She Owns It

Celebrating, Connecting, and Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Three Online Stores Entrepreneurs at Every Level Can Utilize by @rebeccacclark

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Three Online Stores Entrepreneurs at Every Level Can Utilize

by Rebecca Clark

The Internet has opened a whole host of doors for creators, allowing people to sell crafts, art, clothing, and nearly any other product you can think of online. With the capability to reach a global audience, third-party online marketplaces make it so much easier to for entrepreneurs to get their products out to customers.

Whether you’re just venturing into opening your own online business or have used the Internet to sell your products for a while, there are plenty of websites you can use to host your online shop. Here are three different options depending on your experience level:

Novice: Amazon
When you think of online shopping, you think of Amazon(1), which is why it’s a great website to use if you want to start building your online presence as a seller. According to Amazon, they have over 95 million monthly users, a huge audience for your products to potentially reach. For a monthly fee, Amazon handles all of the “heavy lifting,” including packing and shipping products and managing customer service and returns. This feature allows entrepreneurs to focus entirely on growing their business and creating quality products.

Intermediate: Etsy
Etsy(2) allows entrepreneurs to build a customized online store where they can sell a variety of different products. The website gives users access to manage their products, payments, and interactions with customers. They also offer a service called Etsy Wholesale, where sellers can apply to have their products sold in some retail stores. Etsy also provides educational supplements and newsletters for sellers to increase their knowledge of running an online business. For people wanting to expand their business and learn more about best practices, Etsy is a good place to begin.

Advanced: Shopify
Shopify(3) is a full-service ecommerce solution that allows users to manage their products, payments, SEO, and overall shop from front-end and back-end standpoints. This website gives entrepreneurs the ability to write their own code, designing a unique and customized storefront completely on their own. Users also have access to Google AdWords and detailed analytics of their store’s performance. Although many people who take advantage of these features are experienced online sellers, Shopify has consultants available 24/7 to assist with any questions they may have. Having your own domain name gives your store a more professional feel and credibility. Shopify is a great tool for people with experience in managing an online business and wanting to take theirs to the next level.

Opening your own business to sell clothes, handmade crafts, jewelry, photography, quilts, prints, and nearly any other imaginable product does not have to be difficult. With only a few clicks, you can be on your way to opening your own business using online marketplaces like the ones mentioned above.

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Rebecca ClarkRebecca Clark is a recent graduate of Miami University with degrees in English literature and professional writing. She enjoys reading, writing, and traveling, and hopes to one day become a book editor

 

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10 Business-Boosting Goals for Your Etsy Shop by @_LisaJacobs_

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Be So Good | Market Your Creativity

Image credit: lovefromginger.com altered by Lisa Jacobs

by Lisa Jacobs | Featured Contributor

Here are ten business-boosting goals to try out on your Etsy shop to make this your best-selling year yet.

Goal #1: Build a mailing list. If you don’t already have an email host, I highly recommend Mail Chimp (sign up for free) or google “email marketing services” for a longer list of options. The benefits of using a service are countless: they provide email templates, tracking information, website forms, web pages where your customers can join, and they handle “unsubscribes” that comply with SPAM laws.

Once you have your mailing list, help people find the sign-up form! I include a link in my shop announcement on Etsy, in my auto responder “thank you for your order” email, connect it to a tab on my Facebook fan page account, and publish the link to the sign-up form on Facebook and Twitter just before a big sale with an announcement: “Exclusive sale going out to the mailing list this Thursday! If you haven’t yet sign up, now’s your chance!”

Goal #2: Create an editorial calendar. Success doesn’t just happen to people! Imagine building your dream house without blueprints – you show up every day and lay bricks where you think they might go without a plan. Do you think you would be content with the end result after years of free-form building?

No! Yet that’s how the majority of us run our creative businesses! We chase emails, get lost in creating, and spend way more time “researching” on Pinterest than we ought to. An editorial calendar ensures that the tasks that add to your bottom line get done first.

