How Well Do You Play the Positioning Game?

In a more modest area of a city, I saw a sign on the roof of a motel near a main highway. It said “Cleanest budget motel in our city” and then named several other available features offered. It looked to be tidy and in good repair, even though in a less desirable part of town.

Now, if you were on a tight budget yet needed accommodations that night, wouldn’t you be inclined to stop there? Rich or poor, we all like “clean.”

So how did this owner play the positioning game? By  choosing a favorable quality and marketing that as the most important selling point, he/she carved out a position in your mind. The position of cleanest of the budget motels. Perhaps several months from now you are again traveling through this city. As you realize you need to stopover here, you remember this clean budget motel because it holds that particular position in your mind.

Notice it wasn’t trying to be something it was not—a classy hotel. Yes, it’s not afraid to call itself a budget one, but within the group of budget motels, it claims to be the cleanest. It wasn’t trying to play up all its features equally, as most motels do, thinking that the more features it tells about on its large sign, the better you’ll think it is. In fact, what good do all the extra features do if the room is dirty and full of bugs? It chose a particular feature to focus on, so you connect it with that feature in your mind.

For those of us on Etsy, what can we learn? Well, let’s look at where this idea of positioning came from. A number of years back, Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote a book called, “Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind.” The book’s concept rocked the world of marketing at that time and its strategy has proved to be as true today as then. Their premise is that on the “ladder” of businesses in your product category, you must carve out a position in the customer’s mind. It doesn’t even have to be on top—it just has to be a unique position, something you are known for.

For example, at that time Hertz was the #1 car rental company. Avis was not. But Avis used the slogan, “We try harder” and combining that with good customer service, they won people’s hearts. They have grown amazingly since then.

Ivory soap is just another soap, right? Well, not really. Proctor and Gamble would have us believe that “It’s so pure it floats!”  They chose something unusual about it and exploited that. See how it now occupies a unique position in your mind?

How Can That Help Us on Etsy?

Because there are so many sellers in most categories, it’s imperative that you position yourself in a unique spot in the customer’s mind. Think long and hard about one thing that is unique or interesting about one product or your product group, and plan to focus on that in your marketing. Nowadays, that one thing needs to be fairly unusual, so shoppers can remember you better.

For example, perhaps you sell handmade purses. Could they all come under the theme of “Country?” Could you use country-type fabrics and styles and let that be your theme? You could market yourself as “the gal with country style bags and totes.” Your position in the mind of the shopper is that of “country style handbags.”

Perhaps you make soft leather purses and clutches. Then market yourself as “the shop with the softest leather imaginable!” Assuming your leather really is extremely soft, this now positions you as, not just one of many purse makers, but the one with the softest leather.

Yes, if you play the positioning game well, you’ll be remembered in Etsy’s marketplace, and end up getting the sales!

W

How? Here’s some easy ideas:

Set your product where you can see it. Now close your eyes and imagine that you are from a distant planet and have just now landed on earth. Much that you see will be strange to you, so, like a child, you’ll have to investigate. Now open your eyes and look at your product.

What is it called? What is it used for? Why would you want it?

Is it heavy? How heavy? Is that good? Why? Example: This paperweight is not so heavy that it crushes everything, but just weighty enough to gently keep your papers from blowing away.

Is it light? How light? Is that good? Why? Example: This shoulder bag is made from a durable hemp fiber—amazingly strong but light, so your shoulders won’t complain.

Is its color important? Example: Clear as glass, these plastic panels will protect your pictures, but never obscure their beauty!

Is its size important? Why? Example: So many keychains have large, bulky adornments that won’t fit in small jeans pockets. Ours are deliberately small in size, but sculptured with lots of intricate details to fascinate you.

Is it fragrant? Does that matter? Example: These soaps have the gentle scent of lavender—not overpowering, but just enough to tingle your senses and make you smile in the shower.

How does it feel? Smooth and soft? Why is that important? Example: The fabric of this blouse will caress your skin with silky softness every time you wear it! No wonder you’ll reach for it often!

Customers want you to describe your product in such a way that they can use all five of their senses to imagine what it’s like. If they were in a store, they’d see it, touch it, possibly smell it, listen to it, and (if edible) want to taste it. Your words need to convey all its qualities.

