Using Facebook and Etsy for Business a Guide for Inuit Women CONTENTS

Using Facebook and Etsy for Business A Guide for Inuit Women CONTENTS

Facebook Business Basics ...... 1 Learn how to promote your business and reach customers using Facebook business pages Step 1: Setting Up Your Facebook Business Page...... 2 Step 2: Connecting with Customers on Facebook ...... 5 Step 3: Doing Business on Facebook ...... 8 Step 4: Advertising on Facebook ...... 11 Step 5: Seeing How your Advertising is Doing on Facebook ...... 14

Getting Ready to Etsy ...... 15 Learn how to set up an online shop on Etsy Step 1: Before You Begin ...... 16 Step 2: Setting Up Your Shop ...... 21 Step 3: Marketing & Promotion ...... 25

© Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, winter 2018 This guide was developed as part of the Inuit Women in Business Network. The production of this Guide has been made possible through a financial contribution from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

[email protected] www.pauktuutit.ca Tel: 613-238-3977 www.iwbn.ca Toll-free: 800-667-0749

Facebook Business Basics

STEP SETTING UP YOUR 1 FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE

Facebook is the most used of all the different PROFILE AND COVER PHOTOS types of social media. Since most people use the Your business profile is the first time people see Internet to find and learn about a business the business ‒ and that means you want them to before they buy from it, having a good Facebook be interested and impressed from the start. business page will make it easy for customers to learn about your business. You want a profile and cover photo for your Your Facebook business page is a great tool to page to look nice, and that means you need to let people know about your business, give your use high-quality images. This will help Facebook business some “personality,” connect with users see you in a good way and encourage current and potential customers, and advertise potential customers to want to find out more. to more people. PROFILE PHOTO It is free to create a Facebook business page. All This is the smaller photo in the corner of your you need is a personal Facebook account to get page, similar to your profile picture on your started. From there, go to Pages and select personal page. It should be 180 x 180 pixels. Create a Page. That’s a square, so try to make your photo a square before you upload it to make it easier. This is where you will choose what kind of page You will also know what you’ll see instead of you want to create. You are likely going to want trying to fit things in after. Business or Brand and then select a category that best represents your business. Then you fill For your business, use your business logo. Your out your contact information and hit Continue. photos can be JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF format.

Now, you’ll need to upload a profile photo and COVER PHOTO cover photo. Your cover photo is the photo that goes across

the top of your page. Since this is your business TIP: Always check for up-to-date Facebook page, your cover photo should be something  photo size guidelines. that shows off your business — maybe your

products or images of your products.

The Facebook cover photo size is 828 x 315 DESCRIPTION OF YOUR BUSINESS pixels. It’s a long, thin rectangle, so think of The About section should have a short your pictures that way and what you want description of your business on your main page. people to see in the rectangle, and what you Keep it easy to read and only a couple of want it to say about your business. sentences long. You can give more information in other sections in your Facebook business Your photos can be JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF page. format. Facebook will ask you to choose three  TIP: You might be tempted just to grab a categories in the About section from a list of photo from the Internet to use. If you are options. Try to use words that people will use to using a photo or image that is not your search for your business. This is really own, make sure you have the rights to use important when someone doesn’t know the it. You want to avoid copyright name of your business or may not know it infringement ‒ getting in trouble for using exists. The easier it is for people to find you, the someone else’s work without permission. It better it is for your business. could be embarrassing and could get you in legal trouble. In this section, be sure to include important information, such as when you are open for ADD A CALL TO ACTION BUTTON business, price ranges, contact information, A call to action button is important because it website address, etc. You can also link your can help people interact with your business. Facebook page to an Instagram account.

Think about what you want people to do when  TIP: Fill out as much information as you they’re on your page. Then choose your call to can when setting up your Facebook page. action button based on that. Popular choices Don’t leave any blank sections. When include Book Now, Call Now, Contact Us, Send information is missing, it can be harder to Message, Shop Now and Watch Video. find your page.

Below is what each of these action buttons ADDING A CUSTOM USERNAME/ means. CUSTOM URL

Custom usernames and URLs (sometimes called • Book Now ‒ directs people to a place where “vanity URLs”) make it easier for people to they can book an appointment or find more search and share your page. Choosing a information username creates a custom URL. • Call Now ‒ displays the phone number you

want customers to use to contact you It should be simple, easy to remember and • Contact Us ‒ links this action button to your include your business name or main keywords website’s contact page for your business. Avoid using numbers or • Send Message ‒ encourages visitors to send symbols. you a message for more information

• Shop Now ‒ sends people to your e-commerce site • Watch Video ‒ sends people to your brand video

Choose one, then follow any necessary instructions for set up.

