Is Branding Your Etsy Shop Neccessary?

Is Branding Your Etsy Shop Neccessary?

 

Branding is often thought of as just a logo and some pretty colors. But in actuality it is so much more.Your shop IS your brand. You might not see it that way right now, but trust me—you have a brand.Even a non-brand, is a brand. Because what branding really is, is the impression you leave on other people.

Even if you don’t know it, or aren’t aware of all the things you stand for and how they align with who you are as a person, your brand is still there, waiting to be discovered. It doesn’t matter how much time or money you spend trying to come up with ways to create a brand for yourself—if you don’t know what makes you unique and special, neither will anyone else.

If you want people to take notice of your creations and buy from you instead of googling around for another retailer who has the same exact thing, then branding is essential for new Etsy sellers.

But even if that’s not something that scares you off right now (and I hope it isn’t), I highly recommend taking the time to figure out what makes your shop unique so that others will get excited about having their own little piece of whatever you sell in their lives too.

 

So what is Branding exactly?

A brand is the combination of all the things that make your business a differentiator in the marketplace.

It’s the essence of who you are as a person and your general style and tone. It’s what you stand for and how you represent yourself to the world. If you want to draw customers to your Etsy shop, the first thing you need to do is find out what makes your business unique and different from everyone else in the marketplace.

Once you identify that, you can leverage that to create a brand for your business that resonates with your ideal customers and makes them want to buy from you.

 

Why is Branding Important for Etsy Sellers?

If you want people to buy from you, you need to be found by as many people as possible. In order to be found, you need to have a presence online, which includes having a unique brand for your Etsy shop.

Even if you don’t sell a single thing online—if you are an artist, you need to have an online presence. You need a website and a blog or portfolio on which to display your work and your branding needs to be taken seriously. Branding is what ties everything about you and your work together.

 

6 Things You Should Know About Branding Your Shop

1. You are not branding your products. You are branding your business.

2. You are branding your shop’s name.What does your shop name say about your business?

3. You are branding your shop’s tagline. How are you explaining yourself to others?

4.  You are branding your shop’s image. How will your image be perceived by others?

5. You are branding your shop’s description. Are you conveying yourself clearly and positively?

6. You are branding your shop’s information. Do others understand what your business is all about?

 

3 Strategies for Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition

- What are you passionate about?

- Who are your ideal customers?

- What are you most proud of?

- What are the main reasons people buy from your Etsy shop?

 

Wrapping Up

When you first start out as an Etsy seller, you might feel overwhelmed by the idea of trying to come up with a unique selling proposition (USP) for your business. Don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be perfect right away, and it will get easier as you go.

The first thing to do is to identify what makes your business different from others in your marketplace.

Once you have your answer, you can leverage that to create a brand for your business that resonates with your ideal customers and makes them want to buy from you.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when branding your Etsy shop. First, you need to remember that you aren’t just branding your shop’s products—you are branding your business.

Second, remember that the visual elements of branding are just as important as the written ones—if not more so.

And finally, keep in mind that while you are branding your shop, you should be branding yourself as well.

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Is Etsy Safe from Cyber Criminals?

Is Etsy Safe from Cyber Criminals?

 

More importantly, is Etsy doing enough to protect it's users from cyber criminals? From what I'm witnessing in 2022, the answer to that is a resounding no.

Over roughly the past two years organized groups of scammers have prolifically setup shop on Etsy. We've seen an increase of all users on the site, so this isn't surprising. Some of it Etsy is dealing with appropriately, and some of it they are either ignoring or taking a rather lax approach.

While there are quite a few scams, cons and crimes taking place on the Etsy marketplace every day (as there are all across the web), I've been closely following one particular issue for a few months now, one that I know Etsy knows about and yet appears to be blatantly allowing to prosper.

Here's the situation:

An organized group, likely spearheaded by a single organising individual, probably being run out of Asia or North Africa, are setting up new Etsy shops by the hundreds (thousands?) per week. These shops "sell" bundles of digital graphics made up entirely of trademarked and stolen copyright material. All of these shops have notifications all over their listings not to buy the item on Etsy, but to visit an independent website to make the purchase instead. And customers are incentivized to do so with seemingly huge discounts.

I've personally found approx 30-35 such independent websites being advertised on Etsy via these shops. 

