8 FREE Resources for Etsy Sellers

( + 2 that are almost free! )

There’s no denying that there is a big learning curve for successfully selling on Etsy. I’ve been an Etsy seller for a long time and it’s taken me almost that long to really figure out what I’m doing on there. It’s only in the past year that I’ve seen my Etsy sales truly grow and that I’ve started feeling like I’m getting the hang of things. In this past year I’ve utilized a number of free resources for Etsy sellers in order to learn and implement important changes in my shop — and even to open a 2nd shop — and it’s helped tremendously!

In my original ENFRAME shop (previously enframe photography) I’ve seen a 760% increase over last year’s revenue and the number of orders has grown by OVER 1,100%! About six months ago I also opened a new shop called ENFRAME Printables and while I can’t compare to last year, I can tell you that this shop is growing at a MUCH faster rate than the other shop I’ve had for almost 10 years! In 6 months with ENFRAME Printables, I’ve made 72 sales and that’s without my shop being one of the more well-known printables shops . . . yet! 😉 While I do want to see that number grow, and I especially want to see my conversion rate increase, for a new shop that only just opened, I’m proud of that number and my growth.

In time, I plan to spend some actual money on Etsy marketing courses and helpful marketing tools, especially as my revenue increases. But over the past year, I have utilized a number of FREE resources to help improve my Etsy shops and increase my sales. I haven’t yet invested anything other than time and effort and I’ve seen over 1000% growth! When I realized that, and I thought about how many of us struggle to figure out Etsy (as in, ALL of us) I knew I had to share these 8 free resources (plus 2 that are almost free) with my fellow Etsy sellers. I hope these are as helpful for you as they have been for me.

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PODCASTS:

In my opinion, some of the best free resources for Etsy sellers are podcasts. Podcasts are awesome because you can listen to them in the car, while walking the dog, cleaning the house or where/whenever. I have learned SO MUCH from Etsy and/or marketing related podcasts. Even when the topic doesn’t 100% apply to me or my particular type of products, I ALWAYS learn something that I can implement in my shop or think about as far as marketing or product creation. Here are some of my favorite podcasts:

1. Etsy Success Podcast:

Did you guys even know that Etsy puts out a podcast?! The Etsy Success Podcast started about a year ago and it is SUPER helpful. The available topics are great, and I love hearing fellow sellers’ stories and journeys toward success (which inevitably also include lots of “failures” along the way.) But this podcast is also super helpful because they often interview people who work at Etsy and are able to provide really valuable information about how best to utilize Etsy’s tools, marketing strategies, how to do market research, etc. And they take questions and comments from real Etsy sellers. I HIGHLY recommend having a listen to all of the available episodes but here are just a few of my favorites:

Etsy’s buyer insights expert on what makes buyers tick

Etsy’s Instagram expert on building your brand on Instagram

Tapping into 2018 trends with Etsy’s resident trend expert

2. Etsy Conversations Podcast:

This podcast is independent from Etsy. It is hosted by a woman named Ijeoma and she does insightful, in-depth interviews with fellow Etsy (“& some non-Etsy “) shop owners. Ijeoma’s says her podcast:

is for new and not-so-new (but perhaps struggling) Etsy sellers, to help you:

Get better at selling on Etsy, increase traffic to your Etsy shop and get more sales by promoting your Etsy shop on the podcast and blog
Learn from other Etsy sellers by providing you with real-life tips and techniques from current Etsy sellers that will help you get your first sale OR your next sale on Etsy

Again, I’ve learned SO much from this podcast. Plus, it helps to know we’re all in the struggle together, and it’s nice to hear from sellers truly ALL OVER the world. There are so many great episodes to choose from that it’s hard to pick my favorites. Honestly, just do yourself a favor and head over the Etsy Conversations Podcast website and take a look at all that’s available and then just dive in!

3. 10 Minute Marketing Show:

If you’re looking for something quick — truly just 10 minutes of your day — this podcast for you! Some of the info is outdated bc of how quickly platforms and social media grows and changes, but you can learn some really helpful/quick ideas for content marketing and growing your email list. This podcast is what got the ball rolling for me. . .

MARKET RESEARCH ASSISTANCE:

This one is a doozy . . . I can’t love it enough!

4. ETSY RANK!!!!

You guys, I want to shout this one from roof tops!

ET.SY.RANK! ET.SY.RANK!

If you do NOTHING else, PLEASE, PLEASE go explore Etsy Rank.

