ETSY ROADMAP

THE 5-STEP PROCESS WE USED TO

TURN $100 INTO $100,000
PER YEAR ON ETSY
 WHAT’S OUR SECRET?
How did we turn 100 bucks into over $100,000 per year in our Etsy shop?

Ever since sharing the phenomenal results that my wife and I are having in our Etsy shop,
we get asked this question a lot. It’s not really a secret, but there are two key elements that
set our shop apart from the competition and will be absolutely fundamental for all shops
moving forward on Etsy in 2024.

BUILD A NICHE-FOCUSED BRAND

We use a brand-based approach. That’s where we zero in on a profitable NICHE and build a
cohesive brand that can sell multiple things to the same customer.

Gone is the “spray and pray” approach where sellers just throw a ton of random, trendy
products their shop and hope it sells. Etsy doesn’t want the search results page to be full of
the same T-shirt design over and over. That’s confusing and frustrating for shoppers.
Instead, Etsy wants customers to find a few Etsy shops that they LOVE and will come BACK
TO again and again.

They’re encouraging sellers to appeal to a certain TYPE of customer, or niche, rather than
having items in their shop for anyone and everyone. Those garage sale-style shops generate
one-off sales. We built a brand that our customers love, trust, and want to come back to.

Plus, it’s EASIER for you to sell 2 products to the same customer than to find two new
customers who will each only buy one item.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 WIN WITH MARKETING

The Etsy sellers who focus on marketing their brand in 2024 are going to win! It’s even more
important now than ever before with rising competition.

Without marketing, no one will see your products. If you don’t have eyeballs, you’re never
going to sell anything. Good SEO alone is not enough moving forward. You need to find
ways to draw attention to your brand that other Etsy sellers aren’t doing.

That’s why we’ve revised this year’s $100K Roadmap to pack in even MORE useful strategies
in the sections about Etsy Ads and Email Marketing. Learning marketing strategies, both
paid and free, are going to help you beat out your competition, who just isn’t going to put
in that level of thought and strategy.

BRAND + MARKETING = SUCCESS!

It all boils down to this: To get traffic and sales, you need traffic and sales. We’ll show you
how to jumpstart your growth on Etsy from day one. The best part is, once you get the
flywheel going, the traffic you send through your marketing efforts will help increase the
amount of traffic that Etsy sends you organidcally! Just check out our 2023 stats:

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 HOW TO GROW IN 2024

A lot of new sellers ask my wife and I this question: “If you were starting over right now
from scratch, what would you do?”

The answer is simple. We would follow this roadmap. We’ve broken our success down into 5
steps that you can follow too, if you’re starting on Etsy from scratch. Plus, we just
discovered a BONUS step that I’ll share at the end. We would definitely be implementing that
if we were building a new brand this year!

THE $1OOK ROADMAP

STEP 1: RESEARCH & CHOOSE A GOOD NICHE

STEP 2: CREATE & LAUNCH A PRODUCT LINE

STEP 3: GET TRAFFIC WITH ETSY ADS

STEP 4: BUILD INTERNAL & EXTERNAL EMAIL LISTS

STEP 5: CREATE AN AMAZING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

+ BONUS STEP: HOLIDAY HACKING!

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 STEP 1

RESEARCH & CHOOSE A GOOD NICHE

The most important thing to do FIRST is to find a good niche to focus on. This is where a lot of
Etsy sellers are dropping the ball. It’s not their fault. A lot of educators out there are giving bad
advice, whether it's unintentionally done or not.

My wife and I do NOT chase trends or copy bestselling products on Etsy. We’re all about
building a BRAND and that starts with choosing the right niche to serve. You better believe we
did our fair share of research before opening our shop! The key here is to choose a niche that
you enjoy working on and has potential to bring enough traffic and sales to your shop.

SO, HOW DID MY WIFE AND I FIND A GOOD NICHE?

1. BRAINSTORM

First, we made a list of our interests and the interests of the family and friends around us.
What are you interested in? What hobbies do your friends have?

2. VALIDATE

Then, we found PROOF on Etsy that there was demand for those interests, or niches. Etsy
is the search engine that we wanted to be found in, so we went straight to the source and
started researching our ideas there.

We searched our ideas in the Etsy search bar, then took a look at the search results for
each. Are there products being sold in your niche?

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 3. USE TOOLS

We found one niche idea that had a lot of products being sold, so we dug a little deeper,
using our favorite Etsy research tool, EverBee.

