Solopreneur Superstar Archives

Best Pins for Promoting a Product Business Right Now

Solopreneur Superstar
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by Steph | zero to biz

The only thing constant in business, is change — especially when it comes to marketing. What worked last year doesn’t always translate to now. My favorite marketing platform, Pinterest, has changed a lot over the past few months. I’ve been testing different forms of content and am sharing the best pins for promoting a product business right now on Pinterest!

Learn to Love the Algorithm

I’ve seen so many people complaining about how Pinterest is no longer working for them. As a business owner, it is your job to pivot and be adaptable when these platforms change. Does it suck? Having to change up your strategy can feel uncomfortable, but it isn’t always a bad thing.

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Starting an Etsy Shop during a Global Pandemic

Who would do something as crazy as starting a new business during a global pandemic? Hey, what’s up, hello – I’m Steph. I opened a new Etsy shop at the end of March – and here’s how it went.

Choosing Action

What is supposed to be my busiest season of the year as a wedding invitation designer was brought to a screeching halt by the virus-that-shall-not-be named. Along with everyone else, I felt all the emotions: shock, worry, and confusion.

Those feelings quickly turned into a realization that my business was put on hold. I found myself with some extra time and much less income. I imagined worst case scenarios, but decided to jump into action rather than waiting around for answers that no one had.

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How to Set Up Google Analytics for Etsy

If the words “Google Analytics” prompt a blank stare from you, you’re not alone. As an Etsy seller, you might believe you don’t need such an in depth tool – yet or possibly, ever.

Even if you aren’t really ready to use it, setting up Google Analytics is never a bad idea. You can’t go back and get the data, it only starts reporting once set up. So basically, the longer you have it active, the more information you have to work with!

I’m going to tell you more about the tool and how to set up Google Analytics for Etsy.

What is Google Analytics?

Google provides Analytics as a tool to measure and report website traffic. It’s totally free to use (yay!) and has so many features. To be honest, it’s quite overwhelming but if you’re a data nerd like me, also fascinating.

You can set goals, track behavior, learn about your audience, see conversations – and much, much more. It’s full of insights that can help to grow your traffic, sales, and business.

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Selling Custom Products on Etsy

I can’t claim to have tens of thousands of sales on Etsy – because I’m not selling a ready to buy, off the shelf, inexpensive product.

I sell wedding invitations and work with couples one-on-one throughout the process to design their stationery, print and assemble, address their envelopes – the whole shabang! In 2019, my average order was $1,143 and I consider it to be not only a boutique product, but also a luxury service.

Truth be told, not all of my invitation orders come from Etsy. However that is where my business started in 2013. I opened my Etsy shop (with zero clue what I was doing) selling notecards and graduation announcements. A year and a half later, I dove into the wedding side of things and began offering full service wedding invitations. Less than a year after that, I quit my job to pursue my business full time.

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The Worst Etsy Advice, Ever.

If my worst enemy came to me and said, “Steph, tell me what to do for Etsy success” with intentions of becoming my biggest competition, here’s exactly what I would tell them – aka what NOT to do when starting your Etsy business.

Don’t open your Etsy shop until everything is perfect.

Take lots of time to research, plan, and create strategies. Make sure you read every informational blog post, listen to every podcast, and take several paid courses. You should spend a few months learning everything you can before you open your shop.

It’s important to know exactly what you’ll do in every situation, how you’ll ship every order, and respond to customer questions. Write down exactly what you plan to do for every scenario you can think of – you can never be too prepared!

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