March 17, 2009
We have our first guest Etsy Success contributer, TinaSeamonster! Tina is a blogger, podcaster, crafter, and is a regular contributor to HelloCraft and the Etsy Blog. Take it away, Tina!
For me the number one reason to buy something handmade is that that item has a story and a life separate from me. It was not designed by committee somewhere and then fabricated somewhere else. It was conceived and created by a single human being with a story to tell. And if I know that story behind my purchase, I will tell it again and again to everyone in every elevator who asks me about it. Using your Etsy shop or your products to tell a story or more specifically your story can be a powerful way to distinguish yourself in a sea of makers.
Set Your Scene and Do Not Waste One Word
Every bit of text in your shop is an opportunity to tell a story. Shop title, item descriptions and titles. You know this already and I know it is sometimes very hard to do! Once I have taken a good picture of my new items, I don't want to waste time writing text before I present it to the world! I want to click UPLOAD! But you always have more content to add to your listings. Check out Seller How-To: Making the Most of Your Descriptions by FrenchRoast for helpful tips on writing descriptions that make your work memorable.
Etsy seller, Ememem not only creates little stories for her adorable little bear brooches, but she sets a scene for every listing. I don't know how these bears met all of these little rabbits, but the photos create a world that I want to be a part of.
Cast Your Products as Themselves
If your products can represent themselves in the stories of their lives, why not make a video? Canada-based Etsy seller and animator-extraordinaire Hine recently shared her amazing ads for her felt camera cases.
Absolutelysmall has been bringing the fun for some time with her super cute videos starring Chicken Pants. Need help getting started? Check out the Getting Started in Video series.
What's next? Your products totally need their own Twitter accounts, that's what.
Don't Be Afraid to Share Your Story
For so many Etsians, making makes us who we are. And there is great value to having your customers know you and your story. Lately, I've made this my mission, collecting stories for my Hello Craft Podcast. In a recent episode (3rd story in) , Sweetpepita told the story of the birth of her daughter and how it shaped her business.
Don't be afraid to share yourself with your customers!
Anyone can contribute their story to an episode of Hello Craft by calling a toll-free voice mail line. It is easy and fun!
Be a Character
I love seeing crafters in their own shops. Some shops do it so well that they actually become characters.
Folks like Cubistliterature, Yokoo and Imyourpresent do this really well. Yokoo's daily photo blog creates a world for her products to live in. But, no one does this more completely than Hally McGehean of belleslettres. Hally isn't just a character in her shop, but she actually makes paper dolls of herself!
And the Winner is...
My favorite storyteller on Etsy right now is Staceyrebecca. Not only does she make products that turn her customers into storytellers, but her shop is full of jems like this:
"When I was in the 7th grade, I volunteered at my old preschool. There was a little girl that shoved a kernel of corn up her nose. Henceforth, you should not give corn to children who may be irresponsible with him. He's got many tiny kernels sewn onto him. That is also to be determined. With math. This time it will be my math. I shall add one and one, and then I shall continue adding one to that total sum until I run out of corn. 37. Let's call it 38 just in case I missed one"
Tell me about the best storytellers on Etsy!
Go make something awesome,
Tina Seamonster
P.S. Tina and other members for HelloCraft, will be in the Virtual Labs this afternoon at 4pm EDT chatting about Craft Shows! Come on by and hang out with us.
Want to recommend a future guest curator? Maybe you've got some stellar success tips to share? Email daniellexo with suggestions and contact information.
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