But your words need to convey something else too. What is that? The “What’s in it for me?” mindset every single customer has.

Always, always, tell them why they would appreciate each of these qualities of your product! Tell them how each quality will make them feel. Did you notice in the examples above, how each one explains a reason for why that feature is important? And where possible, they also convey how the customer feels when using the product.

So, pretend that each of your customers has just landed from another planet. Satisfy their childlike curiosity about your item. Explain what it is about your product that has value to them and why. Tell them how they will feel when using/owning your product.

You too, can beat brain freeze!

Do you hold back from listing your items as often as you should because of the listing fees? If the products you offer happen to be somewhat inexpensive, it can seem counterproductive to spend so much to relist them. For example, those who sell items in the $2-$3 range, just naturally flinch at paying 20 cents every time they list. Both Etsy and PayPal take a percentage from the product price already, and all those little 20 cent listing costs can eat away at profit. It especially gets frustrating when you are repeatedly listing items, but not selling as much as you’d hoped.

How can we Etsians balance our approach? Well, let’s imagine we are setting up a storefront in our city’s downtown area. What would our expenses be? One large expense (possibly second only to staff costs) would be our store rent.

On Etsy we pay no store rent. We’re free to set up our whole shop with no actual payment required just to be there. That is certainly a plus! Etsy is a giant marketplace, spanning the globe, and we can be accessed by anyone at any time!

But how will they find us, amid the maze of shops? That’s where listing each item becomes so very important! The default search is “Most Recently Listed,” so the only way to make sure our products show up near the top is to list them often. We just have to “bite the bullet” and pay frequent listing fees! However, if we think of those fees as our shop “rent,” then perhaps they won’t seem so unpalatable. All stores pay rent—ours just happens to be paid as listing fees.

But what if our products are inexpensive? How can we justify paying such a high percentage of the price just to list them? We have to think volume. If we ran a brick-and-mortar bead shop downtown, we’d have to sell quantities of beads in order to make the venture pay. So, it would take a little longer at first to turn a profit, until we get well known and have repeat customers, which contributes to volume. Also, would we likely sell one bead at a time? No, we’d create groups or packages of beads, so that each sale would have a higher dollar value.

So on Etsy, we can devise ways to group our more inexpensive items. Could we sell 2 of the same color or size together? Several of a particular theme together? It’s true each item would be sold slightly cheaper than if bought separately, but because they are listed together, there’s only one listing fee. So the cost per sale has gone down.

Another strategy is to sell a how-to template along with the original item. Especially in the world of crafts, people like guidance. Even if they already know how to make an item, they are still curious if someone has found a different/better way.

Yet another approach is to sell an upscale version of the first, inexpensive item. Customers like choices and some will be tickled to purchase a classier version of the same item. For that item our listing fee turns out to be a smaller percentage of our selling price.

So, don’t be unduly irritated by having to pay Etsy listing fees. Renew your items often and think of that cost as your store rent. Take steps to group items or otherwise increase the amount of each sale. Be a prudent shopkeeper!

There’s a seemingly small mistake lots of online sellers make that can actually roadblock their sales! It has to do with 3 little words that could act like a barricade to the customer. What are they?

The 3 words are “Thanks for looking.” A lot of Etsians use them near the end of their product write-ups. How could these innocent little words be a roadblock to sales?

First, let’s find out why sellers like to use this sentence. When asked, most say they feel so thankful toward shoppers who spend time looking at their products, that this is a way to show their appreciation.

While it certainly is true that we never, ever want to take our prospective customers for granted, is this the best way to show our appreciation? What is it about these words that could make them a roadblock to sales?

Imagine you are a customer, visiting an Etsy Shop. You are searching for a particular item and are reading through the product description to see if it has all the features you want. You’re totally focused on the merchandise. You see it’s available in more than one color. Great! You wonder, “If I were to buy, would I purchase it in the soft green or the deep burgundy?” As you get to the bottom of the product description, you are hit with “Thanks for looking.”

Suddenly your focus has been interrupted and you are jolted into realizing that you don’t have to decide which color or even whether to buy the item, you could just look. Inadvertently, this seller has possibly lost your purchase!