To create a customer name/custom URL, your  TIP: If you are the business owner, you page needs 25 likes. How do you get likes should be the Administrator. If you want to without putting your business out there? give employees access to your page, you should would usually make them an Editor. The easiest way is to publish your page, then send it to friends and family to like your page. YOU’RE THROUGH THE BASIC SET UP! They can also give you feedback to help you You’re basically set up, but there is still a lot to make your page better before you let the rest of learn about how to make the most of your the world know it’s there. business page.

Once you have 25 likes, you can go to Page User Name and change your user name to something We also encourage you to check out the more unique that fits your business. Facebook Help Centre and online resources that get into more detail ‒ especially because Facebook is always changing. You want to keep PAGE SETTINGS up with the latest options that can help you Facebook lets you manage what you want your grow your business. And we want to see you page to do and how visitors use it. succeed!

Take some time to go through your page settings.

• Choose if visitors can post directly to your page or not  This does not affect whether or not people can comment or share your posts. • Stop the use of swearing or bad language • Manage your notifications  Choose if you want Facebook to notify you by text message or email and pick what you want to be notified about. • Customize tabs  Pick which tabs show up on the side of your page (e.g.: Videos, Photos, Events, About, Posts, Reviews, etc.) and change the order of how they show up. • Create a Messenger greeting  This is an automatic message that people will see when they start a private conversation with your page for the first time. • Set up Instant Responses  This is an automatic response that lets people know you will respond to their private message soon.

STEP CONNECTING WITH 2 CUSTOMERS ON FACEBOOK

Having a Facebook page makes it easy to RESPONDING TO COMMENTS communicate with your followers and potential Facebook users can connect with your page by customers. liking, sharing and commenting on your posts. When a user comments, you can either like or People can contact you through your business reply to their comment. page in many different ways, including: Users may comment to: • commenting on your posts; • sending a direct message to your page; • show interest or agreement; • writing a review; and • ask a question; and • posting directly to your page. • reply to other users who have commented on your page. It is important to check your page often to see what Facebook users are saying in comments, In all cases, you can show followers you care direct messages, reviews and posts to your about what they have to say by responding to page. This guide gives you ideas of how to be in comments, answering questions about your touch with your page followers ‒ your product or service and taking part in the customers and potential customers ‒ to help conversation with other users. your business. REPLYING TO DIRECT MESSAGES CONNECTING THROUGH COMMENTS Facebook users can send your page direct Most contacts (comments, messages, reviews messages. These messages are private and can and posts) with your page will be positive, which only be viewed by page administrators (this will is great! It is just as important to keep in touch most often be you as the business and with happy followers as it is with people who Facebook page owner) and the user who sent might be negative because the happy followers the message. may become good customers. Direct messages are typically sent when users You want to treat them well, just like you do want to know more about your business. You with your customers in person or on the phone. should try to respond to direct messages as But you also need to respond to Facebook users soon as possible because the Facebook user is who leave negative comments because you can likely looking for quick answers about your help explain how you will look into their concern business. or give them the facts about your business if they say something that is not true.

Do not ignore direct messages (unless the RESPONDING TO NEGATIVE CONTACTS message is considered spam) and respond Not every comment or message is going to be a within 48 hours. positive one. You can’t make everyone happy no matter how hard you try. Remember that users can see on your Facebook page how quickly you respond to direct When someone leaves a negative comment or messages. If you take too long, your response review, or sends you a negative direct message, rate will go down and visitors to your page may how you respond will have a big impact on what not send you messages because they don’t the sender ‒ and other followers ‒ will think think you will get back to them quickly enough. about your business.

To manage and respond to direct messages on HIDING & DELETING COMMENTS the go from your mobile phone, download the If someone replies to one of your posts by Facebook Pages Manager App for your phone. leaving a negative comment, you do not always

