I love the show Mad Men, it takes place in the sizzling sixties on Madison Avenue...where it all happens! To be sensationally successful in advertising and gettting your treasury on Etsy's Front Page, you've got to be on the cutting edge of the hottest trends and put out an ad (in our case: a treasury) that brings forth the pizazz our client (which is Etsy) is looking for! So in other words, the monthly
Merchandising Desk article that Etsy posts on their blog every month is our guideline to fulfilling the desires of our client: Etsy.
The elements of a treasury that set apart ordinary treasuries and Front Page treasuries are as follows:
- The treasury MUST "flow". There needs to be a cohesive theme presented throughout the entire treasury. The BEST themes are those chosen by Etsy featured in their Merchandising Desk article...Give the client what they want! For instance, a popular theme right now is the upcoming holiday "Halloween"; in a treasury with this theme, you want to make sure that you depict the spirit of this holiday such as Ghosts & Goblins or Pumpkin Patches...Just remember not to feature an item that doesn't fit with the theme.
- Complementary Colors: Feature a color or an array of colors that complement one another and are presented throughout the entire treasury. I notice that a lot of curators don't seem to take this in consideration...BACKGROUND color. So many of us are focused on making sure the colors of the items flow, but are not necessarily thinking about the background color of the item listings; these colors are just as important for the flow of your treasury. Below is an example; it is a treasury by STAT Team Leader Andrea of Storybook Artifact. Notice how not only are the item colors of purple, red, and green depicted throughout the whole treasury, but the bright white background color is shown in every item listing in the treasury. This makes the treasury really stand out and POP! It seems to me that a bright white background is the most popular background color featured on Etsy front page...but I have also noticed charcoal grays or an ecru or beige. I would also like to add that not all Front Page treasuries feature all items with the same background color, but these types of treasuries REALLY have color flow. If most items featured have a white background with gray colored items, then it is not unusual to see a gray colored background featuring a bright white-colored item in this treasury.
- Have an eclectic assortment of item categories featured in your treasury! Don't just have a treasury with a bunch of clothing and jewelry. Try to integrate furniture, kitchenware, men's interests, bath & beauty products, as well as handmade AND vintage items. Etsy likes for their front page treasuries to feature ALL sorts of items so their customers will have lots to choose from!
- I know it is easiest to appeal to woman with all of Etsy's feminine clothing, jewelry, etc. However, Etsy is wanting to feature more and MORE masculine and/or unisex treasuries...so keep this in mind; creating a manly treasury might be the one more thing you need to get a treasury on Etsy's Front Page!
- I find myself creating treasuries that depict a character; male or female, I enjoy trying to capture a personality within my treasury. I feel this also helps the flow of my treasury as well as fascinate the viewers. I like for my treasuries to tell a story and when I create a character, I can do just that! If my treasury is about a woman, I will often give her a name (which I sometimes feature in my treasury title) and I show item listings that portray a similar-looking woman with the same hair color...this helps capture a true singular character.
- Catchy Treasury Titles! Whether you pick song lyrics, movie titles, or are just being creative; pick a treasury title that is catchy and will intrigue people to click and view your treasury.
- Even more importantly...the first four items you feature in your treasury are the MOST IMPORTANT because this is what Etsy and other viewers will see before they click on your treasury. These item images need to be bright, bold, and very eye-catching...as well as capture and set the tune for the entire theme of the treasury.
- Lastly, make your treasury easy to find by using ALL of the available room for tags. Pick popular searched tags by using terms found in the Etsy Merchandising Desk article of the month that fit the theme or characteristics of your treasury.
Go ahead, impress your clients with your Mad Woman Marketing Skills!