Here’s how it works: While the customer is reading the product description, she’s moving along mentally from considering the item … to thinking about owning the item … to which style or color to purchase. She’s gaining momentum toward that purchase, exactly what we want her to do! Hitting her in the face with “Thanks for looking” instantly breaks that momentum and, like a car hitting a roadblock, causes a crash. We have possibly derailed our sale!

Why is that? Like subliminal advertising, this phrase has an unwritten last half: “Thanks for looking … rather than buying.” We (the seller!) are reminding her that, despite her fascination with our product, she doesn’t have to buy it!

Avoid those 3 not-so-innocent little words! Don’t roadblock the customer’s forward momentum!

Viola wants to start an Etsy Shop and has an exceptionally good angle for her products. She deals in vintage items, but not just general ones that any other seller might have. Hers revolve around Riverboats. Now she needs to come up with a shop name.

So far her favorite name is ViolasVintage because it has her name in it, the sound is appealing (making it easier to remember), and it describes that she sells vintage items.

Let’s analyze her options. What would you say is the purpose of a shop name?

Wouldn’t a good one be relatively easy to remember, pronounce, and spell, so shoppers can find the seller again?

Wouldn’t it be helpful if in some way it brought a picture to customers’ minds, so they would have at least a hint of what is sold?

A shopper likes to put an Etsy Store in a category in her mind. She mentally says, “If I need such and such, I’ll go here.” In fact, she is filing the store’s name in her mind by connecting it to the products sold. A smart shopkeeper would help the customer along in her mental filing process by making the name already provide that connection to the items for sale. This is smart marketing!

Okay, so what about ViolasVintage? If you are a prospective customer, would her name help you to know what she sells? Vintage covers a huge spectrum—she could be selling vintage anything. Also, there are a lot of sellers on Etsy who deal in vintage items. Viola’s advantage is that she deals in Riverboat-themed items only. An interesting little niche market!

Somehow she needs the word Riverboat in her name, don’t you agree? That would enable her to stand out from all the other Etsy vintage sellers and help her customer put the shop name into a specific mental category.

So perhaps she could name the shop VintageRiverboatGoods or VintageRiverboatStyle. That’s better, but there is another factor to consider.

When shoppers look at Etsy listings, the truth is our picture and words must “grab” them pretty much instantly, or we won’t get their click. What bearing does this have on the shop name?

Have you noticed that because of a shortage of space, only the first few characters of a shop name show up in Gallery view? (Most shoppers use Gallery view so the pictures are larger.) According to Etsy’s site engineers, assuming the price takes 6 digits or less, if your shop name is up to 12 characters long, the whole name will usually show up. If your shop name is more than 12 characters, it will be truncated so usually only 9 characters show, and an ellipsis ( … ) will be added.

So if Viola’s shop name is VintageRiverboatGoods or VintageRiverboatStyle, what will show at first glance in Gallery view is “VintageRi…” That isn’t achieving what Viola wants. The most important word is Riverboat. So what if she changed the word order? What if she named her shop RiverboatVintageGoods or RiverboatVintageStyle, or the even simpler (and easier to remember) RiverboatGoods? Then what would show at first glance in her listings would be “Riverboat…” Yes that would work!

Imagine you are looking through the listings and spot an intriguing antique lamp and you notice the shop name is “Riverboat…” Wouldn’t that pique your interest? And what if the first words of the listing title were “Right off the boat…”? (Usually 18 characters of a listing title show in Gallery view.)

Now all 3 things that you see are sparking your curiosity. You see the antique lamp, the words “Right off the boat…” and the shop name, “Riverboat…” Assuming the photograph of the lamp is bright and clear, then all 3 parts of the listing are working together to engage your curiosity. This is a shopkeeper who uses every part of her listing to get that all-important click!

So which shop name is best? What do you think?

Bonnie

I answer all comments asap, and those who comment are eligible to enter all contests/giveaways!

In a somewhat affluent neighborhood, I came upon a roadside advertisement for a company that was named “Best Price Plumbing.”

Sadly, like a nearsighted individual, this owner named his company based on what he sees as important, but is that what a prospective customer sees?

If you needed a plumber, would price be your number one consideration? Due to the importance of properly-functioning plumbing, wouldn’t the plumber’s SKILL be top on your list?

Naming the company this means the owner is someone who himself puts a high priority on bargain-shopping. While it’s fine to be thrifty, as a customer we’d like to think the plumber we’d hire would be so skilled that he’d make a decent living.

