#159: Discover How to Sell and Win Big on Etsy
Yep it’s time to discover how to sell and win big on Etsy.
We see it over and over again. The bloggers and online entrepreneurs who figure out how to sell products to their audiences are the most successful.
But selling products can seem intimidating. And there’s where selling on Etsy comes in.
We don’t think there’s any platform better for validating your ideas and setting up shop.
In this podcast episode, I’m interviewing Etsy expert, Morgan Nield. And we go step by step talking about:
- How to find a product to sell
- How to do customer research
- How to test your product
- How to set up your Etsy shop
- How to market your Etsy shop
- How to build long-term relationships with your customers so they come back again and again.
If you already have an Etsy shop, I bet you’ll pick up some good tips in this episode. If you haven’t yet started an Etsy shop, I think this episode will inspire you to do it now!
Table of Contents
Show Notes:
- MiloTree
- Catch My Party
- MiloTree Blogstart
- Morgan Nield
- The Blogger Genius Share & Grow Your Blog Facebook Group
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Intro 0:04
Welcome to The Blogger Genius Podcast brought to you by MiloTree. Here’s your host, Jillian Leslie.
Jillian Leslie 0:11
Hello, friend. Welcome back to The Blogger Genius Podcast. I’m Jillian Leslie, host to the podcast, founder of the MiloTree app, Catch My Party, business coach. And as I like to call myself, business translator.
Jillian Leslie 0:28
I take what’s working in online business and blogging today. Break it down, so you can use these strategies in your own business. Okay, before I get started with today’s episode, I want to invite you to join my Facebook group.
It is the Share & Grow Your Blog Traffic group. If you go to Facebook, and you search for Blogger Genius, you will see it show up. And it is a place where we all share links to our blogs, links to our social media accounts, ask questions. Share about our process.
It’s a really wonderful community, and it will help grow your business. So, please head to Facebook, search for The Blogger Genius, you’ll find the group. I’ve shortened the name to Share & Grow Your Blog Traffic. So, come on over and join.
Discover How to Sell and Win Big on Etsy
For today’s episode. I have Morgan Nield on the show, and she is an Etsy expert. One of the tips I shared for growing your business and your blog in 2021, is to sell something. And I say the first platform I would start selling on is Etsy.
Because there is a built-in audience already on the platform, already to buy your products. Morgan breaks it down. She talks about how to come up with ideas for products.
How to set up your Etsy account and how you don’t have to do things perfectly. It is an iterative process. If you listen to my podcast, you hear me say this over and over again. It is really about starting.
It is about testing. It is about learning. And it is about trying again. And I think you’re going to find this episode really useful.
If you are thinking of starting an Etsy shop, if you already have an Etsy shop, or if you are just starting to ideate on what to sell in your business. So, without further delay, here is my interview with Morgan Nield.
Morgan, welcome to the show.
Morgan Nield 2:43
I am so excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Jillian Leslie 2:46
I was saying to you before I press record that it was actually David, my husband who found you. We are big fans of people starting Etsy shops.
He was doing some Google searching and discovered you and he said to me reach out to her and ask her to come on your podcast.
Morgan Nield 3:01
Well, I’m so glad he found me online because I’m super excited to be here.
Starting an Etsy Shop to Deal with Postpartum Depression
Jillian Leslie 3:05
So, will you share how you got started selling on Etsy? And then how your entrepreneurial journey has changed or pivoted since then?
Morgan Nield 3:16
Yeah, absolutely. So, like most people, I think we always think success is a straight line. And it’s totally not a straight line. And my story is not a straight line at all. All the curves, all the loops, all the craziness.
I actually started selling on Etsy, because I had a mental breakdown, which is kind of crazy. So, I gave birth to a baby girl in 2013, my first child, and I didn’t do well.
So, I got diagnosed about two weeks was diagnosed with postpartum depression, anxiety and a little bit of postpartum psychosis as well. It was a completely surreal, awful experience.
Jillian Leslie 3:54
Have you ever had anything like this before?
Morgan Nield 3:58
No, I had a very normal health like normal, healthy childhood growing up experience. And I had this daughter and my world completely collapsed. Two weeks later, I was fine the first two weeks and then it was like a light switch just flipped.
Jillian Leslie 4:15
And healthy pregnancy?
Morgan Nield 4:17
Healthy pregnancy textbook pregnancy, they probably wrote the textbook on pregnancy based off of my pregnancy. It was 100% normal, nothing out of the ordinary. And two weeks postpartum, something completely switched.
And I just fell into this deep pit of despair, which was kind of crazy. And we didn’t know what was going on. Because nobody in my family had struggled with anything like this before. And I wasn’t even aware either of what was actually going on.
I felt this was, hey, this is new motherhood. And when they diagnosed me with postpartum depression anxiety, things started to make a little bit more sense like, hey, this isn’t normal. This isn’t how it’s always going to be. But this is how it is right now.
And so, how can I actually cope with what I’m experiencing right now. And I didn’t always have that clarity of thought every single day like it depended. But if it was a good day, I can have that clarity that this isn’t how it’s always going to be.
And so, actually, as a way to cope, I’d worked as a busy events manager prior to giving birth to my daughter. And I was going to stay home with her and be a stay-at-home mom, partially because I could not return to work in the state, I was in.
But also, because I’ve been raised by stay-at-home mom, it was kind of one of those values that we personally had as a family. And so, I wanted to be the one that was raising my daughter.
So, I turned in my notice to quit my job. And then I said, “Okay, this is it. This is my life; I’m going to be a mom.” And I found that it was really empty for me. I found I wasn’t a natural fit for motherhood, some people are such natural fits for motherhood.
I was the textbook pregnancy girl. I was not the textbook motherhood girl. And so, it was a big adjustment for me. And then dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety with that it just was a really hard transition.
And so, I turned to like a creative outlet to help me cope.
Jillian Leslie 6:05
Can I just pause you for one second? I think this is so interesting. You are the third woman I have interviewed on my podcast, who has suffered from severe postpartum depression, anxiety, whatever, and how that set them up for these enormous life shifts.
Morgan Nield 6:26
Oh, yeah.
Jillian Leslie 6:26
And how it rewrote everything about their lives. And I didn’t suffer from postpartum depression, although I was nuts after my daughter was born with the sleep deprivation. But it completely shifted my whole career trajectory.
I was a writer in Hollywood, and all of a sudden, I found it to be so hollow, like a switch went off in me going, what am I doing? Like, it’s supposed to be so glamorous, and it doesn’t feel glamorous. And I have more important job.
I’m Lainey’s mom now. And I couldn’t rectify this. So, it’s so interesting that so many entrepreneurs that I’m talking to have something like this come, and then they kind of shift. And it can take a while. How long did it take you to start to come out of this?
