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How to start your Etsy shop: A step-by-step guide

If you’re daydreaming about starting your own business and you love crafts, you’ve probably heard about Etsy—one of the biggest online marketplaces for handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. 



Whether you want to earn extra bucks on the side or you want to invest your entire focus on starting an online business, with almost 500 million visits monthly, Etsy can be the perfect opportunity to get in front of an audience looking for unique items. 



Etsy had 96.2 million buyers in 2023; over two million more than it did in 2022. To top it off, Etsy has a significant mass of loyal customers—40% of Etsy buyers are repeat customers, and 8.9% are “habitual buyers,” meaning consumers who make repeat purchases several times without the process of high involvement. 



If you’re grappling with the question of how to start an Etsy shop, keep reading. In this article, we’ll take you through the steps of creating an Etsy shop, list the tools you need to jump-start your success, and share best practices to help you boost Etsy shop sales. 



How to start an Etsy shop



Starting an Etsy shop is a simple and straightforward process. At each step, there are detailed instructions for the information you need to fill in. Don’t rush—make sure you go through all the steps and create the foundation of your Etsy shop. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it. 



#1: Create an account   



If you’re just starting your Etsy journey, the first step is to create an Etsy account. This is a simple process where you need to add your email address, first name, and password. Once you register, you can open your Etsy shop by selecting “Sell on Etsy” from your account menu. 







During this step, you can answer a few screening questions, such as what brings you to Etsy and if there is anything you’d like help with. Whether you are selling for the first time ever, or you want to expand your business by selling on Etsy, the platform can help you with guidance on how to make the most out of Etsy. 



You can also choose different topics you want to get more resources on, such as deciding what to sell, choosing a name for the shop, selling online, or taking product photos. 







#2: Enter shop preferences



Once you go through the screening questions, you can start building the foundations of your Etsy shop. First, you...
How to design a newsletter in 5 quick and easy sections

I don’t have a creative bone in my body. So when I first started creating newsletters, I would always second guess myself, which usually left me just giving up and going with a plain white background, black text newsletter.



I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to start writing only to quickly get discouraged that my newsletter doesn’t look all that great. It looks plain. It looks average. I am not afraid to admit - It would look boring and I wouldn’t read it myself.



So I made it my mission to find out what makes a great looking newsletter that people could not wait to read. After countless hours of research I’ve listed the sections that appear most often in the most popular newsletters. 



Section of a newsletter




Memorable banner



Primary story and images



Promotion your reader’s won’t miss



Recent content



Requesting questions and ideas








How to design a newsletter



By breaking your newsletter into sections, designing a newsletter can be as easy as assembling each section in the right order.



A memorable banner



I’ve subscribed to so many newsletters that I often lose track of things. What I’ve started noticing is that some authors forget to remind me who they are, what they offer, and why I signed up in the first place.



Let’s not assume people remember us from our catchy email address. You need to begin every email by re-establishing your brand, identifying who you are and why it matters.



A memorable branded banner can be quite simple. It’s recommended to include your logo, brand colors, and most importantly, a statement as to why your newsletter exists and matters to your subscribers.



Check out this banner created for the RuhRoh newsletter:







As you can see the brand header section is strong with a dark background. The logo and newsletter name are on the left. And the thing that catches the eye is a reminder that this newsletter is here to help people avoid common problems of owning a new puppy.



Here’s a simple way you can design a branded newsletter header using Canva:



1 - Select Create a design



2 - Go to custom size and enter 1200 x 200 px, then select create new design







3 - The great thing about Canva is you don’t have to be a professional designer to create stunning visuals. You can choose one of their pre designed banners to get started. Change the colors to your brand colors,...
Where to sell digital products: The best platforms for creators

People are flocking to the digital economy for more freedom, flexibility, and, ideally, more dollars.



And it’s working. According to Goldman Sachs Research, “the increase in digital media consumption and the advent of technology…has lowered barriers to content creation.” By 2027, the creator economy could be worth half a trillion dollars. 



Content creators are taking advantage. Many of them have already abandoned the nine-to-five grind. They’re now working for themselves.