Goal #3: Build a marketing plan. This goes hand in hand with number 2, as it will make your year easier to schedule and more productive. Plan your sales and promotions in advance, and this will help a lot of other strategy fall into place, such as: when to order supplies, when to post on social media, what to blog about, etc.

Goal #4: Feng Shui your work space. I love Feng Shui for the home. If you’re not familiar, Feng Shui is a “Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment.” (Wikipedia.) Feng Shui is the practice of improving the gentle flow of energy in your space.

To improve the energy flow in your work space, refer to this simple guide I wrote on Feng Shui for the Home Office.

Goal #5: Revamp what’s gone stale in your shop. Simply ask: What would make me feel good and excited about my shop again? Maybe it’s a new product line, maybe it’s finding 100 new customers or learning a new skill.

To rekindle the flame in business, do a mini-review session. Ask: Where would I like to take things in the next three months? What’s the progress I want to see? And what can I do to achieve it?

Goal #6: Blog regularly. I love blogging; I wish everyone would do it. Blogging forces you to sit down and ask: What do I want to say to the world? And once you start sharing that message, it only gets better.

For creative businesses, blogging reinforces your brand and your online persona. It is an ongoing conversation between you and your customers, allowing them to get to know you better.

Goal #7: Create a multi-faceted business. The phrase “multiple streams of income” is music to my ears. My online storefront is only half of the work I do. I also earn income from business coaching, courses and programs, my blog, and a part-time editing position.

The steady flow of cash that is provided by these multiple sources equals one calm creative business owner. I’m able to think clearly about new projects because my working hours are free of desperation, high pressure or anxiety.

Goal #8: Track your working hours. This is a new practice for me, and I’m seeing amazing results with it. In 2014, I decided I was going to reduce my working hours and keep a progress log of how I spent them. I then publish my results each month. The transparency felt so wonderful, that I’ve even decided to share how much I make with my creative business each month as well!

Goal #9: Collaborate with other artists. Some of the biggest leaps in my career have come from community partnerships. For example, Timothy Adam (editor of Handmadeology) and I co-host the Build a Better Creative Business course for online sellers. Tim loves to do all of the things I dislike about launching an e-course (the technical side of things), and likewise, I love to do all the things that Tim dislikes (the writing and organizing).

By working together, we eliminated stalls we would have encountered had either of us taken the challenge on our own.

Goal #10: Apply the WRAP Technique to your new ideas and lofty goals. This is a simple, 4-step process I created to help you bust your ruts in business. If you’ve been contemplating the next level of business but find yourself overwhelmed, ask the following questions in this order: (1.) Why not? (2.) How so? (3.) For what result? (4.) Is it worth it to try? Click here to check out some of my own personal examples, and the amazing results I’ve seen.

Finally, for whatever goals you set out to accomplish, be sure to assign them a deadline. This will motivate you to stay on task and work your projects through to completion. Best of luck!

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Lisa Jacobs, Owner of the Energy Shop and author of Marketing Creativity

Lisa JacobsLisa Jacobs writes the blog, Marketing Creativity for fellow creatives who aim to build a career with their own two hands. She offers a bundle of free marketing tools designed to help you get paid to be … you.

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Opening New Doors on Etsy by Rheney Williams

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by Rheney Williams

I have been making things with my hands since I was a little girl and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say something like: ‘This is great – you should totally sell these!’

For my crafty sisters out there, you know how thrilling it is to have someone validate your handiwork, and when faced with compliments like the one above, you’ve probably had a conversation within yourself that goes something like this: ‘I wonder…could I make a go of this? Surely there are more people out there who would buy some of this stuff! No, who am I kidding? This is just a hobby and I have enough to do without adding another thing to my list that’s not going to pan out. Oh well, it was a nice thought.’

Well, ladies, it may be time to quiet old Negative Nelly for good because there are indeed women just like you and me who have found success with selling their unique creations! They’ve believed in themselves and turned their crafty dreams into online realities through the exposure of Etsy and a clever idea that resonates with others.