have to respond. In fact, you can hide or delete FACEBOOK NOTIFICATIONS the comment. The Internet is open 24 hours a day. Facebook users can connect with your page at any time. Sometimes hiding or deleting a comment can be The good news is that Facebook makes it easy bad because it makes it look like you aren’t to stay on top of user connections at all times listening to negative comments. You’ll have to with notifications. decide when it’s appropriate. A general way to think about it is that if a user posts a negative Page notifications are just like the notifications comment that is offensive and you don’t think sent to you for your personal Facebook page. you can fix it by responding, you can hide the You can receive notifications on Facebook, in comment. the Facebook mobile app and by email. Hiding a comment will keep the comment on the There are different reasons that Facebook post, but the comment will only appear to the notifies you about your page, including: user who commented and their Facebook friends. This way, it’s very unlikely anyone else • when a Facebook user likes, comments or will see the comment. It also reduces the risk of shares your posts, follows your page, sends the user trying to “get back at you” if they think you a direct message or leaves a review; and their comment was deleted and ignored. • to provide tips for updating your page and keeping your information current. If the comment is threatening, uses offensive language or was written by a user who has left As long as you have your notifications turned on the same kind of negative comments in the and you’re watching for them, you’ll never leave past, you should consider deleting the a customer waiting long! comment. When you delete a comment, the user will not be notified that their comment was deleted but if they look at the post again they will see that their comment was removed.

BANNING A USER FROM YOUR PAGE Sometimes, you may need to ban someone from connecting with your page. Usually this is because the user keeps putting offensive or threatening posts on your page or has sent offensive direct messages to your page. The user also may keep “spamming” your page with posts that are not about your business (an example would be an individual promoting their own business on your page).

A user who has been banned from your page can still view your page and share your posts, but they can no longer like or comment on your posts, post on your page, direct message your page or like your page. As always, it is up to you to decide when this is the right thing to do.

Those are some basic things to think about when interacting with customers and potential customers. The most important thing is to remain professional no matter how others act – that says a lot about you and your business!

STEP DOING BUSINESS 3 ON FACEBOOK

You’ve set up your business page on Facebook, It’s free to create an Etsy account, but ‒ like giving you a way to promote your business and most e-commerce sites ‒ you will have to pay connect with potential customers. BUT you can’t some fees such for: actually do sales on your Facebook page. • product listing; That’s okay! Because Facebook will help direct • transactions; or you to the places you CAN do business! • payment processing.

If you are selling your products or services Once you’ve set up your Etsy account, you can online, you will need to use a business website, promote your products by sharing links to them an e-commerce website (like Etsy) and an online on your Facebook page. You also can link items payment system (like PayPal) or in person. from your Facebook page to Etsy. You can learn more about Etsy from the IWBN Etsy guide and  TIP: Never share or request personal videos. information (like bank or credit account information) on Facebook. Facebook may To link your shop to your Facebook page feed, take security or personal information follow the steps below. seriously but the platform isn’t completely safe – spammers or hackers might be able • Sign out of Facebook (if you are signed in) to steal personal information from you or and go to your store at Etsy.com. your customers. • Click the Your Shop link, then click Info & Appearance under Shop Settings. ETSY • Click the Connect with Facebook link. Etsy If you have products to sell and want to do this will ask you to allow permission to access online, Etsy is a great option. Etsy is mostly your Facebook account. Click Allow. used by businesses that sell handmade • If you have multiple Facebook pages, you’ll products, vintage items and unique have to choose which one you want to factory-manufactured items. connect to Etsy ‒ your business page.

Etsy connects your shop to the Facebook page you selected. Now if someone sees something on your page, they can click on it and be sent to your Etsy shop. That’s where you make your sale.

YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE FACEBOOK E-COMMERCE OPTIONS If you want to expand your business, you may We want to give you as much information as want to create a website to sell products and possible and you might have seen or heard services online. about Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Shop. At the time this guide was written, these There are benefits to having your own business were still in the early stages and not yet site. It makes your business look more available in Canada. professional, shows more products and provides more information. Since that will likely change, we want to provide a quick overview. There also are many different ways to build a website. If you have a larger budget, you might FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE want to hire a website developer because they At the time of writing, Facebook Marketplace is will have the skills to be able to build a website only available to Facebook users using personal from scratch. profiles. Facebook pages are not able to use the Marketplace to sell products or services. If you are working with a lower budget, you can use a website builder like Wix, SquareSpace or Facebook Marketplace is a place to sell items Shopify where you can put your online store and such as electronics, clothing, vehicles and pages to describe your business. housing; however, it is more like an online garage sale and not used by many businesses. In both cases, building a website requires a big time commitment, costs and ongoing FACEBOOK SHOP maintenance. You really need to consider your At the time of writing, Facebook Shop does not budget and the amount of business you’re allow users to complete transactions via doing before making that commitment. Facebook Pages in Canada.

The good thing is, as your business grows, the When it becomes available in Canada, Facebook option to build that site when you’re ready will Shop will let you list products with images, always be there! videos, descriptions and prices and even let people know when items are in stock. You can also easily share from Facebook Shop. No matter what your business is, you will be able to get more benefits from Facebook to promote your business and use other tools (Etsy, PayPal or your own website) to make sales.

