Father’s Day is just around the bend, and a good gift for men is always hard to find. If you make a unisex or men’s item, make sure you’re promoting yourself now! Here are my top six tips to share your men’s wares with those buying Father’s Day gifts.
1. Tag It
Make sure to use all 13 tags in your item listings. Put yourself in the mind of a buyer looking for a great Father’s Day gift. What might they search for if they were looking for an item like yours? Here are a few keywords you might consider using to make sure those looking for a men’s gift find your items. (Note: only use tags that directly relate to your items!)
Male-centric tags: Unisex, men, male, father, dad
Style tags: Masculine, rustic, strong, simple, natural, rugged
Don’t forget to tag with very specific colors. For example, forest green, charcoal gray, etc.
2. Drop a Hint
Make sure you chat up why your item would make a good gift for Dad in your item descriptions. Is it the color, the style,or the clever design that attracts men? Sometimes spelling out the obvious can work in your favor (this is also great for search engine optimization)!
3. Use a Dad
Put your father (or a dad) to good use in your item photos! This is a great way to visually hint at what a great Father’s Day gift your item is.
4. Go Where the Moms Are
This is a pretty obvious one, but keep in mind that women (and mostly Mom) are buying a majority of the Father’s Day gifts. And if it’s not Mom buying the gift, they are at least sending tips to the daughters and sons out there. So get creative and find a way to get your work in Mom’s eye-line.
5. Get in Gear
If you have a shop full of men’s items now’s the time to be promoting in earnest. Send out an email blast, get networking and blogging, reach out to your contacts for support and invest in advertising on your favorite blogs.
6. Turn Them Into Fans
When you do make a sale, cherish it. A buyer needs men’s gifts and you sell them: this is a relationship you should foster. Feel free to ask your buyer if they would like a hand-written note in the package and if they would be interested in joining your Facebook Fan Page or mailing list. Make an impact and turn them into longtime fans!
Father’s Day Promotion Checklist
- Ask your Facebook Fans, Twitter followers or blog readers if they have purchased their Father’s Day presents yet and when is the latest date they would buy gifts. Ask them to share their purchases! (Hopefully they’ll catch your drift and check out your Father’s Day offerings.)
- Revise your item tags and descriptions.
- Retake a few item listing photos to include a male model.
- Develop your advertising plan. (A few ideas: Facebook ads, blog ads, Promoted Listings).
- Blog (or create a Facebook update) about your top handmade and vintage picks for Father’s Day (and include just one of your own items).
- Send out information about your man-centric items to a few relevant blogs. For more read How to Pitch to Bloggers.
- Consider your customer service plan — will you offer special packing, next day shipping or Father’s Day cards with purchases?
- Put it all together for one last promotional push of your choice!
Before working for Etsy, Danielle also managed two jewelry studios/shops in Toronto and Detroit, and even had her own gallery in Brooklyn. Then she found a really cool website that allowed her to sell her own work. Within 3 months, she quit her job and ran an Etsy shop full time (she almost hit 1,000 sales before Etsy hired her!).