All of these websites look to match up in registration details and all of them contain false contact info to make them look like bonafide american owned businesses. But if you dig deeper, this falls apart quite quickly.

Aside from the blatant Etsy fee avoidance policy violation there is also an element of data theft and hacking going on with this group, both on and off of Etsy.

Not all the shops used by this group however are 'new' Etsy shops. Some of the shops have been hacked into and are pre-existing but currently inactive Etsy shops opened by well-intentioned sellers. Which raises a whole other set of questions, namely, how?

Etsy recently sent out an email reminding sellers to keep their accounts safe and provided a list of helpful tips on how to do so. But is this actually enough? Is Etsy doing everything possible to keep the site secure? Personally I don't think so. I think they could, and should be, doing a LOT more than they are.

Further to this is that all the customers being funneled off of Etsy to these independent websites are probably having their data harvested during checkout. I say probably, because I don't have hard proof for certain...

But this is a group of individuals who are clearly working in an organized fashion with each other, who have no problem violating Etsy's policies, no qualms about selling content they don't have a legal right to, and are presenting false information about who they are on these websites. I'd say chances are pretty good that they would also steal customer data for other nefarious activities. Even possibly as a way to get into their customer's Etsy accounts. All they need is a matching email and password.

So what is Etsy doing about all these shops violating their fee avoidance policy? And we're talking about thousands of accounts here, it's not some small little issue. Well, they are actually removing a lot of these shops. But for some reason the crooks are able to create more accounts than Etsy is able to remove with a manual reporting and investigation system.

I monitored the situation quite closely for two full months and in a six week period I reported and saw removed just over 1,100 shops. Another 150 shops that I have reported however still remain open today. 

Two months on and there are just as many of these shops in existence as there was when I started looking at this, possibly more. No matter how many of these shops Etsy closes down, the same number or more are opened up immediately.

On the surface you might be inclined to think, well, Etsy has an impossible job then. If they can't keep up with it then it's a losing battle. But is it?

I have to wonder why Etsy hasn't deployed a bot to instantly remove these shops. It would be entirely possible to do, they all use roughly the same worded listings. They all have very clear identifiers to immediately separate them from legitimate shops. And why do some of the shops remain open even when they've been reported multiple times?

I have a few theories on both points but it all seemingly comes back to revenue. Sure, maybe Etsy really is just this inept. But, it just so happens that these cyber criminals are paying for advertising on all the shops they open. That's thousands of listings bringing in ad revenue on what appears to be very popular content. 

Is that a coincidence or an incentive to look the other way?

If you haven't seen what this looks like, here is a screenshot on the type of listing I'm referring to:

 

I think we need to start asking some hard questions about how Etsy is working to protect its users both while on the platform and where and how they are directed off the site. But we also need to take a serious look at what Etsy is willing to allow on the site for the sake of a few dollars and to hold them accountable in areas where they are clearly failing.

This type of listing has no business being on the site in the first place, but to allow it and thousands of others like it to remain, to proliferate and prosper, is utterly outrageous.

Shawnna

 

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Is Etsy Seller Support Getting Better or Worse?

Is Etsy Seller Support Getting Better or Worse?

Etsy just announced an update to the very unpopular Star Seller program that they rolled out last year and yet again it has Etsy sellers divided.

This latest update is being billed as a 'perk'. Earn Star Seller status and you'll have a chat button to contact Etsy support right in your dashboard. (instead of having to search it out in the Help pages where it is often elusive and regularly moved around).

On the surface, this sounds like a good idea, if you're Star Seller. Except many sellers are questioning why access to seller support should ever be restricted or used as a 'perk' in the first place. Don't ALL Etsy sellers deserve easy access to support?

It's certainly not a new concept though. VIP customers, loyalty points earners and big spenders have often enjoyed special access to a service provider or retailer.

Personally, I think we should be looking deeper at Etsy's customer service quality instead of focusing on who gets access to a chat button, when and where.

Ever since Etsy's very first day in business they have had notoriously bad customer service. From initially having no customer service at all, to then having it but being bad at delivering it to being slow to respond and more currently, just unable to cope in any meaningful way with the sheer volume of it.

So is Etsy getting at all better at offering seller support service, or worse?

I think the answer is a bit of both. Having been with the platform for 14+ years, I've been witness to a lot of changes. Some of them are positive and some are disappointing.