Morgan Nield 7:19
I struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety for actually about 18 months, which is an excessively long time. And that’s not a normal amount of time.
We were in a position where we did not actually have medical insurance at the time because I’d been the breadwinner, and I had to quit my job. My husband was in school.
And so, we weren’t able to get me the help that I needed, psychologically in terms of also just medicinally. And so, I struggled with it for quite some time. And I actually turned to opening an Etsy shop, this creative outlet.
I decided, hey, I’m going to open an Etsy shop, this is going to be a good distraction for me. It’s going to allow me to have something outside of motherhood that is going to fulfill me hopefully with purpose, I didn’t know but that’s what I felt.
I felt in my heart that was what I was supposed to do. And so, I opened up my Etsy shop, I made $1,200 my first month, which was crazy to me. And I realized, hey, I’m like I’m onto something. And so, I just started working on it.
I created baby headbands of all things. The idea was, oh, my daughter can wear these gorgeous headbands. My daughter was born with three-inch-long black hair, the head band just flew right off her head.
They did not stay at all, they just slid right off every single time. So, she never actually wore my products. But I did create this product with her in mind.
Finding Success Selling Baby Headbands on Etsy
And I sold baby headbands on Etsy. And we earned over $100,000, our first year and just grew that into over a half-million dollar business over the next three to four years. So, it was crazy.
Jillian Leslie 8:44
Were you creative before this? Did you know your way around the sewing machine?
Morgan Nield 8:50
So, I’m actually not much of a seamstress at all, which is proof that you don’t have to be the best in your craft to make a successful business. So often, I think we compare ourselves to these experts. They’re so good. I can never be like them. Awesome.
I can never be like my mom who’s an amazing seamstress. But I can figure out my way around a sewing machine. I can figure out how to thread a needle. I can do this. And I’m not the best seamstress.
I’m still not the best seamstress after sewing a bajillion and a half headbands, but I’ve made it work and I didn’t use that as an excuse to hold me back.
Jillian Leslie 9:23
Did your husband come home to work with you?
Morgan Nield 9:28
He was working and he was a student he was a full-time student and so, he would help me a little bit when I was getting overly stressed.
One thing about postpartum depression anxiety because I had this side hustle that was distracting me. It didn’t take it away completely. And there were still really really bad days.
There were good days too, it just depended on where I was emotionally. And so, yes, I have the support of my husband.
We actually moved down closer to be near my parents. To actually have the support of my parents as well and they helped me run the business as well.
Jillian Leslie 10:00
Was it just you making headbands?
Hiring Other Stay-At-Home Moms to Make Baby Headbands
Morgan Nield 10:03
It started out as just me. And then I ended up hiring other stay at home moms in my area, I moved back to my hometown. So, I knew a lot of the women here that were my age, and they were looking for ways to supplement the family income.
And I was like, hey, “I’ve got this product, I can’t make all this product. If you want to work from home, while your baby naps, I would love your help.” So, it was a really great opportunity.
And it was a way to really just connect with others as well and make motherhood not so much of a lonely isolated job for myself.
Jillian Leslie 10:37
I would say that, I found, again, having a young child to be like earth shattering because it changed my life so dramatically, but also so lonely. And I’ve talked about this with other mothers on the podcast that it’s this weird balance of magic and despair.
Morgan Nield 11:02
Yeah. Oh, that’s a fantastic way to put it. It’s the loneliest job you’ll ever have. But it’s the best job you’ll ever have. It’s just so conflicting. But yeah, it is a lonely business, for sure.
Jillian Leslie 11:16
And have you had other children?
Morgan Nield 11:18
I actually did. So, I had a surprise pregnancy five years later with my son. And that was terrifying. I spent nine months crying and puking I actually got diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum.
And so, I spent a lot of time hooked up to an IV in the hospital over the course of the full nine months. And he came out and I had no postpartum depression. So, I guess I paid my dues upfront with him.
But we were also better equipped to deal with it emotionally and, and we had the resources and the finances in place to take care of that getting me the medical care that I needed afterwards, in case things went south again.
So, I paid my dues up front with him. But it was a wonderful experience with my second child.
Jillian Leslie 11:57
So, that’s great news. And let’s talk about how you discovered this business of helping people set up Etsy shops. And do you still have your original business on Etsy?
Morgan Nield 12:11
I actually do not have my business right now. So, when I got pregnant with my second child, my son, I had hyperemesis gravidarum, which is the Princess Kate disease if you follow her at all.
And it basically just means that you puke a whole lot over nine months, multiple times a day, every single day. And I was running my Etsy shop, Little Highbury. I was still doing about 30 to 40 orders, like sets per day of orders for headbands.
And I had started, I’ve been getting a lot of messages from people asking, “Hey, I see that you are pretty successful in Etsy. Would you care to share some secrets or some tips, I’m just getting started?
And I found that I really love to spend time answering those questions. I would write whole novels. And I’m like, well, that wasn’t a good use of my time, I should have been filling orders.
But I was so, excited to share what I’d learned about selling on the platform. And so, when I got pregnant with my son, I had already started this side business, it was MorganNield.com.
Creating Resources to Help Others Learn to Sell on Etsy
And I was teaching people instead of answering every conversation individually, I was like, what if I create resources that I could just refer people to, hey, here’s how I did this. Here’s how I did this. Here’s how I hire people.
Here’s how I shipped my products, and all that stuff, the most commonly asked questions that I was receiving. And so, I created this business, MorganNield.com. And I created a marketing course that went with it called, Mastermind Your Marketing.
Which I still sell today. And I found that while I was trying to juggle these two businesses in the bathroom in our house. I was puking while I was pregnant, I realized I couldn’t do both.
I would like to pretend that I’m Superwoman, and super mom, but I absolutely wasn’t. I also had a four or five-year-old daughter four or five, from that age, that I was chasing around the house full time, basically.
And so, I said, you know what, I’m going to have to stop one or the other. And I felt like I was making more of an impact helping women learn how to create these creative businesses and get these products up to sell.
And bringing in an income to their family, as opposed to just shipping out baby headbands, which was a fantastic business model. But I didn’t feel like I was making as much of an impact.
And so, I really dove into MorganNield.com at that point, and that’s when I decided I wanted to help women. Especially moms, because those are the people that I relate to the most.
Teach them how to build businesses that actually support their lifestyle, and not the other way around. And so that’s where I am today is teaching women how to market their businesses.
How to grow these creative businesses that fill them up, that give them that additional, human connection and that creative fulfillment that they’re missing.
Motherhood is fantastic, but there are elements beyond that that we crave and we miss and we yearn for.
Morgan NIELd
And it’s just been so fulfilling just watching these women create these amazing, incredible lifestyles for themselves, and that provide additional income to their family and help them feel like they’re living their best versions.