But what if you sell a service instead of a product? Suddenly you find yourself facing a bottleneck. Your work still requires effort, time, and your personal presence.



That’s why it feels like you gave up the nine-to-five…just to start a new nine-to-five.



The solution is to leverage your time by switching from services to products. What if you could build a repeatable digital product that sells itself while you sleep? You’d decouple your labor from your income. 



But before you do, you’ll have to know a few things about digital products:




What you can sell? 



What sales strategies are succeeding?



Where are all the sales happening right now?




Let’s answer all three with special emphasis on that critical question: where?



What is a digital product?



A digital product is an electronic asset you can sell with little to no cost of duplication. Typically, a digital product may be a piece of media like an eBook. Users can download the product and put it to use on their device of choice.



What are examples of digital products? 



If you think it sounds niche, consider this: Amazon sells approximately half a billion eBooks per year. And 83% of all video game sales are completely digital. 



Online courses, training videos, webinars, eBooks, music, PDFs, digital art, widgets, and apps. Digital products are so ubiquitous, we barely think of them as digital anymore. 



We just think of them as products.



Digital products are so popular, many creators “niche down” their services. You can sell training for unique markets because it’s so easy to find them now.



Example:



Take Leela Sinha, a coach offering leadership intensive for a specific personality type. Leela has a niche market, coaching “intensives,” or people with risk-taking tendencies.



Leela’s story reinforces why digital products are so popular now, but not from the...
How to create landing pages that convert (plus top examples & templates)

Whether you’re looking to drive sales, sign ups, or downloads, a highly optimized landing page can provide real value by bringing your visitors to a page targeted directly to their needs. 



This is important because a landing page tailored to the needs of your customer can increase conversion by 300%.



Now we all want to increase conversion by a couple hundred percent but you can’t just throw up a landing page and like magic, you immediately get conversions. It actually takes a few essential tips. Follow these tips to give yourself the best chance for success. In this blog we’ll go over what it takes to create a landing page that converts.



Establish your USP



Define a strong, value-driven USP (Unique Selling Point) and build your landing page around it. 



Your USP is the thing that sets you apart from the competition and the reason why people will choose you over everyone else.



You can use your USP to create strong headlines, images, and copy that resonates with your target audience.



Example of landing page using USP:



In this example, we created a landing page targeted to the unique selling position we provide YouTubers. The headline addresses a key need for this audience, while the image highlights the unique ways we can help automate the increase of video views.







Keep the design clean and simple



Many landing pages suffer because there’s just too much going on. Approach landing page design with a feeling of respect for the time of the visitor. 



Keep reader focused



Remember, everything about your landing page should be geared towards getting the user to convert. This means removing anything that might draw their attention away from your offer.  



Use of white space



White space is an important part of a landing page design, so make the most of it. Sometimes, what you leave off the page is as powerful as what you include. White space removes congestion and gives the brain space to think. It also forces the eyes to focus on the more important elements of your page.



Example of a clean and simple landing page:



BetterUp designed a very simple, yet effective landing page. While not a white background, the design of this landing page give you plenty of “breathing space”, helping your draw the reader in without overwhelming them.







Create headlines that hit home



80% of visitors will read...
Monetize your blog: 11 Easy ways to turn your passion into profit

These days, the opportunities for making money online are seemingly endless. One of the most tried-and-true methods for generating an online income, however, is that of monetizing your blog. Whether you’re looking to earn a healthy side income or make a living from blogging, there are plenty of opportunities worth exploring.



So, just how much money can you make as a blogger—and how do you make money blogging, anyway? This comprehensive blog will explain:



Best ways to monetize your blog



Let’s explore the best ways for you to turn your passion for blogging into a highly profitable venture, ranging from advertising and affiliate marketing to monetizing through new channels.



Affiliate marketing



You can turn your passion for blogging into a profitable venture with affiliate marketing. By partnering with relevant brands and incorporating their affiliate links within your content, you can earn a commission for every successful referral or sale made through your blog. 



As you can probably imagine, the profits for affiliate marketing can add up very quickly—especially if you have a large reader base.



How can you become a successful affiliate marketer:



1 - Synergy with product or service



The key lies in selecting products or services that align with your blog's niche and resonate with your audience, ensuring that the recommendations you make are genuine and valuable. 