One thing Etsy HAS improved upon over the years is their customer service attitude. Believe it or not they are way better at dealing with people than they used to be. It used to be pretty bad. So even if the person on the other end can't help you or actually answer your question, they are at least polite about it.

Another major improvement is that there are now multiple ways to contact or be contacted by Etsy when you need assistance. Etsy used to be an email only company. In recent years they've added live chat and telephone call backs. Ok, those aren't always available, Etsy turns them off when they're swamped or short staffed, but it's still heading towards improvement.

Myself, I've used all three contact features on multiple occasions. In the past, under email only, every response would take exactly three days. So you email your issue, three days later get a reply that doesn't help so you respond with more info, and three days later you get another reply. You get the idea. Almost everything took weeks to resolve.

Today, with over 4 million sellers, you email with an issue and maybe you get a response at some point and maybe you don't. You might get lucky with your timing and your issue might be in a shorter queue. 

Different issues are handled by specialists for that particular area of knowledge, so when something breaks and everyone is contacting Etsy about the same thing, it can be a really long line, and a really long wait. Two to four weeks long has been reported by some sellers.

I've also used the chat feature a few times. And while the person on the chat couldn't help me themselves any of those times, they did raise a support request internally and I did hear back from someone via email in a reasonable amount of time (a few days tops). Other sellers are reporting similar experiences but with varying degrees of timescales.

I've also used the phone back feature and booth times felt quite lucky to not have a long wait time. The first time was less than a 30 second wait and the next time was under 10 min. The phone back function seems to be rarely available though and often hidden deep in the Support Help pages.

So where is Etsy failing? They just can't handle the volume. This has always been a problem, and was still a problem in 2019 when Etsy had just 2.5 million sellers. With that number close to doubling in 2 years, it's an even bigger problem for them today.

It means that support is rushed and/or overwhelmed, so while the service reps are polite, (when you actually hear from them) they aren't necessarily doing a good job of things. And Etsy sellers are being left frustrated at every turn.

I had a complicated issue this year that arose due to the current and ongoing banking verification process (not the usual issues) that took 3 separate calls and multiple emails to sort out. But it shouldn't have taken that much effort. I could see very clearly through that process that the individuals handling my issue didn't know the system well enough to know all the steps that were required to actually solve the issues fully, so I had to call or email for each piece of the puzzle separately, even though it was all connected to one single issue. And that issue still isn't entirely fixed 4 months later.

In 2021 Etsy raised transaction fees with one of the promised investments to be "customer support". 

The big question that should be asked of Etsy more than a year later is... do they consider sellers as part of their customer base, or are they only improving support on the buyer side?

To date, since the fee increase, I have not witnessed a tangible improvement in seller support. I'd go so far as to say things are actually worse because Etsy has created quite a few messes this year requiring an elevated need for support. 

Bank account verification has proved troublesome for a great many sellers which has resulted in the increased need to contact support but Etsy has also rolled out multiple bots this year to automatically take down listings and/or shops that are supposedly in some sort of violation. Except there are so many false positives that end up needing a review by a human.

Add to that the very real violations occurring on the site that Etsy cannot keep up with and it's easy to see how they'd have their hands full. And yet Etsy keeps rolling out new tools and new tests and new updates all the while not being able to keep up with the fallout from past roll-outs.

Adding a chat button to the dashboard for Star Sellers is nice, but it's not an improvement to the actual support sellers are receiving. And from what I've experienced this year, improvements notwithstanding, it's some of the worst seller support Etsy has delivered in it's recent history.

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Sell Digital Papers in a Saturated Market?

Sell Digital Papers in a Saturated Market?

 

Digital paper patterns are hugely popular on Etsy and the selection available is massive... 2.4 million in scope massive. And that's just Etsy, every other digital resource marketplace will have a large collection of offerings as well.

So what if you want to get started today selling digital papers? Can you still be successful, is there room for more, and how hard will it be to stand out in such a crowed category?

Let's take a look...

 

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

When joining an already crowded market, and this applies to any product or service, in order to be seen and chosen your best option is to stand out in some way from all your competitors. There is a variety of ways to do this with papers, from chosen topics to style and aesthetic to pricing or format.

You need to ask the question "what else can I offer"?

