Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Why/How We Circle or Follow on Etsy

Circling on Etsy/ Followers on Etsy 


Courtesy of Shauno ... Original Pop Art Portraits & Abstract Designs

Building a presence on the internet is a necessity if you are going to have a successful online business. The same is true on Etsy.

One of the ways to help build a presence on Etsy is to build up your circles. When someone chooses to add your shop to their circle, then your activity shows up in their activity feed - such as when you favorite an item, or a shop or a treasury, or add someone to your circle. Essentially, they are saying that they like some of the same things that you like and would like to see more of what you like in the future.

It really is quite easy to build your circles simply by adding shops or people to your circle. Often, but not always, they will circle you back - and your circle count grows!


My method for choosing shops to add to my circle is to go to my Favorites - either Favorite Items or Favorite Shops. I select a shop or item that I like - one either with similar items as those that I carry, or with a similar style (even if the item or items or totally different) to items that I carry. Then, I go to the list of those that have Favorited the item or shop. There you will find a list of shops and people who have favorited the item or shop. You will also find a count of how many circles each one is in, as well as how many items they have favorited and pictures of the last four items they favorited.

Now, you have to determine what your criteria will be for including a shop or person in your circle. I NEVER include a "Secret Admirer". They keep their favorites private, so that their favorites never hit the activity feed. Generally, I choose shops that have at least 50 members in their circles, indicating that they have been around for at least a little while. I also look for those that have at least as many items favorited as the number of circles they are in. This tells me that they will be involved in getting items into the activity feed for their circle members to see. All of this helps to get items seen. 


The reason for choosing shops or people that like the same styles that I sell is that some of those will also favorite my shop, which serves as an added bonus!
Thanks to Sharon from RomanticThoughts !
Blog: http://myromanticthoughts.blogspot.ca/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Romantic-Thoughts-and-Treasures-Etsy/144182138988286
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sharonintexas/

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing such a great article, Sharon!

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  2. Sharon - great information. I'm a big believer in the Circles (though I liked the old Activity feed format better) but, still, I keep adding and deleting. Today I had to cut a bunch. Seems I just did that but...
    lots of new shops to include.

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  3. Thanks so much for sharing! It's great to see my circles keep growing. I just recently hit 3000. I love checking out what's in my activity feed. I think it's one of the best things Etsy did.

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  4. Key info Thank You Thank you. Time to get more in my circle

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  5. Thank you for writing up a post for the team! I am a HUGE supporter of Circles so this is a great article!

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  6. Thanks for getting the information on Circles out to our team, Sharon.. it is important to make the best of your Circles. Those are your buyers and they help get your beautiful creations into lots of others Activity feeds.

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  7. Thank you for the reminder on Circles and circle activity, as well as how important it is to our shop.

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  8. Terrific post on etsy circling :)

    Thank you for sharing with us.

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  9. Thanks for sharing your strategy! Off to circle folks! :)

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  10. Actually, I DO circle those with privacy settings and small circles. I view circles as additional marketing opportunities for people to get to know me. By learning I have circled someone, he/she can see me in his/her thread and possibly learn more about me. I've seen my shop favs increase after circling, and even a few sales (the buyer has told me in the comments he/she learned about me because I had circled him). If you are routinely circling and cleaning your circles, what is the harm versus the potential benefit?

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  11. great concepts just shared with may others!! love it!

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  12. Well written,clear & makes sense! Thank You!

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  13. This is very true about circling! It can help you so much and help you market what you have. You never know who is looking for what and this helps everyone see what you have to offer.

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