Niche: Let’s talk about what makes Etsy and it’s top sellers successful, Etsy has established itself as the go-to marketplace for all things niche, boutique, personalized and custom made. It’s no doubt that one of the things that makes top Etsy sellers successful is that they’ve focused and harnessed their energy on creating a brand that serves a niche market. These highly focused shops thrive! Let’s talk through how you can establish a shop on Etsy that serves a targeted customer and why doing so can bring you increased revenue month after month, year after year. 

Here’s the mindset you can be in when you are thinking about what you want to sell on Etsy. Let’s first think like a customer: 

Let’s say a customer searches for a gold bar necklace on Etsy and they click in to your product and they love your style so they click in to your shop and then see you make baby blankets, suddenly they are no longer interested because they were just in love with your jewelry style and were thirsting for more, so instead they move on to another shop with other necklaces. If you had a very cohesive jewelry shop your customer may buy a necklace for herself, her best friend and her mom. Here’s the reasons why a buyer may buy from you instead of your competitor if you stay focused on your brand and niche: 

Let’s use the same example: You are focused on making hand stamped necklaces and you become an expert at stamping, you become very skilled and efficient because you repeat the process, you are able to do things in batches. You take the same photos and with each close up styled photo you become a better photographer because you are used to taking these types of photos. See where I’m going here? Staying focused and constant has so many benefits! You become an expert and you become very efficient! AND very importantly you become profitable. Let’s look at an example. Just last night I was looking at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PetPortraitsWorld This seller has sold over 3,500 paintings in just their first year. Her least expensive painting is $44 so if everyone bought her least expensive offering (they likely didn’t buy the cheapest each time) she’s made $44 x 3,500 sales that’s $154,000 revenue in one year.

So how do you do it? Overtime you gain credibility when you have a cohesive shop and brand, you are able to buy supplies in bulk, potentially at a deep discount from a supplier. You get in to a routine when fulfilling orders, your processes become streamlined, you receive great reviews and your revenue and profits increase month after month, year after year. 

Let’s look at another example of brand cohesiveness: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Frostbeard This shop is ran by my friend from college Roxi. Her shop has a very specific niche and target market, she makes soy candles by hand for book lovers. A little secret is she used to make pottery mugs as well but decided to go full force into making book lover candles and now she’s sold over 100,000 candles and even has a store in Minneapolis and a team that she employees! 

Now let’s do some tangible work for your shop. It’s good to come up with a target market statement, let’s try it… What specifically do you make? How do you make it? For whom? 

Here’s an example: I make personalized necklaces that are hand stamped for mothers and grandmothers. Or I make watercolor paintings of houses for homeowners. Or like Roxi from Frostbeard studios, “I make soy candles by hand for book lovers. You’ll be amazed at how much this statement will help narrow your focus and provide key words for your title and tags within your listings.

Want to go even further? Let’s brainstorm the problem you are solving for your customer. I make Hand Embroidered bridal Bouquets on an embroidery hoop for Brides so they can always remember their beautiful bouquets. You are solving a problem! You can easily use your problem statements in your descriptions. Check out this one for a book scented candle, they are “solving the problem” of escaping the real world for a moment and enjoying a scent along with a good book. Here’s how they used their problem statement in their candle’s description: Lose yourself on a lazy afternoon, cup of coffee in hand, while wandering endless aisles of bookshelves. This sweet, cozy blend of earthy fragrances will have you feeling like home is where the bookstore is. 

Inspired yet?! I know I am, I crave being laser focused on my target niche market. If you are like me you have tons of ideas, you love creating and want to try new ideas all the time. The best thing to do is to harness this energy and have a strategy for your new creations so you can stay focused and serve your niche market and have brand consistency. We’ve looked at some really successful shops that have become experts in their field, they’ve stayed focused and they thrive. You can too! Work on that target market statement and think about the problem you are solving for your customer!