How do you build a community? Especially if people aren't commenting. I'd like to see a more in-depth video about the process of building a community from zero. Thanks!
I'll be talking about community (and mailing lists) in next week's video! But the two topics are also something I've been slowly pivoting into here this year so I'll be making a lot more content on them going forward. 💚😊
I was referring to any platform that you can talk to your community on, so Facebook groups could definitely be a part of that. But ultimately where you choose is up to you. A mix of where your community hangs out and what you enjoy using. For me personally that's here on CZcams and Instagram. 😊
Thank you, I’ve been so scared to get what I make out there to have someone in the UK to advice and help with all the tips and ways to get started is great.
This was a really nice video. I also like the background in this one. The lighting is really nice and the shelves in the back add nice depth and frame the video nicely.
Cheers Quills! That's spring for you. At this time of year the light at this end of the office is just, *chef's kiss* Unfortunately it's still bloody freezing most of the time, but it's getting there. 😄
This is excellent information thank you. I thought about this as well, it's so obvious. However you get a customer to an Etsy shop, there are thousands of similar (or better) products a glance away. They can immediately scan for another product right next to yours. I do this all the time on Amazon. But originally I found your video because I was wondering if it would be easier to just create my own shop, promote it, and not have to deal with Etsy.
You're welcome as always Amanda. A large mailing list is great and everything, but is pretty meaningless if it's full of the wrong people in my opinion. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching! 😁💚💚
Such a great video. I've been thinking about creating my own website and driving people there who like MY designs and dont get sidetracked with millions of other sellers. This video helped me decide that I definitely need to open one. And I get what you said about the sales coming to an immediate halt when you stopped giving Etsy as much attn. I struggle with this too and it's so frustrating. Also, when I decided to try ads, my sales did increase, as well as the clicks and views etc, but when I felt it wasnt worth the money and stopped them, my views disappeared immediately the next day. Even worse than they were before starting the ads. And this was all during a time when I was actively posting new stuff in my shop. It feels like Etsy was like "Oh you're not paying us anymore? We're gonna hide you in the corner" lol. As a graphic designer, I've put SO much work into my shop to make it look great, but Im honestly starting to think maybe Etsy isnt the right fit for me. It's even getting frustrating feeling like I have to sell my stuff ridiculously cheap due to all the other competition on there selling way too low. Sigh. Sorry for the rant lol. Etsy is just such a struggle. Thanks for the insight! I'm gonna look into starting an email list as well.
I remember watching something with Josh Silverman talking about how people starting their own websites, and not realising how hard it is. As someone who now has their own website I can say hand on heart that it is hard at first to get it all set up, at least if you're learning everything from scratch, but WOW. I love my website so much. I earn more, it converts higher and now needs less input from me to keep it running. For me at least it was work upfront, and then ease and peace of mind. Whereas Etsy is easy to set up and then constant stress! I know which one I prefer. 😄💚
@@KimBliss Thanks for that, Kim! I totally agree, the work is much more compared to Etsy, but at least you have your own brand and your shop doesnt look like everyone else's. Which is awesome! And luckily, as a graphic designer, I can build the site fairly easily. It actually wouldnt be my first., just my first for digital products. So Im looking forward to it. Especially knowing there are those out there like you who have seen great success doing it!
@@KimBliss I totally get that! Im definitely going to get my own site up. As a designer, I've created many sites before and even sold website templates, so I am versed in that. I just thought let me try Etsy since the traffic is there, and like you said, I felt like it's a super easy set up and the money would just come flying in since I knew I had the design part down pat. NOPE! lol. You said it best, website = tough setup but smooth sailing later, Etsy = easy setup but ongoing stress LOL. Id MUCH rather the tough setup.
Oh Kim your website is beautiful! You did a great job on setting it up!! 👍❤️ 🥰 The fonts, colors, and pics .. everything flows smoothly .. and I love your designs! One thing I noticed on your '6 snowflake set' item description the beginning few letters are cut off. 🌱🌿🍃 I wish you the BEST!!!
