Archive for Marketing
March 11, 2009 at 11:19 pm · Filed under Checkout System, Payments, Search, Seller Opportunities, Showcase, Site Security, Site Use, The Future · By JB
The Head of Etsy’s Product Team has posted an update on their progress and projects for the coming months.
Source: The Storque
Sara recaps the changes from the past several months including Google Analytics, beta testing of API, the Etsy Shop application on Facebook, and changes to the RSS feeds.
She also mentions features which had previously been promised but have now been put on the back burner, including more tools for Etsy teams, and the Super Etsy Mini.
Key points in their plans for the coming months include:
- “Search is our top priority for 2009. We anticipate numerous updates to Search throughout 2009.” (more details are available in Product Manager Sean Flanagan’s Storque article here.)
- Payments: There is currently a seller survey about payments, which Sara did not mention but that will possibly result in some new payment options being incorporated into Etsy, such as google or RME. Sara only mentioned changes which have already occurred such as sellers being able to pay their bills with paypal, and the fact that Etsy now employs a collection agency.
- Checkout: In the coming months we will be working to better clarify the functional elements of the overall (checkout) process, including introducing inline registration (i.e. letting first-time buyers checkout on Etsy without forcing them to confirm their registration first).
- Safety, Security, and Trust: No specific details are given here, but Sara says “While it may not always be possible for Etsy to disclose its fraud deterrence practices…Etsy takes these issues very seriously and thus we continue to update our infrastructure to keep fraudulent behavior off of our site.
- Showcase: In March you will see improvements to the design of Etsy’s Category pages and, more specifically, the design of the Category Showcase promotional modules at the top of those pages. …
In the coming months, we are looking to expand Showcase placements to other relevant areas of our site to provide more opportunities for sellers to gain additional exposure. (ed:this is possibly related to Sean’s mention of possibly selling paid ads on the search results pages.)
- Seller Tools: In the next month, Etsy plans to release tools to allow sellers to rearrange the items in your shop.
- Site Performance: Sara does not mention any details, but refers readers to Chad’s recent article here which goes into detail about site performance.
Sara closes with the promise of more regular updates:
I’ll be back with regular updates on what we’ve accomplished from this list and what else we have lined up for the remainder of the year.
For the full text of Sara’s article please see The Storque.
Commenting is closed for this article, but there is a forum thread open to comments.
February 7, 2009 at 4:28 am · Filed under Email Notifications, Marketing, Miscellaneous, Site Use · By JB
On January 9th, 2009, Etsy added a little check box to the login page. Right below the password box, this box said “Yes, send me emails about hot items and gift ideas.”
Matt explained it here
matt says:
Hi,
The Etsy news alert email sign-ups have been integrated into the seller sign up process.
Thanks, Matt
Posted at 6:05 pm, January 8 2009 EST
The box was removed on February 6, 2009.
Editorial: I am glad they removed it. The location right under the password box was where most sites put their box for “remember me” or “keep me logged in all the time”, so I tended to check that box just out of habit, even though I knew it was for something else. Then I would have to opt out of those emails immediately after. It was counter-intuitive, and felt like I was being “tricked’ into checking it. Also, it was not for Etsy “News”. I am already signed up for that. It was for Etsy FINDS, purely promotional emails. Also, it was not only on the registration page to make a new account- it was on the login page for existing accounts and you had to avoid it every single time you logged in.
Thank you Etsy for removing that.
December 6, 2008 at 3:53 pm · Filed under Etsy Staff, Street Teams, The Future · By quirke
According to her blog, Etsy Teams leader Sarawearsskirts/Girlscantell will be leaving Etsy as of December 31st, since her position has been dissolved. Stellaloella answers questions in this forum thread.
stellaloella says:
Hi, everyone. Yes, it’s true that Sara will be leaving her position as Etsy Teams coordinator at the end of the calendar year. The Teams program, however, will continue on but with a slightly different direction in 2009. We definitely value all the Etsy Teams, Team members and the incredible work Sara has done with the program thus far. Matt will hopefully be able to elaborate more on the future of the Etsy Teams program in the coming months. For the time being, Teams should keep on keepin’ on with all the amazing work you do in these mini-communities.
