What You Need To Know About Etsy Branding

Hey Etstians!

I wanted to put together something super cool and decided to share some Etsy tips within an entire series. For the next 12 days, I will be sharing tips to help you grow your Etsy shop.

Day 1 | 4 Insanely Simple Steps To Start An Etsy Shop Day 2 | How to Achieve Stellar Photos For Your Etsy Shop Day 3 | What You Need to Know About Etsy Branding Day 4 | An Easy Way to Write Listing Descriptions Day 5 | What is SEO And How Does It Apply To Your Etsy Shop? Day 6 | Google SEO for Etsy Day 7 | How Adding New Items Gets You More Sales Day 8 | How To Use Social Media to Promote Your Etsy Shop Day 9 | 5 Ways to Market Your Etsy Shop Day 10 | 10 Epic Tips For Selling On Etsy Day 11 | 3 Major Mistakes Etsy Sellers Are Making Day 12 | 5 Tools To Help You Grow Your Etsy Shop

It’s Day 3 folks, and today we are talking about branding.

It’s safe to say that you are pretty darn creative. Given that you have an Etsy shop, creativity is certainly one skill you are not challenged with.

But, I’m sure you know by now that obtaining success goes beyond every creative bone in your body. Your success revolves around a ton of moving parts from promoting to setting yourself apart from all the other rockin’ creatives in the marketplace.

And if I haven’t told you, your Etsy shop is a business and you should treat it as such. Of course, if you are a creative that would rather reserve your efforts as just a hobby than my rant certainly doesn’t apply to you.

For you business owners, yeah you! Your shop is a business and like all businesses, you will need solid branding to set you apart from everyone else. A way to identify you from the competition…a way to attract customers.

It's a necessity to create a lasting impression, stand out, and create a way for shoppers to recognize you everywhere that you are present.

I know what you’re thinking…

"I have no experience in branding and design". Not to worry, I’m going to share with you some pointers on how to create a brand for your Etsy shop.

WHY BRANDING MATTERS.

Before you dive headfirst into figuring out logo, brand colors or even fonts choices, PUMP YOUR BRAKES!

This tends to be a huge misconception that branding surrounds itself around your logo. These elements, which represent your brand identity, are equally important to defining your business, but it's only piece of the puzzle.

Many of Etsy sellers overlook this stage (I'm guilty of this) because they either a.) don't understand the concept of branding b.) look at their business as a business and not a brand c.) figuring things out and didn't know this was even a thing. d.) feel like branding involves investing a ton of money into PR Agencies and huge budgets. As a result, you resort to stressing over the look of your logo and priding yourself on how well your business cards came out.

But whatever stage your business is in or how big or small you are, branding increases your business value and makes it much easy to acquire new customers.

Let's dig into why it's so important.

1 | It Creates Trust

When I was in the launching stage of my business, I truly thought that once I listed my items, I would make sales with ease.

Not my truth and newsflash, this strategy never works!

The reality is that when someone finds your brand, they aren't compelled to purchase right away. There is a concept, known as the rule of seven, that states that a shopper typically takes at least seven times of seeing or visiting your brand before they buy from you.

Why is this? Shoppers don't know you and as a result are not willing to trust you enough to make a purchase the first time you show up.

You have to create trust first. You can prove your trust by social proof, by creating a freebie that puts them on your email list to nurture them, and constantly sharing valuable information. What you shouldn't do is sell, sell, sell. Give value and let your audience know you are there to to solve their problems. The more you show up and give value, the more they will trust you and are willing to purchase from you without hesitation.

2 | It Improves Recognition

Although your logo is not the beginning or end to branding your business, as mentioned previously, it does play a major role with identifying your brand.

We will dig it more about this topic, but what you should know for now is that you should give thought into the esthetics of your brand. You want to be memorable in a way that when people see your products they know it comes from you without seeing your logo.

3 | It Supports Your Marketing Efforts

If you are in the stage of your business where you haven't quite figured it out yet, marketing is a pretty big deal when it comes to your brand. From the strategies you choose, your niche, and the people you target all help to build growth for your business. When you know details such as your shop's focus, it becomes increasingly easy to sell your products without having to sound like a salesperson.

So contrary to your belief, you don't have to be a large corporation to establish your brand as a leader in your industry. And having a defined brand helps push your business further with standing out amongst a sea of other sellers, growing trust with customers, and increasing sales.