 

KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT/NEED 

If you are starting to design digital papers and have no experience using them or have knowledge on what customers are looking for and needing; you are going to be at a critical disadvantage. 

You need to understand your product niche and your target customer base well enough to anticipate what they will benefit from, what they are looking for and the value they place on different features.

Don't just copy what other sellers are offering, do the research to understand the product inside out so that you can provide something better or unique that customers will actually want.

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU DESIGN

Before you even begin designing your paper patterns to sell on Etsy you'd be wise to do some thorough research. Not only will this aid you in achieving the above two points but you'll also be able to uncover less competitive niches within the category.

This is also a good time to be thinking about possible keywords. Most sellers tend to keyword their products after they've made it and are uploading it to sell. But by thinking about keywords from the outset you can create products to fit gaps in the market and to specifically take advantage of lower competition keywords.

WHERE IS THE SATURATION?

Yes, there are a lot of digital paper listings in total on Etsy. But does that mean everything is super saturated already, or is there room for more?

While some of the really popular categories have a huge number of choices, floral papers for example, there are still many specialist themes that have significantly less variety and would be much much easier to rank well for. Even within the floral theme.

You might ask, but can you sell enough from lesser searched for themes to do well in sales? Probably not. But the objective should be to balance your product offerings for a range of really popular or classic designs alongside more unique themes in order to bring in a broader base of buyers and to have less competition for at least some of your inventory.

I've compiled a list of themes, starting with some basic searches and really popular categories to give you a feel for just how many listings show up in these very busy niches. And then I worked through the numbers for ideas that have a lot less going on at the moment.

Just a quick note: Where you see just a number, this is the total number of listings Etsy delivered for that exact search term. Where it says "under x" I have approximated how many listings actually match the search term exactly because Etsy is now including a lot of related/unrelated listings into the mix that ultimately pollutes the true result. I've tried to exclude those listings that aren't directly on point for the intended search.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Digital paper = 2,400,642
Digital seamless paper = 95,519
Digital scrapbook paper = 1,180,291

polka dot digital paper = 17,625
Christmas digital paper = 206,846
unicorn digital paper = 18,486
Floral digital paper = 174,640
Boho digital paper = 85,227
Halloween digital paper = 118,488
Vintage digital paper = 28,372
Valentine digital paper = 83,396

Guinea pigs digital paper =  under 200
Platypus digital paper = under 100
Stingray digital paper = under 100
Robin digital paper = under 1,000
Dragonfly digital paper = under 3,000
Insect digital paper = under 5,000
Jellyfish digital paper = under 600
Chameleon digital paper = under 500

Tulip digital paper = under 3,000
Pansy digital paper = under 1,200
Bluebell digital paper = under 200
Oak leaf digital paper = under 500
Petunia digital paper = under 50
Bird of paradise digital paper = under 400
Bromeliad digital paper = 0

Mango digital paper = under 300
Dragonfruit digital paper = under 50
Sushi digital paper = under 700
Vegetable digital paper = under 3,000
Jelly bean digital paper = under 250
Pickles digital paper = under 300
Peanut butter digital paper = under 200

Skateboard digital paper = under 1,000
bmx digital paper = under 10
Karaoke digital paper = under 50
Hip hop digital papers - under 100
Saturn digital paper - under 500
Computer geek digital paper - under 200

Chinoiserie digital paper = under 1,600
Agate digital paper = under 2,400
Honey comb digital papers = under 900
Terrazzo digital paper = under 1,200
Shibori digital paper = under 900
Paisley digital paper = under 2,200
Ikat digital paper = under 200
Granite digital paper - under 700
Jade digital paper - under 400

Vampire digital paper = under 3,000
Zombie digital paper = under 2,000
Dracula digital paper = under 1,000
Werewolf digital paper = under 200
Frankenstein digital paper = under 1,000
Poison digital paper = under 1,000

I hope you found this list useful. Perhaps it inspired you to explore hidden or under-developed themes. Let me know in the comments how you've fared in this category.

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Overwhelmed? How to Get Unstuck

Overwhelmed? How to Get Unstuck

 

 

Are you overwhelmed with too much work, not enough time and too little energy to get anything done? 

That’s the feeling we all get from time to time, no matter how organized or productive we are. When this happens to you, it is usually because you are overstressed, overworked and understimulated. 

