Etsy groups on Facebook are a great place to ask questions, and get answers. These are the source of some great help for me over the past few months, and have taken my shop to selling very little, to averaging 50 sales a month these past few months.
You can also promote your own products in most of these groups, however, I will say that for the most part, these groups are not your target audience.
For me, they are- I sell graphics sold to Etsy shop owners. Below is a list of some great places to start out, especially for new shops who are struggling to figure out their way on Etsy.
There are HUNDREDS of pages, but here are the ones I belong to. If you have time, making a daily post to each of your groups with items you have available is a good idea. It keeps you in their notice, and gives you an audience.
Etsians Unite - Brand new page, run by me! This page is for asking questions, and promoting your listings. (opened 5/26/15)
Etsy - Share Your Listings - Under 1,000 members, which means more personal replies, but also means less replies over all.
Promote & Post All Etsy - Nearly 4,000 members
Etsy Sellers United - over 9,000 members
ETSY Sellers - over 4,300 members
The Sellers Group - just over 1,400 members
Promoting All Good Things Handmade - over 4,700 members
Etsy Sharing Shops - over 2,700 members
Etsy/Artfire United - nearly 9,000 members
Daily Etsy Sales - nearly 8,500 members
My Etsy Shop Group - nearly 2,000 members
Etsy Promotion Group - over 7,000 members
Handmade Items/Etsy - over 1,500 members
Amazing Etsians - over 1,000 members
Etsy... Everything Wonderful in Life - over 7,500 members
ETSY - over 22,000 members
Etsy! Etsy! Etsy! - over 6,500 members
Etsy Sales - nearly 14,000 members
Helping Etsians Promote - over 16,000 members
Aside from these groups, it's a wise idea to locate groups that you can advertise in that cater to what you make. For instance, parenting groups are a great location if you make anything at all for kids- baby clothing, toys, bedding, diapers, etc. Bride groups are great if you make items for weddings, such as invitations, wedding albums, dresses, flower bouquets, etc.
Find the people who want your items, and show it to them. Word of caution, though- you need to know the rules before posting in ANY group. Many groups frown heavily on people advertising outright, but some will allow you to answer questions while promoting (IE: if someone asks "Does anyone know where I can find this?", answer with "I make items like that, and sell them in my Etsy shop, located here.")
Know your audience, know your groups, and use them to your advantage.
Need more Etsy advice? Check out the menu on the top right corner on my blog!