Jillian Leslie 14:54
One thing that I really like about what you just said, and for anybody listening. If you start getting questions from people about how you’ve done what you’ve done.
One, I have a podcast that is going live today about tips for the end of the year, how to think about 2021. And one of my first tip is; believe in abundance. Believe that if people are asking you questions that you can share your tips in your secret.
And things that have worked for you, because it doesn’t mean that if you share them, all of a sudden, it’s not it’s going to stop working for you. And I love that you put together you notice people were asking probably the same questions over and over again.
So, you parked those answers somewhere, so, that you could refer people to those answers, and then boom, your business, your second business is starting to grow.
What is Emergent Business Building?
And I’m a big believer in emergent business building, which means things emerge, and you don’t plan them. But if you listen, and if you’re helpful, all of a sudden, you can find these patterns and these problems that people are having.
And you can start helping them. And who knows over time that can turn into an entirely different business that’s related to your first business. But just by you wanting to be helpful, you are able to.
And having this experience that a lot of women didn’t have and you had success on Etsy. And you had crossed this bridge to success, and you’re able to then go back over the bridge, grab their hand and help lead them across that bridge.
Morgan Nield 16:33
Yeah, I know.
Jillian Leslie 16:34
Be thinking, are people reaching out to you? And how can you be generous? And believe in abundance and help others and who knows it could turn into a very lucrative business.
Morgan Nield 16:45
Yeah, always err on the side of generosity like hands down. Some of the best advice that I’ve ever been given is; always be as generous as you possibly can be. And people will recognize that.
And people will appreciate you for that. And that’s when so many doors and so many windows of opportunity open up for you.
Jillian Leslie 17:08
So, let’s talk about building something on Etsy. I coach bloggers, I have this podcast, I talk to bloggers, and online entrepreneurs and creative entrepreneurs. And one thing that I teach is coming up with products.
People, you will not get rich selling ads on your blog, the people who I know who are very successful sell products. Now this could be physical goods, it could be downloadables.
It could be courses, it could be memberships, it could it could be coaching, it could have a variety of permutations. But finding some expertise some problem you can solve; I think is always the direction you want to move in.
It could be solving the problem of I want people to know my daughter is a daughter, and she has no hair.
Morgan Nield 18:01
Exactly.
Jillian Leslie 18:03
So, people don’t go, “What a cute baby?” And also, you want an easy way to dress up your baby and you can put a headband on and boom, you’ve solved it. So, you were solving a problem offering something that people wanted for their babies.
So, given what I preach, what is your take about that? And how can Etsy play a role in that for people to discover products to sell?
How to Figure Out What to Sell on Etsy? Solve a problem.
Morgan Nield 18:35
Yes, this is actually like this huge mistake that I see a lot of Etsy sellers make. We were told by people if we are creatives, which I am not a typical creative, I don’t feel like I’m as creative as so many of my friends. But I have a little bit of creativity in me.
And I’ll create something and maybe give it as a gift to a friend. Someone’s like, “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. You should sell that on Etsy.” And that’s where we get that idea like, oh, okay, well, I can create this product line.
And I can sell it on Etsy. And that’s great. But just like what you said, it’s so important to make sure that that product is actually solving a problem before we put all this work and effort just because we love creating it doesn’t mean that it is sellable.
So, you’ll see these little kinds of popsicle stick crafts on Etsy, and you’re like, “What is that? Why would anybody buy that?” And maybe that’s fine. And that’s their creative fulfillment, and that’s awesome for that person.
But if there’s no market for the actual product, it’s going to be really hard to build a business around that. And so, it’s so so important to keep in mind that the product that you create isn’t for you. It’s not about you anymore.
When you are creating a product to sell, it becomes about your customers. It’s not about you anymore. And you need to make sure that you are asking yourself, “What does this product solve?”
Morgan Nield
How can it improve and change their lives and it doesn’t have to solve world hunger doesn’t have to bring world peace, nothing like that. It is exactly what you said. I’m just helping moms get their baby dressed up and looking great and out the door.
So, they feel a little bit more put together. And on an already crazy day that they bought plans. And it’s not solving anything crazy.
It sounds frivolous to some extent. But it is providing that benefit that solution to that mom and giving her that quick win. So, she feels good about her day.
So, let’s say I’m creative, and I can make a variety of things. Let’s say I know my way around the sewing machine. And I want to come up with a product. What is your recommendation for how I can quickly find what I call product market fit?
Jillian Leslie 20:36
I’ve got a product there is actually a market there. And I can sell this how do I test this? What do I do?
Morgan Nield 20:45
So, one of the best things that I recommend doing is getting it down on paper. So, that’s my process and I am very list oriented Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore pro and con list type of person. But I like to get things down on paper.
Whenever I have ideas in my head, it’s really easy for the ideas to just spin around and around and around. And I never actually make progress and I get overwhelmed and there’s too much going on.
Getting everything down on paper. Okay, I know my way around a sewing machine. Well, I can create purses, I could create tops, I could create, all these different wallets and–
Jillian Leslie 21:16
–pillows.
Morgan Nield 21:17
Yeah, pillows. I’m obviously not a seamstress. Because I’m having a hard time thinking of all these things. Headbands. There you go baby headbands. So, there’s all these different ideas that I have.
And just getting them down on paper is one of the first important steps. Just get everything in your brain out, because that’s going to give you the clarity.
As you’re looking at these items and making that decision, you’re going to have just a lot more room for clarity in your brain. So, getting them all down on paper. And then I like to stalk the competition and see what’s out there.
Do Market Research on Your Idea
So, I like to do my market research. And this is really an important step. But it’s a step that you have to be careful because you don’t want to get stuck in the research and development phase, where you never actually take action.
And it’s tempting, like, “Oh, I’m working on my business. I’m researching competitors.” Yeah, but you’ve been doing it for three weeks now. Move on.
Jillian Leslie 22:03
Right.
Morgan Nield 22:04
You just have to make sure that you don’t dive too far into the rabbit hole. But give yourself a day or two to just check out the competition, see what other people are selling. And then take your list, what are you most excited about?
And if there proves to be some market for it, you’ve seen other people selling similar items. Okay, that’s market validation. That’s instant market validation. So, often we think we have to create this completely unique product, which is great.
But you’re also going to have to create the market awareness for it because nobody knows this completely unique product exists.
And so, if you’re trying to get something up quick and going to sell. The best thing you can do is find a like a product that is already selling that there’s already a market for on Etsy or whatever platform you’re using, and then dive into that.
And then if you’re like, “How do I actually make sure that the product is validated, people are selling it, they’re making sales, people want to buy this. But how do I actually stand out if I’m creating the same thing?”