This post will help you figure out what is keeping you stuck and give you five tips for getting yourself out of the rut so that your productivity isn’t just back on track. 

Read on for more :)

 

Why do we feel overwhelmed?

Being overwhelmed is a feeling of having too much work and too little time to get it all done. It happens when you are trying to do too much, when you don’t prioritize effectively and maybe don’t have the energy to do what you want to do. 

This kind of situation can be caused by a number of different things, including:

1. looking only at the bigger picture instead of focusing on smaller goals
2. trying to do too many things at once
3. under-estimating the time you need to spend on certain tasks
4. being constantly distracted by other activities or projects
5. not knowing where to start
6. not giving yourself room to breathe

Use the following 5 tips to help you overcome the overwhelm and get yourself unstuck.

 

1. Don’t try to do too much at once

The most common reason for feeling overwhelmed is that you are probably trying to do too much at once. What do we mean by “too much”? If you have more than one or two major projects on the go at the same time, you are probably overdoing it. 

If you are managing a project at work, an extra-curricular activity with your kids and cleaning up your house, you probably have too many things on your plate at once. 

If you have even one or two major projects or goals that you are trying to achieve or you are responsible for other people’s work, you probably have a few tasks on your plate that you don’t have enough time to do properly. 

That’s why it’s important to prioritize what you are doing and to set realistic goals. Make a list of the tasks you have to do, and then prioritize the ones that are most important.

 

2. Take a short break

If you feel overwhelmed, it might help to take a short break from your work. 

A break doesn’t have to be a month-long vacation. It can be as simple as taking a few minutes to do something for yourself. This can be anything from a quick breathing exercise to a walk outside, from a few minutes reading a novel to watching an episode of your favourite TV show. 

Try to find something that will not only distract you for a few minutes, but that will also give you a bit of a break from whatever is stressing you out. Even a few minutes spent doing something nice for yourself can be helpful in regaining a sense of balance.

 

3. Make a Small Change

Sometimes, when you are feeling overwhelmed, the best thing you can do is to make a small change in your daily routine. This can be something as simple as changing the order in which you do things or swapping out an item on your daily to-do list. 

If you are feeling too busy and overworked, you probably need to schedule downtime. This can be as simple as setting a “date night” with your significant other or taking a little bit of time each day to read a book. 

The idea here is to give your brain something new to focus on. To shake out any cobwebs and to get off of autopilot. A fun distraction can also lift your mood or lead to new inspiration.

Making small changes can make a big difference when you are feeling overwhelmed. If you are trying to do too much and feeling like you don’t have enough time, a small change in your daily routine could be all you need to eventually get back on track.

 

4. Make a plan

If you are overwhelmed with work, you might need to make a plan. This doesn’t mean you need to write a novel. It can be as simple as writing down a list of the things that need to be done. 

If you are busy with more than one project, try to prioritize them. If you are responsible for other people’s work, try to get organized so you know what tasks you need to check off every day. This doesn’t work for everybody, but it can help if you are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know what you need to do. 

You might feel like you have too much work and not enough time to do it, but you aren’t sure what needs to be prioritized and what doesn’t. If you don’t know where to start, making a plan can help you get organized and get your productivity back on track.

This helps to narrow your focus from the bigger picture and hone in on smaller tasks that are less overwhelming overall.

 

5. Be Kind to Yourself

Finally, if you are feeling overwhelmed, you need to be kind to yourself. There is no use in beating yourself up for being too busy or for having too much on your plate. 

When you are feeling overwhelmed, you need to stop and give yourself a break. Spend some time doing nice things for yourself, like drinking a hot cup of tea, reading a book or watching your favourite TV show. 

Most importantly, don’t feel pressured to get everything done. If you can’t finish a project or get all of your tasks done in a day, that’s normal. Being too busy and having too much on your plate are sometimes unavoidable parts of life. 

However, you can learn to cope with them and even use them to motivate you to be more productive and organized. Sometimes we think something is important, and has to get done, when really it can wait. Prioritize urgent tasks first and give yourself a break on things that won't stop the earth from spinning.

 

Conclusion:

If you are feeling overwhelmed to the point of being paralysed by it, the best thing you can do is get yourself back on track by following these five tips for getting yourself into a healthy positive mindset.