I use this tool almost every single day, so I’ll show you quickly how it works using the RV
niche as an example. I’ve opened up EverBee and sorted those search results by "Estimated
Sales in the Last Month." I’m now looking at sales volumes in the RV niche.

Scrolling down the search results, I can see that there are plenty of sales and favorites on
products in this specific niche within the last month. I don’t even really care WHAT is
selling at the moment. I just want to prove that there is DEMAND for products in this niche
and I’ve done that.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY EVERBEE FOR FREE,

YOU CAN USE OUR AFFILIATE LINK BELOW:

BrandCreators.com/EverBee

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 STEP 2

CREATE & LAUNCH A PRODUCT LINE

Again, the easiest way to get more sales for your shop is to
sell multiple products to the SAME customer.
PRODUCT #1

You want each customer to come in, see your product line,
and be interested in all of it! Maybe they add Product #2
PRODUCT #2 and #3 to their cart today, then return as a repeat
customer in the future because your products align with
their hobbies or interests.
CUSTOMER PRODUCT #3
If you haven’t done Step 1 to figure out which niche you’re
serving, it becomes really hard to predict which products
PRODUCT #4 will make your customers come back for more. That’s why
a lot of sellers fall short on this opportunity for repeat
customers and higher cart values.

HOW DID WE COME UP WITH MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

THAT SERVE OUR NICHE?

GET IDEAS FROM ETSY

Go back to the Etsy search bar and research it! Scrolling through the first page of search
results, we looked for inspiration and data that told us what was already selling in our
niche. We DO NOT copy bestselling products, but we DO use the data to help guide our
product creation. We put our own designs and our own style on the different types of
products we find.

For example, in the RV niche, I see door mats, cutting boards, coasters, towels, coffee cups,
pillows, metal signs, candles, maps, and flags. So boom, just like that, I have a list of
product ideas that we can put our own designs on and sell under our brand.

Plus, we know our ideal customers are potentially interested in these types of products
because they’re selling on Etsy. We’re not just taking a shot in the dark here. We’re filling
our shop with a product line that is already likely to sell in our niche.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 STEP 3

GET TRAFFIC WITH ETSY ADS

This is critical. You need to start driving traffic as soon as possible, and if you’re just getting
started, you don’t have many options to do that. Your choices are to either wait 3-6 months
for Etsy to slowly trickle organic traffic to your new shop, OR you can put a little ad money
behind your products and get eyeballs on them from day one.

My wife and I understand that owning a business means there will be marketing costs.
Instead of waiting months to see how our new products rank, we run paid traffic to them to
get that feedback and sales faster.

And what we’ve seen is that when we can dial up the traffic and pull in those sales quicker,
we actually rank faster on Etsy than other shops who wait around. Why? Etsy bases a lot of
their ranking on sales velocity. Etsy wants to send traffic to products that are SELLING!

MANAGING YOUR ETSY ADS

Assuming you’ve already researched your products in Step 2, here are the basic steps to
setting up and managing your Etsy Ads.

1. OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTINGS

Use EverBee to create search-friendly listings with good SEO, including good
title keywords, descriptions, tags, and clear images.

2. TURN ON ADS

Set a budget of $5 per day with up to 10 listings advertised.

3. TWEAK THE KEYWORDS

After 3 days, start turning off keywords that aren’t relevant or specific enough
to your advertised products.

4. ANALYZE THE DATA

Let your ads run for at least 7 days, then take a look at the data and address
any conversion issues.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 ETSY ADS RESULTS
We’re happy to spend that $5 per day while other shop owners in our niche hesitate. We’ll
get traffic and sales to our shop faster and outrank them. Just check out our TOTAL 2023
Etsy Ads Performance below:

And even if you don’t get sales right away, you can use the data from your ads in product
creation and SEO moving forward and start collecting favorites, which are also positive
signals to Etsy that your products should move up in organic search results.

ETSY OFFSITE ADS

The Etsy ads shown above are the ads that we can turn on and off in the Marketing tab and
have some control over. Offsite ads are where Etsy actually goes and pays to promote
your products on Google, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Bing, etc. If you get a sale
through an offsite ad, you will pay a 15% advertising fee. (But ONLY when you get a sale.) So,
it’s free data and only a higher fee when you make a sale.

If you are a new seller with less than $10,000 in sales per year through Etsy, you have the
ability to turn those offsite ads OFF, but we don’t recommend doing that.

The ads can lead to more customers, which leads to more sales... which leads to even more
customers, and so-on. So, we let those offsite ads run and pay Etsy a higher fee for the
opportunity to gain more customers. Plus, they have ads experts that are running their
offsite ads, so why not leverage that extra exposure and expertise?