On a personal note, I will definitely miss working with Sara, as I’ve come to admire her greatly for her community-mindedness and creative ambition. I wish nothing but the very best for Sara in all her future endeavors.
I believe she has plans to stay active on Etsy with her personal shop, girlscantell. That said, I ask that you please be respectful of her privacy regarding her employment with Etsy. Speculation about the hows & whys of this decision are potentially hurtful to the company and to Sara, and so I ask that you please remain considerate of the people involved in this matter. Thank you.
edit Dec 8 by JB
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5946469&page=4
Matt posted here, with additional information
matt says:
Hello,
I will be sending this out to the teams later today, but wanted to share it here first. I apologize for the delay in getting this out.
Thanks, Matt
—-
Dear Friends
Etsy Teams are part of Etsy’s foundation, and we are committed to working more closely with all of you to help promote our joint goals. Since I created the Teams idea three years ago, over 450 Teams with 20,000 members have formed around the globe. It’s time for Etsy to take a closer look at how we can better support Teams and your needs.
Over the past few weeks, I have spent a great deal of time speaking with Teams and working with Maria to look at what Etsy is and isn’t doing with the Teams program. As part of this examination, I recently made the difficult decision to discontinue the role that Sara Selepouchin currently holds at Etsy. (For those of you who do not know Sara, she is the friendly lady who has been running the Teams program.) This decision is in no way a reflection of our commitment to the Teams program.
On the contrary, I see it as a first step to better aligning Etsy’s resources to meet growing needs of Teams. I will be creating a new Brooklyn-based position to work closely with me to develop and implement new tools, collaborative promotional, and branding opportunities for Etsy Teams. New Team profile pages, private forums, and more are among the top priorities for the first part of 2009 as mentioned in Maria’s Storque article: http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/talking-shop-with-etsy-ceo-maria-thomas-2853/.
Sara will continue working with Etsy until the end of the year. She will be meeting with a couple other admin, including me, to pass on her tasks, information and ideas so we can continue to provide support to Teams without any interruption. In the new year, Danielle (Etsy admin daniellexo) and I will be available and actively involved in handling Team page changes, questions, and content. We now share the teams@etsy inbox and are committed to keeping your Team information up to date and helping to facilitate your Etsy Teams in any way possible.
Organizational change is part of the natural, sometimes painful, process of building a great and lasting business, and with it comes great potential but also some hard choices. It is never easy when someone loses her job, and I can assure you that this decision was not made capriciously. We are all very grateful for Sara’s contributions to Etsy. I thank Sara for her one and a half years at Etsy, and I wish her the very, very best luck in her future endeavors.
I remain more committed to Etsy Teams than ever. I see the incredible role they play in our communities and want to make sure that Etsy Teams receive the attention and resources they deserve.
I appreciate your understanding and compassion in this matter.
As always, I am available at matt [!at] etsy.com
Please address all Teams related inquiries to teams [!at] etsy.com
Thanks,
Matt Stinchcomb, VP, Communications- Etsy.com
Posted at 2:26 pm, December 8 2008
September 11, 2008 at 5:58 pm · Filed under Marketing, SEO · By GreenMamba
Admin Matt delivered on his promise to share Etsy’s comprehensive 2008 Holiday Marketing Plan with the members of Etsy. And, what a plan it is!
From the Storque article:
Friends, the holidays are upon us, and for the last several weeks we have been working hard to make sure that we are doing whatever it takes to make the season a success for us all. My role, specifically, is to bring more buyers here. What follows is a general look at the seven major areas of my holiday marketing plan.
1. SEO and SEM
Etsy’s most significant marketing investment this holiday season will be in search marketing. Search marketing comprises both Search Engine Optimization (“SEO”) and Search Engine Marketing (“SEM”).
