Being Seen, my first attempt.

Being seen on Etsy, or anywhere else on the internet can be difficult sometimes. We all know this, but do we all know what we can do to BE SEEN? I am by no means an expert, but here are some tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way that maybe he helpful to newer users on Etsy, or most any other site for that matter.
These are not "tried and true" these are just some of the things I do every day to help my shop get a little more notice.

• List items often! By doing this, you will be placed at the top of the search results! But remember, your item may be quickly buried under other people's items. So when should you list? I try to list at different times. Instead of coming home from work each night at 10 and list, try listing first thing in the morning. Then the next time, try to list in the middle of the day. This will allow people that aren't normally on the same time as you the chance to see your items in the searches!
• Try to CREATE as often as possible. DAILY is best. The more you create, the more you can list, the more people can search, and the more people can buy! Creating has so many wonderful advantages. DON'T let yourself become lazy because "no one is buying!" It might be a slow time for shopping in GENERAL so just because you're not seeing sales does not mean you should stop. Dedication is key! You will also become BETTER at your craft, and start making things of better quality!
• Connect with people! Try to have REAL conversations with customers. Get to know them. Find out what they like and maybe suggest something based off of this. The better you know who is buying from you, the more likely you are to make a sale! Oh, you have a child age 6 who likes baths and toys? Why, i'm sure they'd love this bath fizzie with a surprise toy inside!!
• Advertise! (on social networks) Now, i'm not telling you to buy a full page in COSMO or anything here. Advertising comes in ALL forms! A lot of people like to go the social media route which is pretty effective. ONLY if you tye it in with the above suggestions though! Connect with them on these social media sites and it's 100% free advertising! Twitter, facebook, blogger, We love etsy, mixxmade, byhand, craftster, live journal, deviantart, any of these places are acceptable to post about the items you create. PLEASE be careful not to be spamming on these platforms! Throw in things about yourself, what you ate for dinner, if your dog did something silly, if you got a promotion at work, if you're getting married!
• Advertise! (some more!) You thought that would be enough?! NO WAY! You have to work that little hiney of yours off to make the sales baby. It will not come overnight. Advertise, advertise, advertise! Pass out business cards, put ads in the local classifieds, sell at the farmers market or local festivals. SPONSER anything if you can afford to. There are some sites that are a waste, and while craftcult and craftopolis are wonderful resources, the advertising is less than worth it. Try your hand at using Project Wonderful! They offer cheap ads (a few cents!) and you can find the site that works for you! They offer tons of sizes for your banners, and there are SO many places you can advertise. Definitely find you target market for this one.
• Don't be ashamed of what you do! Some people won't tell their friends or family what they are creating and selling, and that is a shame!! Tell EVERYONE in the WORLD what you do. Know why? It's 2 hours before your friend is going to their in laws house.. oh no! They have no gift! What is fast, and easy.. oh, I know! Suzie told me she makes flower arrangements last week! Thats perfect! THIS. Happens! A. LOT! The day before mother's day, i sold more than $200 worth of soap, because my friends had forgotten. They all came to me because they knew i would help them pick something out that their mothers would really love! What mom doesn't like handmade soaps?! If they hadn't known, they would have gone to wal-mart, or the drug store and found something a lot different. Like i said, tell everyone!!
• Give them something to LOOK AT! Even if bright and loud isn't your style, you can still create items that make a statement. Try bold contrasts, or singular rich colors. Try to take photos with awesome light then fiddle with it till the photos really pop! Having at least 1 VERY eye catching item can help get you the attention you want for your shop. Maybe someone saw that one and found your shop, but then fell in love with a different piece. It happens often.
• Do Giveaways and Special Offers These kind of promotions will draw the people that would probably have little interest in your shop! Maybe your items would be just outside of a person's price range regularly. If you offer a giveaway or a sale, this gives those buys the chance to find out if they really love your product or not! You MIGHT end up even having something they like so much, that they'd be willing to pay the little extra for it. Giveaways can also help increase blog traffic, which will in turn increase your shop traffic!

Let me know if there is anything I am missing! This is my first time trying to write tips for sellers so please let me know if any of there were helpful at all. Thanks everyone! Happy sales.