Esperanza, I always smile when I see your name pop up in the comments. Thank you for all your kind words. And for your eagle eye too! I've just gone in and amended the snowflake descriptions... well spotted, thank you! 😁💚💚
It's really interesting to hear that, even with sales, there's very little organic Etsy footfall. I agree it's best to expect much from Etsy if we're not driving traffic there. All best wishes for seeing that traffic on your own website instead and catching Google's attention 😃
Yes it's all very interesting. I'm tempted to see if I can jump start my Etsy shop again just to see if I can, buuuut. It does mean returning to the Etsy grind so.. I'm as yet undecided. 😄
I recognise some of your experiences. As a new Shopify shop owner of just 1 month, also keeping my Etsy shop going, it's interesting comparing the two sites. Etsy stats are really lacking. Shopify has a lot more detail which is more useful. I think it will take time to build up sales on the new site. I hear it can take some time to get traction, and more so in such tricky times! Have you made a post about how to do a mailing list and how YOU do a mailing list and who with. I've thought about it, and tried it before without success but I would love to hear your advice on that aspect of business.
I've made a video ages ago, but I'm due to film a longer podcast episode this week so I can definitely go into more detail about how I approach my mailing list then. Good luck with your shop by the way. It's a long game, but we'll worth the time and energy we're putting in. 😊
No! I keep looking at it and thinking that I'll do it in the evening when I get some time to relax.. and then forget about it! That's been happening for the past month or so now. I should just park it in the living room. I won't forget then. 😄
This was a great video, Kim, thank you! I was wondering if you have a video about how you bring traffic to your Etsy shop or your website? I have zero visibility right now so this is my main point of focus. Would love tutorials on this when you have time 😅 (maybe you already did that but i cant find it) Thank you so much ❤
Cheers Karine! I don't have any video tutorials on this topic, but at the start of this year I did make a video about how I approach it. I'll add the link here in case you're interested: czcams.com/video/iSF88sGDnNA/video.html Essentially, it's about talking to people and giving them the chance to grow that trust factor in your business. I hope this helps! 💚
Kim! You gotta get some heat in your office!!! Can't have ya getting sick !!!🤢 You're a master at driving your traffic to your website. If you ever bought Esty ads they was stealing money from ya. You did all their work. Having a community around ya like you got is half the battle in running a successful small business. And many people don't realize the amount of time and effort it takes. One word does come to mind, Years!!! for most people. 😁👍💯
It does!! So many folks want an over night answer and there just isn't one.. unfortunately! 😄 And you're right, you're right. I keep telling myself that my office doesn't need heating when the rest of the house is warm, but it's the darkest and oldest part of the house so it does get chilly in there sometimes. 🥶😄
Amazing tips! I started my mailing list last year but it's going very very slow. I think I might have maybe 15 people on it? I fear sending my first newsletter too. It doesn't make any sense to fear it I know! I just want top quality for those who did subscribe. I'd love to hear more about how you deal with planning overwhelm... like we wear so many hats, so many plates are spinning. Even my little toe is spinning a plate lol Would be great to hear your thoughts if that's something you'd be willing to share 🙂
Sounds to me like your mailing list is doing well! I think I only gained 20 people on mine last year.. although as I say I do have a purge every year too. I'm due to film a podcast episode this week and I was going to talk about my mailing list a little so I'll cover what I send out to folks in case it might be helpful. And definitely with the overwhelm too because I could talk on that topic all day long! 😄
Your kitty is so cute! I have a website, a mailing list and a community...however my community is mostly friends and family. The problem with this is, even though quite a few of them purchase from me often, my community is not growing. It's like going to the same pub every weekend and hearing the same story about how your aunt lost her pants in a game of Truth or Dare. There is engagement but it's the same engagement, the same few people and no new people. I've tried giveaways, I've tried tag a friend etc but nothing seems to move the needle. Some days I want to throw in the towel and quit.
Firstly, if that's a real story about your aunt then she sounds like a hoot! Secondly it sounds like the place you're talking to your community is good foe hosting conversations but not good for attracting new people... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, you were talking about Facebook right? Or Instagram?
@Kim Bliss well my mom has 15 brothers and sisters, so it could be any one of them 😆. Yes, it is Facebook. I am also on Instagram, Tik Tok, and some new thing called Lemon 8. Maybe I'm just bad at engagement, or my product is terrible. I also have been doing events in my community with new people buying items, even getting excited, but they never follow up.