So with that in mind, let’s discuss a key concept of successful Etsy selling by looking at two products that enterprising female entrepreneurs have turned from an otherwise ordinary item into something truly inspired!

How-To for You: Unique Upcycling

This type of Etsy option takes an outdated or used item and breathes new life into it in an unexpected way or transforms it into something else entirely.

What this means for many women wantrepreneurs out there is that you don’t have to have mad skills with yarn or be able to single-handedly hammer metal into an awesome bracelet in order to be successful on Etsy.

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Sometimes all you need to do is paint the glass panes of a French door-inspired frame with chalkboard paint.

Jenn of This Old Door began operating her Etsy shop in June of 2013 and within 7 months has already seen over 120 sales. She is a great example of a woman shop owner/designer who hasn’t reinvented the wheel but rather has found a creative way to reuse an old door or casement window in a manner that is not only functional, but it also elevates home décor to the next level.

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And speaking of elevating home décor to the next level, have you thought about taking a beautiful piece of crown moulding and turning it into a wall shelf? How about a DIY crown moulding shelf-turned-key rack that you don’t have to build because Debbie of Churchill Cottage Chic has already done it for you?

Her work since April 2013 has resulted in over 330 admirers and a few dozen sales to date and both numbers are rising every day. And for the most part, her products revolve around vintage elements and upcycled creations that turn the run-of-the-mill into the extraordinary.

Hopefully these two examples of women wantrepreneurs-turned-entrepreneurs will inspire you to open new doors and embark on Etsy adventures of your own!

What are your favorite items that you’ve come across on Etsy?

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rheney-williams-esqRheney Williams is a crafter who lives in Charleston, S.C., where she has been busy updating her house with all manner of custom Lowcountry touches. Rheney enjoys sharing her DIY home crafts projects with others and writes about her designs for The Home Depot.

Five Tips for Building Your Brand by @marshmueller

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by Holly MarshMueller | Featured Contributor

There’s a special place in my heart for entrepreneurs with indie craft businesses. Not just because I’m one of them, but they tend to be incredibly creative and artistic individuals.

I am lucky enough to have actual-on-the-day-job experience in buying, merchandising and branding for a national retailer to help me through the mucky, scary elements of running a business. But I’ve encountered countless artists who, instead of mastering the concept of branding their business and themselves, they run the other way.

Regardless of what business you’re in, your brand is often the first thing your customer encounters, and it can leave a lasting impression. It’s up to you to make it a good and memorable impression versus a so-so and forgettable one.​

Your branding may be a little daunting, but I’ve got five tips for building your brand:​

1. Check out your competition. To the Googles (or Etsy search)! What elements stand out? Fonts? Color combinations? An icon? Write down items that you like and don’t like, and then…

2. Do something completely different than your competition. Are they using cutesy icons? Flowery fonts? Bold colors? Do the opposite, but also stay true to you and your product. You need points of difference from your competition, and you can really up the ante with better branding. I found a plethora of cutesy fonts and cutesy icons from my competition on Etsy, so naturally, I went for the opposite: a minimalist approach, a super simple logo (that I initially created in Word (!) because I was too poor for the Adobe Creative Suite), and yet it matches the aesthetic of my items.

3. Look within. You’re not only selling your product, but also selling yourself. Many people flock to Etsy or craft fairs to buy not just a piece of handmade goodness, but to support an individual and their story: YOU.

Be sure to inject yourself into your branding (this is the hardest step, I know). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and it shouldn’t take you very long.