Apparently price IS this fellow’s top concern, so our first thought is, does that mean he’s such an unskilled plumber that he’s also poor? We’re not sure we want him to work on our plumbing.

How much more trust he would inspire if he named the company “Prudent Plumbing”. Prudent means sensibly careful, yet also quietly implies that his prices are not exorbitant. That word actually has such a positive connotation that it makes us feel like we better hire his company if we think we’re prudent!

But all this potential was missed because he assumed all his customers saw things like he did!

Do you know what your customers’ number one concern is? Don’t assume that it’s necessarily the same as yours. Is it quality? Uniqueness? Functionality? Trust and respect for you? Interestingly, in study after study it has been found that TRUST is most frequently stated by customers as their number one concern.

So when setting prices, be balanced. Pricing wars where each one goes lower than their competitor means all the shops lose and ultimately, could go out of business. Slashing prices undermines people’s respect for you and your products. Instead, hold your head high and do all you can to inspire Trust. In a future post, I’ll discuss a variety of ways to inspire Trust.

Yes, avoid being nearsighted about your prices. Instead, broaden your view. Reassure customers you see things from their point of view. Inspire Trust!

I answer all comments asap, and those who comment are eligible to enter all contests/giveaways!

When you are suddenly thrust into the role of WRITER for your Etsy shop do you feel tongue-tied? “What will I say?” you ask, while your mind feels like an empty chasm.

Believe me, I’ve felt it, and I even compose ads and help businesses do marketing! So don’t think you are alone. But this article can help. First we’ll look at how shyness manifests itself on Etsy. And then we’ll think about ways to overcome it.

HOW ETSIANS SHOW THEY’RE SHY

Shyness often shows in the Shop Announcement spot. The Etsian isn’t sure what to talk about, so she ends up saying very little.

It can also manifest itself in her product Descriptions. They too, tend to be brief and sometimes sound stiff.

Her Public Profile is the hardest for her to write, so she often ignores it. Discussing herself feels so uncomfortable, she can’t bring herself to do so.

HELP TO OVERCOME THIS

Writing Listing Descriptions

There is a simple way to minimize the discomfort. Forget about yourself and think about your customer who has come to either your listing Description or your shop. What does this customer want? How can you help her?

She wants to find the perfect item to fill her need. So what can you say in your item Description to help her see that your item can work for her?

Make 2 lists: The first  explains the neat features of your item. The second list states what each of those neat things DO for your customer.

Examples:

( 1) In List 1: “All seams in this apron have been finished with  serging”

In List 2: “…so you don’t need to worry about any fraying of the fabric.”

(2) In List 1: “This art print has been created on acid-free paper with archival inks ”

In List 2: “…so it will last several hundred years!”

Always mention the benefit the customer receives from the particular feature of your product.

Shop Announcement

Feeling shy about what to say here? Again, think about your customer. Usually the first thing on her mind when she comes to your shop is, what does this seller have that I might want? So if your photos and shop name don’t make clear precisely what you sell, then this is a good place to clear up her confusion.

Also, you’d like to make her feel welcome, so she’ll trust you enough to buy. Be approachable and say that you are.

And if you have any special offers, free gifts, or other shops/blogs, this is a great place to say so.

Example

“Welcome to my antique-style mirror shop! Pretend you live in yesteryear, with my beautiful replicas of late 1800′s hand-mirrors for your boudoir!

I find vintage mirrors fascinating and strive to make my replicas as perfect as possible.

I’m a friendly person—feel free to convo me with any questions at all!

SPECIAL If you order 2 of any mirror at the same time, I give free shipping! A big deal because I package and ship them sparing no expense!

Feel free to visit my other Etsy shop BluMu.etsy.com”

Notice that this seller told the customer about her passion for replicating these vintage mirrors; the customer loves to hear about the seller’s passion. Now the customer is making a mental connection (& a heart connection) to the product!

Public Profile

But this one is the toughy! Here you are expected to actually talk about yourself…like you alone are in the spotlight! It’s true this makes many folks feel uncomfortable, but here again there is a way around it. Remember that your customer wants to hear about your product—she’s actually more interested in it than you. So tell how you got interested in your products and why you feel compelled to share them. You can talk a lot about the products and their history, but then glide smoothly into mentioning yourself in relation to them.

