Everybody knows that social media — most notably, sites like Facebook and Twitter — are great marketing tools. Your Etsy business will undoubtedly benefit from mentions on these social sites. Although large corporations are known to use these platforms, they’re particularly great for small businesses, providing significant reach at an excellent price: free.
To help facilitate this, Etsy enables you to link your shop to your Facebook page and Twitter feed. When you do, a Facebook Like button and a Twitter Follow button appear on your shop page, below the banner. People who like your shop can click these buttons to become a fan (Facebook) or a follower (Twitter).
In addition, when you list new items, you’ll have the opportunity to post info about them on Facebook and/or Twitter during the listing-creation process.
For this to work, you must create a Facebook page for your Etsy shop. Note the word page, not profile. Connecting your shop with Facebook works only on Facebook pages designed for businesses, not on the personal profile you probably maintain to keep up with friends. For help with creating a Facebook page, see Facebook’s Help info.
To link your shop to a Facebook page or Twitter feed, follow these steps:
1 – Click the Your Shop link along the top of any Etsy page. (Make sure you’re signed out of Facebook.)
The Your Shop page opens.
2 – Click the Info & Appearance option under Shop Settings on the left side of the page.
The Info & Appearance page opens.
3 – Click the Connect with Facebook link.
Etsy prompts you to allow permission to access your page.
4 – Click Allow.
If you have multiple Facebook pages, you’ll be prompted to specify which one you want to connect to Etsy.
5 – Click your shop’s page.
Etsy connects your shop to the Facebook page you selected.
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To link your shop to a Twitter feed, follow these steps:
1 – Click the Your Shop link along the top of any Etsy page. (Make sure you’re signed out of Facebook.)
The Your Shop page opens.
2 – Click the Info & Appearance option under Shop Settings on the left side of the page.
The Info & Appearance page opens.
3 – Click the Connect with Twitter link.
Etsy prompts you to allow permission to access your feed.
4 – Click Authorize App.
5 – Click your shop’s feed.
Etsy connects your shop to the Twitter feed you selected.
As mentioned, when you connect your Etsy shop to your shop’s Facebook page or Twitter feed, you’ll be given the option to update both when you publish new item listings.
Running the occasional sale can be a great way to draw in customers and move merchandise. When you do run a sale, you’ll want to be sure to publicize it using social media — for example, notifying all your Facebook fans and Twitter followers of the sale and providing a direct link to your shop.
In addition to using social media to publicize your sales, consider doing the following:
- Talk up your sale in the Etsy community.
- Share the news on any blogs you maintain.
- Upload a special “sale” graphic for your shop banner and/or your avatar.
- Post a notice about your sale in your shop announcement.
- Include the word “SALE!” in your item title and description, and add a SALE tag.
Another example of a social media site that you can use to promote your Etsy shop is Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pin board, where you can organize and share things you find on the web — including items in your shop. There’s a Pin It button on every product listing page, making it easy to pin your items (as well as items from other people’s shops) to your pin boards.