What Is Your Unique Selling Point?
And that’s where you find that unique selling proposition. What about your product is unique? What sets you apart from the competition? It doesn’t have to be life shattering. It could be you design your own fabrics for your products.
Or maybe you have a quicker turnaround time. Or maybe you donate, 20% of proceeds to this nonprofit organization. There are so many different aspects, but you have to have something that makes you different.
Jillian Leslie 23:25
Okay, and when I’m doing research, I know that sellers sometimes have that stat under their products that tells you how many of these they’ve sold. I know you can turn it off.
But you will see that oh, wow, this fabric wallet. This woman sold 2,000 of these. Do you look at numbers like that for validation?
Morgan Nield 23:54
Yeah, I think absolutely looking at numbers is one of the best business strategies to implement early on. Especially, you’re going to be implementing that throughout your entire business strategy.
Numbers are the base like those are the facts of your business. And those are where you’re going to see the actual, it’s not about your opinion anymore. It’s an actual fact that this is true. She sold 2,000 wallets, what can I do with that factual information?
And so, I think it’s absolutely fantastic to look at those numbers and get a base of what’s actually possible for you.
Jillian Leslie 24:24
Do you look on Pinterest? Do you look elsewhere to see?
Morgan Nield 24:27
I love Pinterest for market research, especially anticipating upcoming trends. That was one of my biggest strategies with my baby headbands. I created and designed my own fabrics, which was really fun, very fulfilling.
And one of my favorite things to do was to hop on Pinterest, figure out what trends were up and coming and then incorporate those trends into my pattern designs.
And that helped my sales significantly just jumping on the turn bandwagon. Staying true to who I was as a creative. I wanted to create these baby headbands. I want to design my own fabrics. But hey, I see that these patterns are up and coming.
Let’s incorporate them into my designs. And that was another way to really validate my product like, “Hey, I know what designs people are going to be interested in, in a few months.” Using Pinterest as a tool to research that.
And I can incorporate them into my shop and see results because it’s already been proven. There’s so much that you can do inside your head. And you can guess, like, Hey, I’m going to want to try this or maybe this is a good idea or whatever.
But when you can do the research and see those numbers and see those trends that Pinterest is projecting. Those are like the smartest way to make business decisions because you actually have evidence moving forward.
And it’s not just strictly guesswork. I’m going to put this out there and hope it works. You’ve got some evidence that hey, this is going to work. Hey, these numbers don’t lie kind of thing.
Jillian Leslie 25:46
Absolutely. And what you had said previously about you don’t want to think you’re going to create a trend. Ride waves. It’s Christmas. So, what is coming up? What do you know that what people are looking for at Christmas? What about February?
You know, it’s Valentine’s Day. So, how can you lean into where people already are? Which leads me to one of my questions about Etsy.
Why Is Etsy Better than Shopify or WooCommerce?
The idea that you have a built-in audience on Etsy of shoppers versus let’s say starting a business on Shopify, or creating a WooCommerce Store for your blog. What are your thoughts about that?
Morgan Nield 26:28
So, I absolutely recommend especially because as creatives a lot of us don’t feel super tech savvy, or at least me, I still feel like I’m in tech 1999. Some days, I am blown away by all the technology out there, and it just overwhelms me.
When it comes to selling on Etsy, it is extremely easy. So, there is that built in audience there’s so many benefits selling on Etsy. As long as there’s a built-in audience meaning they’re already people going on Etsy to shop for unique products.
So, they’re already people coming to your site, essentially your Etsy shop, because they are looking for something unique. That is perfect, primed, ready to buy audience that you want to tap into, it’s easy to set up as well.
One thing we think, oh, I need a Shopify site or WooCommerce, or any sort of standalone site, it is incredibly difficult to get those set up and to get them set up in a way that actually converts people like casual browsers into paying customers.
Because Etsy is already set up. They run tests all day, every day, making sure things are as optimized as possible. Hey, let’s change the color of this button, hey, let’s move this around.
They’re constantly running tests to optimize your shop to make more sales like they’re on your team. They are doing everything in their power because you make more sales. And they benefit from that as well.
So, they’re kind of doing that behind the scenes, conversion research as well, that you’re going to be able to take advantage of because your best interests are their best interest as well.
And so, it’s really easy to set up. You’re not having to code anything; you’re not having to start from scratch you. Like they literally give you fill in the blank prompts like, what’s the name of this product? Where was it created? What colors do you use on it?
All these different prompts, and you just fill in the blanks, and boom, your listing is populated on Etsy. And so, it’s very, very simple to get started. You could get everything set up and ready to go in an afternoon.
As long as you knew what products you’re going to sell. You can have everything up in an afternoon, you could be making sales the next morning. It’s really fast, it’s obviously not that straightforward, making sales.
You don’t just wake up to them naturally. But you can get everything set up and ready to go in an afternoon. So, that you are ready to dive into the marketing tactics for making those sales.
And what I would say, when you have an Etsy shop, you need to create product, optimize your listings and market it and I’m going to talk about that. But if you decide I’m going to start with Shopify, you have to deal with the back end.
Jillian Leslie 28:59
It’s like setting up a new blog, but you have to drive traffic to that Shopify store. So, you would need to spend so much time just getting people to your store. And if you do the math, if you have a 2% conversion rate that’s considered good in terms of sales.
Which means for every 100 people, I drive to my Shopify store, I’m getting two sales. So, I need to drive thousands and thousands of people to my store. And then if I have to step up and pay for that traffic, that becomes very expensive.
And I know that people go, “Yeah, but Etsy has all these fees. And Etsy will force me to advertise and Etsy will take all my money, and I want my money. So, therefore I want to own my store and I want a WooCommerce store or Shopify store.”
And I want to say think of that money that you are giving to Etsy as marketing dollars that you would have to spend on your other store that you own, because you need to get people to it to create sales.
Morgan Nield 30:06
I absolutely agree with that, it’s so tempting to think we need to do everything. In our head, it sounds like it would be perfect if I had my own shop. It’d be perfect if it was this not the other.
You Can Get Started Much More Quickly with Etsy
But if that’s going to hold you back from getting started, because first off, it’s a heck of a lot more work to get that kind of stuff set up and driving 100% of your own traffic, nobody is going to be sending you traffic, no one.
It’s just so much more work, you don’t have to be perfect right out of the gate, there is time for that later, you can absolutely open a Shopify site.
But if your goal is to get started, get your hands and understanding marketing and how your product fits into the market and how to actually sell your product. Etsy is like the no brainer approach, because you can get everything set up in an afternoon.
And then you can start to build off of that right there as opposed to months and months and months of Shopify development for a site that maybe isn’t designed to actually convert into sales.
