I have something to admit to you guys: social media is my one true love!
There, I said it! The thing is, I know I’m not alone in this because TikTok has around 80 million monthly active users in the United States and Instagram has at least 153.6 million active users! That’s a whole lot of interested people right in the palm of your hands.
Why not harness this power and start building a business and making more money?
Social Media and Etsy
It sounds like a dream: being paid to use social media. Well, it is, and you should be living that dream alongside me.
Before we get into that, let’s rewind a little bit. There are loads of people that do not wish to make content on social media, for whatever reason, and I totally respect that! If you want to create your Esty page and be done with it, that is absolutely a possibility and you will undoubtedly find success. Take my story for example: prior to using social media, I just had my Etsy store and not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, but I also found major success, too. There’s zero shame in your approach to staying off social media.
That being said, more traffic to your Etsy page can lead to a higher conversion rate. What does this mean? The typical conversion rate hovers around 3%, so for every 200 people that visit your store, 6 people will actually buy something. So, if you can generate additional buzz to get people to your page via social media, you have the ability to get more sales.
However, it is totally possible to do it without social media. I love Etsy, always have and always will. Etsy has a built-in algorithm on it so, if you know how to use the site proficiently, they’ll literally send people to your page and showcase your store as a great site. It is that easy!
So, while I love social media and believe it can help you, it is not imperative to the success of your digital products.
Getting on Social Media
Are you someone who feels like they would be open to getting on social media but feel you are not creative enough, don’t have enough experience on social media or don’t have enough ideas or valuable skills to share online? To this I say: impossible!
Every single one of us has a skill, talent, and prowess that someone else is dying to learn about. When you find your niche and create a digital product to go with it, I believe that being on social media is a better use of your time than just being on Etsy.
When it comes to using social media, you should see the first video I posted on Instagram back in 2016! Let’s just say, it wasn’t the best video ever made! But that is okay. With time and perseverance I got the hang of it and now make regular content for both Instagram and Tiktok. It doesn’t feel like a chore, it feels like a ton of fun and you don’t need to have a degree in social media to do it. Try not to be too intimidated and just try. Start. You will likely surprise yourself and build your confidence while building a fantastic online community.
Making Money on Social Media
If you are happy to be on social media, great. Let’s talk about how you can start a page today! There are a number of different ways to promote your digital products, and both Tik Tok and Instagram are completely free which means a 0$ budget towards marketing.
Start your unique page and build an audience for your products with videos and posts that people will be drawn to and enjoy watching or interacting with. If you’re stuck for ideas, remember to stay true to yourself, show off your beautiful personality and always lean on trending sounds for added discovery for both Instagram reels and TikTok videos.
You can use creative backgrounds, text posts and photography, but I believe it’s important to show your face and speak to the camera (at least every so often) to really build trust and to show your authentic self.
Against popular belief, you really don’t need to have thousands of followers for success. Once you start to see growth, start networking with other digital product creators within your niche to expand on your connections, share tips, and develop new ways to cross-promote!
If you have a budget for it, why not try out a few paid advertisements on social media? These aren’t a must-do but for a generally low price tag, it’s a fun way to test unique paid posts to discover what leads to the best conversion rates.
Other Ways to Market Your Digital Products
Like I said earlier, you don’t need to be on social media to find success. But, you should consider other marketing tricks to help your Etsy storefront shine. Some excellent examples of good marketing ideas include:
- Email marketing and newsletters: you can email new subscribers a discount, or shout out when you’re doing a sale. Cost: $0
- Paid Facebook Ads: Facebook is still an extremely social media page and allows for targeted audiences in specific areas to see ads about your products. Cost: Starts at $5.00
- Create a Blog: Blogs are a cool way to not only express yourself creatively but generate an audience. Cost: $0
- Do guest blog posts or podcasts: If you network with the right people, you can do a blog exchange or guest feature on a podcast. This is a great way to get your concepts out to a new audience. Cost: $0
- Collaborate with an influencer: Influencers are great because they typically have a large online audience that already trusts them and they can become the face of your brand (if you’re happy with that) without you having to be online! Cost: Varies
To Social Media or Not to Social Media?
Regardless of if you decide to get on social media or not, there are many ways to harness success in the digital product space. Ready to get started with creating your digital product? Reach out today to learn more.
