your carpet and like slap the jewelry

on the floor or the stickers or whatever

you're selling on the floor

and take a picture of it you have to

take photos into consideration people

love cute instagram feeds

my main way of marketing my etsy shop is

through instagram

so of course i want to have pretty good

pictures i mean i think i have pretty

good pictures obviously they're not

perfect

nothing has to be perfect but you're

going to want to really focus on your

instagram

and the quality of that too though make

it cohesive make it look nice

same with your etsy shop you want to

have a nice logo and maybe make an

etsy banner which are like the little

things on top of the etsy shop

but the more cohesive it looks the more

people will look and say whoa this looks

really legit i kind of and

it just gets them interested and it's

kind of like a psychology trick in a way

because

people see like aesthetic looking feeds

and this and that

and they just get more interested which

eventually leads to buyers

so definitely pay attention to your

instagram and

the aesthetic you have going on because

that could play a good part in it

now if you've had an etsy shop for a

while and you're still not seeing sales

and you've done all this stuff and you

still really don't know what to do

look into etsy ads and instagram

advertisement pinterest advertisement

i know it can get pretty costly but you

don't have to spend a lot of money on

ads

so i i personally haven't done it

because

i just haven't gotten around to it but

if you're really

struggling with sales and you know

you've got good photos you've got good

listings you think your instagram is

pretty put together

then you can resort to like

advertisements and

you know make them look nice because if

they don't look nice again no one's

going to buy them

you want people to look at your products

and think whoa

those are pretty you know there's one

business i follow acs.aesthetics i'll

link her

right here her feed is so

gorgeous so take her as an example her

feed is so put together it is

so pretty the colors go together and

just for her photography in general is

gorgeous there's a bunch of businesses

that you can look and you can see their

feeds and you can kind of say okay

they've got something really nice going

on here so don't

copy them obviously but just see what

they're doing like

is there lighting outside inside um

are there layouts unique just definitely

use that to your advantage

now when it comes to collabs with

influencers

i've done a couple i'm personally not

doing them right now

they're a good way to get your stuff out

to people and get some like cute product

photos

but if you're a small account i would

not recommend it

it's okay like you can get some good

photos out of it but

if you're a super small account can't

like afford to like give stuff out i

i wouldn't stress over it just get your

friends to model and get your friends to

take some pictures with it you know

use the resources you have around you

before you go and send things all across

the country

another tip i'd have is definitely focus

on your packaging because

although it's not something that will

get people like necessarily to buy it

it'll get them to possibly come back so

i'm actually taking a marketing class at

my high school right now

and i've actually been paying attention

in that class for the first time

and um one thing the textbook said which

actually really like kind of it kind of

just opened my eyes and it said

a business needs to rely on the

customers that keep coming back

so if you can get people to keep coming

back for more to your shop

then that's just you know customers

that'll keep coming back that's what you

want to aim for

that's um like investing in your

packaging like i have a packaging

packaging video if you want to go watch

that i say where everything's from

and i've heard from a lot of people that

my packaging's pretty cute and it's it's

not that expensive

because what you definitely don't want

to do is over invest in packaging

and over investing an example would be

like spending a hundred dollars on

packaging when you've only had like

20 or so orders you have to be realistic

with your expectations another thing you

could do

um again if you're aiming for those

returning customers that just keep

coming back

is something that i started doing about

like a week ago

and give them coupons coupons and sales

are definitely a great way to get

actual sales because people are like oh

they see that 20 off sign or 25 offside

and they're like okay

i want it because it's on sale so let's

say

someone buys from your shop and you send

them over a message on etsy

thanks so much for your order here's a

coupon if you ever want to order again

want them to just keep coming back

because loyal customers are the best

type of customers

something you definitely don't want to

do is

go around and like go to other

businesses and stuff

and not try to steal their customers

that's like that's not the right wording

i'm trying to use here but

how do i say this i'm going to use an

example there have been a couple

businesses that i know of

they kind of just go around and follow

people and dm them hey i don't have any

sales can you

can you buy from me i really just

haven't sold anything

do not do that that is the worst way to

market

because what you're telling the buyer or

the

maybe future customer is that you're not

confident in the products you sell and

no one wants them so you're basically

going to a potential customer saying

no one wants to buy my products can you

feel bad for me

you don't want that image you don't want

to be cocky of course

and be like everybody loves me but you

want to be confident

don't reach out to people and beg for

orders and beg for sales you have to

earn that on your own otherwise people

are just going to think

you're another small brand you know just

trying to get pity sales

um another good tip in order this is not

really etsy related or just this is just

business related in general

one thing you'll probably want to do is

keep track of your spending which i have

done a

horrible horrible job when it comes to

keeping track of how much money i spend

on things

which i regret i regret from day one

that i haven't like

kept track of things but keep track of

how much you're spending

so then you can compare it to how much

you're making and

if you're not making like any profit

then you need to reconsider your pricing

or reconsider

how much you're spending because you

obviously want to make profit but you

don't want to over price your products

either

but also you don't want to under price

your products if you're putting

time in and money in to make these

things

do some research on etsy and see what

things are selling for

you know how much money could i make off

of this

without necessarily over pricing it so

that's definitely something you can use

other shops for

i suck at this oh my god i can't even

english

and probably the last thing i have to

say for this video

don't focus on like the numbers it can

be so easy to let the numbers get to

your head whether you're gaining

followers losing followers

getting sales and stuff really you just

have to focus on the quality over

quantity

so if you can stop for a second and

focus on the quality of what you're

doing

you'll end up getting quantity in sales

and followers and all that

but first you kind of have to sit back

and just clean everything up

make sure you're doing the best you can

um yeah so

those are all of the tips that i can

come up with off the top of my head

right now

um i definitely want to make more

business videos like this because i

love them and i know i'm not the best

speaker when it comes to things but i

try

my best so hopefully you found something

in this video helpful

and you can learn and grow

if you have any if you ever have any

questions for me feel free to message me

on etsy um

don't ever damn me on instagram if you

have like an urgent question because i

get

so many dms i like physically cannot

answer them all

so if you ever really need to get in

touch with me you can email me

at boardwalkbeadsco gmail.com or you can

message me on that

those are my tips so if you guys found

this helpful or if you want more videos

again i want to do like a photography

tip video

and just other business related videos

because i like making them probably

best out of anything so comment down

below some more ideas

because i i really need some ideas and

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but yeah make sure to watch my other um

business videos i know i'm literally

rambling okay i'm gonna shut up now i'm

so sorry

you