I didn’t put a lot of thought into my branding; the “m2” logo comes from a nickname I had on a writer’s collective, and the colors (magenta, grey, and white) were chosen for the following reasons:

  • Pink is my favorite color
  • Pink and black were my wedding colors. Why did I choose my wedding colors? Long story short: married name is Marsh, maiden name Mueller, and together they sound like MarshMallow, which my husband and I thought hilarious. We did not discover this gem until two years after we were married, and we are too cheap to get our names legally changed, so I thought it fitting for a shop of non-fluffy, practical items. Full circle. Whew! Back to black and pink branding….or why I altered my wedding colors a bit.
  • I changed the pink from a slightly outdated bubblegum pink (think Pantone 1915 C) to a hot magenta, and I changed the harsh black to a cool grey. I included white to add to the modern, simplistic aesthetic for my brand and my products. No marshmallows, indeed.
  • I chose colors that might be easy to find in the marketplace, in case I ever wanted to participate in a craft fair (check), revamp my studio using my brand colors (check), or have local printers implement my branding easily for professional-looking packaging (working on it!). While I love me some Sea Foam Green, unless it’s trending, it’s going to be hard to find a table cover or a storage bin in the color.

If you have trouble with this, here’s an uber quick questionnaire you can answer yourself right now. Don’t think about these questions–go with your gut instinct:

  • If I were a color, what color would that be?​
  • When I think about my style, I think (circle one or two):​

Boho     Classic     Preppy     Elegant     ​Punk     Bold/Colorful     Vintage      Retro

When it comes to “your style,” it doesn’t necessarily mean what you’re wearing these days. It means what style are you drawn to? Chances are, that style is reflected in your product.

If you cannot answer those questions yourself, ask family and friends. If you sell on Etsy, join a team (I highly, highly recommend this!), and ask the questions above.

Even if you end up hiring someone to do your branding, this exercise will help you narrow down your branding vision and will also make it easier for the person working on your brand identity as well!

4. Don’t blow off taking the time to choose some solid fonts… but don’t go crazy with too many—stick to three fonts, MAX. Don’t use Comic Sans or Papyrus for any of your fonts! Just don’t.

5. Once you’ve got your basic concept down, run with it. Splash it everywhere: business cards, packaging, your own website, etsy shop banner, store front/craft fair marketing materials (banner, shopping bags, tissue paper colors…I’m not kidding), everywhere. In the sea of handmade entrepreneurs, you need to stand out. Consistent branding offers repetition to make you more memorable in a competitive marketplace. At just about every craft fair I’ve attended, people have approached me and mentioned they remember my shop from Etsy. It probably wasn’t my products they remember: it’s my branding.

Tell us about your branding story!

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Holly MarshMueller – Branding and Indie Craft Business Advocate

Holly MarshMueller (1)Holly MarshMueller has two–no, three, jobs: 1:: She’s the Owner of MarshMueller, where she designs and sews pretty + practical items for mamas + babies, 2:: She still works for The Man (a national retailer) in their Corporate Brands + Packaging Division, and 3:: She is a mama to one adorable little boy (although she is very biased). How does she juggle it all?
“Five hours of sleep a night, lots of coffee, an amazingly supportive husband, and a drive to make life (and necessities) better for all mamas out there.” Holly lives in a 900-square-foot house with her husband, son, two Pomeranians, and one cat in Portland, Oregon.
Holly’s items have been featured on Disney baby, StyleList, and Baby Plus You Wellness For Two. In addition to selling her items on Etsy, she also sells wholesale to small, independent boutiques, and participates in as many craft shows as she can (barring they don’t conflict with a Portland Timbers match, as she is a proud member of the Timbers Army supporter group). Holly is also one of the Leaders of the PDX Etsy Team.
Holly is on many social media platforms; connect with her below! Fair warning about her Twitter account: she Tweets about the Portland Timbers (soccer) quite a bit, and she is too stubborn to open two Twitter accounts.

Expert Branding Advice – Increase Etsy Shop Traffic using Social Media by @MysPalmer

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2349849562_55d83000f6by Mys Palmer

It’s time to shop!

Erh, I mean it’s time to talk shop.

Yup… Etsy shops.

More specifically, an easy social media strategy for getting more traffic and subsequent sales on Etsy.

After all, no traffic no sales.

Increase Etsy shop traffic via Social media

It’s FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!

(Directly anyway)

Every social site, for the most part, doesn’t charge to open an account and post your updates.

Now, how many people see your posts, eh, perhaps you can pay to increase that.

Social networking is about engagement though.

So, social media does cost us.