 

 

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How to Find Helpful Tutorials

How to Find Helpful Tutorials

 

There's a method to seeking out the right tutorials. And once you know this research trick you'll be able to find anything and learn anything online.

The beautiful thing about the internet is that there is so much information readily available from people who have been generous enough to share their knowledge.

Customers often contact me struggling to figure out a new software program or how to create a specific project with one of my templates.

The questions asked are usually vague or broad in scope and almost never hone in on the very first obstacle at hand. Instead the customer is focused on the end result they want instead of breaking the project down into logical and sequential steps. And that's really the basis for what I'll be talking about here.

 

 

THINK SMALL

The first issue most beginners have is thinking about their project in it's final form and then asking questions based on the end result they're looking for.

It kind makes sense right? If you're trying to design planner stickers for example, you might naturally try searching for tutorials on 'how to design planner stickers'.

This approach though likely won't bring up an abundance of results, and the ones you do get aren't as likely to address your specific needs.

Instead of thinking about the project as a whole, you need to break it up into a series of processes. And then search for tutorials for each specific process.

There will be an abundance of tutorials showing you how to do each step as a general process, rather than a project specific tutorial.

 

GETTING SPECIFIC

Using the example of planner stickers and my own templates, you might be starting with the question, which program am I going to use?

Once you answer that question you can move through each step as you need answers. Perhaps you want to change the color of the stickers in my template but don't know how. You would then search for "how to change shape colors in photoshop" for example. And so on.

By focusing on each task that needs to be performed within a project you can seek out mini tutorials for each step along the way as needed.

And you will find way more information at the task level than you will at the finished project end. That's because tasks are going to be the same regardless of the project.

As in the color change example above, that process will be the same regardless of what the shape is, so that step can be applied to any similar file for any type of project.

 

KNOWING WHAT TO SEARCH

A big dilemma in searching out design tutorials is knowing what words to use to describe the thing you're trying to do. This can be a real stumbling block.

My approach has always been to start with something, anything, in a google search. Even if I know I'm calling it the wrong thing, and to keep trying different combinations until I get back results that make sense. I usually end up finding the correct terminology along the way to refine my searches until I get exactly what I'm after.

It's a trial and error process that can sometimes take a bit more time. If I'm really struggling I might post the question in one of the many forum groups I'm in and I'll usually get help pretty quickly.

I highly recommend peer groups for any hobby or craft you're involved with as it's usually a great place to get feedback and learn!

 

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Sell Printable Planners in a Saturated Market?

Sell Printable Planners in a Saturated Market?

 

The answer to this is both yes and no. For simplicity sake, if you are only just now jumping into making planners and your designs are very general generic planner printables then yeah, you'll likely to struggle for sales. But let's take a closer look at what you can do to be successful in this seemingly saturated niche.

 

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

When joining an   already crowded market, and this applies to any product or service, in order to be seen and chosen your best option is to stand out in some way from all your competitors. There is a variety of ways to do this with planners, from style and aesthetic to pricing, selection and detail or some other format that isn't being offered. 

You need to ask the question "what can I do differently"?

 

KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT/NEED 

If you are starting to design digital planners and have no experience using them or have knowledge on what customers are looking for and needing; you are going to be at a critical disadvantage. 

You need to understand your product niche and your target customer base well enough to anticipate what they will benefit from, what they are looking for and the value they place on different features.

Don't just copy what other sellers are offering, do the research to understand the product inside out so that you can provide something better or unique that customers will actually want.

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU DESIGN

Before you even begin designing your planner printables to sell on Etsy you'd be wise to do some thorough research. Not only will this aid you in achieving the above two points but you'll also be able to uncover less competitive niches within the category.

This is also a good time to be thinking about possible keywords. Most sellers tend to keyword their products after they've made it and are uploading it to sell. But by thinking about keywords from the outset you can create products to fit gaps in the market and to specifically take advantage of lower competition keywords.

IS THE SATURATION REAL?

I'm hearing a lot of people talk about saturation with planner printables and that only established shops can do well anymore. Newcomers to the category are often experiencing difficulty making sales but not all stories are of failure to succeed. There are still new sellers starting their journey into this category today who are finding a way to make it work.

Ultimately, a category is only saturated if there aren't enough buyers to support the number of products being sold. Because so many planner printable shops are actually doing very well, the buyers are definitely there.