Looking at those fees, you’re spending. They’re fees associated with Shopify, they’re fees associated with everything, it’s so much easier to just go with Etsy. And yeah, they are going to take a little bit of a profit because they’re a business as well.
Your credit card processor is going to take a bit of a profit, your Shopify website is going to take a bit of a profit. And so, it’s really just determining the quickest and most effective way for you to get started.
And not just to sit there twiddling your thumbs and not taking action.
Do B- Work to Set Up Your Etsy Shop
Jillian Leslie 31:30
I teach this concept called B-minus work. Which is, by the way, the B-minus, it’s above average. But it’s not A-plus work. So, B-minus work enables you to move and move quickly and iterate. The idea is I put up a rough draft.
Normally in school, we didn’t want to show our rough draft until it was perfect. And I say on the internet, show your rough draft, because you’re co-creating with your visitors, your customers, your users.
So, let’s say you create a baby headband, and it’s in leopard print. And somebody messages you and says I don’t want leopard print, I want polka dots, and you go “Ha, polka dots. I hadn’t thought of that.”
And somebody else says, Yeah, I like polka dots, or whatever it is. And all of a sudden, you put something out there. And you’re going to get feedback to be able to pivot and figure out what the market is looking for.
And how again, to better create product market fit. I have somebody we coach reached out to me today and had this great idea and said, “I’m going to come up with 52 props for the year.” And I said, “I think that is a fantastic idea.”
However, let’s start with five. You don’t need to do 52. In fact, I don’t want you to be thinking that you’re going to be doing 52 because you’re going to do five and you’re going to see how does that work.
How does it work for me and my process? How does my audience respond to it, I’m going to stay nimble and flexible? And I said, and I want you to do B-minus work because I want you to get those five up.
And then you can step back and learn and figure it out and tweak and pivot. And I think that Etsy gives you so much flexibility to learn. So, that you’re not trying to get the A- plus on the term paper, but you’re willing to show a little bit more.
Something that’s a little rougher, but it’s still above average work. I’m not saying go put crap up. I’m saying do the work. But push publish before you get ready. Put the product up before you think it’s ready.
Because just what you were saying it’s so easy to go. I’m doing market research. And it’s three years later. And in your head, you have this beautiful business built out. But you have no business.
Morgan Nield 33:53
And nobody knows about it. You cannot get results from an idea. You have to actually put in the work.
How Many Products to Start With?
Jillian Leslie 33:59
Let’s talk then about the second piece. You’re saying I could get my site up in an afternoon. How many products could I get up let’s say in an afternoon?
Morgan Nield 34:09
That is such a great point. Because there’s this myth floating around out there that I want to bust right now. This myth that in order to make it big like to make it work on Esty you have to have 100 products in your shop. Like there’s this myth.
And so, just like you said, people are like, “Oh, I’m going to create all 52 products. I’m going to create 100 products before I really learn how to do anything else because I need to get that 100 number.” And that’s not true.
First off, like you said, co-creating is such an important part of the process. When I started my Etsy shop, I had 10 products in my shop, 10 baby headbands. And I was selling these 10 like here and there.
And I started getting messages just like you said from my audience saying, “Hey, I’d like to see this pattern, or Hey, can I get a discount if I buy a group of three.” And I was like, okay, so, $10 for one headband, or I could charge $28 and save $2 for a set of three.
And so, I started listing these sets of three. And they sold like crazy, I was selling more sets of three than I was individual headbands.
Jillian Leslie 35:04
But you didn’t have that idea.
Morgan Nield 35:06
I didn’t have that idea. I could have gone ahead and tried to list 100 unique individual headbands. But this idea came when I just had 10 products in my shop. And I was like, ha. So, my next 10 products were sets of three.
And then someone’s like, “I like this set, can I swap out this headband for this?” And I like maybe this headband, but I’d like to add in these two as well. And suddenly, I was creating this mix and match listing that was pick whatever styles you want.
And that became my best seller hands down. And I never would have had that idea on my own. Having your audience help you to build your business is like the most cost efficient and most effective way to build your business from the get go.
You think you have to have it all figured out before but just like you said, you don’t, you just have to get it out there. And it will start to figure itself out as you go.
Jillian Leslie 35:53
If you’re listening.
Morgan Nield 35:54
If you’re listening. Exactly. You cannot be resistant to these ideas that are being presented to you. These ideas that are being presented to you are clear indicators. You could not ask for better market research from what your customers want.
They are telling you what they want is your job to listen to that and make it happen for that.
Advertisement 36:13
I wanted to take a short break to talk about Etsy and MiloTree. I don’t know if you know this, but we offer an Etsy pop-up. What that means is if you have a blog and an Etsy shop, you install this pop-up on your blog. It’s populated with your Etsy products.
And it has a button that says shop now. So, you can lead your blog visitors directly to your Etsy shop.
Head to milotree.com, sign up in two minutes, get your first 30 days free. And this way you can more tightly integrate your blog and your Etsy shop.
And now back to the show.
How to Market Your Etsy Shop
So, I spend my afternoon and I get 10 products up.
Morgan Nield 36:59
Yes.
Jillian Leslie 37:00
And I’m going to go test this. And now you talked about the second piece, which is marketing.
Morgan Nield 37:05
So, regarding marketing, that’s like another big mindset shift we need to make as we are creating products and uploading them to our Etsy shop. Is that we think that we want to create this Etsy shop because want to be creatively fulfilled.
And we want to spend all our time creating these incredible products and things like that, that we spend 90% of our time in this creation in this research and development phase. And then we’re like, oh, “I probably need to market it.”
And so, it’s just like 10%, kind of the afterthought of our time, Oh, I should post on Instagram, or I should maybe pin that to Pinterest. And we just spend this little it’s like the afterthought, our leftover time on marketing, and it should totally be reversed.
We need to be spending as much as 90% of our time marketing our products, and 10% in that creation phase. And if you have built up and got those 10 initial products up in your shop.
That creation phase is going to come really easy for you because you already know what your customers want. You’re not going to be spending so much time there, you’re going to have more time to market your shop.
So, regarding where should you market though? That’s another problem that I do see a lot of Etsy sellers make is if you google like how do I make sales on Etsy? The top answers you will get are Etsy SEO, Search Engine Optimization.
And you will also see social media. And those are two of the slowest ways to actually grow your sales on your Etsy shop. Now I’m not saying they’re not important.
But I am saying if you blink 100% of your marketing energy on that, you’re not going to see the growth or the results you’re looking for. Because they’re not the most effective marketing strategies out there.
So, when you hear different people doing different types of marketing strategies, and you’re like, well, there are so many different ideas like where do I even start with that? Let’s start with SEO.
How to Do SEO on Etsy
And that’s something I do recommend, because it’s a foundational strategy, but it’s not the entire strategy. And that’s kind of that mindset shift you need to make that you can focus on your SEO.