For example, if you are a travel blogger you can sign up to be an affiliate marketer for booking.com. 



2 - Use keyword research



Be strategic in what you write about. Perform keyword research on topics that have a high monthly search volume and lower keyword difficulty.



For example, as an affiliate marketer for booking.com, you could perform keyword research on ahrefs for “book hotel” limiting the keyword difficulty to anything between 0 - 50.



The results will yield several strong topics like:




How to book a hotel



Best way to book a hotel



How to book hotel








3 - Write a blog about the product service



Write a blog about the product or service and include your affiliate link. Now each time a reader makes a purchase through your affiliate link, you receive a certain percentage of the sale. 



For example, based on the keyword research from “book hotel”, you could write a blog about the best ways to book a hotel, listing booking.com...
How to email during a disaster or pandemic — without alienating your customers

Still seems like yesterday, but it’s actually been a few years since a pandemic swept the world and brought just about every small business to a halt.



If the lessons of the Coronavirus Pandemic taught us anything, it’s that in today’s world disasters — or even pandemics — can happen when we least expect it.



As business owners, you need to be prepared. The ways in which you communicate with your customers has to be adjusted when these life altering situations occur.



And the best way to communicate with your audience during these disasters or pandemics is with email.Whether it’s a hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, or pandemic, email is an important tool to use. Especially if you don’t want to alienate your customers.



So let’s get into how you should be using email during a disaster or pandemic to communicate with your audience.



Who should your email come from?



People are more likely to open your email if they trust and recognize the sender name. In fact, studies have shown that trust in the sender name could lead to higher open rates.  



Make sure you choose a “friendly from” name that your customers recognize and trust. If you’re the person who manages your company’s email marketing, adding your name could add a personal touch and help recipients feel connected to you. 







You may have used “Customer Service,” your brand name, or some other name as your “friendly from” in the past. However, during a natural disaster or pandemic, you may want to consider changing it for the time being.  At the very least perform an A/B split test to see which friendly “from” generates a higher open rate.



Your “from” address and reply-to address can still be customerservice@ or help@, but update the friendly “from” to a trusted name.



What type of email communication is appropriate?



During these difficult times your customers may be struggling emotionally or financially. So be sensitive with what you email during a disaster. Don’t make light of the situation, as you will see with some of the email examples below.



Be super clear with your communications, this is not the time to be cute with your subject line or content. Use language that is sympathetic. This could actually be an opportunity to strengthen your relationship by establishing a stronger rapport with your customers.



We know you’re in business to promote your...
20+ ways to segment your emails to boost your marketing efforts

Inboxes are constantly bombarded with emails vying for attention, it's becoming increasingly challenging to make your message stand out. 



We've all been there, scrolling through countless generic emails that barely resonate with our interests. But what if there was a way to break through the noise and deliver emails that feel like they were crafted specifically for us? 



That's where the power of email segmentation comes in. By understanding the unique needs and preferences of your subscribers and tailoring your messages accordingly, you can create a truly personalized experience that captivates and engages. 



Just look at your inbox and you’ll find segmented emails everywhere. YouTube and Netflix suggest videos or shows based on your past viewing behavior. Amazon suggests products related to past purchases, searches, or products in your cart.



So it’s time to learn how to leave a lasting impression on your audience.



In this blog we’ll talk about:




What is segmentation



The benefits of email segmentation



Types of email segmentation




What is email segmentation?



Email segmentation is the process of separating your subscriber list into smaller, organized subgroups based on their interests, behaviors or characteristics. Essentially, email segmentation is the act of taking a list and filtering and sorting your subscribers into relevant groups. 



There are hundreds of ways to segment your audience, and they can all help you better target your email sends, which can lead to higher engagement.



The benefits of email segmentation



Sending targeted content is the best way to get subscribers engaged with your brand. That’s because people are more likely to respond to messaging that is relevant to their needs and interests.



It can also help you build trust with your subscribers. They’re more likely to stick around if they feel you truly understand them.



