OK.
As all of us full time, self employed creators always do I have been doubting if the way I publish and promote my new items is really the best, most efficient and (most of all) most fruitful strategy.
Having worked as an employed designer for several years BUT now recently a full-time Etsy seller (and much more serious about this business) I have come to several conclusions. I would like to discuss these with this team and hopefully in the end create something like a "work group" of people who are interested to try something new.
Due to the complexity of this topic I think I will start more then one thread, cause things might get quickly confusing.
So I would like to start off with the way we PUBLISH our products/listings here on Etsy.
>>> I started my shop off as a hobby, something to do whilst in between jobs. My shop developed "on the go", organic growth so to say. Whenever I came up with a new product I photographed and listed it. taking the "one item at a time" approach but learning about Etsy, description writing, pricing, and most of all photography at THE SAME time.
Now that I am in my third Etsy year, clear about the decision and the following consequences of wanting to do this full time, clear(er) about how I want my brand and it's image to look like and how to accomplish this look I am starting to think about PROFESSIONALISM. And with this comes efficiency and that only goes with being organized.
How do the "big players" organize their business? Well, the first thing that comes into my mind is that they all have their work time scheduled. And some strategic decision have to be made up front. Things need to done by a certain time and at the end of the deadline there is a BIG PRESENTATION.
All major labels, brands, magazines have catalogs. the entire new collection is being presented in ONE great revealing.
So this clashes with my "one item at a time" strategy. And to be honest, I have been so far reluctant to try anything else, cause it has been said so often that we want to spread our listing times. You spread the cost as well and each day some more views from new listings looks sounder than playing the "all at once" card...cause what if you chose the wrong day or time?! Or both?! Or if you are, like me in Europe but your main customer load is in the US and Australia.
Well, maybe there is never the perfect time. Something else will be always more preferable then what you are already doing.
As you might guess now, I am about to give it a try. I am preparing loads of nwe listings and saving them as drafts in order to reveal my new collection in one go. If that is all in one day, or maybe spread over two or three according to theme.... I don't know yet. I have still some uploading to do and this time to come to a decision.
But I would like what you people think. How do you proceed and have you already tried different styles?
i would really love some feedback and opinions.
As soon as I get some more free minutes (in the next few days) I will start another thread about publishing in combination with promotion (which is such a time consuming issue for all of us) and how I think Etsys treasury system is a bit "outdated", how it could be improved and how we could help each other to be less dependent from external taste makers aka. become the new taste makers ourselves.
>>>Pew, a lot of words in long sentences. Thank you for bearing with me and reading it all.
X from france,
Nic*
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