Launched in the summer of 2005, Etsy, the purveying marketplace for hipster crafts, generated more than $2.4 billion in gross merchandise sales, had 1.6 million active sellers, and 24 million active buyers in 2015. I think it’s safe to say this New York based crafting empire must be doing something right within its marketing and advertising strategies.
Aside from their inadvertent marketing from its members who are simply promoting their personal online shops, Etsy has made major strides in its marketing strategies. With heavy social media outreach, transparent blogging techniques, on location pop-up shops and craft labs – Etsy will continue to grow its seller and customer base.

As a Florida marketing agency, we find inspiration for our own strategies everywhere including a million dollar arts and craft mogul like Etsy. Take some cues from this savvy craftzilla company and some of their marketing and advertising strategies:

Be a social media powerhouse – From Twitter and Facebook to Pinterest and Tumblr, their social media empire is ever growing. Etsy directly promotes its users’ content and products, blog articles via its social media accounts. They have a strong online presence and are excited to tell the world about their crafty goodness. Have a “show and tell” of your own and represent your company on the social front.

1. Tweet daily updates about new products or office happenings.
2. Connect directly with customers on Facebook and share images and links from your blog posts, shop windows or product.
3. Share some creative inspiration on Pinterest and add a PinIt button to your website or blog to optimize others to share your content.
4. Create a youtube channel and engage customers on a more personable level. Let them see your face, hear your voice, and learn a bit more about the company they are doing business with.

Focus on your local community with on-location events – This holiday, Etsy featured a craft pop-up shop in the trendy NY neighborhood of SoHo. Featuring celebrity artists, craft workshops and more; they even curated a hand painted wall mural above the shop. Outside of the holidays, Etsy hosts free monthly workshops out of their office lab. Let your customers experience your personal hospitality and get to know them face to face with an in-store event or a social night.

Think of your mobile users – [quote]More than 50% of Etsy visitors are viewing the site from mobile devices.[/quote] Launching its first iPhone App in November 2011, Etsy reached over 100 million downloads in just four months from its release date. You may not need to go to the extreme of building an app for your business, but you should consider developing a separate mobile site to enhance your online presence or at least take steps to make your site a bit more mobile-friendly.­­

Promotional ads and content to drive traffic– Etsy supplies their members with promo badges to support their personal Etsy shops which in turn encourages more visits to Etsy.com and increases overall revenue for the company. A great way to bolster your advertising promotions is researching new publishers that share interest with your customer base (blogs, websites and social sites) that offer ad space. Many offer affordable advertising packages to post small ads  that can drive more traffic to your site and awareness about your company.

What additional tips do you have for online marketing?

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