We invest time, energy, planning and hire help when it comes to building our social media fans, followers and tweeps.

And authentic engagement can’t be bought.

So when you need to DIY your social media, don’t waste time with every new strategy…or every new network for that matter.

Every network has its perks: Fb vs. G+ vs. Twitter

There is also Tumblr, Triberr, Flickr, Pinterest and Instagram.

Which begs the question, can you afford to be everywhere?

I’ve successfully increased my Etsy shop traffic and consequently doubled my sales every week.

Plus I have my blog to run.

Can’t forget ‘bout my fabulous clients.

Oh, and engaging with fellow sellers and entrepreneurs.

So, no I sincerely can’t afford to everywhere.

The 3 big guys are the social networks that have been proven to drive and increase Etsy shop traffic.

For me, and a whole bunch of other sellers.

So, before you can begin increasing traffic to your Etsy shop, you need a strategy.

An action plan.

And I don’t just do the “tips” thing.

Phooey.

I’m more of a Do this, don’t do that…yet advice giver.

So I’m gonna walk through these 3 giants and give you the skinny on an exact strategy you can use to focus your efforts and of course, increase Etsy shop traffic.

Social media=Increased Shop traffic

Facebook – No introduction necessary, but a bunch of changes have been made to the reach pages have organically.

Your fans have to go through a series of steps, after liking your page, to actually receive your updates in their news feed.

So I use Facebook to promote fellow brands, entrepreneurs and influencers posts 70%-80% of the time.

Strategy: Popular posts are seen by a larger percentage of your fan base. So sharing others posts gives you that leverage. Once your update is in your fans news feed, it’s more likely the fan will visit your actual page.

Twitter is fantastic for viral content and conversations. Brands and influencers are more responsive to their RT’s and mentions than they are to comments on their FB updates.

Strategy: I use JustRetweet to stay connected to tweets by top bloggers and entrepreneurs worth following. Plus when I post to the JR site, those influencers retweet my tweets.

Once they do, I can thank them and have conversations with them. It’s as simple as, “thanks for the RT! So, how’s Wednesday treating you?”

Not to mention, those retweets are seen by their followers. That means I easily reach millions more TARGETED tweeps than I would by tweeting normally.

Google Plus is the SEO big gun. Heavily focused on valuable search results, Google+ posts are seen on the first page of Google just as often as video content.

Strategy: After properly optimizing your listings/blog content, post an update to G+ using the same focus keyword.

That way the bot will crawl the listing, content and social post giving you a natural boost in traffic.

I used this strategy to get two of my blog posts to page 1 of Google. So, trust me guys, it really works!

BONUS Blog Commenting– Now this tip is geared specifically to the Etsy shop owners who run blogs, or who guest post on others blogs.

Preferably you’re both.

Strategy: Make a goal of commenting on 6-10 CommentLuv Premium enabled blogs a week, or per post, whichever is most manageable.

I prefer to keep it to 5 blogs 5 times week and 6-10/post.

This strategy gets not only eyes but engagement on your posts. Good etiquette is to visit your commenter’s blogs. If their blog posts rock, comment. If not you shouldn’t feel any way about not engaging them on their sites.

So since I know you’re an awesome blogging practitioner you can leverage that etiquette into high quality traffic.

Plus, choosing commentluv premium blogs (list of blogs here) means you get a high quality backlink attached to your comment. Traffic two-fold. Me likey!

The jury’s still out on Pinterest but I’ve already started developing my action steps for that strategy. Is that a post you’d like to see on the fabuloso She Knows It?

Alrighty guys that’s it.

If you’ve got your own ingenious tips to increase Etsy shop traffic using social media, share with us in the comments.

Photo Credit: sga77 via Compfight cc

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Screen Shot 2013-03-19 at 5.11.18 PMHey, hey! I’m Mys, a branding communications epert. My Etsy Shop BrandedVoice is the one and ONLY shop providing the branding side of copywriting. I’m a bonified crafty-preneur advocate and I build small business personalities through copy and consulting. Know you need serious help on Etsy, And not an ebook or how-to post?
Get hands on, one-on-one  Top Etsy Shop Consulting.  Connect with me socially  for updates tailored to entrepreneurs with moxi!

