Branding can be expensive. Nowadays big companies spend a big budget on branding.
But branding is not just for big businesses.
There are many opportunities for small Etsy shops like yours to brand and grow - on a budget.
In this guide, let’s go through some areas that you can brand your Etsy shop effectively without breaking the bank.
Logo is a vital element of your brand identity. Often it can make your brand more recognisable in the minds of Etsy shoppers. It can be used throughout your shop in other branding elements like business card and shop banner. Doing that is one of the ways to achieve a consistent visual brand image.
Using font and typography that fits your brand value - A serif font is more elegant, while a san-serif font gives a more clean, modern look.
Versatile scalable design - There will be situation where you need to shrink your logo to fit in a smaller space. Make sure your logo is simple enough to be understood and recognised in small sizes.
Simple color scheme - Too many colours can be distracting. Make sure your logo works well in a black and white watermark. It’s generally a good idea to avoid using multiple colours in your logo.
For most Etsy shop owners, I would recommend using a simple word logo and possibly pair it with a simple graphic.
A word logo (wordmark logo) is easily scalable and can be very elegant and recognisable with the right font. Also it can work in multiple colours.
Adding a simple icon or graphic can show your brand’s personality, making it even more identifiable.
Let's look at some examples:
Target's logo design features their iconic circular graphic and the signature red colour. If a smaller size is needed, they can easily get rid of the word "TARGET" and only use the easily-recognisable red coloured graphic.
Facebook logo - A simple word logo using a modern, san-serif font, with a background of their brand blue color. It’s a scalable logo that can be used in multiple sizes.
Lush logo - A black and white logo using a bold thick font. They also use a thinner, less prominent font for their tag line.
We go into much more details in the Etsy branding course inside GYC Etsy Academy 2.0.
Your listing image is usually what Etsy buyers first see when they are browsing. It’s important to catch their attention so that they will click and hopefully purchase.
It could also be a good place to showcase your brand personality.
In general, you want to have a clean background that doesn’t distract from your product. Avoid a busy background.
Checking your competition is also important. If everyone in your niche is doing product photos with a white background, it may be a good idea to change it up and use a coloured background. So that you can stand out amongst your competitors.
This photo from MarrakechshopDesign gives an outdoor, beach-going vibe. This lifestyle photo stands out in the sea of other product photos using white background. The product is the clear focus of this product photo. The blue color of the ocean complements the product without distracting the attention.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to add some important information to your product image. This listing image from Growing Your Craft includes some info that shoppers are looking for. Notice that the font and color of the text don’t distract from the actual product.
Although you can’t customise your entire Etsy shop, there are a few things you can change to showcase your brand:
This is the larger header image when you enter an Etsy shop. There are 2 sizes: a smaller Etsy banner (Minimum image size: 1200 x 160 pixels) and a bigger cover image (Minimum image size: 1200 x 300 pixels).
This is a good place to showcase your popular products. Make sure your brand’s font and colours are used in the design.
They are used in places like shop home page, messages, order receipts, etc. Having a shop icon is part of being a professional and reputable Etsy seller. It’s a good idea to use your brand logo for them.
I know what you are thinking, “custom packaging is expensive and it’s out of my budget!”
It doesn’t need to be.
A more affordable solution is to get a branding stamp or iron. So that you can stamp you logo on your packaging bags and envelops.
Another idea is to get wrapping paper that is the same colour as your brand colour, and washi tape that fits your brand's style.
Also, Including a business card or order thank you card can be a nice touch.
A business card is useful even for an online handmade business. It can be a great way to introduce your brand to friends and family, and handing it out at events to potential customers.
A simple and effective business card design is having your logo on one side, and your contact information on the other side. Be sure to use your brand fonts and colours.
Many handmade businesses use social media to promotes their Etsy shops. There are many branding opportunities in social media.
The basic elements include your profile picture, Facebook page banner, Instagram story highlights, etc.
When creating content for your social media, keep your brand’s personality and audience in mind. Use colours and fonts that are consistent to your brand’s ones.
You may not have the best graphic design skills, and that’s ok.
There are many resources that you can use to create your brand assets easily with no design skills needed.
Here is a list of my favourite ones:
A bit of a self plug. Our Etsy shop has a wide range of branding templates, including all the all the ones we have mentioned above. You can easily effortlessly edit the pre-made templates, then download and print them at your local print shop or an online printing service.
Canva is another great tool to use for making branding assets. They have a free and paid version, where the free version is more limited in terms of graphic, font and template choices.
Creative Market is another great resource for graphics. You can find custom graphics, social media templates and more.
Brand voice is the personality that you can use when communicating with customers. It should also be in line with the purpose and value of your brand.
Brand voice is not limited to just communicating with customers in messaging. It should be used in all interactions with them, including your social media post caption, Etsy product description, etc.
Be consistent and always keep your brand voice in mind. Whenever you are writing for your brand, make sure your brand personality is present.
Mailchimp has a fun and casual approach. You can see that with their friendly tone and use of emojis in this post caption.
Dollar Shave Club takes a humorous and light-hearted approach to their branding, which suits their younger group of target customers.
Now, let's look at how you can use a unique brand voice to the maximum effect. Here are some areas that you can incorporate that in your Etsy business.
One of the most direct communication you make with potential customer is through Etsy conversations. Whenever you receive messages from shoppers, make sure to keep your brand personality in mind.
If your brand is fun, don't be afraid to start the conversation with a "Hey!" and add some fun emojis.
It's useful to write some answers for some commonly asked questions. So that you can ensure the answers are using the appropriate brand voice. Doing this can save you a lot of time.
One of the area that is often overlooked is the product description.
Writing your Etsy listing description with your brand voice is a great way to stand out from your competitors if they are not doing that.
What made you start your Etsy shop? What problem did you first face to inspire you to create your product? How did your life become better after using your product?
These questions can inspire you to craft your brand story. Your brand story can show your personality to shoppers, making you more approachable and personable.
The story can be used in the ‘about’ section of your Etsy shop, and they can also be referenced in other places like the listing description or your own blog.
Your brand communication shouldn’t end because you made the sale.
After sale care is important to leave a lasting impression in the minds of customers. If you do that successfully, they will reward you by coming back and buy from you again.
Loyal customers that keep coming back are critical to the longterm success of an Etsy shop.
After sale care can be as easy as an instruction and care card included with their order. They are a great opportunity to be helpful while showcasing your brand’s personality.
You can also do this by sending en email some time after their purchase. You can provide them with useful care instruction, or to ask for feedback of the product.
Promotional material should be consistent to your branding. Other than the visual, the tone of your words need to be consistent with your brand voice.
All your marketing and promotional material should take on your brand voice, including your social media post captions.
To help you build a strong handmade brand presence on Etsy, here's how I can help you:
All of that can be found inside GYC Etsy Academy 2.0 - which is the the complete system that can transform you from a burned-out artist to a profitable Etsy seller, all while giving you back 10+ hours every single week with the GYC Resources Library.