Check out our Offsite Ads Performance for 2023 below. (Notice that we paid $2.4K in fees
and made over $20K in sales)

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 STEP 4

BUILD INTERNAL & EXTERNAL

EMAIL LISTS
An email list is one of the most important assets you can build for your brand. We’ve been
building email lists for decades, across multiple brands, and using them to generate additional
traffic and sales. This is a skill that has definitely set us apart from our competition on Etsy!

First, we set up internal Etsy emails to be delivered to our shoppers. (Yes, Etsy will
automatically send emails for you, if you just take the time to set it up once!)

Then, we built an external email list with thousands of buyers in our niche. We send them both
helpful and promotional emails on a weekly basis and this drives additional sales to our shop.

SET UP INTERNAL EMAILS

Here are 3 types of emails that you can set up right now for FREE inside your Etsy account:

1. We’re sending out 2. We’re sending emails to 3. We’re also sending

emails automatically to
buyers after checkout,
with a $5.00 coupon
code to come back and
shop some more.
people who added our incentives to people who
products to their cart, but showed an interest in our
never checked out. That products by hitting the
email includes a coupon code favorite button on one of our
for 10% off the items in their listings. That email has a
cart, as an incentive to coupon code for 10% off the
complete the checkout. item they had their eye on.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

So, once someone shows interest in our shop (favorites a product of ours, adds something
to their cart, or checks out from our shop) that triggers Etsy to start sending them
notifications and emails on our behalf with the coupon codes and offers we’ve set up.

It only takes about five minutes to set this up inside your Shop Manager. In the Marketing
tab, select Sales and Discounts, and follow the steps. It’s worth the small effort. Our
Abandoned Cart promotion alone earned us an extra $1,323 in just 4 months!

BUILD AN EXTERNAL EMAIL LIST

There are many opportunities to build a customer contact base that YOU own and YOU
control outside of Etsy. Email marketing has helped my wife and I build a bond with our
Etsy customers, get repeat sales, boost new products, and stay top of mind during the
holiday season.

Plus, Etsy’s new Share & Save program makes it easier to track the sales coming from our
email list AND save on Etsy fees. Etsy wants its sellers to use marketing strategies in 2024
to drive their own traffic to the platform.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 1. CREATE YOUR INCENTIVE
To get started, you must give people a GOOD REASON to give you their email address. While
you CANNOT just copy and paste your customer’s email addresses to your list, you CAN
send promotional emails to anyone who signs up to receive them. This year, it’s even more
vital for brands to come up with creative ways to incentivize shoppers to offer up their
email addresses. Here are a few ideas for how to do that:

IN EXCHANGE FOR A DISCOUNT

Offer customers a coupon code for a discount on their first purchase. Many shoppers
will see this and happily sign up for your email list in exchange for a coupon code.
This is great because it helps close the sale on Etsy too!

IN EXCHANGE FOR A GIVEAWAY ENTRY

Raffle off a bundle of your products ($150-$200 value) and collect email addresses in
exchange for a chance to win. This is great because it ensures that everyone who
signs up for a chance to win is interested in your products!

TO JOIN YOUR VIP CLUB

Get creative with what you offer in your “VIP” club. Exclusive offers and monthly
giveaways make your subscribers look forward to opening your emails.

2. COLLECT EMAILS

BUILD A SIMPLE LANDING PAGE

Use to EverBee to create a landing page using their templates. If you’re offering a
discount, place a coupon code on the Thank You page so they get it right away.

BUY A DOMAIN

Purchase a short and easy to remember .com address for your landing page.

SHARE YOUR LINK

Now that you’ve created an easy link, share it everywhere! Add your link to the
“Announcements” and “Shop Links” sections of your Etsy profile, in listing
descriptions, listing images, your sales follow-up message, on your social media
pages, Facebook ads, etc.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 STEP 5

CREATE AN AMAZING
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
I don’t see enough people talking about this. Happy customers means your Etsy shop will see
an uptick in return customers and 5-star reviews, which help you to earn a Star Seller Badge.

Etsy rewards Star Sellers. Now, the star next to our shop name doesn’t mean that we
automatically get more sales. But, if we’re trying to rank for something in our niche and we
have a better sales velocity and a better quality score for our shop, we’re going to outrank our
competition. This works on all sides of the business:

✔️ Helps us rank on Etsy.