5 Free Or Low Cost Branding Strategies For Creative Entrepreneurs by @BrandingCoachNY

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3193347519_9a948dbacaby Letitia Elizabeth

Whether you are broke or just frugal, the reasoning hardly matters when it comes to branding. I’ve never encouraged the notion that money has to be thrown to the wind in order to build a brand. Being thrifty, technologically savvy, and notoriously crafty can make a million bucks seem unnecessary.

The many ways your ideal customer interacts with your brand is called touchpoints and include everything from web design to employee behavior, the quality of your packaging, to the way you answer the phone.

As creative women in business, the fun part is finding original ways to make these brand experiences memorable for customers. To jumpstart this I like to step outside of the role of entrepreneur and into the role of customer by jotting down the last items I purchased, why I purchased them, and what the experience was like. Was it the gorgeous Pinterest board that led me to those amazing silk pillows on Etsy? Did that nutritionist really just answer my email personally and offer a 20% discount for my first purchase?

Here are 5 Free or Low Cost Ideas For Enhancing Brand Experience

1. Throw a party! See, you’re already flinching, I can tell. But for a bottle of champagne and chocolate, you can invite your entire list to your shop (or a location that will host your presentation or trunk show) and have a Chocolate + Champagne shopping hour that feels luxurious but costs you twenty bucks. I attended an event like this recently, honestly for the drinks, but left with two bags full of merchandise. Or host a Twitter party by making use of hashtags and centering around a fun theme. Or let your fans get VIP access to you via Google+ Hangouts which works amazingly well if you are a stylist (host a red carpet party and offer tips for wardrobes) or if you’re a photographer (give a live tutorial) or even a business coach. The options are endless and the memories will be priceless.

2. Create your own group. Whether its volunteering or a hobby gathering from Meetup.com you can encourage that face-to-face engagement that small business owners take for granted. This allows you to pass out marketing materials but also connect with potential customers who pick up on your expertise. If you are in the product industry, why not start an art gallery tour group if you’re an artist/photographer or a supper club if you’re a budding chef or baker.

3. Stay in touch the old fashioned way. As an early endorser of the Internet, I now find myself creating reason after reason to stay away from the web. You can quickly lose touch with reality and social interaction values when cooped up on the laptop surfing Facebook all day. Instead, why not put that time and energy into organizing your customer list (no matter how small) and making sure birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday reminders are filled in. For the cost of a stamp you can make someone’s day 100x better. Handwritten notes are to customers what food is to a man’s heart. Who can you send a thank you note or birthday wish to right now? Don’t wait, go do it! You’d be surprised how instantly that can ignite a sale or better yet, a referral. By injecting yourself into someone’s physical life versus having them bookmark your page to return to later on, you are catching them at a time that might be in need of your product or service, but the best part is, your note will cast fog over competition who only lives online.

4. Embellish prime real estate. I have put off updating my email signature and voicemail for so long that I should be pinched every time I complain for a lack of sales. These simple tasks done once will continue to work hard for you and your brand. If your email signature doesn’t show your logo or smiling face, your mission statement, and social media profiles, you are doing a disservice to yourself. And there are no more excuses for shying away from using the telephone. Phone numbers are FREE now! Get a Google number or Skype and create a voicemail that creates a warm and memorable experience for your customers. Just having a customer service number establishes credibility and trust, but having an upbeat and catchy voicemail creates engagement and reassurance.

5. Create content. This advice is everywhere because it’s true and it works. Don’t beat yourself up about this or make tasks seem larger than life. Simply set aside an hour to make a blog and add one post a week, or write a personal story and send it to your email list, or share relevant and inspiring content on Twitter and Facebook. These items of content will never go away, so you are constantly adding pieces of your brand to the world so that ideal customers can find you, engage with you, and hopefully hand over their money in exchange for your brand experience.

