Taking a Closer Look at my Shop After Mayi’s First ARTrepreneur Shop Critique

{Mayi Carles from heartmade}

Editor’s Note: I’m super excited that Danielle from The Merriweather Council decided to write about some of the things she learned from Mayi’s critique, because the critique was outstanding. Every month in ARTrepreneuer, Mayi picks two members for free shop critiques. Want to get in on the action? Check out the details here. And, if you want to work with Mayi immediately and get your shop critiqued {which I sooooo recommend}, you can check out her consulting packages here.

This past week on ARTrepreneur, Mayi Carles posted her very first member shop critique. It was a well composed, thoughtful, and helpful critique tailored to one specific seller – a seriously awesome gift to that shop owner.

Even though the critique was not written to me or about my shop I found it to be incredibly informative. Mayi broke down each section of an Etsy listing and also discussed the overall look and feel, as well as branding.

The first thing that stood out for me was Mayi’s critique of the shop’s banner/header area.

She suggested thst the seller add a tag line. Tag lines and quick pitches were discussed at the Etsy Success Symposium where I crafted (no pun intended) one which I had yet to put into action, because, well, I just wasn’t so sure sbout it. After reading over this bit of the critique, I ran my tag line past Mayi and with some extra reassurance from April, I decided to try it out. You can see it on my Etsy shop banner, or you can read it right here: “The Merriweather Council; The most fun you can have in a hoop.”

I posted it on my personal Facebook page and people who I haven’t heard from in years were commenting on it and pressing the all important “like” button. (As we all know, this is how others determine how cool you are, by the number of likes you get!…Right?) Who knows how many of them were brought to a clearer understanding of what the heck I do all day because of this simple little line of text? I feel it has been a positive addition. And as soon as I am off this rock in the middle of the ocean I’m going to be changing my facebook business page image to include this text as well.

Until reading this critique, I never actually realized how many places there are to add info on Etsy.

There’s the shop title, the announcement, the profile page, the policy page which has multiple sections, profile, the note to buyer… Some of the things Mayi suggested were things I knew I had written somewhere but wasn’t exactly sure where. So, I reviewed everything, made a little list of her suggestions and went through to make sure I was covering everything in the most appropriate spot.

Here are just some of the questions I checked to make sure I was answering:

1. Am I willing to send items as gifts with notes?

Sure, whenever anyone asks, I do it, but I hadn’t thought to write it in my policy.

2. Do I have “social proof” and features listed?

I did, but only on my profile page. I moved this information to my shop announcement as well.

3. Do I have my contact info and links to my other web places listed?

Kinda-sorta. This needed some attention. Until this past week there was no link to my newsletter anywhere on my Etsy. (Sometimes it is the most obvious stuff that gets forgotten…)

4. Do I do custom work or personalization?

Yes! It is one of my favorite things to do! And in most of my listings I have a note about this and a link to contact me via convo to discuss the project. But did I have it in my policy? Yes, I actually did, but it needed a sprucing up.

5. What is my policy regarding lost or missing packages in the mail?

A collective knock on wood, please- I have only ever had one package be reported as “gone missing” and the buyer and I were able to work it out and it we both lived happily ever after. But Mayi is right, there should be some indication of how that problem would be handled, and so I added it.

6. When will items be shipped? How long will they take to arrive?

Recently, my packages to Canada have been taking so long to arrive at their destinations, I bet I could walk them there quicker. Should Canadian buyers know this? Probably. Was this in my policy? No. I added it.

It was nice to see that of the things Mayi suggested, I was already doing a handful of them. Using keywords in shop title, using all 14 tags, having consistently styled photographs, and cohesive branding among other things.

Is your shop missing any of this info?

While some of these things are easy to overlook as “minor details” (the kind of things we have all at one time or another brushed off and said ‘I’ll do that later’) they are the things that will make life easier and more delightful for you and your customers. Don’t do it later, do it today! Do it now!

About the Author: Hey there! I’m Danielle, and I am the artist/ maker behind The Merriweather Council! I am a 22 year old, recent college grad living and crafting in Boston, Massachusetts. My interests include traveling both near and far, reading books by Jonathan Safran Foer multiple times, drinking iced lattes and watching shows in which forensics are used to solve crimes (have you ever noticed it is often a fiber that cracks the case? A thread or a piece of fabric – totally way too awesome) and of course – making things! Ever since graduating in May, I’ve completely immersed myself in my crafty biz and I’m super excited to see what happens next!

And, if you’ve been considering joining ARTrepreneur, I’ve got another reason why you should:

A new expert just joined the team! She’ll be covering topics like: free design programs, making your website look more professional, and how to design your own gift certificates. Love it! Here’s a little bit about our new expert:

Zoe Rooney, of A Quick Study, is a multi-faceted designer who creates everything from training for new teachers (during the day) to graphics, websites, and hand-embroidered and block-printed paper goods (often late at night). She has a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Duke University, and a masters in education from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to design, Zoe spends her time thinking about organization and planning, and enjoying her husband and two sons, as well astweeting and writing about her varied interests on her blog.