Finding Your Target Market: Etsy 101

You're bursting with ideas of products to make. Hats. Blankets. Scarves. Wall hangings. Baby bonnets. Pillows. Art prints. You can't wait to create them all and sell them in your Etsy shop! It's going to be great! You'll have something for everyone!

Yeah.. Been there. Done that. Failed miserably.

Here's a little tough love advice-- Don't be The Cheesecake Factory. (I know. Just go with me on this.) They boast 250 menu items featuring everything from salads to burgers to pasta to tacos to Asian-inspired dishes, steaks and seafood, and of course cheesecake. There's something for everyone no matter their preference. The problem? If you have to make 250 different dishes inspired by cuisine from across the globe, all at the same time, chances are not a single one of those dishes is going to be spectacular. They're all going to be mediocre at best. Trust me. I've eaten there. It's impossible to perfect one thing if you're making everything. Stick to the thing you do best, the reason anyone actually goes there-- the cheesecake.

As much as you want to make everything in sight, it's better for your business to have a focus. You have to find the products you can create with consistent quality and you have to find the customers who both want to and are able to buy them. You have to narrow down your target market. But how?

We're going to play a little game right now. I hope you're ready. First, think of the one single thing you really want to make. The one product you're most excited about creating. The one you hope will be your blockbuster, signature product. Got it?

Now close your eyes and picture that product. If it's a wearable product, picture it on someone. If it's art or decor, picture in a place. (For the sake of our game, I'll be assuming it's a wearable product. If it's an object, we'll have to work backwards, so bear with me.)

Who is wearing that product? Is it a woman or a man (or either/neither)? How old are they? Are they an adult? A child?

Let's take it one step further. Pinpoint your person's exact age. If you can't determine an exact age, stick with a range of no more than 3 years. Try to avoid generalizations like 20s or 30s-- there's a world of difference in life experience between a 21 year old and a 28 year old.

Next, we're going to play a little bit of The Sims and create their life. The next few questions all go hand in hand, so if you can't come up with one, try another first. (If your product is for a child, try to create a life for the person who would be purchasing the product.)

Where do they work? What kind of job do they have? Is it a job (short term) or a career (long term)? How much do they make?

Are they single, dating, married? Do they have a family?

Where do they live? Do they rent or own their home? What kind of house or apartment is it? How big?

You're likely asking yourself, "What the heck? Why does any of that matter?" Trust me. It does. Jobs can determine housing. Relationship and family status can influence both jobs and where you live. And all of it can determine income levels, or more importantly, disposable income levels-- which is incredibly important when it comes to you selling them something.

A single 21 year old woman working a minimum wage job and living in an apartment with a roommate may not be able to afford or even want the same things as a 37 year old mom of two whose household income with her spouse brings in 6 figures a year in a suburban neighborhood. And that 37 year old mom is vastly different than a 68 year old retiree who downsized because she lives within a fixed income in a retirement community.

So now that you know their living situation, their job, and their relationship/family status, it's time to take a bit closer look at them, and also their surroundings.

What are they wearing when you picture them? If you could peek inside their closet, what kind of clothes would you see? What kind of personal style and aesthetic do they have? Is it classic or contemporary? Boho, eclectic? Do they have a huge wardrobe or a capsule style? Is it sustainable? Slow fashion? Think of the materials and color palettes they would wear.

If you're focusing on art or decor, this is where you'll likely begin and move backwards up the list from here. Think about their home and the style they've chosen to decorate. Farmhouse? Minimalist? French Country? Industrial? College IKEA Chic?

Now think of where they have shopped for these items. What stores did they visit? Did they go to a high end boutique? The mall? Target? Is it upcycled fashion from a second hand store?

Knowing not only the style they have but where they've shopped gives you an idea of personal aesthetic and also what they're willing to spend on themselves and their surroundings. Note that this means not just what they can afford to spend but what they're willing to. There's that phrase about having "champagne taste on a beer budget." Obviously income will determine what they're able to afford, but for some, appearance is everything and they'll willingly spend a little more on themselves or their homes than they probably should because that's what is most important to them.

Now how does this all come together to help you figure out what products to sell in your shop?

You know who you're selling to. Now think about what products you can offer that will meet their needs. What is it they want from you?

Let's say your target person is a mom in her early 30s with a toddler and she loves the adorable Mommy and Me hat sets. All of her friends are having babies too, so she's always looking for baby blankets and handmade stuffed animals as gifts. Or she's a woman in her mid 20s who grabs coffee with her girlfriends and loves chunky scarves and fall fashion. She wants a cute beanie with a big faux fur pom to wear for her engagement photos in the autumn leaves. Or she's in her late 40s and decorating her new home in a farmhouse style with wooden signs and rustic decor because she finally has that big open floor plan with the focal point kitchen and adores Fixer Upper.

Taking all of this information about your person, you can start to create a product line that fits the lifestyle they live. Within that product line, you can start to narrow down specific materials to use that fall within their budget and their preferences, whether that's natural fibers, man made, or sustainable materials. You can offer a tailored color palette, making bulk ordering of supplies easier. By narrowing it down to one particular style for your audience, it makes it much easier on you to create a quality product line, instead of just pumping out quantity trying to cover all your bases.

It also makes it much easier to market your products, because you know the kind of product photos they will find aesthetically pleasing, making them much more likely to hit the like button or click the "add to cart." They're also more likely to buy more than one product at a time, or be a repeat customer because they know that everything within your shop is exactly their style and fits together cohesively.

So don't be The Cheesecake Factory. Don't try so hard to please everyone. Instead focus on the thing your ideal customer wants from your shop-- find your own personal "cheesecake."

One last note-- just as your life will grow and evolve and change as you make your way through the world, so will your target audience. Don't feel like choosing a target market for your business is the end all and you can never stray. It's perfectly okay to revisit these questions and reimagine your person every once in awhile in your business, especially if you feel yourself getting bored or your sales getting stale.

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