SEO: Wikipedia describes SEO, or Search Engine Optimization as the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results for targeted keywords. With our new CTO, Chad Dickerson, and the help of a firm specialized in SEO techniques, we hope to increase the volume of organic traffic to Etsy from external search engines. There are best practices that Etsy needs to adopt — simple things like appropriate descriptive title tags for all relevant pages — to maximize this opportunity and ensure that search traffic is growing as fast as direct traffic and referral traffic. These changes will be implemented into the site on an ongoing basis.
SEM: Search Engine Marketing refers to buying paid search listings (e.g. “sponsored links”) on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other important search sites. We will be working with an outside firm specializing in search marketing to manage these buys and to measure their effectiveness. While it’s always difficult to predict user behavior on search sites, a well managed SEM effort could be a very important driver of traffic to Etsy. Click here to learn more about SEM.
2. PRINT ADVERTISING
While the bulk of our advertising spending will be on search marketing, we think we can bolster brand awareness by advertising in a number of highly-targeted, socially-aware publications and their related websites. We are still determining where all the ads will be placed, but we will be running full-page ads in several magazines that are positioned well to reach potential Etsy buyers this holiday season. These ads will not be part of the CO-OP advertising program.
3. MEDIA OUTREACH
We spend a lot of time developing our messaging, pitching to the media and working with reporters and publishers on stories and product requests for the holiday season. We also take great care planning and producing beautiful, handmade press kits. Our new press kit is a unique handmade book full of gorgeous images of Etsy products and sellers. We truly believe in taking a very personal and thoughtful approach to pitching the media, and continue to realize relatively good success as a result of these efforts. To view some of the press we have already received, please visit http://press.etsy.com and our monthly press report here.
4. IMPROVED SYNDICATION TOOLS
For the past few months, Jared has been developing something we have been calling the Super Etsy Mini. Like its little sister, the EtsyMini (see how-to use the EtsyMini), the SuperEtsyMini allows you to embed Etsy products on external sites. Now, however, it is purely customizable. It can pull from your listings, a specific section of your shop, a specific tag, the front page, your favorites, any showcase, gift guides, treasuries, or any custom collection of product you wish. Furthermore, it will now display these products in a variety of ways: floating through space like the Time Machine, as a slide show, or in a grid. The applications (team tags, affiliate programs etc) are really quite limitless, and we are excited to unveil it to you soon.
Furthermore, we will be adding expanded resources, downloads, widgets, and important business and marketing information into the Promote section of Your Etsy, so we can help you better promote and improve your own shops and businesses.
5. EMAIL MARKETING
We realize that we are not effectively using email to drive new and returning visitors to Etsy. We are planning many changes, but they will not be in place before the holidays. That said, there are a number of smaller but still very important improvements slated to launch pre-holidays.
6. CONTESTS, PROMOTIONS, AND EVENTS
Contests/Promotions:
- Halloween: We’re teaming up with Instructibles.com, Makezine.com and many others to bring you a fun challenge and spread the spooky spirit this Halloween. Whether you’re a crafty costume maker, party decorating diva, or a casual trick-or-treater, there will be lots of ways to get involved and lots of ways to win. Details to follow soon.
- NASA and Etsy SpaceCraft Contest: We are currently planning an exciting late Fall promotion with NASA. (Yes, the space agency.) I am not yet permitted to go into too many details, but I think this promotion will help generate a good deal of media attention and open Etsy to many new audiences. We will keep you updated.
- Holiday Sweepstakes: One buyer-focused sweepstakes is currently in the planning stages for November/December. The details are not yet confirmed.
Upcoming Events:
We will be representing Etsy at various holiday events around the country. Details will be announced in the Storque as we get closer to the holidays. One of them, about which I am particularly excited, is New York Magazine’s Best Bets shopping event in New York City.
7. LIMITED TEST WITH NPR
We are also considering experimenting with sponsoring public radio in selected American markets where Etsy has strong penetration. The goal of such spots would be to drive brand awareness of Etsy.com.