When you segment your emails, you could see:




Higher open rates



Higher click-through rates



Higher deliverability rates



Higher conversion rates




Plus, proper targeting can help you drive 3x more revenue per email. Even though you may be sending to a smaller group of people than you would be without segmenting, you are able to focus your messaging on one group of people. 



Types of email segmentation



You can segment your list using any...
How to promote a blog (with strategies and examples from established bloggers)

A lot goes into writing a valuable blog post. Hours of research. Drafting and drafting and re-drafting. 



Editing, grammar checks, search engine optimization.



The work piles up until the point you hit publish. Then, the worst sound in the world: Crickets. 



No one’s reading your post. 



What went wrong? It’s not that your blog isn’t valuable to your readers. It’s that if people can’t see that value, no amount of work is going to draw your audience.



There are reportedly 600 million blogs worldwide. The moths-to-a-flame strategy doesn’t work when readers see nothing but flames everywhere they look.



How do you get your blog to make noise? Here’s how to address your readers’ pain points, where to push your latest posts, and a few steps to build your own following as you go:



How to promote your blog



Assuming your blog already delivers the goods for your readers, we’re left with two questions: how to promote your blog, and where. We’ll start with how. These are the strategies you need to build an attractive, engaging blog presence online.



Strategy #1: Start with effective SEO 



Search engine optimization is the art of prepping your blog posts for preferential spots in popular sites like Google and Bing. And while title tags and meta descriptions still matter, you first have to answer deeper questions. 



For starters: who are the people searching for a blog like yours? What are they thinking about?



Finding the answers your audience is looking for



Everyone has pain of some sort. Your job, as a blogger, is to apply salve to that pain.



AWeber user Michele Fralla, for example, hosts a travel blog. Doesn’t sound very painful. But one look at Michele’s blog, The Intrepid Guide, tells you she’s solving all sorts of readers’ problems:




Learning key phrases to avoid being tongue-tied



Forging real connections with locals



Avoiding tourist traps




The pain of Fralla’s readers is fear: the possibility they won’t make the most out of their next trip to Italy.



And that’s the most fundamental concept in SEO. User intent. User intent is the art of discovering the emotion behind search queries.



When someone types in a search query, it’s because some sort of problem or pain moved them to action. It could be as harmless as curiosity, sure. But it could be something deeper.



As Moz notes, search engines...
From stuck to sent: 7 Strategies to overcome email writer’s block

Have you ever sat down to write something and felt…totally stumped? 



Ah, yes. It’s the dreaded writer’s block.



I know the feeling all too well. Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk, staring at a blinking cursor, desperately willing it to conjure up the words that seemed to have escaped me. My mind was blank.



After hours of torturing myself, I realized I needed a break and decided to do something productive. So I threw on my comfiest sweats, cranked up my Spotify playlist, and decided to tackle reorganizing my kitchen pantry.



This unrelated, mindless task allowed me to step away from the task and cleared some brain space so that when I sat back down at the computer, the words just flowed. It was as if the simple act of decluttering my physical space was clearing the cobwebs from my mind. Who knew?



It struck me that sometimes, to regain our creative spark, we need to break from the routine and engage in a different type of activity. 



Data backs this up, as researchers have found the top three reasons for writer’s block are attributed to stress, fear, or perfectionism. So, while cleaning and organizing may not be your preferred go-to method to combat these issues, the key is to find something that does allow your thoughts to wander freely so you can get out of your own way.



Here are some ideas to try the next time you’re facing a blank screen.



1 - Change your scenery



Sometimes, when writer's block hits hard, the best thing you can do is step away from your desk and shift your focus. Taking a break and immersing yourself in a different environment can work wonders for your creativity. This can be as simple as:




Taking a leisurely walk in the park



Finding a cozy spot in nature where you can observe things quietly



Playing games with your pet or your family/friends



Exercising




2 - Set your timer



A time crunch can be a double-edged sword when dealing with writer’s block–it can constrain us or inspire us. But it can also be a useful tool. The Pomodoro Technique, a method of dividing writing into dedicated blocks of time, has proven effective for many, myself included. Here's how to implement it:




Set your timer for 25 minutes.



During this focused period, write without worrying about perfection. The aim is to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the page, minimizing distractions. I love to...

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