By contributing columnist April Williams of ElunaJewelry

Welcome to the world of Etsy. It can be daunting to say the least. I am here to let you in on a few tips to getting seen in the world of Etsy; what you’ll find is that not only can you be seen but you can also make friends in the forums!

You will see this everywhere, but it is true. One of the best ways to start your Etsy life is to participate in the forums and chats (found in the community section of Etsy). I personally spend time in the promotions forum, the critiques forum, the business forum, and occasionally in the Materials and Techniques forum. So let us take a look at some of these destinations.

The Promotions Forum…

This is the place to show off you wares, to stand up and say “Look at me”, and to post your latest and greatest! While strolling along in the promotions forum you will see threads like;

A. NEW; Everything Blue; Come Promote;

B. Blog; Project Wonderful;

C. BNS; BNR; Let’s Help Each Other

I am going to break these types of threads down for you.

Threads like those in category A are free-for-all threads. Anyone and everyone is welcome to post their latest deal, or products. In threads like “Everything Blue”, you should restrict yourself to posting items that are relevant to the stated topic.

In threads like those in category B, you will find promotions for blogs and advertising. Some of these can be great opportunities, so check them out, even if you are not going to post in them.

Now onto the head scratchers and definitions. BNS and BNR posts are similar in nature.

BNS stands for Buy-and-Stay. Essentially you buy from someone listed in the post and you get added to the thread. As long as you continue to check-in on the thread and promote it by posting as required in the thread rules, you will be listed and receive free advertising.

BNR stands for Buy and Replace. If you buys from someone on this list, you will replace them on the list. And once you are listed and someone buys from you, you will be bumped back off the list.

Let’s Help posts. These threads are relatively new in the Etsy forums. To participate in these threads, you simply stop in every time the thread restarts and ask to be placed on the thread. Then you stay and chat with the other people on the thread. You will find everything from personal life issues, to sales and promos, and even a little shop help on these threads. I personally participate in one of these threads. You get free advertising and comradely all in one.

There is one final thread you will see in the promotion forums; a Threadkiller. So what is a Threadkiller? It is a post which is promoting a giveaway. Most of the time, the winner will be the last person to post in a 24 hour period. In other words, if I post a 1pm and the next post is at 3pm the following day, I would win the threadkiller since there would have been a 24 hour period with no other posts. These can be really nice promotional tools, since those people that are trying to win will continue to bump the thread and get your name seen.

Critiques Forum…

In this forum you will find people willing to give your shop a critique if you ask. Sometimes you may need to ask more than once, simply because threads get buried here quite quickly.

However during the last holiday season, I discovered this is also a great place to be seen on Etsy. Before the holidays, I had always been afraid to poke my head into threads like “Would you buy from the shop above?” About a month before Christmas, I stopped by one of those threads and posted. I participated on those threads for about a week. What I discovered was interesting to say the least. Every time I posted on one of those threads, the next day I would get a new hearts. That meant people were stopping into my store, and those who liked my work were leaving their hearts!

Chat Rooms…

Shortly after joining Etsy, I stopped in the chat rooms to see what was going on. I soon discovered there are three types of chat rooms you will see on a given night; Chat, 5 min FS, and Team rooms.

Some people swear by the 5 minute FS rooms, although it is not my cup of tea. The way the room works is this, whoever is the current 5 min seller has their work brandied about the room. The entire five minutes is about that seller and whatever deals they are offering. In order to be the next five minute seller; you must buy from the current seller. And if you are not the first buyer, you may have to try again with the next buyer.

Team chat rooms are those rooms dedicated to a particular Etsy team. These are usually locked and only team members are involved in these chats.

And last, but not least; chat rooms. The basic chat room is a good place to been seen. You get to meet new people and show off your work at the same time. Here is the secret of normal chat rooms on Etsy; promote the work of other sellers in the room.

Ok I bet you are now scratching you head wondering if I am daft. How are you to be seen when you are promoting someone else’s work? It is a PIF (pay it forward) gesture. By promoting others work in the chat rooms, chatters are likely to go to your store, find something they like, and then post it in the chat rooms as a thank you.

So there you go; three effective places on Etsy to be seen and to get to know the community. Hope to see you around!

Pic courtesy of MyPipSqueak

Tags: buy and replace, buy and stay, chat rooms, criques, etsy, etsy community, pay it forward, promos, promotions, threads

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