——————
Please understand, this post is really just an overview of the marketing side of things here at Etsy. We are undertaking a great deal of work in all other areas of the site as well: product design, development, merchandising, programming, etc. I also want you to please realize that not all the details are finalized at this point. Some aspects of this plan are subject to change, and may do so.
To further discuss this topic, please see the associated Forum thread.
August 28, 2008 at 6:01 pm · Filed under Contests, Events · By JB
Source:http://www.etsy.com/contest/kids2.php
Vote for your favorite items from the Handmade Kids Challenge and win one of fourteen $350 Etsy Shopping Sprees!
From August 25 through September 8, 2008, your vote is your chance to win! Check out the Challenge finalists and choose your top pick in each category.
There are two separate contests;
One is for the crafts themselves:
Rules for the craft entries
Only US residents were eligible to enter the craft contest
There are 7 categories.
Furniture
Toys
Home Decor
Eco-Friendly
Clothing
Accessories
Art
The Prizes are:
Seven Best in category winners (one in each category) will receive a $200.00 Etsy shopping spree- this is judged by The Expert Panel Judges
The other prizes are judged by user votes:
Seven first place winners (one in each category) will receive a $150.00 Etsy shopping spree
Seven second place winners (one in each category) will receive a $100.00 Etsy shopping spree
Seven third place winners (one in each category) will receive a $50.00 Etsy shopping spree
One artist may win more than one prize, if they have entered multiple categories.
_____________________________________________
The second contest is the sweepstakes.
The sweepstakes winners are chosen at random from the users who vote. There will be 14 winners of $350 shopping sprees.
The Etsy Handmade Kids Sweepstakes is open to US residents only.
Official rules here
Limit one entry per category per username. There are seven categories so each username has seven chances to win. Limit one Prize per person. (for the sweepstakes)
A list of the winners will be posted on or around September 25, 2008 on the Storque and the Handmade Kids Challenge page.
August 25, 2008 at 2:59 am · Filed under Marketing, Showcase · By JB
Source: This Storque article
The Back to School Decorating Front Page Showcase went on sale Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 12 pm EDT.
Go to the Showcase Gateway to purchase a spot.
This showcase goes live on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 12 am (midnight) EDT and will run until 11:59 PM EDT on September 7, 2008.
The showcase costs $15 for 1 day.
In order to keep the Showcase on point thematically, the tool will only pull in items placed in the following categories: Art (e.g., top-level tag being “art”), Books and Zines, Candles, Ceramics and Pottery, Furniture, Geekery, Housewares, Plants and Edibles and Quilts.
note: Sorry I did not post this before the showcase went on sale, but the Storque article only came out one day before the showcase went on sale. There are still plenty of spots left though.
August 10, 2008 at 5:07 pm · Filed under Events, Street Teams · By GreenMamba
Hurray! for happy endings!* And many thanks to Heather, of palleikodesigns, for sharing this wonderful and inspiring success story with us!
(First published here: http://www.socalbenchproject.com )
The SoCal Bench Project Nails It!
The SoCal Bench Project Artisan Fair is met with outstanding support from it’s local community.
August 10, 2008
On Saturday, August 9th, 2008 the small grassroots organization The SoCal Bench Project held it’s first annual SoCal Bench Project Artisan Fair in Culver City, CA, west of Los Angeles. Over 25 artists from across California gathered together selling their artwork to help raise awareness and funds for New Directions Inc., a local non-profit organization that provides a variety of services for our homeless military veterans community.
Supporters from the Los Angeles community shopped for fine art, photography, lithographs, clothing, contemporary craft, jewelry and a variety of other gift items from candles and soap products, to stuffed animals with crazy personalities and beautiful art dolls.
Incredible items from local businesses and artists were raffled off to an excited crowd. ABC, Benefit Cosmetics, Kreation Cafe, The Factory and Color Me Mine were among local businesses that supported this years raffle held to benefit New Directions. Participating vendors as well as numerous members of the group California Crafters Club of Etsy (CCCOE) also provided artwork as well as monetary donations.
