What would you say is the most important way of getting traffic to your shop? I am used to tags over on etsy, but no such thing over on folksy. I tend to promote my Etsy shop, and don’t want to confuse people by suddenly promoting my folksy shop too. But having items in another venue should hopefully open me up to new customers (if only I can get them to find me). The only times I’ve had any traffic to my shop (yes, I know there isn’t much in there) is when I posted on the forum.
Also there is no way (or none that I have found yet) of telling where traffic has come from, ie how they found you. So i can’t tell what is working and what isn’t. Hence my question.
You have to promote outside of the Folksy forum if you want to be found.
Make sure you titles and first sentence use the same words
If you sign up to Google Analytics through your dash board bit that’s called shop stats you’ll find out where your traffic is coming from.
I’ve got my Folksy Shop set up with Google Analytics so I can see where the traffic comes from.
The only way to get traffic to any shop, online or otherwise, is to promote it. Either through networking, or targeting your specific audience/clients. You can do paid for advertising in magazines etc, create press releases for magazines/journos to pick up on and hopefully get an editorial/segment.
Marketing is hard work, I struggle with it myself, and am in fact currently having a review of how I promote/market my own stuff.
I have ga set up. I see only me.
So is there no passing trade here? I can get sales on Etsy just by setting things up to be found and people searching.
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There will be people who know about Folksy and will choose to visit and shop here. Folksy are also mentioned in articles and media but it is a British site for modern British Craft (rather than the other side which is global and has a wider remit). Also Folksy has a smaller amount of sellers as opposed to the other side too so less competition.
Take the shop analogy again, you’d get lots of passing trade in a popular High Street location but you’d also pay a premium rent for that. If you were in a small side street you’d pay less rent, but would have less passing trade, unless you advertise and get people to visit. It is swings and roundabouts as to what is best for you and your business.
Google analytics tells me that people do visit via Google (I also use Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook and have visits from there too as well as from here).
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Hi Aisling
I had a shop on Etsy for years and had decent sales but I didn’t like the politics - and they didn’t like mine - so I left and came here last summer. I found it very slow going until after Christmas and I’ve had steady custom lately. I do get a lot of referrals from Facebook as I am active in a number of Groups but with a couple of exceptions, these groups are not business orientated, rather by and for mosaic artists. I find I am now getting a fair amount of referrals from Google which means I’ve finally got my SEO right.
It isn’t easy going but it can be done. I do use Twitter and Pinterest on a limited basis but it is primarily organic search that gets me my RTS sales. Commissions tend to be personal referrals from people I have done work with and for in the past.
Anyway, I would keep at it and if you have a successful shop elsewhere I don’t think it will take you too long until you are ticking over here.
Good luck,
Leslie
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Plenty of passing trade 
I direct people here from FB and forums I’m on, but I also get customers who’ve not heard of me before, just happen to have been browsing and found something of mine that they’ve liked (I like using smileys, but these ones always look so smug!!!)
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I find my FB page generates a lot of bespoke orders, but I sell very little on Folksy. I have a feeling that this is down to how effective titles and descriptions are for “Keywords” so that people come to the Folksy page from Google. I think Folksy’s own article said that about 60% sales come from Google, so that would make sense.
Love Sam x
