Etsy is a really cool site.
People that create things have a ready audience willing to buy right on the Etsy marketplace. It’s a community of people that make really cool things and people that love to have really cool things.
You can get everything from a cutting board to a winter hate to a computer bag. There are all kinds of great items and the catch is they’re all unique and in most cases handmade.
So Etsy has a great appeal already, but what’s interesting is they also have a great blogging strategy.
Quick Glance: Analyzing The Etsy Blog
First impressions of the Etsy blog are that it fits in perfectly with the rest of the site. You know you’re not leaving the site when you click on the blog link from the store area.
It’s interesting to note that the Etsy blog is setup with a sub-folder /blog/ instead of a sub-domain blog.etsy.com. I’ve been seeing quite a few sub-domains lately, but in general would say it’s usually split about 50-50 with a few that have blogs on entirely different domains.
Two things pop out right away on the Etsy blog front page.
First, you see a large photo from the first post. Etsy is such a visual place that I’d imagine the photos to be an important part for the sellers. I know when I’m looking for something the photos are often more important than the description.
Now don’t take that the wrong way because without the description I would be able to find the item in the first place and the description is great for hearing the story behind the item and for learning things like dimensions. Those are part of the sales process too.
But the photos are great and the blog doesn’t disappoint.
The second thing is the search bar where you can search just items on the blog.
Back when I worked for an ecommerce company the most used element on most pages on the site was the search bar. We used to try all different kinds of things on the homepage as far as navigation and images, but people always wanted to search on their own.
It’s good to make it easy for people to search and Etsy does that even on their blog.
Community Involvement
It’s easy to see that Etsy is driven by community. After all, it’s a marketplace where people buy and sell handmade items.
Etsy doesn’t fight this or try to get complex with their blogging strategy. They tap into the community aspect of the business to create the blog content.
There are interviews and highlights of Pinterest boards community members have created. There are highlights of specific products.
It’s a great way to get other people invested in the success of the blog. When you write about other people it makes them want to share the post and that expands the audience, which means more customers.
When creating your blogging strategy don’t try to do too much. You likely have a lot of resources already at your disposal.
When I worked for the shoe ecommerce company I wrote for the company blog. I would struggle to write about women’s shoes, but I found out that if I asked the merchandisers for a little into on trends they could tell me lots of great tidbits.
I wouldn’t ask them to write anything. That was my job. They would share the info and I would write letting readers know that the expert merchandisers had some great insider info about upcoming shoes.
Use the resources you have to create a great blog. Etsy uses its community.
Personality
This is likely a result of the community, but Etsy doesn’t fight its personality either. They showcase shops and people from the site. It shows off the personality of the brand and the community.
There is even a weird post about lingerie. That’s a good example.
Useful Information
Etsy is a place where people go for gifts. People want to give unique gifts.
This Christmas I had no idea what to get for the family Christmas. We do blind gifts so it had to be something for men and women of different ages. I went on Etsy and checked out one of their gift guide areas. They suggested a cutting board.
It was a huge hit.
You can create blog posts around these types of suggestions. Etsy did it with a gift guide for Valentine’s Day.
You don’t have to create gift guides, but tap into the knowledge you have that others don’t have. Check with a few people to see if they find it interesting and turn it into a blog post.
Multiple Blogs
One final note is that Etsy has multiple blogs. This is a strategy I’ve seen not too often, but it’s a good one. There is one for different countries where there are obviously different tastes for the Etsy community. I think it really makes sense in this instance.
There is also one for Etsy News and one that’s a guide for sellers.
Each blog has a targeted audience. That’s the key.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been a fan of Etsy since I was introduced to it a couple years ago. I’m a newbie to the Etsy brand, but it seems like the community is really thriving. They’ve created a wonderful business and given people a place to sell and thrive.
The blog is simply a reflection of that and a way to enhance the already wonderful business model at Etsy.
The blog likely brings in a few new customers and helps to build trust and loyalty, which also add to the bottom line.
It’s another great example of how a company can create a successful business blog.