Crickets to Cha-Chings

Latest Episodes:

The Power of Meaningful Instagram Connections Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

The importance of social media to drive sales for online retailers is growing exponentially. In this week's episode we talk to Kristyn Burney about how she utilized Instagram's Live, Story and posting features to create meaningful connections with her followers, effectively turning them from followers to fans.

We discuss tips for how to engage with followers and touch on some best practices for using Instagram to further cement your brand.

LINKS- Facebook Group - http://www.creativemomboss.com/facebook Kristyn's Website - https://www.kristynburney.com/

Want to work with me? http://www.laurenkeplinger.com/seo

Mastering the Art of Product Photography with Becca Ellison - 035 Jan 20, 2020

Show notes

Mastering the Art of Product Photography with Becca Ellison -

Why product photography and its quality is so important including tips to using Lightroom and natural light to ensure your photos aren't too dark, grainy or low resolution as well as tips for maximizing your lighting for photo clarity, branding your photos in order to maximize sales and create consistency and how you can utilize your photos to to appeal to your buyer's emotional state.

LINKS -

Becca Ellison's Website- https://rebeccaellison.com/

Want to learn more about how to take your Etsy shop from Crickets to Cha-Chings? Head over to laurenkeplinger.com/learn for more information about how you can become a star student.

Needing some support and community as you begin your Etsy journey? http://creativemomboss.com/facebook for the FREE Facebook support community

My 2019 Year in Review - What Worked and What Didn't Work Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

My 2019 Year in Review - Big changes my business saw in 2019, what worked best for me (and how you can apply those things to your business), what didn't work, and preparing for 2020.

LINKS - Facebook group - http://www.creativemomboss.com/facebook SEO Superstar - http://laurenkeplinger.com/seo

Pivoting your Business by Listening to your Customers - 033 Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

Allison Carter has built a successful business simply by listening to her customers - what they want, what they want added to what she already has, and what direction they need her to go in...even when it is something that she's not sure she wants to do.

Listen to all the wisdom she shares about building a business in the margins of time, listening to your customers and pivoting to meet their demands, and building a community that supports your products and cheers you on.

Key Links:

Allison Carter Celebrates: http://allisoncartercelebrates.com/ Etsy Roadmap Facebook Group: http://www.creativemomboss.com/facebook

Questions to Ask for Constructive Feedback - 032 Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

Feedback is necessary to improve your product and present it with it's best foot forward. Feedback will also give you the confidence to sell your product and reassurance that you are marketing it to the correct audience.

Consistent feedback can occur through customer reviews or friends and family. However, there are certain pieces of your business that your friends and family may not be qualified for feedback (depending on their background).

For instance, friends and family may not understand how to price your products – they may offer a lot more money for your product simply because they love you. On the other hand, people who are close to you may not pay you enough for a premium product or may have trouble wrapping their heads around you moving from a hobby crafter to a businesswoman.

The following are questions you need to ask when receiving feedback:

1. Who do you think would buy this? Who do you think they would be buying it for?

2. How often do you think someone would buy this? What holiday would someone buy it for?

3. How would you describe this product?

4. How can I improve this item?

5. What is your favorite aspect of this item?

Be cautious of getting too many opinions – this can be completely overwhelming and can sometimes be in conflict with each other. Make sure the feedback will be sustainable for your business model, and have an understanding of what your limitations are and how to move forward with the suggestions that you receive.

In this Episode:

Why you need consistent feedback [ 1:45 ]
The questions to ask when getting feedback [ 6:00 ]
How all the opinions can be overwhelming [ 18:20 ]
Don't forget to ask what their favorite aspects of your product are [ 19:40 ]

Finding Balance in a Job You Love (while raising young children) - 031 Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back to this week's episode of Crickets to Cha-Chings. On today's episode we're talking with my college friend, fellow military spouse and sorority sister Alyssa Cowan.

Alyssa is the brains behind Stinkmuffin, and she's done an amazing job of building her business with balance and grace while also raising two very young children (including an infant).

In this episode, we'll talk about:

How she got started on Etsy, the pull to have something for herself, and why that post partum period can be really tough for someone who is used to being a goal driven person
How Alyssa has set boundaries around what she wanted to do in her Etsy business, and what she prioritized throughout it's growth
How she managed running her business, having young children, and having a deployed husband without completely losing her mind or having an Etsy business that wasn't able to take off
How she's built a business in a crowded marketspace that still stands out by providing customized options and amazing customer service
Why she doesn't feel a pull to underprice her items, and how she's built a successful business while being a more premium product
How she separates what she likes to do as a hobby with what she puts into her shop to sell at a profit — and why that is so important to her and to the boundaries she's set for the business
How she would start over differently, and the things she'd do if she was just getting started now

6 Types of Customers You Meet on Etsy and How to Handle Them - 030 Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back to another episode of Crickets to Cha-Chings! Today, we are going to dive into you several of the different kinds of customers that you find on the Etsy platform. I wrote a blog post about this a couple years ago and this updated and expanded version of that blog post.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

