Etsy, Blogs and SEOhhh my!
I'm not gonna lie...I have no idea what I'm doing. BUT I think some of it is working? A couple years ago, I opened an Etsy shop after doing a few macrame projects. My friends and family said "you should sell these!" and after much consideration, I created my shop and popped them up. I was excited and anxious for the sales...which didn't come. Not too bothered by that, I kept making what I could for people I knew, and then life took over, I had Lincoln, and macrame took a back seat.
Lincoln was born in May of 2020 and pretty much from May until November, I was pretty content just watching him breathe. But then as the holidays came around, my crafty fingers started to get the itch to create, and what once brought me much peace became a very stressful endeavor. I'd be at stitch 43 of 97 when Lincoln would wake up and need my attention again...so the constant start/stop/start/stitch/unstitch pattern I got into turned out to be a major headache. I finally gave up and put my macrame supplies in a plastic bin in the garage...which now that I think about it, is still in the garage, untouched, two years later. I should probably do something about that...
After adjusting to a new baby and getting into a rhythm (hah...) I was able to get my head above water and start to craft again. It was about time to think about gifts for friends and family for the holidays, so I put my thinking cap on and decided to make some mulling spices. With this endeavor became my next Etsy product, which took off! Mulling spices also utilize a lot of citrus, and I found myself in awe over the beautiful orange rounds that came out of my dehydrator, so the byproduct of these spices was dehydrated citrus ornaments and garlands. So beautiful! And another hit! I think that season alone I processed probably 800lbs of oranges. My single dehydrator wasn't cutting it, so I ended up with two, which were going around the clock. I had a blast - it was exhausting but so fun!
I found myself preparing for the 2022 winter season much earlier. Not only did I know what the year prior had in store, but we had added another tiny human to our family, and I needed all of the headway that I could possibly get.
I got my Etsy shop in order, rephotographed some of my products, updated labels, applied for a Cottage Food License, and thought that I should probably do some SEO research. I signed up for a webinar and instantly found myself engrossed in the whole process. Again, I will still claim to have absolutely little idea as to what goes into SEO, but with the few tips and tricks I learned, I continued to adjust my Etsy page, and within a few days I went from an order here or there, to a handful of orders every day. I even got my first bulk order of 100 mulled spice kits. Little did I know this would be the first of many very large orders. I realized my products were not only great seasonal gifts, but also perfect for companies to gift to their employees, or clients, or just people gifting (as I had initially intended) to their many friends!
My shop was exploding, and I needed all hands on deck (thanks mom for all of your help!!) I went from two dehydrators to FIVE, and I really wish I had actually kept track of all of the citrus I processed, but I'm sure it's upwards of 1500lbs, if not much more. I ordered 15lbs of cinnamon sticks which got me through 2 of the 3 months of craziness...I'm sure I ordered close to 25lbs of nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
Now that the seasonal dust has settled, I am excited to embark on blogging and adding some digital products to my shop. I have a fairly active Instagram page (@happyducklingdesigns) though I went on hiatus after the holidays. I kept finding myself thinking about a place to house all of these different ideas, and I really wanted a place to write about my shop, products, and my silly family. So here I am...
In regards to marketing and my tiny jump into the world of SEO, my takeaway is that there really is something to SEO, and I endeavor to learn as much as I can about it. I promise to share my findings along the way. Until then, enjoy my crazy life!