PAYPAL While you can set up your shop to take credit cards, you can also use PayPal.

PayPal lets you automatically transfer funds from a sale to your bank account. It’s also safer than meeting a customer in person to transfer cash.

Like Etsy, PayPal will charge a fee for your online sales. You should do a bit of research and see what those fees are so you can factor that into your budget and into what you are charging for your products.

To set up a Paypal account, go to paypal.com and register. Because you want to use PayPal for business, you will want to sign up for a Business or Premier account and not a Personal one because personal accounts can’t accept credit card payments.

RESEARCH AND KEEP UP-TO-DATE Online business is always changing. The IWBN guides and videos are current at the time of writing and production, however, we encourage you to research on your own, especially with the guides provided on sites like Facebook, Etsy and PayPal. Those guides will be the most up-to-date.

And as long as you’re dedicated to building your business, you’ll always be able to find new ideas and tools to help you do that ‒ on Facebook and beyond!

STEP ADVERTISING 4 ON FACEBOOK

Anyone with a Facebook page can advertise on TARGETING YOUR ADS Facebook. Facebook makes it easy to promote your business to exactly the right audience. Facebook ads can include text, images, videos and links and can be shown to any Facebook There are many ways to have your ads reach user over the age of 13. Ads can show up in a specific Facebook users. The most common user’s News Feed, Messenger App, Instagram ways to pick your audience are based on feed and on other apps and websites within the location, age and gender. You can also target Facebook Audience Network. users based on their interests or activities.

There are many reasons to advertise on Think about who is most likely to buy your Facebook, such as: product. You might even want to write a list of reasons why those people might like your • increasing your Facebook following; product. That can help you write your ad later. • promoting your product or service; • sending people to your website; and INCLUDING VISUALS IN YOUR AD • promoting a special offer. You can use almost any image or video for your

ad as long as you follow Facebook guidelines to Whatever your goal is, Facebook ads are one of make sure your ads look great on a computer the most affordable ways to promote your and on a mobile phone. business to a large and highly targeted audience.

 TIP: A Facebook ad campaign can run on as little as $5 a day. Increasing your daily budget will help your ads reach more people.

 TIP: To advertise on Facebook, you need at least 50 people following your page. You will also need a form of payment like a credit card or Visa Debit.

Below are tips to help you plan for video in your BOOSTING A POST (BEGINNER) advertisements. The first and easiest way to advertise on Facebook is to boost a post on your page. • Upload the highest resolution source video available without black bars. Most file types Normally, when you post an update to your are supported. Facebook page, only those who follow your • Upload the highest resolution video available page will see the post in their News Feed. that meets file size and ratio limits. Sometimes Facebook also limits how many of • Video file size: 4GB Max your followers will see your posts. • Video length minimum: 1 second • Video length maximum: 240 Minutes (but You can pay to boost posts to reach more shorter is better!) people ‒ followers and non-followers. Once • Video sound: Optional you’ve posted, a Boost Post button will appear below the post. You will have to select from a If you are using images: few options to help Facebook show your post to the right people. You can choose to: • file type: JPG or PNG • image ratio: 9:16 to 16:9 • target people who follow (or you can choose • text: 125 characters people who don’t follow) your page; and • recommended resolution: at least 1,080 x • target people based on age, gender, location 1,080px and interests. • headline: 25 characters • link description: 30 characters Finally, you can choose how much money you want to spend and how long you want the ad to Facebook also provides more detailed run. Based on the target and budget you’ve descriptions and other options in Facebook chosen, Facebook will provide you with an Business Resources. It’s a good idea to check estimate of how many people will see your ad. these to see what options are available and what you need for each. You can find that information You can learn more about boosting your posts at www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide. here: www.facebook.com/business/learn/ facebook-page-create-posts. HOW TO CREATE AN AD You have the specifications, now, you can advertise.

There are two ways to create a Facebook ad.

USING FACEBOOK AD MANAGER (ADVANCED) If you would like to create larger, more complex advertising campaigns, use the Facebook Ad Manager.

Facebook Ad Manager provides more options for targeting Facebook users, choosing where you would like your ad to be shown and giving you detailed information about how well your ads have done.