This site is SO FULL of helpful information and ways to TRULY improve your SEO AND help you do market research when developing products and listings. Anthony Wolf, the founder of Etsy Rank has YEARS of experience with SEO and he is SO generous with his knowledge and expertise in creating this site. The free version is INCREDIBLY robust. There is a paid version and the offerings look amazing, but it seems more for “next level” sales/sellers. You can definitely get a lot out of the free version. Even after implementing just a few changes, I saw the number of visitors to my shop and my sales grow.

Ijeoma of the Etsy Conversations Podcast actually recently held a conversation with Etsy Rank founder, Anthony Wolf and I highly recommend listening to it. 1) to learn more about Etsy Rank and 2) to hear Anthony’s philosophy behind the site and how generous he is with his knowledge and desire to help Etsy sellers (his wife is an Etsy seller, too!)

Look at all the tools available just in the FREE version!

It’s amazing y’all :

APPS:

5. A Color Story

photo editing app

We all know how important product photos are on Etsy. They can literally make or break you. If you’re not well-versed in photography and photo editing, it can be pretty tough to get quality photos. This photo editing app makes it really easy to get that bright “Etsy-esque” quality to your listing photos and the free version is plenty (but you can make in-app purchases)

6. Buffer

Social Media Management Platform

Automate/schedule your social media posts (sprinkle in your own “live” posts here and there too so you don’t seem like a spam-y robot) The app keeps analytics for you too. With the free version you have a limit of 10 scheduled posts at a time (you can pay for more features) but the free version is plenty for a small business. Just go back in from time to time to re-schedule posts. Buffer will even send you a notification when all of your content has been sent out so you will know when to go in for a “refill.”

PRODUCT SOURCING:

7. PRINTFUL

Print on-demand drop shipper

If you are looking to expand your product offerings, this print on-demand site may be right for you. Finding and utilizing Printful is what greatly increased my sales in my ENFRAME photography and design shop. While you do pay for the cost of materials once you sell a product, it’s free to create your designs and automatically populate them to your Etsy shop. It’s a HUGE time saver as far as creating listings goes. You can set your own prices and the items are high quality too. I’ve gotten great feedback on the leggings, museum-quality posters and mugs.

*full disclosure: I am a Printful affiliate. Should you choose to utilize Printful via the above link, I will receive a small commission.

SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION:

8. Linking Your Facebook Business page with your Instagram Business Account

Okay, this is more of a “tip” than a resource, but it’s a good one…

I recently learned about this from Crystal Henson of Le Rustic Chic when she was interviewed on the Etsy Conversations podcast. I’m honestly still trying it out, but it’s worth sharing because it’s an exciting prospect. . .

Did you know: You can list your products on your Facebook business page, link your biz page and your Instagram biz account (you should definitely have one if you don’t already) and within a few days you will be able to create live links to your products directly in your Instagram posts! Meaning, if you post a photo of a product in your shop and someone is interested in buying it, they can click on that photo in your Instagram feed and it will take them directly to your listing on Facebook. No more #linkinprofile #linkinbio! Again, I’m still testing this out, but I recommend playing around with it and seeing what happens. Check out the podcast mentioned above to learn more.

**2 Almost Free Resources for Etsy Sellers**

Get 2 Free Months of Skillshare :

Two free months of Skillshare is definitely enough time to listen to the classes on Etsy, marketing, product development, etc. But there is so much more to choose from, too! Learn new skills, sharpen existing skills . . . If you love skillshare and find it as useful and inspiring as I have, you can sign up for a membership, but even if you don’t the two free months will be well worth your time!

Tailwind Pinterest & Instagram Marekting Toolkit :

I have to admit, I haven’t yet paid for the full version of this product, but it’s very robust and everyone who uses it raves about how much it’s helped them grow their Pinterest following and sell their products. And the free trial is pretty extensive. A paid membership is an investment I will eventually make, but I am saving up for a new iPad (our three year old broke mine) and an upgraded computer (mine is 10+ years old). BUT I did complete the free trial period (I believe you get up to 100 free pins) and I did see a difference in my traffic during this time. Plus, my Pinterest account basically ran itself. I didn’t even join the Tailwind groups which are an even better and more efficient way to get eyes on your pins which turn into repins, click-throughs and ultimately (hopefully) purchases on your Etsy store listings. They’ve since launched an Instagram component as well. Worth looking into.