Sandy Collins, Amanda Lockrow and Heather Palleiko, (founders of The SoCal Bench Project), met through the website Etsy.com in early 2008 where the three are members of CCCOE, the largest street team on the indie craft site Etsy.com with over two hundred - fifty members. What originally started as an idea to have a small home show quickly grew into an annual event of California artisans coming together to create positive change in our local community.
This year The SoCal Bench Project and it’s supporters raised close to $2,000 for New Directions Inc.
If you are interested in more information about The SoCal Bench Project and it’s founders or vendors please email info [!at] socalbenchproject.com. For information on New Directions Inc. and it’s programs please go to www.ndvets.org.
http://www.socalbenchproject.com
http://sandysimone.etsy.com
http://www.aklockrow.com
http://www.palleikodesigns.com
*See this related UEN thread: http://etsynews.com/724/etsy-withdraws-team-grant/
August 8, 2008 at 4:43 pm · Filed under Events, Street Teams · By JB
On July 18, 2008, Etsy announced the Etsy Team Grant winners for July in this Storque article.
The original article contained this paragraph:
The So-Cal Bench Project Team will receive a grant to organize their artisan fair to benefit New Direction, Inc, a local non-profit in the Southern California community. The event takes place on August 9, 2008, from 9:30am-3pm in Culver City, California. For more information, visit the SoCal Bench Project website.
The Socal Bench Project team leader was notified by Etsy they would not be receiving their promised grant on August 6, only three days before the event.
The article has now been edited and this is the current version:
UPDATE 8/8/08: Unfortunately, we are no longer able to offer a grant to the So-Cal Bench Project Team at this time. The reality is that there are protocols we must follow. In this case, deadlines for submitting required materials were not met by the applying party and we were not able to process the payment. We wish all involved the very best of luck with this event , and encourage any and all to reapply next month.
Please go support this worthy cause on August 9, 2008, from 9:30am-3pm in Culver City, California. For more information, visit the SoCal Bench Project website.
The Etsy Team Coordinator has also commented in the Storque article comments:
sarawearsskirts says:
We love the opportunity to support Etsy Teams through the Team Grants program. Since we award several Grants each month, it is very important that Teams submit all the necessary information by the deadlines given when receiving a grant.
Unfortunately, we did not receive the information we needed in time to fulfill this grant. This change has been reflected in the article above.
If you have questions about this process or a grant, please contact me at teams@etsy.com.
Etsy claims the team did not send in their documents by the due dates, and that is why the grant was withdrawn. The leader of the Socal Bench Project team says in her blog that they did meet every deadline, and the documents were sent on time.
We know for sure that we emailed a copy of the proofs to you by the due date of July 24th; and subsequently the receipts by July 31st (though that may have been received on Aug 1st by you as we are on the west coast and it was sent after your office hours.). In addition to that, we never received any further communication from Etsy after we sent our information to you. We also did not receive any email last week regarding the status of the grant. Perhaps there was a problem with email?
This appears to be an issue of time zones and of unclear due dates. Etsy only said the documents had to be sent “by July 24th”. The Socal Bench Project team interpreted that to mean by midnight (local time, which is Pacific time in this case), while Etsy now says the deadline is the end of the business day, in the Eastern U.S. time zone. Those specifics were apparently not stated to the Team until after the deadline was allegedly “missed”.
This communication problem has resulted in the team losing it’s grant which was going to benefit New Directions, a non-profit organization that provides services for homeless veterans.
The Socal Bench Project is also part of the biggest street team on Etsy (CCCOE), and has done much work to promote Etsy and the handmade pledge.
After some public outcry on the Etsy Storque article and the team leader’s blog, Etsy admin Matt has announced that Etsy will donate $250 directly to New Directions.
matt says:
In recognition of a worthy cause, Etsy today donated $250 directly to the New Directions charity
(http://www.ndvets.com/ ). The SoCal Bench Project Etsy Team is holding an event this weekend to
support veterans through this organization.