Facebook Ad Manager is easier to learn if you’re already familiar with Facebook advertising but the Help Centre can help you understand how to use their advertising tools. You can find the Help Centre here: facebook.com/business/ learn/facebook-ads-reporting-ads-manager

Discovering what ads work and what don’t is a learning progress and there are many different ways to help you get the most from your money. For more detailed information, visit: facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-ads- measuring-results

SEEING HOW YOUR STEP ADVERTISING IS DOING 5 ON FACEBOOK

Once you’ve boosted your post or created your MEASURING AN AD IN FACEBOOK AD ads with Facebook Ad Manager, you want to MANAGER know how they’re doing. If you’ve created an ad in Facebook Ad Manager, you can view more detailed information about • Are people seeing them? your campaign, including information about the • Are they reading them? people who have seen your ad and how many • Are they coming to your page or your store? actions were a result of your ad (such as new

page likes, website visits or clicks on your ad). WAYS TO MEASURE HOW WELL YOUR ADS ARE DOING You can do an Account Overview that gives you There are different ways to measure how well information on your ads overall. You can look by your ads are doing. They can be measured by: date to see if some days are working better than others. • reach ‒ the number of people who saw your ad; And you can use Charts to help you see results • impressions ‒ the number of times the ad by things like age, gender and location. was shown; • clicks ‒ the number of clicks on your ad; and If you want results for specific campaigns, you • cost-per-click ‒ making sure you are getting can look at Campaigns, Ad Sets or Ads. the most for your money. You will also get suggested columns that can help you see how your ad is doing according to MEASURING A BOOSTED POST things like your goals or what your ad says. When you boost a post, you can click on the post to find out how much of your budget has You can even use Facebook Ad Manager to send been spent and how many people have seen you regular reports in your email. your ad. If you don’t think your ad is reaching enough people, you can change how you have It may seem like a lot, but Facebook Ad Manager targeted it to make it more general, more can help walk you through steps that will help specific or increase your budget. you make sure the money you spend on your ads is money well spent.

Getting Ready to Etsy

STEP BEFORE YOU BEGIN 1

Etsy is an online marketplace where anyone can Below are some fast facts as of early 2019. sell or buy handmade products and collectibles. • Etsy automatically takes 3.5% of every sale It’s like a one-stop online shop filled with virtual as a transaction fee. stores. Each store is run by people just like you • Each product listing costs $0.20. You pay ‒ people who make and/or collect unique items. this fee whether or not your product sells. For example, if you list 10 products, you It’s easy for shoppers to find what they are would pay $2 even if you don’t sell any of looking for with just a few clicks. Shop owners, those products. on the other hand, must work hard to make • If you sell several of the same item in a their store and products stand out. single listing, Etsy will charge you another $0.20 for each additional item. Twenty nine million people from across the • You must use Etsy Payments to accept world bought and sold on Etsy in 2017. That money from customers. You will be charged number makes the site seem like a great a 3% payment processing fee for each business option. Before you start setting up an transaction on top of Etsy’s 3.5% transaction Etsy store, you need to decide if Etsy is the right fee. place for your products ‒ and whether your products are right for the website. When you add them up, the fees can make running an Etsy shop expensive. Only you can This guide covers three main topics that may decide whether the cost makes sense for you. help you decide. ETSY’S POLICIES 1. Cost of doing business Etsy has rules for both buyers and sellers. 2. Etsy’s policies Anyone who wants to sell on the site must 3. Deciding if Etsy is right for you follow its seller policy, which can be found at

https://www.etsy.com/ca/legal/sellers/?ref=list. COST OF DOING BUSINESS It’s important to know that Etsy is not a free platform.

You can view all Etsy fees at /help.etsy.com/hc/ en-gb/articles/115014483627#Q8.

Below are a few important points. shop on Etsy and other platforms, and respond quickly to customers. • All handmade items you list must be made or designed by you. If you want to learn more about what owning a • All of your listings must include shop is like, the New York Times did a great photographs. These photographs must be profile on the Etsy experience. your own. You cannot use stock photos, artistic drawings or photos used by other ARE MY PRODUCTS A GOOD FIT FOR ETSY? sellers or sites. Etsy is already full of unique, handmade • You must be ready to answer any questions products. Will your product be successful? Etsy has about your products. If you don’t answer Etsy quickly, they can shut down The first thing to do is make sure your products your shop. follow the rules in the Seller Policy. Next, look • All sellers must have shop policies, such as around Etsy for shops that sell products similar promises for how long it takes to process to yours. orders and shipping. Etsy will check to make sure you follow your own policies. If you don’t find any similar products, it might • Sellers must answer customer conversations mean your product is so unique that no one else in a timely manner and resolve any is selling it. Or it could mean others tried to sell complaints quickly. a similar product on Etsy but it didn’t work for them. The only way to figure this out is to try. These rules may seem easy to follow, but if you do not take time to get to know them ‒ and to We recommend listing a few items to start and follow them ‒ you can run into problems with test them. That way you don’t invest too much Etsy and risk your online shop being shut down. money into listing many things on Etsy at the start. DECIDING IF ETSY IS RIGHT FOR YOU Still wondering if Etsy is right for you? It might If your product is very unique, you are in a good help to ask yourself two key questions: position. Work hard to market and promote your shop and you will set yourself up for success.