It can actually turn out that your Profile says more about your products than you…which doesn’t hurt sales at all! But be careful that you do say something about yourself, sharing a few personal details you feel comfortable to mention. Otherwise you lose the believable, personal touch, which can harm sales.

So see, it wasn’t that difficult was it? The secret to overcoming shyness really is forgetting yourself and thinking about the customer and what she wants. As soon as you focus on her, your shyness will disappear!

If you have a thought on how practical this advice is for you, comment here to let me know. Thanks! Bonnie I answer all comments asap, and those who comment are eligible to enter all contests/giveaways!

When you’re on Etsy and see the high sales numbers for successful shops, do you get envious? (I sure did, when I was first starting out!) What have those shopkeepers done to get so many sales?

Interestingly, they often have copied the basic principles all successful online shops follow. Because of my (day job) marketing experience outside Etsy, I’ve worked with many small businesses and helped them follow these proven sales techniques. Let’s look at the seven basic ones and then see how we on Etsy can put them to work for us! Why shouldn’t we enjoy the same sales boost?

The 7 Basic Secrets to Successful Shops:

1. Good products.

2. Exceptional customer service.

3. Photos of excellent caliber.

4. Initial words “grab” customer’s attention immediately.

5. Enough info stated so all customer questions are answered.

6. Store Policies clearly explained so customer feels valued.

7. Products displayed frequently and/or on lots of sites=easily found.

How To Copy These on Etsy!

It’s interesting that when I examined successful Etsy shops, I found they followed the same secrets that all successful online entrepreneurs do! Look at how you can apply these 7 Basic Secrets to your shop!

1. Put a lot of effort into your products, making them as perfect as possible.

Why does this work?

People expect a professional-looking item that will perform as promised. Examples: Soap that doesn’t crumble; Printable stationery that aligns nicely on the paper; Clothes with seams well finished, etc.

2. Have exceptional customer service!

Why does this work?

All of us like shopping where we are appreciated. Friendly, communicative sellers who tell us what’s happening with our order every step of the way, are sellers who get us as repeat customers. Right?

3. Use lots of beautiful, crisp and clear photos, so customers get as much visual info as possible.

Why does this work?

Have you noticed that people like to touch objects they are considering buying? Your photos must be crisp and clear (use the macro setting for extreme close-ups if you have tiny items) so they’re almost as good as “in real life.” Your photos must allow the person to mentally “touch” the products, so include as many views as you can. In one picture, always try to show the product in use, even if you must crop the picture to show only part of what’s around it. Examples: Show a bracelet on an arm, tho’ only a little bit of arm and hand show; Put a headband on a head, tho’ not all of the head shows.

Soft lighting, like that near a window but not in direct sunlight enhances most products.

4. Make the first words in your product Title so appealing, the customer wants to click on your listing.

Why does this work?

Apparently most Etsy shoppers use Gallery view to see the listings because then the pictures aren’t so ridiculously tiny. But then only the first few words in each listing’s Title show up while the shopper scans them. So make those first few words as persuasive as possible!

5. Make your product Description answer everything the customer wants to know!

Why does this work?

Again, the customer can’t actually handle the item, so she needs to know detailed answers to any question she may have about it. Try to think from your customer’s point of view–having never seen your item before, what sort of things would she want to know? While you don’t want to write a novel, it’s best to err on the side of too much rather than too little, info.

6. Ensure that your Shop Policies are helpful and clearly explained.

Why does this work?

Because your customer pays you before receiving the item, she is trusting you. If you make it easy for her to order, easy for her to pay, and easy for her to understand your policies, it’s like you’ve made her feel welcome and she’s more eager to buy.

7. List your items frequently, whether they sell or not.

Why does this work?

Online stores invest many dollars into setting up a good website to display their wares. They recognize that it takes money to make money. Don’t fret over spending money to list your items! If you don’t list them frequently, no one will find them. Like any reasonable businessperson, you know you must pay something out in order to get sales.

These proven basic selling secrets can boost your sales too! Are there any that you’re eager to apply and/or have applied? Comment and let me know.

I answer all comments asap, and those who comment are eligible to enter all contests/giveaways!