Top 10 Ways to Promote your Etsy Coupon CodesBy Kristan Stephens (Floofies)
Hopefully everyone has read about the great new coupon code feature Etsy offers. Basically, sellers can now offer specific coupon codes for their customers that provide either a percentage discount (of your choosing) or free shipping!
So you have eagerly entered your codes, and you are now wondering why everyone isn’t taking advantage of the savings and buying up every item in your shop. However, like everything else in this world, it’s going to take some good old fashioned hard work to get your codes noticed and used. Thankfully, there are a myriad of possibilities for sharing them. Here are ten easy and effective ways to promote your coupon codes!
1. Etsy Shop Announcement – Everyone has one, it’s located just below your shop banner and includes welcoming information about yourself, your shop, your products, etc. Imagine that you walk into your favorite boutique and just as you enter the door the shop owner looks up, smiles, and says hello. She will probably let you know what is new and exciting in the shop and if there are any specials or sales going on. Your Shop Announcement is the way you can do this for your customers, just as if you were sitting inside your shop welcoming them as they wander in. If you have a coupon code that you want to share publicly for a short amount of time, this is a great place to post it. That way everyone who visits your shop site will know about it immediately, and it may entice them to buy!
2. Etsy Team Discussion Board – If you haven’t noticed, there is a thread available on the Arizona Team discussion board for sharing team discounts and coupon codes. Our team has over 200 members and is still growing, so this is another free, easy way to get the information out to a large group of people! It’s also a great way to thank others for their support and share some love with the team. :)
3. Facebook/Twitter – I understand that not everyone has a facebook or twitter account for their shop, but if you do, it is the perfect platform for sharing coupon codes! Your fans will appreciate the inside deal, and it is easy for others to share the information with their friends too. Often, you can add a link to your shop directly in the status update or wall post so people who see it can just click on the link and start shopping.
4. Your Shop/Personal Blog – Another great social media outlet for sharing coupon codes is to share them on your shop or personal blog. This can be done however you feel comfortable. You can post a short entry about it, create a coupon/discount section where you post current coupon codes, or post about a new item and share the coupon code in the post to entice people to check out the new listing. Be sure to include a link to your shop, the item, or a button for your shop on the blog so it is easy for readers to find you on Etsy.
5. Third Party Blogs – If you don’t have a personal or shop blog, you can still take advantage of the huge network that is the blogging world. Many blog authors are looking for ways to share special deals with their readers and you can often offer to provide a coupon code specifically for their blog readers. This works best when you have a relationship with the blog author already, or are able to really connect with the focus/theme of their blog with your products or artistic process. Please don’t email hundreds of random bloggers suggesting they share your coupon codes out of the blue. They won’t appreciate the “spam” approach, and most likely won’t respond. However, if you can cultivate a relationship, offer products that resonate with the readers and author, and have something valuable to share or say, chances are they will welcome your offer and feature you or your coupon code!
6. Partner with other Shops and Artists – Many times, you can partner with another artist or seller to work together to promote your shops. Let’s say you make diaper cakes, and you often partner with another person who organizes/plans baby showers. A great way to share your coupons codes is to have them promote your code in their shop/blog/event and you can in turn, promote them with your customers. Again, it is important to ensure the connection is relevant for both of you, and always be respectful of your customers. However, it is always nice to have great people to work with and support you, and customers will appreciate the special savings!
7. Third Party Savings Websites - Another way to share coupon codes with a HUGE amount of people is to use third party websites like EtsySaver.com or EtsyCoupons.com. Both websites are free to join and allow you to post coupon codes for your shop. These codes are featured on their website, sent out to their FB fans, and shared on Twitter or blogs. They also create a link to your shop and a thumbnail image so shoppers can find your listing and link back to your shop.
8. Returning Customers – while it is all well and good to reach out the world at large to share your coupon codes, often your best business comes from your already loyal customers! A great way to show your appreciation for their business is to offer them a coupon code for their next purchase. You can do this by providing a note or card in with their package or by contacting them online. However, please be respectful when contacting customers, and keep it brief. It is not okay to email or convo customers in large groups (again this is considered spam). A simple, short thank you email or convo sharing the coupon code is fine, and would definitely be appreciated.
9. Craft Fairs/ Art Events – A great way to network with other local artisans and customers is to attend craft fairs or art events. Whether you attend as a vendor or a spectator, take the opportunity to walk around and introduce yourself to other people. If you have a booth set up at the event, a great marketing strategy is to create a small card or flyer featuring your shop website with a coupon code included. Then, you can hand these out to customers and even people who are “just looking”. By printing the code on the card, you give them a reason to take it and hold on to it. The coupon code may then entice them to actually look you up online when they get home, where they may be more inclined to purchase from you in the future.
10. Friends and Family – Another good old fashioned way to market yourself and share coupon codes is to network through your friends and family. Generally, these are the people who love and support you the most and know how much work and passion you put into your craft. A great thing to do is to set up a coupon code just for them that they can share with the people they talk to. My husband is always casually sharing my website with people he meets and something he likes to do is share a coupon code with them. He’ll just say something like, “You would love my wife’s work – and if you see something you like, be sure to put in the code “SECRET25” for an inside discount! (wink, wink)” It’s a great way to provide friends and family pricing easily.
So now it’s up to you! Choose even a couple of these options to start with and see what kind of feedback/response you get! Hopefully, you can take advantage of all of these great marketing strategies over the next few weeks and enjoy great results in your Etsy sales!