• is Etsy a good fit for me?; and If you find a lot of Etsy shops selling similar • are my products a good fit for Etsy? products, it means there is a demand for what

you make but it also means you will have to IS ETSY A GOOD FIT FOR ME? work hard to compete with the other shops. You Success on Etsy depends a lot on customers can learn from similar shops to help set up your wanting to buy your products. Etsy shop owners own shop. also must have some technical knowledge. To set up an Etsy shop, you need to be able to edit and upload product photos, send and receive emails and navigate websites. The Etsy seller portal is easy to use once you are used to it, but it can be overwhelming for anyone not comfortable using online technology. Selling on Etsy also requires a lot of time. Sellers must list new products often, promote their

Below are some guidelines for getting started. When you take photos of your product, make sure they are: • Set prices  You don’t want to sell your products at a • clear/in focus; much higher or much lower price than • colourful; and other products that are similar to yours. If • honest (no filters). your prices are much higher, customers will shop where they can pay less. If your When you’re adding your listings, Etsy will ask prices are much lower, customers will for your product title. That’s the name of your wonder if your products are as good as product. Think like a shopper ‒ what would YOU others. look for? • Set your shop policies  Develop your shop policies based on ITEM INFORMATION similar shops with good reviews. They are Next, you’ll be asked for information about the already doing well with the type of item you are listing. You need to be able to tell customers you want to attract. shoppers: • Stand out  See what these shops are doing well and • Who made it? try to do it better. This may mean using • What is it? prettier pictures or more personal • When was it made? product descriptions. TAGS If you still think Etsy is the right fit for you, it’s Tags are really important because they are the time to get started! words that people type in to search for things. Make a list of words you’d use if you were PREPARING YOUR LISTINGS looking for your product. When you are setting up your Etsy shop, you will be asked to stock your shop. Have your DESCRIPTIONS information ready before you start to save The description of your product is very yourself a lot of stress. important. Have them ready ahead of time. The more you have ready, the quicker and easier it PHOTOS will be to put that information in when you’re Etsy will let you add up to ten photos of a single creating a listing! item. This lets you show different angles or get closeups to show details. Write about things like:

• shape of the item; • size of the item; • how the product is used; • how you made it; • colours; • style; and • materials or ingredients you used.

PRICING AND SHIPPING COSTS COST BREAKDOWN When setting the price for a product, remember Price of earrings: $ 60.00 it has to cover: Fees • the time you spent making the product; • Product listing - $ 0.20 • the cost of the materials you used to make • Transaction - $ 2.10 it; • Payment processing - $ 1.80 • the transaction fee you pay Etsy for each sale and the listing fee. Total - $ 4.10

After all, you want to MAKE money selling on Amount you will receive $ 55.90 Etsy! SHIPPING COSTS You also need to consider the costs of shipping Rates depend on where you are shipping from your items. Etsy gives you a lot of help with and how quickly you want it delivered ‒ regular shipping information when you’re setting up or express. Where you are shipping to will also your shop. You can also get a lot of information impact the cost. You should also think about the at canadapost.ca. cost of packaging materials like boxes, envelopes and padding. Planning ahead will help you get a head start on making your Esty business better for your SHIPPING EXAMPLE customers ‒ and for you! Let’s use the earrings example again to estimate shipping. Below are postage rates from the ETSY PRICING EXAMPLES Canada Post website (from early 2019). They are You are a vendor selling earrings for $60. for a bubble envelope going from Iqaluit to Ottawa that is 6”x9” and that weighs 0.5 lbs. When you list this product there is a fee of $0.20. Regular shipping (8 business days) $18.93 Express shipping (3 business days) $24.79 If you sell the earrings, 3.5% of your $60 price is charged as a transaction fee. On a $60 sale, Etsy Your costs and profit per $60 pair of earrings: collects $2.10 from your sale. Amount you will receive after fees $ 55.90 A 3% payment processing fee is charged when Regular shipping - $ 18.93 using Etsy payments to accept money from Envelope - $ 2.30 customers. That equals $1.80 on your $60 Net profit $ 34.67 earring sale.

Below are estimates for shipping the same earrings to Ottawa from other communities.

