Why I’m Relaunching My Brand from Etsy to a Website

I started this shop back in the idyllic times of pre-pandemic 2019. I started with a basic idea that I tested and was frustrated by my lack of success in selling my product. But I was definitely bit by the bug. I wanted to keep selling and grow this thing. I was not about to give up.

There’s a saying that 9 out of 10 businesses fail. I am still more than happy to start ten businesses if it means one will find success.

I got a new idea for the product and got to prototyping. Soon I had a decent collection to start with. 

The business wasn’t booming by any means, but the sales I made were fantastic because my margins were miles ahead of my original product. If I sold a lot of these items, I stood to make a nice profit.

I danced around how to navigate the brand and its pivot. My original branding was never quite right, and now more than ever, it was off. I adjusted it and realized after way too long, and I needed to embrace what this new brand was all about.

So okay, a new product focus and identity means a branding refresh is in order.

What relaunching means

I love Etsy, but ever since getting into the handmade business game, I’ve learned so much. There are so many techniques, models, and strategies that I am dying to try. And I am finding Etsy limits me.

So I figure, keep one of my shops on Etsy because I do LOVE Etsy. This brand can still sell on Etsy, but its new home will be a Woocommerce website. It’s there. I plan to try all the new tricks.

I’m going to document and write about it all. I’ll tell you guys what I’m doing, what’s working, and what’s not. I’ll be an open book on this journey. I will not disclose my actual shops since I do not want copycats or anything influencing conversion rates or sales except my work.

Setting my goals

As I worked with a fantastic designer who totally understood the vision and was within my price range (I can’t tell you how long it took to find this combo), we laid down some goals.

• Relaunch the brand on its website
• Double the email list
• Double the sales from last year

Some lofty and straightforward goals. Here’s some of what I’m doing to accomplish these goals.

I’m a website developer by trade, so this is an easy task for me. I am using GreenGeeks as my domain registrar and host provider. I’m a big fan of them and have used them for years.

I am choosing woocommerce over Shopify for two reasons.

• Paying for my hosting and using Woocommerce is MUCH cheaper.
• I’m a developer and feel more at home in WordPress. I am freer to get creative and customize the website exactly to my liking.

I also am going to try out a new email marketing platform: SendInBlue. So far, I dig it- it has all the customization and features I have been looking for at the right price (free). I’ll continue to report on how I like using this platform, and I will write about the funnel setup I am working on.

I will talk more about what plugins and setup I’ll use in the website in another post. But for now, the mockup is complete, so I am working on development locally. I am really enjoying coding this site. After a few months of creating websites for financial advisors and plumbers, this is a much-needed “fun” project to sink my teeth into.

What Else I’m Working on Before the Launch

My biggest struggle I’m facing right now is finding a manufacturer to make a particular product with unique material. I have been hiring people to help me find the right producer, and they haven’t been successful. It’s frustrating because I see other similar products made with this material, yet no one is biting on this ask no matter who I ask. I’ve made phone calls, RFQs, and tried negotiating. I’m beginning to think this project may have to be tabled for now since I’m at a dead end.

I am in talks with someone to create custom bags for me; I am excited about this producer since they seem to be fitting my brand so perfectly. The only problem is they’re about to have a baby, so there may be an issue with turnaround time. We’ll see.

The bags are only half of the packaging equation. My brand is very eco-friendly, so I am trying to source the perfect low-waste solutions: mailers, cards, stickers, and filler. I’ve found several products I think will work out nicely. Instead of wasting money on custom mailers, I will go with a paper-based kraft mailer and custom stamps to decorate it—cheap, easy, and custom.

Hm, what else?

I need to apply the new branding on all the print collateral and social media graphics. All my blog posts need their Pinterest pin images replaced. Swapping my old Pinterest images to the new (I have to make) alone has been time-consuming. Pro-tip, though, this is great since Pinterest loves new pictures and content.

I am also entertaining purchasing a few complimentary products through wholesale to raise the average order value, hopefully. My priorities in the products are: they are not on Amazon (if you’ve read my business truth email course, you know why) and fit the brand’s eco-friendly ethos.

I wrote a lot and still didn’t cover everything.

So stay tuned because I’m going to start writing about all my plans with every aspect. My goals are comprehensive! They include packaging, email marketing, buzz-building pre-launch game-plan, improving my product photography, and creating a new content & SEO plan.