DEFINE YOUR BRAND

The first step in the branding process is defining the purpose of your brand. When you're able to define what your brand's purpose is, it opens the door to many successes in your business.

Things to think about:

1 | Who are you?

Narrow in on who you are and what it is that you do the best. Etsy shops that are in tune with self, create a cohesive brand.

They aren’t creating wedding invitations and nursey decals in one setting. Nor are they throwing spaghetti at the walls trying to figure out what is or isn’t working. They have a clear and concise understanding of what makes them different, UNIQUE if you will. When you know what makes you unique, you have found your brand. Woot, woot!

Sometimes this isn't always clear, especially in the initial stages of your business. And that's okay! As you progress and listen to your customers wants either by paying attention to your Etsy stats and listening to the needs of your customers, things become clearer within your journey.

Does that mean you should chunk some of the products you currently have in your shop that doesn’t accurately represent your brand?

YES AND NO!

You may find that some of your products you can revise to fit into your brand correctly. Others you will have to simply do away with. I know, you've spent hours, maybe even weeks creating products. But doing away with those unrelated items places you more in the forefront of your niche and less of a jack of all trades type of shop.

Capiche?

2 | Who are you serving?

If you have grabbed a copy of my eBook, Etsy Playbook, you are well aware of the importance of understanding who your target audience is. If you haven't gotten your hands on one, then you probably should as it dives into #allthethings Etsy from finding your target audience to Etsy SEO to marketing your brand outside of Etsy. It's 75-pages that guides you on the things that matter when building your business on Etsy. Not to mention, the eBook comes with a complimentary workbook that you can use alongside your learning (shameless plug). But seriously, grab your copy!

Okay, anyhoo! Back to target audience. Knowing your audience defines how you will approach selling your products. For my children's brand, my target audience is moms with younger children. I certainly wouldn’t tailor my marketing efforts to appeal to women who aren’t mothers as my results would be unfavorable. I would be putting in way too much time and getting back very little reward.

Tailor your brand to the audience you are looking to attract, otherwise you will be wasting your time and theirs. Instead, thinkabout the people who would benefit the most from your products As business owners, we tend to get in our own way. Stop thinking in terms of who you would like to buy your products, but more so who would most likely find your products solve their problems.

3 | What do you want to be known for?

Now that you know who you are and who you are serving, you need to determine how you want your audience to identify you. Do you want to be recognized as light and airy? Modern style? Fun and quirky?

Knowing this helps with the designing process of your shop in which we will discuss next. But it also helps you to understand how to present your products in a way that your audience resonates the most with. Additionally, it makes it easy to speak to your audience in a way that is most compelling to add to cart.

BRAND DESIGNS

This is where the fun part comes into play.

Etsy has done such a great job of providing a completed storefront that doesn’t require full-blown design skills. And while this may feel limiting to some compared to a website, you have quite a bit of options to making it your own and presenting your brand in a way that no one else can.

There are multiple areas within your shop that you customize to make it your own: Shop Icon, Shop Banner, Shop Owner Image, and the Order Receipt Banner. You want to ensure they are cohesive, appealing, and makes a statement about what your brand is all about.

1 | Shop Icon

Your shop icon does a ton of representing for your business. Obviously, it is on your homepage, but it also shows up in the feeds of shoppers. Additionally, if you choose to go without a shop banner, this will become the focal branding on your shop's homepage. Because it is the face of your Etsy shop, it only makes sense to make sure it represents your brand in the best possible way.

You can choose to place your logo in the shop icon area or an image that represents what your brand is about.

What’s the difference?

A logo identifies a connection to your business. An image of your company identifies a connection with you. There is no right or wrong way to approach this. I say go with what works for you and your brand, but make sure it stands out and creates an instant connection for shoppers.

Here is my shop icon for my planner shop, Hello Frankie below, I chose to go with a logo.

Tiny Blessings decided to use an image for their shop icon.

What makes a good shop icon?

• A clear image that represents what you are selling.
• Less is best, you don't need a ton of graphics and images to overshadow how you are reflecting your shop's personality.
• Limit text and keep it short and concise.
• Avoid busy backgrounds or backgrounds that steal the show.

Here's how to add or make changes to your shop icon:

1. Click on Shop Manager.
2. Under Sales Channels, to the left, click on the pencil icon next to your shop's name.
3. Click the camera icon on your shop icon.
4. Choose a file from your computer.
5. Select your image and click choose.

