Etsy Shop Marketing: Treasury Teams and Treasury Games

Sample Etsy Treasury Item

Are you struggling to keep views up in your shop and increase exposure? If you need a little boost in traffic to your shop, consider joining a treasury team or playing the treasury challenge games hosted by certain teams. As I am writing this, the Middle Tennessee Etsy Team is hosting a treasury challenge game, featuring Amy Averitte from fAveritte Creations as the featured shop. Being the winner is a big payoff for this Etsy shop; her pillow will now be in every treasury for this challenge!

fAverrite Creations Pillow

First, what are some of the benefits to making treasuries and participating in the challenges?

Number one, it is good for you and the team. You look like a team player and get exposure within your team for making the treasury. Then, you can get even more exposure for your shop if your treasury gets hot or makes the front page. Everyone will want to see who made such an interesting collection. You also could win the challenge and have your item featured in the next round. Finally, you get to use the team tag. The team tag is a very under-utilized tool to be found in search. Often, team members will tag some items with the team tag (ours is Teamboro in honor of our beginnings in Murfreesboro, TN) and use that team tag as a search term when finding items to include in a treasury or when promoting shop local.

Personally, every time I make a treasury, it increases my shop views by 10-20 a day and I have people add me to their circle. All great for more exposure! Furthermore, it gives you material to post on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, that makes you look like an active shop owner, while also being non-spammy. Sometimes, I will convo people telling them if they have been treasuried, but I find it in bad taste to ask them to follow me on Facebook or share the treasury with friends. I like keeping treasury convos simple and straightforward, praise for the item and a link to the treasury.

So, how to get started playing the games? Easy, just look in your teams for treasury game discussions or search under the teams category for treasury teams. You make have to apply for them. Most teams that host game do it every 1-2 weeks and each one has different rules.

Here is some advice for making treasuries:

-NEVER include your own items. This disqualifies you from making the front page.

-Search for and install Schmetzy tools. It is a pack of 3 apps for treasury making.

-Try to include items from a variety of categories, jewelry, books, clothing, furniture, etc.

-Use your team tag to search for items to put in a treasury.

-Do not comment more than once on any treasury. This lowers the rankings on the "hotness" list.

-Celebrate the unusual and include items and themes that will make your treasury stand out.

-Have fun and don't stress about finding the perfect item to finish off your treasury. You can always make a new one!