What methods have you used to enhance your brand experience?

Photo Credit: tishay via Compfight cc
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LetitiaLetitia Elizabeth is a veteran multi-passionate author, speaker, and entrepreneur whose currently Editor of Lillie Magazine and Chief Consultant at Brand Stylist Academy where she empowers youthful creative women in business to build their dream brand on a budget. Every week Letitia publishes Brand Marketing Daily, a free online action guide blog and newsletter that teaches entrepreneurs how to build their brand with style and engagement to create profitable marketing plans and customer relationships.

Simplicity Sells: Choosing a Business Name for Your Etsy Shop by @chronologieVTG

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Simplicity Sells: Choosing a Business Name for Your Etsy Shop

by Sally B. | Featured Contributor

In last month’s post, we started a step-by-step approach to getting your Etsy business off the ground.  Now let’s look at choosing a name for your shop.

What you call your business is important, so take time to think it through.  For starters, it helps to consider the playing field on Etsy.  It’s enormous, and that’s because of how shoppers find things on Etsy.

What does that mean?  This is kind of abstract, but stick with me—it will make sense.

Most shoppers find products on Etsy through the site’s search engine and Google.  These are not the only ways, but in general, they’re the top traffic producers.  From a shopper’s perspective, your shop and mine are tossed in a big mixing bowl with all other sellers on Etsy and all other sellers, potentially, on the Internet.

To misquote Elvis, “Look at that playing field…it’s huge!”

The good news is there’s a lot we can do to build traffic.  Every business decision we make—including our shop names—can support this.

As the Internet expands every day with more and more “content,” marketers have begun to lean toward simplicity of design and wording.  Graphic designers are abandoning fancy fonts and glitzy images in favor of large, simple type that’s easy on the eyes, even peaceful and soothing.

These trends are also relevant to business naming.

There are many ways to apply simplicity and directness to a shop name.  One is to build the name around exactly what’s being sold.  Think Jiffy Lube and Toys R Us.  This is called descriptive naming.  On Etsy, you might name your shop “Mary’s Homemade Fudge” or “Perfect Custom Dresses.”

“Boring!” You may wail. “I want my name to stand out!”

It’s true…these names are a little boring.  But they’re arguably more effective than “creative” ones like “Wooden Spoon Fantasies” for a fudge shop or “The Big Sew and Sew” for a dressmaker.  Names like that are very common on Etsy, but they don’t say a whole lot.

Such non-specific names might work in a mall where people stroll by and see the products.    But Etsy isn’t a mall and we don’t have a captive audience.  At first, our shops are more like sheds in the middle of a cornfield—they’re more or less invisible.  A name that says what we sell can help draw traffic our way.

Another reason to consider a descriptive name has to do with search engine optimization (SEO).  SEO means attaching relevant “keywords” to anything written about your shop so people using search engines can find you.  If I’m shopping online yummy sweets, I might Google “homemade fudge.” I will not search on “Wooden Spoon Creations” unless I know that shop already.  “Mary’s Homemade Fudge” has a better chance of being found because the search words are built into the name.

I should point out that some marketers don’t like descriptive names because they can limit a business’ future growth.  If Mary wants to expand into pizza kits, “Mary’s Homemade Fudge” will seem like a limiting name.  But they’re a good choice for many shops. And it helps that Etsy allows sellers to change shop names once.

Here are some other good resources on shop names.

Etsy Sellers Handbook:  What’s In a Name?

List of Business-Naming Blog Posts from Entrepreneur Magazine.

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Sally B.is the owner of Chronologie Vintageon Etsy. Come along with Sally as she shares her insights about running a successful small business on this hugely popular and expanding online marketplace.

Sally B. began selling upcycled clothing on Etsy in 2009. Using lessons learned the hard way in this first shop, Sally opened Chronologie Vintage in 2011. To date, Chronologie is going gangbusters and provides a solid second income to her family.

Whether you already have a shop on Etsy or would like to learn about starting one, let Sally be your Etsy Guide. You can do it!