But if you’re focusing on your SEO three months from now, six months from now, a year from now, and you’re still focused on that. You are missing out on so much sales potential because it’s not the fastest or most efficient way to grow your Etsy shop.
You set it up, it works for you in the background and you focus on more like on higher return on investment activities at higher ROI. Social media is where we go next. Okay, well, I’ve got my SEO, I’m going to go on social media and post my stuff on Instagram.
And, and social media can be a fantastic complement to your business. But it’s not actually designed for sales conversions. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a sale from Instagram here and there.
But the effort that you put into it is not going to come back to you, 10 times over. We want to focus on platforms that are actually designed and where people are expecting to be sold to.
Social media is not the most effective sales conversion platform out there. Because when people go to social media, they’re doing the mindless scrolling. And they’re doing it because they want to feel inspired, they want to get ideas.
They want to look at pretty things, which is fine. And so, it can be a great complement to your business. But they’re not hopping on Instagram at 2am, when they’re feeding their daughter in the middle of the night to purchase something.
That’s not where their mind is, they’re going to be entertained and inspired, and just have something to look at. What I recommend instead, actually, is to be focusing your efforts on email marketing. And that’s like one of those big scary tech things.
Everybody’s like, “Oh, I can’t do email marketing, I can’t set up the tech for that. I can’t possibly say things to my people, what will I even say to them.” And it’s like one of those things that we always hear that we should do.
And so, we’re like, “Okay, I’ll put it on the back burner. It’s on my mind, and I’ll get to it.” And then we never do. But email marketing is like actually the most effective marketing strategy for your business out there.
Using Email Marketing to Sell on Etsy
And when you really tap into that market, and into email marketing, people open emails expecting to be sold to, to some extent. You’re not just going to be selling to them with emails.
But when people open up emails, they understand that that sales, messaging and marketing messaging comes through a lot more frequently there. And that’s where they’re going to make that decision to visit your shop and actually purchase.
And so, email marketing is one of the absolute best ways to market your business, because not only is it actually designed to make you sales, but it’s actually a way where you can gather their information and can continue to market to them in the future.
So, if you’ve ever heard the term, ‘the fortune is in the follow up’, that is especially critical here. We don’t want people to just pop into our shop and then leave and never visit us again. We want them to join our email list. So, we have that email address.
And we can continue to pop into their inbox and remind them that, hey, I’m here I have this product, it’s going to solve this problem, like we talked about earlier. It’s going to solve some small little problem, or big problem, however your product is.
And I’m ready to help you when you’re ready to pop in.
Yes, You Need a Blog to Support Your Etsy Shop
Jillian Leslie 41:55
Now, here’s my question. Do I need a blog then as the hub of my business? So, that my email marketing is sending people to my blog for more information or to grow my list? Does a blog fit into this strategy?
Morgan Nield 42:13
Absolutely. So, I am a big fan of content marketing or blogging. For the simple fact that your Etsy shop should not be your only online platform. That should not be the only place that customers can go to find you.
Etsy, well, it’s super easy to set up. It is extremely limited in some of the features that they have. You can’t have like a blog attached, you can’t have like about me pages and opt-ins and all these fantastic things to get people on your email list.
And so, I always recommend people set up just a simple site, a simple blog, off of Etsy, that’s still their brand name. Which they can use as a central hub for people to learn about their business to learn about them as a business owner.
To learn about maybe their product creation step-by-step, this is how we do it. The behind the scenes look, educating them if it’s a product if you’re selling some sort of like editable templates or something.
Okay, well, here’s a tech video on how to actually edit those templates become a resource for people. And it’s just an additional way to create those touch points with your audience that you’ve got this resource.
Maybe somebody stumbled upon you from Pinterest on like an actual blog post, they didn’t even realize you had a product to sell. Oh, but you’ve got the site, you’re saying, “Hey, here’s this helpful information, guess what, I also sell this product.”
And suddenly they’re popping into your shop. And it’s just another way to get people into your shop. That is just really effective because it’s not like a social media post that disappears in two hours.
It’s content that stays there. It can be found for years to come. And so, it’s just another really good use of your time in terms of marketing.
Absolutely. Now if setting up a blog is intimidating remember, we do this. We offer this service which Morgan I need to tell you about.
Your blog is the little piece of real estate that you get to own. Whereas your Etsy shop you don’t own it.
Jillian LESLIE
Whereas your Etsy shop you don’t own it.
Morgan Nield 44:09
No.
Jillian Leslie 44:10
But it is you’re building your business on rented land. Therefore, if for whatever reason, Etsy were to shut your shop down, boom, or Etsy changes or whatever, you have the flexibility, you own your email list.
You have your customers, and you can transport them. And that’s really valuable. Again, I think you need your own little piece of real estate and then from that hub come all these spokes, your Instagram, your Etsy shop, your email, all your Pinterest account.
So, I think that it does seem intimidating. And that’s why again, we want to help you do this. So, definitely either email me at jillian@milotree.com or go to milotree.com/blogstart and you can learn how we will help you do this.
And help teach you how to put up a blog post. But I love your idea where you create a product. And you can create a blog post to show how best to use that product. Ideas you never thought of.
You become a real person, you become somebody that people trust. I go on Etsy; I see a variety of products that all kind of look similar. And I don’t know which one to buy. But if somehow, you can differentiate yourself, somehow I can Google this and find you.
There’s something really powerful about that you were talking about looking at products out there and seeing what I call it your special sauce. Like what do you add to this product that makes it extra special? Well, one thing you can add, is you.
Morgan Nield 45:47
Absolutely, and that’s like one of the most valuable things that you can add to your product. And it’s so often overlooked, it’s like, well, I need to have this unique fabric pattern, or I need to have this crazy, brilliant idea.
But bringing that personalized element ‘you’ into the factor and bringing in that personal experience.
And just the fact that you are unique human with unique perspectives and unique background, adding that to your product automatically differentiates you.
I know, we sometimes try to be so corporate and just perfectly, just super, by the book with the copy that we write and the products that we create. People want personality.
Let Your Customers Get to Know You Through Email
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve purchased from a shop, because I’ve read their about and I’m like, “Oh my gosh. I get her she gets me and I’d want to buy from that shop.”
Even if another dozen shops are selling the exact same thing. She gets me like I speak her language I want to buy from her shop.
Jillian Leslie 46:47
And on Etsy. There are a lot of listings from say other countries where people are just stuffing their product onto Etsy that’s made in some factory somewhere.
Morgan Nield 46:58
Unfortunately.
Jillian Leslie 46:59
I know that there was a lot of criticism when Etsy started allowing people or allowing companies, especially companies where the quality might not be as good. So, if I know I’m buying from Allison, and Allison lives in South Carolina.
