Write31 ✽ Selling on Etsy Series Wrap Up

 

Happy Reformation Day! It's the last day of October, and the last day of Write31. It's been a fun (and sometimes stressful) month... during the middle of the month, I complained to a friend that I was really tired of writing my posts, running out of ideas, and should have chosen any other topic, if I had to participate this year at all, haha! But this only lasted for a few days. I planned out what blog posts I could do with the time left, I tried to get started earlier in the day, and I gave myself grace over the couple of days I missed. Because, it's okay. Just because I didn't miss a single day the first time I took part in this challenge, and even though the idea is to post 31 days in a row, life happens, it also wasn't something to let myself get discouraged about. I decided to just keep doing the best I could... and I'm really happy to have made it to the end, but I'm also really happy that I did start this in the first place :).

Looking back at the month, some of the highlights and comments I want to mention are...
-I made my own blog button! Haha. I think I just uploaded a generic image last time, and it was way more fun to have a "professional" image, haha :). 
-I did skip two days. Ten o'clock at night came, and I just couldn't write anything detailed, haha. Allowing myself to take necessary time off really helped me get over that hump of disgust in the middle of the month, I think, haha. I'm confident if I had thrown out a mediocre post those days because I had no ideas, I would have just given up. No post is less depressing than a bad one you spent time on ;).
-I created graphics for each day... readable ones. I looked back at my Romans 12 ones, and, um, yikes. There is one you can't even see half of my blog address, haha! Oh well... I tried to do graphics in 2015, but if I was hitting publish at 10:00, I just gave up. This year, I didn't stress out about adding it right away if I couldn't... but each one has a shareable graphic now, and I'm really happy with that fact, just because it's a goal I had set :).
-I got so many comments, from new readers and from old friends, that you were happy to see me blogging again, that you were benefiting from my posts as you worked on your own Etsy (or blog, or Ebay... the fact that there was something for everyone really made me happy!), that you appreciated the giveaway, and more... each comment seriously made me smile so much, and I want to thank you for taking the time to leave them <3 <3 <3.

Here's an overview of what we looked at this month, if you need to look over a post again...

After introducing the series, we took a look at the cost of selling on Etsy (and I gave you a link to earn 40 free listings if you haven't opened a shop yet!), what supplies you need to have on hand for your business, how to add a listing, the option to sell variations or custom items, and things to think about when writing your descriptions, and we talked about my bad photography ;)... and some tips that I'm trying to work on implementing :). We looked at setting up your shop to be a trusted seller, how to rank high in Etsy search, the importance of reviews, how to price your items (it's not as easy as it sounds... but it is simple) and keeping your shop active to boost it's visibility.

We looked at Etsy SEO... twice. Then I found Etsy Rank, and I did a post about it's values... twice ;). Ahhhh, Search Engine Optimization...

We considered different social media platforms to share your shop on, and conversion rates and how to use wisdom in our sharing... mainly, not to call uninterested people into your shop.

We talked about shipping from home, and how to package your items nicely.

I shared 4 of my favorite Etsy shops, and reviewed some of the shops I have bought from. I also shared some lighthearted moments from selling on my own shop, and the places I go when I have a question to be answered as I build my own business. I answered a few questions, shared some little things I had forgotten, and ran a giveaway of an item from Under The Tapestry! Maddy won, and I set up a coupon code that any of you can still use through tomorrow to get 35% off of any orders!

And we talked about the most important aspect of your business... and life <3. 

I want to say thank you for joining me through this series... and to my new followers, welcome! It has made me smile to see my little "web home" welcoming more friends, and I want you to know that I really do appreciate it! I've really enjoyed getting back into blogging, even if it's been "different" than what I usually do. Now I am eagerly looking forward to hopefully being a "better" blogger than I was in the earlier part of this year, because I have a lot of post ideas, and kind of enjoyed actually being a blogger again... so please, keep an eye on Forget Not His Benefits, and may the Lord bless and keep you <3.

Love in Him,
Bri