5 minute read

How to Take Part in Etsy’s Valentine’s Day Campaign

Make your shop a go-to destination for Valentine's Day gifts with these promotional images, which you can customize and share on social media.

Avatar image for David Morgan by David Morgan
Title image for the article
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Hello, love! Valentine’s Day is coming and hearts around the world will be aflutter with affection. From first kisses to anniversary celebrations, beautiful milestones deserve unforgettable gifts. To help promote your shop as a go-to destination for sweethearts, we’ve created promotional images that you can share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, along with items from your shop.

There are many ways to say “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Encourage your customers to find their unique way with the items in your shop! We offered similar images with our Unwrap Etsy holiday campaign last year. This time around, you don’t have to go to your shop dashboard to retrieve the images. You can find them right here:

Incorporating the images into your shop promotions is as easy as eating delicious chocolate.

Facebook

Take your fans down Lovers' lane by using the image designed for Facebook as the cover of a photo album. On your brand page or personal profile, select the Photo/Video tab in your status update field, then select Create Photo Album. Upload the Etsy image first, then pick a few more images that showcase the lovely items in your shop, including pictures of your studio or supplies, or a sampling of your top-selling items. Couple each picture with a caption explaining why your products make the perfect match.

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Featured shops, clockwise from top right: ShimmerTatts, Justyna Mrugala and Baobap Handmade

Instagram

For Instagram, try a free app like Fotor to create a collage with the square image we’ve provided. A four-square grid would allow you to create a photo like the one below. Like Facebook, include other photos that’ll make your audience fall in love with your shop. In the caption, add a few compelling sentences about your business, along with the hashtag #etsymatch.

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Featured shops, clockwise from top right: Natalie Knit, Plantillo and Zipper8Lighting

As a fast-growing social channel, Instagram is a great way to discover new audiences and inspiration using hashtags. What’s even better, Instagram makes searching for relevant hashtags sweet as pie. When logged in to your Instagram account, click the magnifying glass icon, then tap the top Search bar to begin your hashtag journey. Type in keywords that relate to your shop, such as “jewelry” or “crochet.” As you type, search results will appear that contain your chosen keyword and derivatives of that word, featured in order of popularity. Here’s an example of search results for “jewelry:”

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By including relevant hashtags that are both big and small in popularity, along with #etsymatch for this campaign, you’ll maximize your potential to be seen by new customers.

Twitter

Like our holiday assets, the Etsy Twitter image is made for a special mobile-only component of Twitter. You can now include up to four images in a single tweet, but this feature is only available when you tweet from your iPhone or Android device. To do this, it will be easiest to send the Twitter-ready image as an attachment to yourself via email, then access your email from your mobile phone. After that, download the image to your phone’s photo album.

Then, open up the Twitter app and add the photo to a tweet, plus three more images that tell your shop’s story. Not sure how to add photos to a tweet? Check out this helpful article from Twitter. Once you upload your images, you’ll have about 120 characters for a short sentence about your shop and a link to your shop’s page, along with the hashtag #etsymatch. Be sure to reference Valentine’s Day, in order to be a part of popular conversations happening around the holiday.

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Featured shops, clockwise from top right: hushedCOMMOTION, Periwinkle Nuthatch and Dan-Ah Kim

A Sweet Treat

What could be better than a box of chocolates? A $500 Etsy gift card! Until January 30, you and your audience can answer our special #etsymatch questions highlighted here, then enter to win a special ticket to one-of-a-kind wonders.*

Tell us in the comments below: How else are you planning to promote your shop for Valentine’s Day?

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Promotion is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Canada (excluding Quebec), France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, age 18 or older. Entries must be received between 12:01 AM ET (05:01 AM GMT) on January 19, 2015 and 11:59:59 PM ET on January 30, 2015 (04:59 AM GMT January 31, 2015).  One prize available: Etsy Gift Card valued at ($500 USD for US residents, $500 CAD for Canada residents, £250 GBP for UK residents, €400 EUR for French and German residents).  Odds depend on number of eligible entries received.  Skill-testing question required for Canadian residents. Go to etsy.me/win to enter and for Official Rules. Sponsor: Etsy, Inc.

Avatar image for David Morgan Words by David Morgan

David is Etsy’s Social Media Coordinator, sharing unique stories daily on TwitterInstagram, Facebook and more. When he’s not working, he loves to sing, write, daydream and craft. Connect with him (of course) on his own Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr pages.

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