Aw I doubt it's your product. Facebook and Instagram are notoriously hard to get found on organically these days. I've got some videos coming up around the topic of community building including next week's video so keep an eye out for that. 💚
Same problem for me, only I have a small family they never buy, also my friends never buy🤣But only a small group or Instagram people buy. And I have not much followers and sometimes I think the same, is it worse all? Maybe a bit depressed at the moment because of my third week of Covid😅
Newsletters don't work for everyone, they didn't for me and ended up being a tonne of extra work to put together. These days my mailing list is only for promoting my products. This means far fewer people sign up, *but* it also means that when I do launch something, I get more sales because the people who have signed up have done so specifically for that reason. In short, think about what you would want your list to do for you and let that inform what you send out to people. You don't need to do what everyone else is doing. It just has to work for you. 😉
Well CZcams is my main one which is why I recommend it to others so much. It really is the tide that raises all ships. But other than YT I have had some traction on Instagram and even TikTok.. despite hardly ever being on the latter. Pinterest also works really well for a lotnof people, but I haven't tried it myself for a long time due to a lack of time.
I just watch a video on CZcams about the welsh accent. O my God, that was pretty lush, isn't it? If you would make a video on the welsh accent, you will get 100 000 subscribers now in a minute@@KimBliss
How do you build a community? Especially if people aren't commenting. I'd like to see a more in-depth video about the process of building a community from zero. Thanks!
I'll be talking about community (and mailing lists) in next week's video!
But the two topics are also something I've been slowly pivoting into here this year so I'll be making a lot more content on them going forward. 💚😊
Do you mean a Facebook group when you say community?
I was referring to any platform that you can talk to your community on, so Facebook groups could definitely be a part of that. But ultimately where you choose is up to you. A mix of where your community hangs out and what you enjoy using.
For me personally that's here on CZcams and Instagram. 😊
I'm so glad that you are doing well with your new shop Kim 😊
Thanks Margaret! 😊💚
Thank you, I’ve been so scared to get what I make out there to have someone in the UK to advice and help with all the tips and ways to get started is great.
I learned a lot! Super useful info, thank you very much!
This was a really nice video. I also like the background in this one. The lighting is really nice and the shelves in the back add nice depth and frame the video nicely.
Cheers Quills! That's spring for you. At this time of year the light at this end of the office is just, *chef's kiss*
Unfortunately it's still bloody freezing most of the time, but it's getting there. 😄
I Love your honesty. I am now looking to open a website, you are very inspirational so thanks Kim🥰👍
Thanks Richard. The website has become quite the ongoing project, but it's well worth the time. 😁
Hi Kim! I see all your videos. I like you work. I'm starting my etsy shop and i've learned a lot with you. A big tank you !!! You are a superb person!
Thanks so much! 💚
This is excellent information thank you. I thought about this as well, it's so obvious. However you get a customer to an Etsy shop, there are thousands of similar (or better) products a glance away. They can immediately scan for another product right next to yours. I do this all the time on Amazon.
But originally I found your video because I was wondering if it would be easier to just create my own shop, promote it, and not have to deal with Etsy.
Hi Kim, Thank a mill. Great ideas about honing your mailing list to people who actually care! I might try that. Amanda
You're welcome as always Amanda. A large mailing list is great and everything, but is pretty meaningless if it's full of the wrong people in my opinion.
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching! 😁💚💚
It makes so much sense 😊
Thanks, Lucia. I think so. 😊💚
Such a great video. I've been thinking about creating my own website and driving people there who like MY designs and dont get sidetracked with millions of other sellers. This video helped me decide that I definitely need to open one. And I get what you said about the sales coming to an immediate halt when you stopped giving Etsy as much attn. I struggle with this too and it's so frustrating. Also, when I decided to try ads, my sales did increase, as well as the clicks and views etc, but when I felt it wasnt worth the money and stopped them, my views disappeared immediately the next day. Even worse than they were before starting the ads. And this was all during a time when I was actively posting new stuff in my shop. It feels like Etsy was like "Oh you're not paying us anymore? We're gonna hide you in the corner" lol. As a graphic designer, I've put SO much work into my shop to make it look great, but Im honestly starting to think maybe Etsy isnt the right fit for me. It's even getting frustrating feeling like I have to sell my stuff ridiculously cheap due to all the other competition on there selling way too low. Sigh. Sorry for the rant lol. Etsy is just such a struggle. Thanks for the insight! I'm gonna look into starting an email list as well.
