Starting from Scratch

Ever since the idea of Owl & Drum was born, we have been working on building our online presence. From building a Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest page and to opening an Etsy store, I feel like I am in front of a computer non-stop!

This type of thing is not entirely new to me. I am also the co-owner of an upcycled jewelry and accessories business called Urban Creatures.

Shameless plug!  by Urban Creatures

We are over 2 and a half years old and we still check in everyday to see what is happening on Facebook and Twitter.

So, I thought I would touch on the two biggies, Facebook and Etsy. Here we go!

Firstly, Facebook. Whether its a new blog you want to promote or a new Etsy shop, your first announcement should be on Facebook. I guarantee you, once you start talking about something new you will get encouragement and "likes" from more people than you ever expected. If it is a new business you are promoting, start a Facebook page. You can then suggest this page to your friends and then promote that page with a personalized url address. Use that address! You have to get the word out there somehow. When I send electronic invoices or email I always include our Facebook address.

Now, I want to touch on Etsy. The key on Etsy is accumulate admirers. If someone has added your shop or one of your items to their favorites they will see new things from your shop on their activity page.

So, how do you get admirers? First of all, like with the others, you should favor other shops and other shop's items. When they check their activity page they will see who favored them and hopefully they will reciprocate.

Etsy circles is another way to get your name out there. Circles would be the equivalent of friends on Facebook. When you look on your activity page you will see what the people in circle have favored.

Etsy teams. Join some! You want to find teams that are like-minded. First look for teams in your region or state. Next, look for teams that are doing the same thing as you. Shops that want to succeed will cross promote. So, as long as you stay active in the team you should be able to reap some of the benefits. Plus, you will be joining a community and could really learn some new things.

Lastly, curate an Etsy treasury. First of all, it is the Etsy treasuries that are shown on the front page of the site. Make it onto the front page, as either a curator or featured listing, you will get over 1000 views in that hour. Its great publicity. The front page of Etsy is your best way of getting exposure. However, as great as it is, it's not easy getting on the front page. So, the main reason to create a treasury is to make connections within the Etsy community. Another good thing about treasuries is that it is a talking point. It is a topic that you can share on your Facebook page, twitter, or blog (as I'm about to do here).

We recently joined the Etsy team OKetsy. To celebrate being part of this team we thought it was the perfect opportunity to create an Etsy treasury, Owls!.

Here are a few of the artists featured in our treasury:

by Pinkie's Palace

by Oh Honey Child

by Gypsum Rose

Since we are currently starting from scratch with our shop we'd love to hear any suggestions from some of you social networking veterans. Any words of advice?

Until next time,

Bianca