Etsy: A Powerful Tool for Small Business Marketing

What I love most about Etsy are its search capabilities. The site is designed to tailor the shopping experience to each buyer’s needs. Maybe you decide instead of requesting that previously mentioned green poodle skirt, it would be easier to just limit your search to all things green; Etsy does that with its search by color feature.

Buyers can also sort goods by type of item or by using the Treasury feature. Treasury Lists operate in similar manner to Pinterest’s boards by allowing users to group goods they think go together. Treasury Lists also give members the option to keep wish lists private, one feature I’d like to see added to Pinterest.

My favorite search option is the one that represents Etsy’s commitment to “bring heart to commerce” --- it’s the option to search for vendors within the nearby community. I love that Etsy is encouraging people to shop locally because it not only benefits the local economy, but also the environment.

Etsy takes the online marketplace idea one step further by creating a real community amongst buyers and sellers and giving the buying experience an intimacy you can’t get on Amazon or Ebay. Sellers have the option of posting a profile photo and details about why they make their goods, what inspires them, and their favorite materials for crafting.

Etsy’s community section is extremely useful for anyone who’s into crafts. It gives artists a place to exchange ideas and create teams where they can join people who share common interests. Team Star Wars, for example, is a group that shares Force-related products with their fellow Yoda-worshipping nerds.

The community section also allows members to share events being held in their area, such as knitting groups, Make & Meets, or social gatherings where people can get to know their local artists. The Online Labs portion of the community enables members to join in on streaming workshops that cover a wide range of topics from step-by-step craft instructions to strategies for successful selling on Etsy.

Etsy’s goal is to “empower people to change the way the global economy works,” and make it possible for even “very-very small businesses to shape the economy.” The concept is a proven example of what social media marketing and increased online presence can do to put small businesses in the same league as large ones.

by Autumn Duncan
http://www.siliconcloud.com/