So let's take a closer look at different niches within the planner printable category and see what the product numbers actually look like. I've created a list of as many planner types as I could think of, it's not comprehensive I'm sure, but it will give you some ideas on how to niche down and perhaps where best to focus your efforts.

I also wanted to show just how far down you can niche and that there are still plenty of ideas that haven't been fully explored. Often, people don't know they need a product until that product exists, so thinking creatively about how and why people need these types of printables may lead to new ideas.

THE PLANNER LIST

planner printables = 476,049
planner templates = 271,030

wedding planner printable = 13,461
wedding planner template = 15,708
digital wedding planner bundle = 1,927
destination wedding planner printables = 1,063
bridal shower planner printables = 2,195
honeymoon planner printables = 499

vacation planner printables = 6,584
cruise ship planner printables = 491
camping planner printables = 2,094
disneyland planner printables = 1,249
travel planner printables = 9,801
road trip planner printables = 1,887

party planner printables = 404,335
event planner printables = 4,998
birthday party planner printables = 15,285
reunion planner printables = 1,177
retreat planner printables = 147

parenting planner printables = 2,131
family planner printables = 17,685
mom planner printables = 12,454
chores planner printables = 13,445
meal planner printables = 29,060
grocery shopping planner printables = 6817
pantry planner printables = 1,187
cleaning planner printables = 10,090

school planner printables = 60,589
homework planner printables = 3,349
student planner printables = 25,400
college planner printables = 17,669
kids planner printables = 84,918

bucket list planner printables = 3,281
mindfulness planner printables = 4,637
meditation planner printables = 1,481
pcs military palnner printables = 232

fitness planner printables = 15,788
exercise planner printables =5,210
diet planner printables = 5,676
habit tracker printables = 26,475
yoga planner printables = 1,482
wellness planner printables = 11,936
health planner printables = 19,671
self care planner printables = 16,369

finance planner printables = 16,594
budget planner printables = 46,042
savings planner printables = 21,822
investment planner printables = 435
spending tracker printables = 6,662

job search planner printables = 238
career planner printables = 1,058
retirement planner printables = 1,446
moving planner printables = 2,542

business planner printables = 19,417
sales planner printables = 2,396
blog planner printables = 2,633
side hustle planner printables = 799
wardrobe planner printables = 434

social media planner printables = 5,427
facebook planner printables = 1,450
instagram planner printables = 2,312
twitter planner printables = 347
youtube planner printables = 1,588
pinterest planner printables = 1,699

garden planner printables = 3.290
plant care planner printables = 779
renovation planner printables = 442
project planner printables = 9,144
house maintenance planner = 590
car maintenance planner = 659

emergency planner printables = 4,109
end of life planner printables - 842
care giver planner printables = 475
pet care planner printables = 1,958

christmas planner printables = 18,890
halloween planner printables = 11,856
holiday planner printables = 11,789

reading planner printables = 7,811
writing planner printables = 7,020
craft planner printables = 69,450
sewing planner printables = 2,257

bible planner printables = 7,299
christian planner printables = 5,521
spiritual planner printables = 2,790
manifestation planner printables = 9,586
law of attraction planner printables = 1,951
goal setting planner printables = 7,639

disclaimer: numbers are 'as of publication'. these numbers also include ads and 'related' products that etsy now includes into searches where keywords don't match exactly, as well as products where sellers have used the keyword for a similar product that maybe isn't quite on target for the search.

 

CONCLUSION

So what to make of these numbers? These serve as a guideline for what categories are the most popular and the most populated. If you want to sell in one of these bigger categories you're going to have work hard to stand out from the competition and build fabulous products.

On the other side, there are many categories that haven't got as much competition. Making products for these keywords can help get a little bit of traffic into your shop. They may not be the biggest sellers but they may be easier to compete with for those few customers who need something highly specialized.

Having a broad base of keywords in your shop is instrumental in being able to put your products in front of buyers. While you may not immediately get to page 1 of a search for wedding planners it might be easier to hit the top of the list with something like a renovation planner.

I hope you found this useful. Let me know in the comments if you want to add anything to the list or if you've recently started a printables shop let me know how it's going!