I remember watching something with Josh Silverman talking about how people starting their own websites, and not realising how hard it is.
As someone who now has their own website I can say hand on heart that it is hard at first to get it all set up, at least if you're learning everything from scratch, but WOW. I love my website so much. I earn more, it converts higher and now needs less input from me to keep it running.
For me at least it was work upfront, and then ease and peace of mind. Whereas Etsy is easy to set up and then constant stress!
I know which one I prefer. 😄💚
@@KimBliss Thanks for that, Kim! I totally agree, the work is much more compared to Etsy, but at least you have your own brand and your shop doesnt look like everyone else's. Which is awesome! And luckily, as a graphic designer, I can build the site fairly easily. It actually wouldnt be my first., just my first for digital products. So Im looking forward to it. Especially knowing there are those out there like you who have seen great success doing it!
@@KimBliss I totally get that! Im definitely going to get my own site up. As a designer, I've created many sites before and even sold website templates, so I am versed in that. I just thought let me try Etsy since the traffic is there, and like you said, I felt like it's a super easy set up and the money would just come flying in since I knew I had the design part down pat. NOPE! lol. You said it best, website = tough setup but smooth sailing later, Etsy = easy setup but ongoing stress LOL. Id MUCH rather the tough setup.
Oh Kim your website is beautiful! You did a great job on setting it up!! 👍❤️ 🥰 The fonts, colors, and pics .. everything flows smoothly .. and I love your designs! One thing I noticed on your '6 snowflake set' item description the beginning few letters are cut off. 🌱🌿🍃 I wish you the BEST!!!
Esperanza, I always smile when I see your name pop up in the comments. Thank you for all your kind words. And for your eagle eye too! I've just gone in and amended the snowflake descriptions... well spotted, thank you! 😁💚💚
It's really interesting to hear that, even with sales, there's very little organic Etsy footfall. I agree it's best to expect much from Etsy if we're not driving traffic there. All best wishes for seeing that traffic on your own website instead and catching Google's attention 😃
Yes it's all very interesting. I'm tempted to see if I can jump start my Etsy shop again just to see if I can, buuuut. It does mean returning to the Etsy grind so.. I'm as yet undecided. 😄
Thank you so much!
Asfer a long time I Finally see a Chanel that I really love!
Please do a video for email list!
Thank you
Thanks so much! I've got a couple of videos on mailing lists on the channel already, but definitely have more to come. 😊
Would love to know more about mailing lists and what I would have to include in it
Gotcha! I'll talk about it when I film the next podcast episode which will go up next Monday. 😁
@@KimBliss Thanks Kim it is much appreciated
I recognise some of your experiences. As a new Shopify shop owner of just 1 month, also keeping my Etsy shop going, it's interesting comparing the two sites. Etsy stats are really lacking. Shopify has a lot more detail which is more useful. I think it will take time to build up sales on the new site. I hear it can take some time to get traction, and more so in such tricky times! Have you made a post about how to do a mailing list and how YOU do a mailing list and who with. I've thought about it, and tried it before without success but I would love to hear your advice on that aspect of business.
I've made a video ages ago, but I'm due to film a longer podcast episode this week so I can definitely go into more detail about how I approach my mailing list then.
Good luck with your shop by the way. It's a long game, but we'll worth the time and energy we're putting in. 😊
Glad to hear your website is working for you 😀 I noticed your crochet cardigan hanging in the background, did you get around to fixing the sleeve?
No! I keep looking at it and thinking that I'll do it in the evening when I get some time to relax.. and then forget about it!
That's been happening for the past month or so now. I should just park it in the living room. I won't forget then. 😄
This was a great video, Kim, thank you! I was wondering if you have a video about how you bring traffic to your Etsy shop or your website? I have zero visibility right now so this is my main point of focus. Would love tutorials on this when you have time 😅 (maybe you already did that but i cant find it) Thank you so much ❤
Cheers Karine! I don't have any video tutorials on this topic, but at the start of this year I did make a video about how I approach it.
I'll add the link here in case you're interested:
czcams.com/video/iSF88sGDnNA/video.html
Essentially, it's about talking to people and giving them the chance to grow that trust factor in your business. I hope this helps! 💚
@@KimBliss thank you so much!!