Shipping from Inuvik to Ottawa Regular shipping (13 business days) $19.08 Express shipping (7 business days) $31.33

Shipping from Kuujjuaq to Ottawa Regular shipping (8 business days) $19.79 Express shipping (5 business days) $20.59

Shipping from Nain to Ottawa Regular shipping (13 business days) $21.68 Express shipping (7 business days) $25.23

If you want to ship your items to a customer outside of Canada, you need to know about things like customs and restrictions on products (e.g. seal skin products, food items, etc.), as well as increased shipping costs. To learn more about what you can and cannot ship, click here to see Canada Post guidelines.

STEP SETTING UP 2 YOUR SHOP

Congratulations ‒ you have decided to open an CREATE A SELLER ACCOUNT Etsy shop! Click on Open Your Etsy Shop (right in the middle of the page on your screen). This guide will help you set up your shop, in only six steps. Start by setting up your Shop Preferences.

1. Sign up Pick the language for your shop. English is the 2. Create a seller account best choice for shops in Canada. Once you 3. Stock your shop choose your language, you can’t change it! 4. Setup banking information 5. Setting your shop policies Choose Canada as your location and pick 6. Other things to think about Canadian dollars as your currency.

SIGN UP Then pick which category best describes you Go to etsy.com. and how you will use Etsy ‒ and if you aren’t sure you can just pick Other. You’ll find the Register button at the top right corner. Next, type the name of your business, then click on Check Availability. • Enter your first and last name, your email and a password. If the name is available, that’s great! But if it’s a • Pick a user name ‒ ideally one that reflects name already used by another Etsy shop, you’ll your business. need a different one. If that happens, try to • Confirm your account. (Click on Register and think of a name that describes your business. Or check your email for a message with think of a similar way to say your business instructions.) When you get that message, name. There are a LOT of shops on Etsy so it you’ll be taken back to Esty to create your might take a few tries before you come up with seller account. one you like and that isn’t already being used.

Once you have a name, click Continue.

STOCK YOUR SHOP SETUP BANKING INFORMATION Start by adding the photos of your first product. Start by letting Etsy know where your bank is Then start adding in details. located (probably in Canada).

• Title of your product ‒ what it is Now you have to add banking information. Most • About the product ‒ choose the description of this is pretty simple, but you may not know that is best your routing number. You can find that on your • Category ‒ this is like where you would find cheques or with a quick call to your bank. your product in a retail store (if it doesn’t match anything, you can choose Other) Then you need to set up billing. This too, is very simple. Just follow the instructions on the page. Next are a number of other description choices. Or, if you have an accountant, they can do this These are optional, so it is your choice if you step with you. want to add them. Etsy also provides a step-by-step guide found at Now, you’ll be at renewal options. If a product https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/ isn’t sold, do you want to keep it in your store? articles/115013145627. You don’t have decide now. But for your first listing, Manual is probably the best choice Once your shop is open and ready to accept because it’s also free. payments, it’s time to set up your shop policies and make your shop your own. Next, you have to say if your product is physical or digital. Digital are files or prints you can send SETTING YOUR SHOP POLICIES electronically. Every Etsy shop has policies. These policies cover: Add the description of your product. If you wrote this ahead of time, this will be fast! • shipping; • payments; Now for Section and Tags ‒ these are optional • returns and exchanges; but adding them will help people find your • privacy; and items when they do a search. • frequently asked questions.

Add the price of your product and say how It’s important that you make firm policies and many are available. SKU is a product number stick to them. They are what will help your system and it is optional in Etsy. And you can customers trust you and helps build your indicate whether there are variations of your reputation. product.

Shipping Cost is something we talked about on page 23. There’s also lots of information available through Etsy and Canada Post at canadapost.ca to help you.