✔️ Gives us credibility, which makes new customers trust our shop.
✔️ Brings in more sales because customers trust us.
Etsy grades every seller on how quickly they reply to customer messages, the feedback they’re
getting from customers, and how fast they ship products. So, customer service is huge and it’s
something that we’re always focusing on. Plus, good customer service is another way to
encourage those repeat buyers!

JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP

Sometimes, you run into a customer message you’re not sure how to answer, or you just
want some feedback on your Etsy journey.

That’s where community comes in!

Join our free Facebook group here to grow alongside other Etsy sellers (both new and
experienced). We share tips from our own experience and the results (including the ups
and downs) of running a REAL Etsy shop.

Plus, I myself (Scott Voelker) or Chris Shaffer (my business partner) host a Livestream
training sharing every week to chat about what’s working right now to grow our Brand.
Can’t wait to see you there!

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 BONUS
HOLIDAY HACKING
A little hack we’ve been using is “seeding” our holiday-specific products 60 to 90 days before
all major holidays, seasons, and events. So, if Mother’s Day is coming up in May, we add our
Mother’s Day products 2-3 months ahead. This way, they’re seeded, indexed by Etsy, and
ready to be searched for by customers leading up to the big day.

We’ve seen a lot of success, increasing our year-round sales with Holiday Hacking. Back in
September, we started creating and adding more Christmas products to our shop and the
results were phenomenal. (In November alone, we generated over $40,000!)

STEP 1: PLAN
What makes this work is planning ahead. So, take some time to brainstorm any major holidays that
are relevant to your niche. Use the calendar on the next page to map out all 12 months.

What holidays, seasons, or gift-giving events are relevant to your niche? Will your customers be
decorating their homes for certain seasons? Will they be sending gifts for certain events?

STEP 2: RESEARCH
Research some products for holidays that are 60-90 days away. Validate that that they're selling
using Etsy search and EverBee. (Find products that have sold years prior using EverBee!)

Use the Holiday Hacking Product Research page to fill in product ideas for each upcoming
holiday or event and put a check mark next to the ones that you’ve validated.

Reminder: Make sure they’re relevant to your niche and the customers in your niche.

STEP 3: DESIGN
Then, design and create those products with your own style and twist so you can get them added
to your shop in time! The more you publish, the more chances you have for getting indexed by Etsy
and pulling in holiday sales.

Can you add a level of personalization to any of your products to help them stand out?

Tip: For any particularly big holidays or events in your niche (Christmas is a big buying holiday in
most niches) make sure you add your products at least 90 days in advance.

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 HOLIDAY HACKING
CALENDAR
JAN FEB MAR
New Years Valentine's Day St. Patrick's Day

APR MAY JUN

Easter Mother's Day Father's Day
Spring Teachers' Day
Nurses' Day

JUL AUG SEP

US Independence Day

OCT NOV DEC

Breast Cancer Awareness Thanksgiving Christmas
Halloween

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 HOLIDAY HACKING
PRODUCT RESEARCH
Holiday/Event:

PRODUCT IDEAS
Validate: Design:

Holiday/Event:

PRODUCT IDEAS
Validate: Design:

Holiday/Event:

PRODUCT IDEAS
Validate: Design:

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 $100K ETSY ROADMAP CHECKLIST

Brainstorm Niche Ideas

Validate That There Is Demand For Your Niche On Etsy

Create A Product Line That Serves Customers In Your Niche

Get Traffic From Etsy Ads

Set Up Internal Etsy Emails

Build An External Email List

Create An Amazing Customer Experience

Join The Facebook Group

Plan Holiday Hacking 60-90 Days Out

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP

 READY TO WIN IN 2024?
Here’s the hard TRUTH. Etsy will become harder and more competitive this year for new sellers
(The days of slapping up a trending product and hitting it big are over.)

But with the right E-commerce strategies, there is STILL opportunity to hit
$10k, $20k and $40k months, like my wife and I have.

To compete in 2024, you MUST build a BRAND

and become a better MARKETER.

My mission this year is to help more people (like you) build brands that thrive, on and off Etsy.

That’s why I’ve put together a straightforward, over-the-shoulder training that lays out our
roadmap to $100k:

✔️ Build a BRAND in a profitable niche.

✔️ Create a COHESIVE PRODUCT LINE that keeps buyers
coming back for more.

✔️ Drive consistent TRAFFIC and SALES using elevated

Marketing strategies.

And the best part is...

We use the Print-On-Demand model to start with

less than $100 and just a few hours per week!

JOIN 1.2.3. POD FAST TRACK

BRAND CREATORS $100K ETSY ROADMAP