I get Allison and she’s got three kids. And she’s making these by hand with her mom. I go, you know what, I get that. And I want to support Allison rather than some product like no name product, where maybe these photos are stolen.
I want to know, these are Allison’s photos, and they might not be the most beautiful photos. But I know, Allison is behind this, and I put my weight and my money behind her.
And I think that it goes back to what we said at the beginning of this being generous.
Morgan Nield 47:54
Absolutely. That is so spot on. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Jillian Leslie 47:59
And connecting. So, your feeling is you start your Etsy shop, then you contact us, we set up your blog for you. And then, we help you or you start to recognize how best to present you and your business so that it goes beyond just your product.
But it’s almost like you’re doing a painting and you’re really coloring it in so that people get this. Or maybe it’s a sculpture and they start to see it in 3D. It’s not just this fabric wallet, or this headband. It’s the person behind it.
Morgan Nield 48:31
It’s in the brand that you’re creating the brand persona.
Jillian Leslie 48:34
Absolutely. So, it starts to be fleshed out. So, when I’m buying the headband, it’s not just a headband, it has a whole story attached to it and a connection. And I think there’s something really valuable about that.
And I say this, you could tell me what your thoughts are. I believe that blog posts and social media posts are really top of the funnel. And that it is when you can get somebody on your email list, that you are able to move them down the funnel.
And talk to them about this is something that you sell. And this is something that will make your life better. And that’s really where you see the most conversions.
Morgan Nield 49:13
That’s where the personal connection comes in. Because there’s something really, for lack of a better word, there’s something intimate about being able to pop into someone’s personal inbox.
And say, “Hey, Jillian, I was thinking about you. I know your mornings are rough, because you’ve got three small kids at home.”
Which you don’t but if you did, “I know your mornings are rough with three small kids at home. I hope I can help make it easier. We just dropped a new Spring 2021 line collection of new headbands.”
“We’d love to have you check it out.” Kind of thing. Obviously, that’s a very rough version. But suddenly you’re talking to them personally. You’re addressing their personal challenges that they’re facing in the struggles.
You’re validating them as a person, a real human being. And that’s where that connection comes in. Because you can post on social media, but it’s like,” Hey, everyone, we just launched this collection.”
It’s not as personal as, hey, Jillian, hey, Mary, hey, Sarah, popping into their inbox and letting them know that you understand where they are. And your products can help them get past those roadblocks they’re facing.
Jillian Leslie 50:13
What are the best ways you recommend Etsy sellers grow their email list? Because on Etsy, what are you allowed? Can I put a link to my blog? I can’t capture those emails for my customer. So, how do I connect to these pieces?
Morgan Nield 50:30
That is such a juicy question. And it’s one that so many people have, because Etsy is like we’ve got rules, you can’t do everything. And one of the most important rules that we should definitely mention is you can’t just automatically add people to your email list.
Across the board and email marketing, you can’t do that. But especially on Etsy, even if they’ve purchased from you don’t own their email address, Etsy still owns that. It’s the property of Etsy, it’s not yours.
How to Build Your List on Etsy
And so, we have to be creative about how we build our email list if you have an Etsy shop. Now, obviously, if you’ve got the blog setup, it’s going to be a lot easier because you’ve got full control over how you’re getting people there.
Regarding your Etsy shop, you’re going to have to be a little bit more strategic. And ultimately, we’re going to be sending people away from the shop to grow the email list, because there’s no built-in form on Etsy to have people sign up.
So, what you’re going to want to do is you’re just going to want to essentially mention your email list everywhere. And I’m sure you’ve talked about lead magnets and freebies with your audience before. That’s a really important strategy.
Even if it is something as simple as a coupon code just to get the quick and dirty version up. You’re like I don’t have time to create a freebie. Okay, awesome. Just use a coupon code just to get started.
It’s that taking imperfect action step, just get it started, take action and refine it later. And so, you’re going to create that and you’ll probably create that over on your blog or with the landing page software, however you do it.
But it’s something you can very easily do on your blog as well. And then you are going to link to that basically everywhere in your Etsy shop. That’s another thing people are like, I don’t want to annoy people.
I’ll just mention my announcement, if they really care, they’ll find it. No, never assume that anybody can find anything. You want to give them as many opportunities to say yes as possible.
You’re not going to annoy anyone. Anyone you do annoy they weren’t going to be your customer anyways; they were never a true fan. And so, you’re going to want to mention it in your shop announcement.
You’re going to want to mention it in your listing descriptions, you’re going to want to mention it especially when people purchase from you. Okay, awesome.
There’s an automated message to the buyer that goes out as an email, “Hey, make sure you grab this freebie, two things for your order.” And so, anywhere that you can possibly think to mention it, you absolutely want to be including that in your shop.
You want to have it in as many places as possible. Now the rules that Etsy has in regards to where can you send people. Can you actually send people away from your Etsy shop? Is that against the rules?
It’s only against the rules, if you are sending them away directly to a page that sells the same products on a different platform. You can send them to a blog post, you can send them to a landing page to sign up for a freebie.
In fact, they encourage you to send people to learn more about your business. Because ultimately, that makes you more sales because you’re building that trust. They’re like yes, again, Allison in South Carolina, I get Allison.
I’ve learned about her I want to buy from Allison. And that’s exactly what it is. Etsy actually encourages that as long as you are not linking away to a Shopify site.
Like if you sell baby headbands, you’re not linking directly to your shop that sells baby headbands. They’re okay with it. You can have a blog with a shop attached to it, that’s fine.
As long as you are not linking to the direct shop itself in the links that you provide in your Etsy shop.
Can you reach out to customers? I am a big believer in doing things, especially at the beginning when you’re growing that don’t scale. So, if I put up 10 products, and guess what, I’ve now got four sales, can I reach out to each one with a note thanking them?
Jillian Leslie 53:53
Talking about how I just opened this shop? I appreciate their business. “Hey, do you want to join my email list? If so, message me back your email because I’d love to stay in touch with you.”
Maybe I give them a coupon code. Maybe I don’t. But maybe because I’m Allison. And I’m starting this journey. I’m inviting you to come join me on this. Your support means so much to me.
Morgan Nield 54:18
That personal connection is so important, especially in those early days, when you’re just trying to figure out what the heck even works. Anything that you can do to go above and beyond. Remember, you don’t have to maintain this long term.
You just need to get started figure out what’s working for you. And then yeah, the strategies that work. Keep doing those. But regarding reaching out to people, absolutely.
So, that was something that I did with my Etsy shop and it was critical and huge in growing my email list. Every time somebody purchased from me at the end of the day. I did about 30 to 40 orders a day is kind of what I averaged.
Create a Freebie and Offer it as a Thank You
I just had a canned response. So, it was just a copy and pasting and said, thanks so much for your order. I’m a small business I really appreciate it your order goes to benefiting postpartum moms and things like that.
Because that was something that was part of my unique selling proposition, my secret special sauce, I can’t remember exactly what you called it. And I would have that in there.
And then I would include shipping times, which is just a bonus tip, always let them know what they can expect in terms of origin, and they’ll just appreciate it. And then they’re not going to message you a million times.
And then I’d be like, hey, I saw you like this pattern of fabric, we also have a free and my lead magnet, my freebie was a nursery printables library, where they could sign up to my email list.
And then they could get basically all the designs I had on my fabrics. I created printables that they could hang up with their babies’ nursery. And so, it was just super simple for me to do because I already have the designs.
And that’s another thing. It doesn’t have to be this crazy amazing freebie that you spend hours and hours and hours on. This was stuff that I already had. And it was something that it was very easy for me to just get up and going very quickly.
And I could add to it and refine it, which I did over time. And so, I would just send each person a message, “Hey, Sarah.”
I would put in their first name, “Thank you for your order. And thank you, here’s the shipping times. I bought this freebie that I think you’re going to love. Go check it out over here.” And people would just go ahead and they would sign up.
And I would easily get like 20 people signing up on my email list every single day, just from that simple copy and paste thing that I was sending them.
Jillian Leslie 56:15
I love it.
Morgan Nield 56:16
Oh, it was easy. And it’s the fastest way to get people that are already warm leads. They’re interested in your product, they bought your product, okay, that’s not the end of the customer journey. It doesn’t stop there.
If they’ve already bought your product, they are so much more likely to buy it again. And there’s so much more easy to convert into another customer as opposed to going and finding somebody brand new. So, let’s take who we’ve already got.
And continue to nurture them and build that know, trust, like. And let them know that, “Hey, we appreciate you. And we’re going to be here and we’re going to support you and offer you these, these goodies and things like that.”
Jillian Leslie 56:50
If you can deliver with a really good product and a really good experience, you’re at the top like 5% of Etsy sellers.
Morgan Nield 57:02
Absolutely.
Jillian Leslie 57:02
It’s not hard to get there. So, it is about though going that little extra bit, providing some sort of value providing a good experience. And then they go, “Oh my God, I trust you. I know if I buy from you again, it’s going to be a good experience.”
“I know if I give what you’re selling as a gift, it’s going to be a good experience.” So, that distrust or that feeling of I don’t know, is this going to be good? You’ve already proven that you are what you say you deliver.
And all you need to do then is just deliver again and again and again. And people will be willing, much more willing to go,” Oh, I know you. I like you; you’re going to make me look good. I’m going to buy from you again.”
So, I completely agree with what you’re saying.
Morgan Nield 57:49
And when they have that, really positive experiences kind of memorable to them, then they share with their friends. And they’re like, “Oh my gosh, you just had a baby girl. I have the cutest headbands. The owner is Total Gym.”
I’m not talking about me, obviously. Hopefully people said that about me. But then they’re like, “Yeah, you want to go check out this shop, you’re going to love it, your daughter’s going to look so cute in these.”
They refer people and then that know, like trust is already built up because of that friend connection referral.
And so, it just explodes and just going the extra mile in those early days is so important to just establishing yourself as a shop and really finding your groove early on.
Jillian Leslie 58:22
So, Morgan, you teach women predominantly how to start and build and grow their Etsy shop. So, people want to reach out to you to learn more. Where can they go?
Morgan Nield 58:37
I am at MorganNield.com.
Jillian Leslie 58:39
Spell it.
Morgan Nield 58:43
N-I-E-L-D.com. And that’s where you can find me. I share, all sorts of strategies and tips. I actually have a podcast that I do that we turn into show notes over there as well. And it’s all just about building this creative business on Etsy and beyond.
That supports your lifestyle, not the other way around. Because so many business owners I feel out there, they teach these amazing strategies, but they don’t work if you’re a mom with stay-at-home kids, that are young kids that are here with you all day.
And that’s one of my biggest pet peeves is I don’t have time to implement this eight hours a day marketing strategy that you’ve got. And so that’s what I built MorganNield. com all about.
It’s helping women that don’t have these normal work hours, they’re doing it during the naps, they’re doing it during the bedtime hustle, which is a very real thing. I built my business from 7 to 10pm. Like that’s my jam.
And that’s what we’re all about over at MorganNield.com. Just teaching you how to build your business and teaching you how to build that Etsy shop so that you can build it in a way that supports your lifestyle as a mom first and foremost.
But still gives you that creative outlet and that allows you to fulfill that passion that you were destined for more as well. I actually have a freebie that I wanted to mention as well.
As you are like I don’t even know where to get started with marketing my Etsy shop because marketing is totally my jam. It’s something I specialized in I love I could talk about forever.
We’ve been talking about marketing on this podcast episode as well. It’s called the Etsy Marketing Roadmap. And it’s actually my step-by-step process for how I went from zero to 100K in less than a year selling on Etsy.
The mistakes that I recommend you avoid and just kind of a roadmap of where you need to be placing your time at the beginning.
And your attention, what to focus on what not to focus on, just basically like the Fast Pass. Let’s get your marketing up and going and get you results as quickly as possible.
That’s terrific. Morgan, really, this has been such a pleasure. I’m so glad that David found you and that you agreed to come on the show. I think that you have really demystified Etsy and have really shown why Etsy is the perfect platform to get going on.
Jillian Leslie 1:00:49
To really start experimenting, and to find how to sell products on the internet and build your business and make income real income.
Morgan Nield 1:01:00
Thank you so much for having me. This is my passion. So many people don’t realize it’s even an option for them. It’s not what normal people do. They don’t sell on Etsy, or they don’t create these creative businesses online. And it’s such a viable business model.
And it’s such like one that gives you freedom and the ability to live the best version of your life that you can’t. And so, anytime that I can talk about it on this podcast, I am more than happy to because I just love sharing the possibility.
Like you’re meant for more, and you can absolutely build your dream life and your dream business at the same time.
Jillian Leslie 1:01:33
What a great message. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show.
Morgan Nield 1:01:37
Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a blast.
Jillian Leslie 1:01:39
I hope you guys liked this episode with Morgan. I thought it was filled with so many good strategies and tactics. My big takeaway is just to go start. Get your products up and see what happens then iterate and learn.
And please join my Facebook group, head to Facebook, search for Blogger Genius. I just did it to make sure it works and you will find my group called the Share & Grow Your Blog Traffic group.
It is really a continuation of the podcast. I’d love you to be part of that community. It will help grow your blog. So, come on over and I will see you here again next week.
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