Below is some information on what to include in FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS the policy areas. If many buyers are asking the same questions that are not answered by your policies, then you SHIPPING may want to include them in a Frequently Asked Include a processing time. This tells buyers how Questions (FAQ) section. long it will take you to complete an order. You can change your policies whenever you You can use the Estimated Shipping Times field need to but be sure to let your customers know. to let buyers know how long it will take an item Include a date in each policy section to show to reach them depending on where they live. when your policies changed. When a buyer Give a range for this, based on both the slowest makes a purchase, they will see a copy of your and the fastest estimated shipping times. It is shop policies as the date of purchase in their important to note that shipping from the North email receipt. takes longer than shipping in the south. OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT PAYMENT OPTIONS Your shop profile is how customers get to know This section shows buyers what payment you. Use it to make your business look methods you accept. Etsy will show buyers all professional and to show your personality. It is the ways they can pay and makes it clear they your chance to be unique and stand out from are secure payment methods. This helps people other Etsy shops. trust your shop. PHOTOS RETURNS AND EXCHANGES One way to stand out is with high quality If you accept returns, exchanges and/or order photos. cancellations, this is how you let buyers know how you accept them. Include how long a buyer • Your cover photo should be 3360 X 840 has to contact you, how to ship an item back to pixels. To get the most out of your cover you and if you will pay for the return shipping photo, use a professionally taken photo or cost. designed illustration. • Your banner must be 760 x 100 pixels. The PRIVACY banner is the big image that buyers see Use this section to let buyers know how you will when they first arrive at your Etsy shop. use their contact information after they place an • Your icon must be 500 x 500 pixels. The order. Privacy policies can help people trust icon is like a logo and can help show the your shop. These policies are also required by types of products you are selling in your law in some countries where your buyers may Etsy shop. live and it is always a good idea to include them. For help making a banner and shop icon, check Check the boxes in the privacy section about out canva.com. how you will use their information. Check all that you will to follow.

To set up your shop photos SHOP VIDEO If you have a video of you making your 1. Go to your Shop Manager and click the products, you can put it in this section. It’s a pencil icon next to your shop name under great way for buyers to see you at work and Sales Channels. learn more about your business. To learn more 2. Click Add to add your cover photo and/or about Shop Video, take a look at this Help banner. article. 3. To change your cover photo or banner, click the camera icon at the bottom right of the PHOTOS image. Photos are another way to show shoppers your 4. To add a shop icon, click the camera icon at business. You can use photos of you making the bottom right of the image. your product, what your studio or business space looks like and anything else that helps ABOUT SECTION shoppers know more about your business. You The About section helps people find out more can use photos that are up to 2MB and in JPG, about your shop. Etsy shoppers care about the PNG or GIF format. You can upload photos of people they buy from. They want to hear the any dimension you like, but your photos will be story of your business, information like who you cropped to display at 760 x 468 pixels. are, where you are and why your products are important to you. The About section is the place LINKS TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS to tell this story. You can add links to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other social media To edit your About section, go to Shop Manager, accounts you use if they relate to your business. click the pencil icon next to your shop name Just click on the dropdown menu, pick the type under Sales Channels and scroll down to of site you want to link to and paste the link. the About section. For more tips, check out this blog about writing Here is where you can put in information to help a great shop story. your customers know more about you and your shop. Remember, Etsy is always changing. Check out the guides available on the Etsy site to keep up STORY HEADLINE with all the latest information and make certain This should be one sentence to describe you you are using everything available to sell well. and your shop.

STORY Tell people how and why you started your business, what it means to you and what you hope for the future of your business.

STEP MARKETING & 3 PROMOTION

Setting up an Etsy store is not all you need to do INSTAGRAM to succeed on Etsy. Success means working hard • Sharing good photos and images to market and promote your shop and products • “Meeting” people with many followers who ‒ on Etsy and elsewhere. can share your shop • Holding contests and giveaways You can make a plan to promote your Etsy shop. • Reaching teens and millennials Etsy has an Ultimate Guide to Marketing that outlines how to build a marketing plan. TWITTER • Reposting listings Here are some tips to get you started. • Talking to customers quickly

• Reaching people with many followers SOCIAL MEDIA Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and One thing to remember about social media ‒ Instagram are great places to promote your don’t try to do it all. It’s best to start with one or shop and products at a low cost. However, two and grow from there. promotion through social media requires a lot of time. If you are ready to use social media to promote your Etsy shop, read this blog about how to What social media site is best? What do you say grow your followers. on it?

Here’s what works best on the three most popular social media sites.

FACEBOOK • Sharing shop news • Writing blog posts/updates • Sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos • Holding contests and giveaways • Sharing coupon codes • Reaching older audiences • Facebook ads

Etsy offers two types of paid advertising for shop owners. You can use both of these from your Etsy dashboard.

• Etsy’s Promoted Listings advertises to shoppers already on the site. Learn more about Promoted Listings here.

• Google Shopping advertises to shoppers on Google. Learn more about Google Shopping here.

No matter which advertising type you choose, you will have to do some research to make it work best for you.

You will have to decide which of your item or items to advertise (it’s a good idea to pick your most popular) and how much to spend. Click here for a good resource to help you make these decisions.

We hope this helps you decide if online selling with Facebook or Etsy is right for you.

We have other business resources created specifically for Inuit women. Visit www.iwbn.ca to view member profiles, learn how to join the network and more.