Kim! You gotta get some heat in your office!!! Can't have ya getting sick !!!🤢 You're a master at driving your traffic to your website. If you ever bought Esty ads they was stealing money from ya. You did all their work. Having a community around ya like you got is half the battle in running a successful small business. And many people don't realize the amount of time and effort it takes. One word does come to mind, Years!!! for most people. 😁👍💯
It does!! So many folks want an over night answer and there just isn't one.. unfortunately! 😄
And you're right, you're right. I keep telling myself that my office doesn't need heating when the rest of the house is warm, but it's the darkest and oldest part of the house so it does get chilly in there sometimes. 🥶😄
Amazing tips! I started my mailing list last year but it's going very very slow. I think I might have maybe 15 people on it? I fear sending my first newsletter too. It doesn't make any sense to fear it I know! I just want top quality for those who did subscribe.
I'd love to hear more about how you deal with planning overwhelm... like we wear so many hats, so many plates are spinning. Even my little toe is spinning a plate lol
Would be great to hear your thoughts if that's something you'd be willing to share 🙂
Sounds to me like your mailing list is doing well! I think I only gained 20 people on mine last year.. although as I say I do have a purge every year too.
I'm due to film a podcast episode this week and I was going to talk about my mailing list a little so I'll cover what I send out to folks in case it might be helpful.
And definitely with the overwhelm too because I could talk on that topic all day long! 😄
Hi Kim, I’m just wondering how you go about starting a mailing list and what to include?
Hey Laura! Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to talk about mailing lists and community building in next week's video so keep an eye out! 😁💚
Your kitty is so cute! I have a website, a mailing list and a community...however my community is mostly friends and family. The problem with this is, even though quite a few of them purchase from me often, my community is not growing. It's like going to the same pub every weekend and hearing the same story about how your aunt lost her pants in a game of Truth or Dare. There is engagement but it's the same engagement, the same few people and no new people. I've tried giveaways, I've tried tag a friend etc but nothing seems to move the needle. Some days I want to throw in the towel and quit.
Firstly, if that's a real story about your aunt then she sounds like a hoot!
Secondly it sounds like the place you're talking to your community is good foe hosting conversations but not good for attracting new people... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, you were talking about Facebook right? Or Instagram?
@Kim Bliss well my mom has 15 brothers and sisters, so it could be any one of them 😆. Yes, it is Facebook. I am also on Instagram, Tik Tok, and some new thing called Lemon 8. Maybe I'm just bad at engagement, or my product is terrible. I also have been doing events in my community with new people buying items, even getting excited, but they never follow up.
Aw I doubt it's your product. Facebook and Instagram are notoriously hard to get found on organically these days. I've got some videos coming up around the topic of community building including next week's video so keep an eye out for that. 💚
@@KimBliss can't wait!
Same problem for me, only I have a small family they never buy, also my friends never buy🤣But only a small group or Instagram people buy. And I have not much followers and sometimes I think the same, is it worse all? Maybe a bit depressed at the moment because of my third week of Covid😅
what do i do with a mailing list?? is it for sending newsletters?? what should i write in the newsletter? 😱
Newsletters don't work for everyone, they didn't for me and ended up being a tonne of extra work to put together.
These days my mailing list is only for promoting my products. This means far fewer people sign up, *but* it also means that when I do launch something, I get more sales because the people who have signed up have done so specifically for that reason.
In short, think about what you would want your list to do for you and let that inform what you send out to people.
You don't need to do what everyone else is doing. It just has to work for you. 😉
How do you like to drive your own traffic aside from CZcams? Do you have another community as well? 😊😊😊
Well CZcams is my main one which is why I recommend it to others so much. It really is the tide that raises all ships.
But other than YT I have had some traction on Instagram and even TikTok.. despite hardly ever being on the latter. Pinterest also works really well for a lotnof people, but I haven't tried it myself for a long time due to a lack of time.
@@KimBliss Thanks 😊
Do people in Wales and England have the same accent ? (from Canada)
Not usually. I did have a Welsh accent growing up, but lost it. That's a whoole other story. 😉
I just watch a video on CZcams about the welsh accent.
O my God, that was pretty lush, isn't it?
If you would make a video on the welsh accent, you will get 100 000 subscribers now in a minute@@KimBliss
"It's mine!" 😂
Sorry Etsy, not yours! 😆
@@KimBliss 🤣
hey do you have a business email?