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If you thought all things from the Victorian era were old and stuffy and just out of style, then think again. My guest on the podcast this week is Betsy Hoffman and in her Etsy shop Pretty Girl Postcards she proves that assumption very incorrect.
Betsy has been selling beautifully designed, humorous “Pretty Girl” postcards since she and her sister Carmala first decided top open their Etsy shop (you’ll hear the story about the genesis of the shop in our conversation). Even though Carmala has since moved to another state, Betsy explains how she is still a part of the shop.
Betsy describes herself as a “creator of pretty stuff” amongst other things, and in addition to creating and selling these humorous postcards, she is also the author of a travel memoir, Dreaming of Sicily: A Travel Memoir
You’ll hear about how Betsy’s Etsy story began as a hobby collecting 100-year-old postcards. By the time she collected 5,000 postcards, the turning point in the journey began… Again, lots more on that in our conversation 🙂
From how she and her sister come up with the funny sayings for each of the postcards, to where they get their inspiration for new products in the shop, and also how Betsy markets the Pretty Girl Postcards brand so that she receives most of her orders through her external website.
Betsy also shares in-depth information on how her Pattern by Etsy website integrates with her Etsy shop and how she manages and tracks her product inventory without using Etsy’s Inventory Management program.
Topics Discussed
- How Betsy got the idea to pivot her business from selling refrigerator magnets to funny Victorian-themed postcards
- Identifying what makes your products unique in an oversaturated market
- Communicating with your mailing list… Ever wondered how frequent is too frequent…?
- Preparing for high-volume selling seasons
- Protecting your products when shipping them to your customers
- Accommodating customers and providing a great customer experience
- Pattern by Etsy websites
- Google Shopping and Promoted Listings
- Marketing and advertising strategies that have worked best for Betsy
- Mastering Etsy search and creating appropriate tags
Resources Mentioned
- Website Builder: Pattern by Etsy
- Keyword Research Tool: Marmalead
Contact Betsy
- Website: PrettyGirlPostcards.com
- Etsy Shop: Pretty Girl Postcards
- Email: BetsyHoffman [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
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For more help growing your Etsy-based business, check out these resources: