Stand Out On Etsy

Consider for a moment the marketing strategy of the big guys like Coke and Pepsi, Ford and Chevy, and McDonald's and Burger King. It seems the harder they all try to be different the more alike they become. To fight for their market share they have spent billions of dollars trying to be just like the other. In my house, in the fridge, there is a bottle of Coke right next to a bottle of Pepsi.

More than likely you do not have the financial resources to spend billions of dollars and even if you did I would suggest a different approach than the big guys. My approach? Try to stand out. Try not to be like everyone else. Be a pioneer, be a trend starter not a follower. Do something different.

In my earlier days I set up at Renaissance Faires to sell my chainmaille armor and jewelry. Being self taught gave me a distinct advantage. I did not have the same stuff as the other people creating chainmaille. So, I stood out. I was able to make a name for myself. I would usually get about a year with a new design before other people were copying it. With the internet, I get about 3 to 6 months before I start seeing my designs out there.

I try and come up with at least 2 or 3 new items that no one has come up with every year. Once everyone else starts doing it I come up with something different. In the jewelry market you have to stand out and make a statement to be seen. Otherwise you are just making the same thing as everyone else. At that point it comes down to who has better pictures, better titles, and better tags. All things you can overcome. Now, a combination of new and fresh items with better pictures, titles and tags and you are the king/queen of the hill.

So, the next time you have a moment at your jewelry bench or sitting there about to crochet or just sitting with your sketch pad and coffee, try and think up something new, something different, something no one else is doing or has done. You may never get the credit for the creation but you might just get the benefits from it for a while.