Want to make some revisions to your current shop icon? You can create one easily using Canva, a design platform that easy to use and free!

2 | Shop Banner

I like to think of the shop banner as the main headliner. It is simply screams “look at me, look at me”. It's the largest piece of branding real estate for your shop. So, it is in your best interest to nail this area. Unlike the shop icon, you have a larger ground to cover as this area spans the entire width of your Etsy storefront.

Shoppers see this image when they view your entire shop. You have tow options to choose from with the banner size: mini or big. The difference? The mini allows room for a small image, where the big banner gives you more image to share. Totally a personal preference when it comes down to choice.

Etsy also has created Etsy Plus which gives you more advanced customization in this area. Etsy Plus is a subscription-based option that gives you additional features to growing your business. You can learn more about it here.

With Etsy Plus, you can customize your banner by creating a Carousel Banner in which you can upload multiple images and Etsy displays them with a slideshow effect. This works if you have multiple things you want to share with your audience. You can also create a Collage Banner that essentially showcases multiple images.

I use the standard banner and I typically change my shop banner image quite frequently. I cater it to the current trends, a new product, a particular holiday, or season.

Again, you can make a very simple, stylish shop banner with Canva (affiliate link). Or if you are a bit challenged with graphic design you can purchase Etsy Branding Toolkit that includes templates that are done for you, you simply change your font, brand colors and drop in your logo.
What makes a good shop icon?

If your shop makes wooden toys for children, I would include an image of children at play with your products. Or you can add an image of the item or a collection of items.

See how Tiny Blessings displays their shop cover photo.

And her is my current shop cover photo.

How to add or change your shop banner:

1. Click on Shop Manager.
2. Under Sales Channels, to the left, click on the pencil icon next to your shop's name.
3. Click the pencil icon on the bottom right of the banner.
4. Click change layout.
5. Select the type of banner you want.
6. Now choose your image.
7. Choose a file from your computer.
8. Select your image and click choose.

Again, ensure this area makes a statement about who you are but is also pleasing to your visitors.

3 | Shop Owner Photo

Your profile pic represents the face of the brand – YOU. If you’re like me, A COMPLETE INTROVERT, you would much rather remain behind the scenes.

But that just doesn’t make much sense when it comes to your current and prospective customers. A major sale booster is building trust and connecting with your audience. Having a profile picture helps to create that pathway of trust and connection.

What makes a good profile pic?

Be sure your profile picture is balanced with your brand style as well. If your shop has an airy and minimalist vibe, your profile photo should as well. Also, apply the same principles you would with photo taking of your products. Clear, bright images and avoid overdoing it.

Add or edit your shop owner photo this way:

1. Click on Shop Manager.
2. Under Sales Channels, to the left, click on the pencil icon next to your shop's name.
3. Click the camera icon on your shop owner photo.
4. Click choose a file.
5. Select your image and click choose.

4 | Shop Order Receipt Banner

This piece is very intriguing to me because I pretty much stumbled upon it by accident. This banner appears at the top your order receipts which add branding elements even during shipment. A good way to maintain customer retention.

You can add your order receipt banner by:

1. Click on Shop Manager.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Click Info and Appearance.
4. Choose file next to order receipt banner and choose your image.

STYLING YOUR SHOP

Now that we have your designs covered, you want to bring it all together to create a cohesive and harmonious look to your shop.

1 | Product Photos

In day two we talked about product photos and how they can make or break your Etsy shop. Outside of taking stellar photos that will leave little room for hesitation for shoppers to click on your listings, you also want them to cohesively match your brand style.

If your brand represents a minimalist style, your photos shouldn’t present with bright colors. Everything should reflect the same element and be in alignment with each other.

2 | About Page

This is my favorite section. It gives you the opportunity to brag about your efforts and yourself. Use this space to support what your brand is all about and tell your story to build a relationship with shoppers.

This is also a good use of space to show off your work area, your team, and any additional photos are videos that help solidify your brand message.

What’s next?

Apply these tips to give your brand a facelift.

Remember, the key to mastering branding for your Etsy shop is determining what your brand represents and who you are serving. Once you are able to identify these elements, the branding process becomes seamless.

Stay tuned for day four of the Etsy seller success series, we will be learning how to write product descriptions.

What does your current branding look like? Any suggestions you can offer that wasn’t talked about, let us know in the comments.