Different types of customers you'll encounter on Etsy
Dealing with bargain-shoppers or bargain-hunters - Why I no longer accept coupon codes and not honor expired gift cards
Approach I used to handle customers with high expectations
The best way to manage procrastinating customers especially on holidays
Importance of putting boundaries in place and sticking to them
Adding extra fees for rush orders - is it necessary?
Why you should be in control of your business
Recognizing customer behavioral patterns and protecting yourself from future issues
Responding to unhappy and tough angry customers
Indecisive vs Decisive customers

Staying in Your Own Lane While Building a Brand - 029 Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

Hey everyone! Welcome to another episode of Crickets to Cha-Chings. I am so excited for this episode because today I have a very special guest, Adriane Woodle Mrsa. She is a reef maker on Etsy and has been in business for right around 2 years with a sale of over 1500 .

I think it's super helpful for you all to hear from other people who have had success on Etsy or had success in an online business. So I think you guys are going to love to hear what she has to say and I cannot wait for us to dive into this conversation.

In this episode, Adriane and I talked about:

Adriane Woodle Mrsa journey on Etsy - how she got started and her process of building her shop
What her business really is - about Branch and Bloom
How her dad help and influence her to start an online business
The importance of having a vision before starting a business - knowing what you wanted to do, what you're willing to put into and realistic expectations
Things that help her establish a foundation and grow her business
What she learned during her first few months on Etsy
Her unique design structure - why people are attracted to buy on her shop
How Adriane's studio help her create better product
Making profit and pricing - how much your time really worth
Knowing limits to balance your life - Saying no to a sale is okay, drawing boundaries
Managing emotional stress and scrambling moments - - drawing boundaries
How selling on Etsy changed her life
Audiobook and podcast that she love

Getting Ready for the Holidays on Etsy - 028 Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back to another episode of Crickets to Cha-Chings!, where we are super focused on taking your shop from struggling sales to consistent Cha-chings!

On today's episode, we are going to be talking about getting ready for the holidays and not be stressed and freaking out about the holidays. I want you to get an early start on it really processing and thinking about what you're going to be doing. Before we dive into that topic today, I am going to read the review of the week from Stephvic13.

"Lauren is very authentic and gives clear direction on how to overcome shipping obstacles. She gives real examples and explains each situation in great detail. She's very confident in her speaking and makes me believe that I can overcome any situation that arises while growing my Etsy business." -- Stephvic13

If other listeners are out there having shipping issues or feeling not so confident in there customer service, go back to episode 026 - Got a Shipping Issue, Now What?

In this episode, we'll talk about:

How are we going to get our shops ready for the holiday season - 8 steps/process to holiday preparations
Whether or not your product is going to be something that fits the holiday niche of popular items
Copying some of your listings and update titles/tags to reflect holiday
Deciding on your holiday end dates
Making sure you have product in stock and letting people know what is popular and likely to sell out
Making things ahead of time if not personalize - TAT of your products and adding rush fees on last minute orders
How to make this easier on the gift giver and less stress for them - gift wrapping, note cards, inserting gifts and more…
Thinking about sales - running a sale, promoting on social media and building up excitement and hype before the date… listen to episode 024 about "Should you run a sale to your Etsy shop"
Communicating with your audience about everything regarding the holidays - controlling your business and talking about possible shipping issues
Finding balance between business and family - drawing boundaries

That's all for this week. I have a super special episode coming up next week. This is going to be my first time interviewing a guest on the podcast and I'm really excited for you guys to hear it.

Resources:

Free Holiday Planning Guide

Episode 024 Should You Run a Sale to Your Etsy Shop

Episode 026 You've Got a Shipping Issue, Now What

Facebook Group

3 Etsy Analytics You Should Be Paying Attention to - 027 Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Today we're diving into the most important analytics so that you're not overwhelmed by all of the numbers that Etsy provides but instead you can just focus on the ones that are going to get the most impact for your shop and the backend of your Etsy shop.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

Why should we care about Etsy Analytics and how these numbers improve your shop?
About Etsy Analytics Tracker - download here
Actual Traffic to your shop
- Deciphering what each traffic stat means, and how they each play a role in how many people are finding your shop
Making Window Shoppers into Buyers
- How do we move those passive browsers into active buyers?
- What kind of rate of buyers should we be looking for?
- About shop Quality Score - obtaining quality engagements and conversion
All about the money
- What is Average Order Value and how to properly calculate your AOV?
- How shipping fees, free shipping, and profit margins all play a role in your money reports
- Selling to new customers versus having repeat customers, and how your pricing can be affected by each
- Thinking about advertising costs and how you can figuring out whether or not advertising (via Etsy ads or anywhere else) is profitable for you
Bonus Stat - How to build a loyal following and how we know if that's happening

Resources:

Download the Etsy Analytics Tracker: http://www.creativemomboss.com/tracker FB Group: http://www.creativemomboss.com/facebook

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