How To Make The Most Out Of Your Etsy Activity Feed

If you sell on Etsy and do not use your activity feed -- you should. Every time I log into Etsy account I check on my activity feed to see which members in my circle are favoriting items, treasuries and shops; who is sharing the things I share; and who is following me. This gives you a lot of opportunities to get exposure and join a circle of people just as passionate as you are. 

The first thing you need to do is click on the "Following" column of your activity feed, and look through all of the recent activity of members in your circle and favorite every item that appears. This seems to work effectively by showing support to all of the Etsy sellers that find their way into your activity feed. You also want to go to the items you favorited at this point and favorite their associated shops. Add them to your circle, too.

Once you are done looking at your circles activity, look at the "Interactions" column, which shows which of your activity was liked by others. You will get to see what other people find trendy and if people are favoriting your activity. If someone new interacts with you, "follow" them and favorite their shop if you haven't already. I found out that after following so many shops, Etsy puts a cap on how many people you can follow. At this time I follow about 1080 people, and I cannot add more people to my list. I am told to remove some people before I can add any more. But every once in awhile I am able to add someone new to my following list. 

Lastly, you want to look in the column labeled, "Your Shop," to see which people are favoriting your items, treasuries, or shop. Make sure you follow their shop; add them to your circle; favorite their shop and items; and look at items they favorite. If possible, you might even want to build treasuries out of these shops and items. 

I hope you found this blog-post useful. It has been several years since I started my own Etsy shop and self-educating. Now I would like to share my own knowledge and inspire others out there. You can do it!

THANKS EVERYONE!

Stephanie

Fashion Blog

I have always wanted to start a fashion blog because I love fashion, of course. Getting back into making jewelry has been off to a slow start, but I was hoping to merge the two over time since jewelry is fashion. It will be a work in progress, but I expect that I will fulfill the trends I spot, as well as some trends I'd like to set myself. I am involved in a wide social network, now I just have to find my niche with Etsy and fashion. It is difficult to stand out among so many wonderful blogs out there, but I hope by using the confessional journal idea to draw interest, as our lives are all different. I'm only human. I'm not perfect and sometimes life us all on unique journeys. Now that I have found a stable surrounding, I expect to get just what I am looking for.

Check out my new blog at dressdynamic.blogspot.com

New Beginnings of Life in the City

After such a long time away, I had to finally explain myself. Colorado was beautiful and a wonderful experience. I learned a lot of new life skills and that even though I love making jewelry, it wasn't exactly a successful career. Let's just say, I haven't given up yet, but this is a brief relapse of time. 

View from Reunion Tower

I am now living in Preston Hollow, Texas in the heart of Dallas. I'm so blessed the way life worked out. Things were very rough at the end following my last blog post in 2011. Now I am more than proud to say I have a great job that pays well so I don't have to work multiple jobs, as I once was. I'm dating someone new who gladly gives me the opportunity to live the lifestyle I have been dreaming about for years. 

I have never lived in a city as large as Dallas before now. It was extremely overwhelming and intimidating at first. Especially around University and Highland Park. I'm across the highway, but in Preston Hollow it is no less ritzy. I have had the opportunity to gift many pieces of my jewelry to get the exposure it deserves. My boyfriend's mother came up with the idea to have a jewelry party at her house with snacks, wine and my jewelry displayed around the house. It was a brilliant success, and I had a blast discovering the real value of my work. 

Jewelry Party

I'm still in college, but I'll be done in two semesters. It's been a long journey. I won't be graduating with the degree I was originally working towards, but I will get a degree nonetheless. That's all I care about. I will be the first in my immediate family to have a degree, so it makes me feel accomplished. Every semester has been a struggle - I have wanted to give up many times. But now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two more semesters! This summer I plan to take more time for the things I love and exploring the beautiful city of Dallas. Stay posted on my progress. 

MIA Update

Find here: Spike necklace

For all of those who have wondered where in the world AnotherUse went, please forgive me. Life threw some curve balls at me and keeping up became impossible. It is now my summer break from college - just two more semesters left! I will be making my best effort to start posting weekly, if not daily. My creativity is aching to be released.

Etsy Seller Confessions: Day 13

Hi dearies!


I've been an avid Etsy seller since December 2010. When I first opened my store, AnotherUse, in December 2009, I had no idea how to sell my items online. I thought all I had to do was take a couple of decent photos of my items and post them, and people would buy. How wrong was I? I never sold my first item until December 11, 2010. What a shock that was! I actually forgot that I even had items for sale on Etsy. 

Photo of my first item sold. My photos have improved!

All of a sudden one day I'm reading an email stating that I have money waiting for me at Paypal. In the times of desperation when you're wondering how you are going to make enough money to pay your bills, money falls into your lap just like that. What a feeling! From that point on, I vowed that I would work harder on making more out of what I loved. It hasn't paid for all of my bills yet, but a couple are better than none. 

Makin' sure my babies get to eat plenty!

In the past 6 months, I have learned more than I could imagine about how to sell through Etsy and online. It involves so many elements, the whole time I've had to tell myself the work will pay off. Plus I love learning new things! Once I started subscribing to the Etsy Success newsletters, and blog, the knowledge became endless. I spend 10-12 hours a day, sometimes, just updating, taking photographs and notes, reading and typing, watching videos, all to understand just how you get people to notice my idea on the internet, as well as in person. 

Braving the rapids in life.

I believe that after all I have learned, the most important component of owning a jewelry business involves networking. If you don't have a well-structured social network, you will have a hard time selling items. I've been given some excellent advice from other Etsians just because I asked for it. That is a big step; just being able to ask for help when you need it. I'm always willing to share what I have learned so far. Anyone feel free to leave a comment if you ever have questions about Etsy and upcycling.


Thanks everyone!


Stephanie

Join Teams on Etsy: Day 12

Hi dearies!


When I first started learning what Etsy was about, one tip I was given was to join teams in order to get more exposure and further help. This sounded like a fantastic idea, so I went ahead and searched through some of the teams on Etsy. You can find teams for specific regions to specific topics. 


Today I wanted to focus on the team Upcyclers. 

"Upcyclers are artisans who repurpose existing materials or post consumer waste to create fashion, art or products with a new value, purpose or aesthetic appeal, thereby reducing the consumption of raw materials, energy and resources that must be conserved for the environmental health of the planet."

Their blog is Love 2 Upcycle and facebook fan page. There are over 930 members. Check them out and join!

Vintage Inspired Flower Earrings

Also head on over to my etsy store, AnotherUse, and check out the 50% off sale going on.


Thanks everyone!


Stephanie

Advertise on my blog: Day 11

Hi dearies!


Love this blog and believe in its potential? Advertise on my blog and share the love. I'm offering advertisement for just $5 a month! That's so affordable, how could you say no?

New for sale! 50% off!

At this time, I have 41 followers, a facebook fan page, twitter, an etsy shop, flickr, deviantart, and pinterest page. I'm also a member of 15 teams on Etsy where I promote my blog. You can also find me on Etsypreneur. 

Romantic flower earrings

Ad sizes should be 150x150 px. Can be in jpg, png, or gif format. If interested, leave a message on my blog or email me at stephanieccasey@yahoo.com. Payments made via paypal to stephanieccasey@yahoo.com, or if necessary, we can set something else up. 

Dangly flirty flower earrings

Thanks everyone!


Stephanie