 

 

 

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Free Vintage Door Knob Collage Sheet

Free Vintage Door Knob Collage Sheet

 

These lovely vintage graphics have been made into 1.75" circle rounds perfect for a wide variety of craft projects from stickers to scrapbooking elements. Print them on aged looking craft paper for added effect!

This is an 8.5x11" PDF sheet saved for print resolution.

Use these freely in any personal or commercial project, all graphics are public domain.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

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How to Stay Motivated When You Don't want to Work

How to Stay Motivated When You Don't want to Work

You know that feeling when you just don’t want to work? It’s almost like your soul is disconnected from your body and you feel like someone else is controlling your life instead of you. It’s a weird phenomenon that we all go through. Even the most successful people in the world have had their moments where they just can’t seem to bring themselves to do anything productive. 

If you are reading this article then chances are, you’re going through one of those moments right now. 

In this article, we explore ways to stay motivated when you don't want to work. Read on to find out more.

 

Take a break

When you are feeling unmotivated to work, you might think that you have to push through it. You might feel as though if you stop, you’ll never get started again. But, taking a break from work can actually help you get back into the swing of things. 

It can allow you time to rest and de-stress from whatever you have been working on and it can allow you time to reflect on the things you have been doing and help you to see what is working for you and what isn’t. 

When you are feeling unmotivated, you may not be able to recognize that you need to take a break. You may be too caught up in that negative cycle of not feeling like you are making any progress. Taking a break can help you to re-evaluate your situation. 

Recognize that your feelings of being unmotivated are nothing more than a fleeting condition that can be overcome with a bit of rest and relaxation.

 

Exercise

Exercising is one of the fastest and most effective ways to get out of a rut. It will get your blood flowing, get your mind working, and help you to break out of whatever negative cycle of thinking you might be trapped in. It has been proven to be a great way to re-charge your creativity and often allows your mind to wander to new ideas.

Depending on what type of exercise you do, it may also give you a chance to reflect on what is going on in your life and help you to come up with solutions to the problems that you are facing. 

Now, to be clear, we are NOT saying to go out and run a marathon or lift weights for hours on end. 

What we are saying is that even something as simple as taking a walk can be enough to help you get out of that negative cycle and clear your mind.

 

Set small goals

When you are feeling unmotivated, it can be easy to spiral out of control. You may find yourself thinking about all of the things you have left to do and how you’re never going to finish them. You might also find yourself thinking about all of the times you have let yourself down, and how you are never going to be successful if you keep going at the rate you are going. 

When you feel like this, you need to stop and focus on just one small thing. Set one small goal, and focus on accomplishing it. What matters is that you focus all of your energy on it and don’t put it off until later. 

Once you have accomplished that small goal, set another and then another. Keep setting goals and keeping yourself busy and you’ll find that you are able to break out of that negative cycle a lot faster than you might expect.

 

Don’t judge yourself for not feeling motivated

If you have ever gone through this before, then you might have started to judge yourself for feeling unmotivated. You might feel as though there is something wrong with you for not being able to just get over it and move on with your life. 

It's important to remember that everyone goes through this at one point or another in their lives. Everyone has periods of time where they don’t feel like working. 

What makes someone successful is not that they don’t go through these periods, but that they are able to move past them and continue on with their lives no matter how they feel in a singular period of time.

 

Do something you enjoy

When you are feeling unmotivated, you need something to get your mind off of the things that are bothering you or keeping you from tasks at hand. You need something to distract your mind in a different direction, perhaps something that you can enjoy in that moment. It may be that your mind just needs a break.

Do something that will make you happy. Or find a task that is less taxing on you.

Reading can be a great way to relax and get your mind off of things. Playing video games can help you to relax and not worry about anything else. Going out with friends and doing something you enjoy can help you to break out of the negative cycle of being unmotivated and help you to get back on track with your life and work.

 

Conclusion

Everybody goes through times when they don’t want to work. These periods are difficult for everyone, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for them. 

When you are feeling unmotivated, the most important thing you can do is take the time to re-evaluate your situation. Look at what you have been doing and decide what you need to do in order to get yourself out of this negative cycle. 

Find something that you enjoy and do that. Find something that can help you relax and get your mind in a better place and you’ll find that you are able to get out of this a lot faster than you might expect. 

Now, keep in mind that this may not be a quick fix. It may take some time to get yourself out of the rut, but once you do, you’ll be able to come back stronger than ever before.

 

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