Etsy previously announced that the SoCal Bench Project Etsy team would receive a $200 grant to help offset the printing costs associated with this event. The Grant was not ultimately funded because deadlines were missed. We apologize for the poor timing of these announcements.
Etsy Grants is a new program designed to help Etsy Teams hold events and promote their shops
and Etsy. It’s important that Etsy diligently adhere to the rules and deadlines associated with the Grants Program so that we can be responsible stewards of our funds and so that we can offer monies in a timely way.
We understand that our communication around this specific Grant could have been better. And, while we remain committed to enforcing the rules and deadlines associated with the Grants Program, we don’t want the New Directions charity to miss out on this opportunity to positively interact with Etsy sellers and Etsy.
To avoid this type of confusion in the future, Team Grant winners will now be announced
after the Grant funds have been submitted to the Team.
Thank you.
August 6, 2008 at 6:03 pm · Filed under Events, Gift Guide, Marketing, Showcase · By JB
Back to School Fashion Showcase: On Sale Thursday, August 7, 2008
Etsy are looking to feature back to school fashion items in their newest showcase, such as dresses, shirts, skirts, pants — or that special first day of school outfit. Think clothing staples for all ages.
In order to keep the Showcase on point thematically, the tool will only pull in items placed in the Clothing Category (i.e. top-level tag being “clothing”).
* The Back to School Fashion Front Page Showcase goes on sale Thursday, August 7th at 3:00 pm EDT.
* Go to the Showcase Gateway to purchase a spot.
* Said showcase goes live on Tuesday, August 12 at 12 am (midnight) EDT and will run until 11:59 PM EDT on August 25.
* For $15 USD, Etsy sellers can purchase a 24 hour spot in the The Back to School Fashion Showcase, which will be linked from a prominent banner on Etsy’s homepage.
* Sellers determine which item will be featured in your Showcase slot. Sellers must use the tool in Your Shop. Read more about this process here.
source: this Storque article
Also, Etsy has unveiled their Back To School gift guide today, which features a wider variety of items including dorm room decor, books & paper goods, book bags and pencil cases, etc.
April 29, 2008 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Marketing, Street Teams · By JB
Etsy is starting a “Team Grants” program where they will subsidize Team projects such as advertising and special events.
This new program is called Etsy Team Grants and will assist creative, dedicated and energetic Teams with Etsy promos and financial resources. This monthly granted funding will help Teams represent themselves at craft fairs, art shows or other local events, help subsidize team advertising (see the Co-Op Advertising Program for a good model of this) or take part in other opportunities. We also want to give Etsy Teams promos (stickers, postcards, etc) to help spread the Etsy message to their communities. The applications are reviewed monthly and we have a set budget for the hundreds of Etsy Teams, so make your application shine! Here are some tips:
1. Elect one person from your team to be the leader of this project, communicate well with your Team, and have them apply on the Team’s behalf.
2. Make sure to include detailed descriptions of Team promotions and events your Team has successfully completed.
3. Tell us why and how your grant would help spread the Etsy message in the most effective way.
4. Be creative! Let us know how your Team will be creatively using the Grant, or contributing more to it.
5. Make a promise to us that you will document the promotion with photos, blog entries or even video!
Funds are allocated on a case-by-case basis, and the article doesn’t specify which Etsy admin(s) make the choices.
q: How do you decide who gets a grant?
a: We can only give so much each month. We will make decisions based on the activity level of your team, the location and focus of your team (i.e. if we haven’t already subsidized an event or Team close to you geographically, or a Team with a similar reach and market, your chances are better), the number of Team members that the grant will assist, and the overall benefits to Etsy.com.
In the Storque article comments, sarawearsskirts says:
we’ll be publishing the grant winners and a follow up on the previous months’ allocations here in the Storque (and likely, also on the Team pages).
For more information, see this Storque article.
Fill out a Grant application here.
May 20 update by JB
The winners of the first team grants have been announced here
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