Etsy is NOT for Artists 🎨 (Why your Art Isn't Selling)
TLDRIn the video titled 'Etsy is NOT for Artists 🎨 (Why your Art Isn't Selling)', Dylan Jarus explains the misconceptions about selling art on Etsy and offers advice for artists aiming to make a significant income. He differentiates between artists with a strong following and those without, suggesting that the latter need a different approach. Jarus emphasizes the importance of prioritizing making money over personal satisfaction, adapting art to appeal to profitable customers with expensive tastes, and checking pricing to ensure demand justifies it. He also recommends turning art into functional items to increase sales. The video provides a 16-step checklist for growing an Etsy shop and shares a success story of an artist who improved their sales after implementing the advice.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **Etsy's Nature**: Etsy is not an art gallery but a marketplace; artists need a different approach to sell successfully.
- 👥 **Artist Types**: There are two types of artists on Etsy: those with a strong following and those without. Tailor your strategy to your type.
- 📈 **Revenue Generation**: Offer a 16-step checklist for growing an Etsy shop, focusing on revenue-generating activities.
- 🤔 **Prioritization**: Decide whether to prioritize making money or creating art for personal fulfillment; sitting on the fence can lead to confusion.
- 🧑🎨 **Customer-Centric Art**: Stop making art for yourself and start creating for profitable customers with expensive taste.
- 📊 **Market Research**: Conduct polls and research to understand what your target customer with a higher budget is interested in.
- 🎨 **Adaptability**: As an artist, be flexible and adapt your work to meet the aesthetic preferences of profitable customers.
- 💰 **Pricing Strategy**: Evaluate your pricing based on demand; without demand, high pricing may not be warranted.
- 📈 **Demand Creation**: If there's no demand, work on creating demand for your art to justify higher prices.
- 🛍️ **Functional Art**: Turn your art into functional items to increase accessibility and sales; utility sells.
- 📉 **Sales Conversion**: Focus on customer first, product second to see drastically different results in terms of sales and growth.
Q & A
Why does the video suggest that Etsy may not be the best platform for artists to sell their work?
-The video suggests that Etsy may not be the best platform for artists because it is not an art gallery where artists can simply showcase their creativity. Instead, it's a marketplace that requires a different approach to make a significant income, especially for those without an established following or brand.
What is the first step Dylan Jarus recommends for artists who want to make money on Etsy?
-The first step is to choose a priority between making money and making things that feed your soul. This decision is crucial for making necessary decisions to gain traction and avoid a confusing shop appearance.
What does the video suggest for artists who feel they might lose enjoyment in their craft if they prioritize making money?
-The video suggests considering the alternative of surviving by doing a 9-to-5 job they might not enjoy and then trying to enjoy their craft with the little energy left at the end of the day. It also encourages artists to think about the joy of the craft after achieving financial stability.
How does the video propose artists without a strong following to approach their work on Etsy?
-For artists without a strong following, the video proposes a four-step approach: prioritizing making money over personal enjoyment, making art for profitable customers, checking pricing to ensure it matches demand, and turning art into more functional and accessible items.
What is the importance of prioritizing making money for artists according to the video?
-Prioritizing making money allows artists to build their brand faster, make their designs more accessible to a broader audience, and ultimately gain financial breathing room, which can later be used to focus more on the joy of the craft.
What is the recommendation for artists to consider when making art for profitable customers?
-Artists are advised to stop making art for themselves and instead consider the tastes of profitable customers. This may involve adapting their aesthetic to match what expensive brands and their target customers are attracted to.
Why is it important for artists to check their pricing strategy when selling on Etsy?
-Checking pricing is important because if there is no demand for the art, it doesn't warrant high pricing. Artists need to create demand for their work to justify higher prices and ensure their time and output are valued appropriately.
What is the advice given for artists to increase their sales on Etsy?
-The advice is to turn the art into more functional and accessible items, such as coasters, trays, pillows, or mugs. This approach is more likely to result in higher sales as compared to selling art that is only for viewing.
How does the video suggest artists can leverage their existing work to target different types of customers?
-The video suggests that artists can adapt their work to target different customer segments, such as elopement brides in the wedding fashion space, by offering premium products like lace gloves or wedding belts that align with the customer's tastes and the occasion's spending habits.
What is the significance of having a strong brand and a clear shop story on Etsy?
-Having a strong brand and a clear shop story is significant because it helps establish the artist's identity and credibility. It provides potential customers with information about the artist's background, style, and what they are known for, which can influence purchasing decisions.
What kind of support does the video offer to artists who want to make a full-time income with their art on Etsy?
-The video offers a 16-step checklist for growing an Etsy shop, which includes tactical and practical action steps. Additionally, the speaker, Dylan Jarus, offers to talk to artists who are serious about making a full-time income, suggesting a more personalized approach to help them achieve their goals.
Outlines
🎨 Understanding Etsy for Artists: Monetization vs. Creativity
Dylan Jarus discusses the misconception that Etsy is purely a platform for artists to showcase their work. He emphasizes that to make significant money on Etsy, artists need to approach it as a business rather than an art gallery. The video is aimed at artists looking to scale their businesses on Etsy, offering a 16-step revenue-generating checklist. Artists are categorized into those with a strong following and established brand, and those without. The latter group is advised to focus on making money first, which can later fund their passion projects. The importance of prioritizing financial stability over immediate creative fulfillment is highlighted, as it can lead to greater freedom and brand growth in the long term.
💰 Tailoring Art for Profit: Adapting to Customer Tastes
The second paragraph focuses on the strategy of creating art for profitable customers rather than just for personal satisfaction. It uses the example of a designer in the wedding fashion space to illustrate how focusing on trends and targeting specific customer segments, such as elopement brides, can lead to higher pricing and profitability. The paragraph also touches on the importance of supply and demand in pricing art, suggesting that artists without a strong following need to generate demand to justify higher prices. It concludes with advice to transform art into functional items, which can increase sales and revenue, and an invitation for artists serious about monetizing their art to reach out for further assistance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Etsy
💡Artist
💡Revenue Generating Activities
💡Brand
💡Market
💡Priority
💡Profitable Customers
💡Supply and Demand
💡Functional and Accessible Items
💡Pricing Strategy
💡Full-Time Income
Highlights
Etsy is not an ideal platform for artists to simply showcase their creativity if they want to make a significant income.
Dylan Jarus has helped over 2,000 Etsy sellers scale their businesses to over $10 million in revenue.
Artists with a strong following and brand may find success on Etsy without significant changes to their approach.
Artists without a following need to adopt a different strategy to succeed on Etsy.
Prioritizing making money over personal fulfillment can lead to better business decisions and growth.
Adapting art to cater to profitable customers with expensive taste can be a key to success on Etsy.
Artists should consider the demand for their work and adjust pricing accordingly to generate revenue.
Creating art with functionality and utility can increase sales and revenue on Etsy.
A lack of branding and information about the artist can hinder sales on Etsy.
The importance of turning art into functional items for increased accessibility and sales.
Combining art with functional items can lead to higher income compared to art for display only.
The potential for targeting different customer segments, such as elopement brides, for higher pricing and profitability.
The impact of corporate e-commerce principles applied to Etsy for consistent results.
The significant increase in views and conversion rate after implementing the provided strategies.
A 16-step checklist is offered for free to help grow an Etsy shop.
The importance of focusing on customer needs first and product second for better results.
An example of a designer in the wedding fashion space shows the potential for targeting different customer types.
The potential for higher pricing and profitability by focusing on premium materials and designs.