Is it crazy to anyone else that it’s almost May? Before we know it, Spring will be behind us and we’ll be in full summer mode! It’s true that things are probably a lot different than any of us thought they would be at this point. But despite the differences, it’s time to start looking ahead and planning for the upcoming season! If you’re an Etsy seller who is ready to gear up for the upcoming season, we want to help you strategize and get ahead of the curve! Having a solid strategy will only help you in having more Etsy Shop success this summer and beyond.
Mother’s Day Reminder
We’re only a couple weeks out from Mother’s Day so if you haven’t been thinking about it, right now is a great time to hop into those listings and make changes to your keywords to help those looking for Mother’s Day gifts to find you! We always recommend thinking ahead several months but as we approach Mother’s Day, it’s not too late to make some changes and get your shop ready! With all the craziness that’s been happening in our world, belated gifts will most likely be a thing, so don’t be discouraged and go ahead and jump on it!
Father’s Day Reminder
With this in mind, NOW is the time to plan ahead for Father’s Day which is two months out! If you’re going to be making changes to help buyers find you for Mother’s Day, you should definitely be doing this for Father’s Day as well. Ideally, planning 2-3 months in advance is recommended. But it’s also very true that things are wonky right now and everyone’s timelines are making adjustments. With this in mind, don’t be discouraged if you feel like you’re behind.
Simply use the next few days to do your keyword research for these holidays and apply those keywords to listings that are appropriate. Just remember, you don’t want to add keywords to products that don’t fit. If you’ve got the perfect keyword for a Father’s Day gift, it’s probably not going to help you to put that keyword on a super feminine listing that would more than likely be purchased as a Mother’s Day gift.
Get ready for summer!
Ok, with those two major holiday reminders out of the way, let’s talk about other important tasks. Now is for sure the time to start spring cleaning your shop and preparing it for the upcoming change of seasons. If you’re like us, the last couple of months have been insane and may have thrown you off your normal routines. So this is a gentle reminder that it’s time to spruce things up so you’re ready to go when summer hits! Seasonality is something you always want to keep in mind and be aware of.
If you’re a new seller on Etsy and haven’t yet had a chance to experience selling from one season to the next, the upcoming change is a great time to get down good seasonality practices before the craziness of the holiday season (starting in September) hits you full force.
Now is the time
With the reminder that you’re heading into summer, it’s time to think about specifics. May through August are the months when summer themed gifts/decor/products really spike. Memorial Day and July 4th are up first, so don’t forget to add patriotic products and keywords to your shop! If you’re starting to plan ahead, brainstorm products that fit in here as well as products that are great for summer use in general.
A great way to keep track of what and when you’ll need to plan for and release new collections is having a list of notable events and upcoming holidays. We’d recommend doing this from now through the end of the year, so you aren’t just aware of what’s coming up this summer, but can get an even better grasp on what you want to do when Autumn and Winter arrive.
Be a tease
So you’ve started thinking about your new summer collections…great! You’re off to an awesome start. Next, strategize little “teasers” of your upcoming releases. What do we mean by this? As you’re beginning to make your new collections, share tidbits with your followers to get them interested in what’s to come. This is also a fantastic way to make use of your shop updates!
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it many more times: It’s always important to show your followers and Etsy that you have an active and up to date shop. This is one way you’ll build trust with your customers and keep things moving along. Take pictures and short behind the scenes video clips to post. This will build up curiosity for the awesome things coming their way from your shop.
Reconnect with and remind customers who you are
Along with creating teasers for your customers, make sure you utilize your established network of old customers or your social media network if you’re a new seller. Creating an email marketing campaign via a newsletter or just through social media is a fantastic way to get the word out on what you’re doing! If you’re trying to build up an email list, this is also a great way to get started on that. Another thing to consider is reaching out to bloggers you love whom you think would be interested in featuring one or more of your products on their blog.
Also, affiliate marketing is awesome for Etsy sellers! If you don’t know much about it, we’ve got a post and Jam you’ll want to check out on how to get started. Now is a GREAT time to try and make new connections since everyone is pivoting to deal with all the changes that are currently happening in our world. If you have something to offer a connection that can benefit your shop, do it!
Get them ready
If you’ve got older listings that can be tweaked to sell during summer, start doing that now. Refresh your listing tags and titles to maximize relevant seasonal themes and keywords. Our keyword storm tool should definitely be put to use in order to help brainstorm summer keywords and give those older listings a little summer facelift. If you have listings you sold last summer and want to make changes to those, do that now.
Get those images in tip top shape
Something else to consider is the photos and shop banners you’ll use during the summer. If your products are American themed (July 4th and Memorial Day), what background will you create that won’t compete with your product? If you’ve got a gorgeous summer collection being released, when are you planning to take new product pictures? Start planning now for the pictures you’ll need and how you’ll create and take them.
Also, now is the time (if applicable) to create several shop banners that correlate with your collections and listings. Your banner is the billboard for your shop! Utilize it to show customers that you’re active in your shop and to entice them to view your listings. And don’t forget to change those banners out with the seasons! It’s never a good thing to see a Christmas banner in July.
Don’t come up short
Remember, if you’ve used your time creating teasers and really built up excitement for your upcoming listings or collections, inventory is something you MUST think about. Hopefully, your customers can’t WAIT to get their hands on what you’ve created for them. But if you haven’t taken into account that a sudden increase in sales volume is possible, you could be setting yourself up for failure. There is nothing more stressful than running out of product smack in the middle of a rush. Don’t let that happen. Before allowing the dam to break, make sure your inventory is where it needs to be…and don’t forget to stock up on all your shipping needs.
Most importantly, please remember…
…Time is your biggest tool for attaining summer success for your Etsy shop! If you begin working on the above reminders now and don’t procrastinate, you’ll remove a ton of stress, and hopefully feel confident heading into the summer season. As always, stay positive in your thoughts! If you go into it thinking things will be stressful, they will be. Instead, make a concerted effort to dwell on all the positive things that will happen for you! Visualize yourself having the best summer season you’ve ever had! Or if you’re a new seller, the best first summer season imaginable! One more time for old time’s sake…A positive seller equals a happy and successful shop and we believe this is exactly what you’ll be!
Happy selling, everyone!
