Earlier this year, I discovered a site called Wanelo. As an Etsy seller, I was very excited about the potential usefulness of this site as a marketing tool and as a way to reach new customers.If you've never heard of Wanelo before, it's a platform very similar to Pinterest, except it is dedicated exclusively to shopping. It's free to set-up an account and if you are already familiar with Pinterest, it's fairly easy to use.
How do you get the most out of Wanelo as an Etsy seller?
The first thing you will want to do is complete your profile.
This is the profile on my Wanelo page.
When you set up your profile, make sure to...
- Add an avatar - It could be a picture of you or a picture that represents your shop.
- Link your social networks - Not only does this give you the ability to post stories directly to your Twitter and Facebook feeds if you choose, but if people click on the icons in your profile, they will be taken to your pages. Maybe they'll follow you on your other social networks as well.
- Claim your store - I can not stress how important this part is. It only takes a couple of minutes to submit the application and a day or two for Wanelo to process it. One benefit is that a link to your Etsy items on Wanelo will be included in your profile (where it says Managing your-shop-name). It also helps people who like your items find your Wanelo page. Finally, Wanelo sends you a monthly update about how many of your Etsy items are saved each month. It could help you decide what kind of items people are most interested in.
- Complete the "All About You" section - It's a short and sweet 140 characters (or less) message that helps you connect with customers.
- Add your location - Don't worry. It's not your street address. But people may be interested in what city, state or country you are from.
- Include a link to your website if applicable - The link should go to your blog or business website if you have one. If you don't have a blog or website, you could use a link to your Etsy shop.
Once you've saved your profile, make some collections.
Collections on Wanelo are like boards on Pinterest. When you create a collection make sure to...
- Give your collection an appropriate and specific title
- Add a brief (140 characters or less) description
- Select a category
These steps help people find your items in searches.
I have two types of collections on my Wanelo page - Collections of my own items and collections of other people's items.
Collections of your own items
It's okay to add every single one of your Etsy listings to your Wanelo collections.
Since Wanelo is all about shopping, you are not going to upset your followers by sharing all of the items available in your shop. However, be sure to differentiate collections that are made up of your own items. I do this my including my shop name in these collection titles.
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Collections of other peoples items
Like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, Wanelo is a social platform. One way to build your network is by promoting other people, too. What goes around, comes around. Make collections of other items you like.
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Share your news by posting stories.
Did you just list new items in your shop? Are you running a sale? Did you just add some great seasonal items to your collections?
Share the news with your followers by posting a story. You can use #hashtags to highlight keywords, add up to 9 item pictures, and send the story to your Twitter and/or Facebook feeds.
