I talk to a lot of new Etsy sellers out there that struggle with how to increase sales on Etsy and, at the same time, complain about their competitor continuing to make droves of sales.Etsy lends itself to part-time Shop owners who have started a Shop as something to do in their spare time, outside of a full time job (almost 88% of Etsy Sellers are women). It's a great opportunity to earn a relatively passive income, but new Etsy entrepreneurs often focus more on the products than the marketing of those products.This is unfortunate, because -- let's get this out of the way -- every Etsy seller needs to think about marketing. If you're interested in creating a successful business (which is defined differently by everyone), you'll need to accept that on a week-to-week basis you'll have to engage in marketing in addition to creating products.

Why Do Other Shops Sell More Things Than My Shop Does?

The shortest answer is because they do.Helpful, right?I was recently selling a car and someone inquired as to why it had "so many miles"."Because that's the distance it was driven," I replied. They did not end up purchasing my car.My point is that it's the wrong question to ask. It's a question so big that beginning to answer it is likely to leave you drowning in a sea of Googled information, some of which might make sense.A much better question to ask is why your Shop doesn't have any sales.This tiny distinction keeps your sanity and puts your Shop in perspective.Stop comparing yourself to large, multi-employee, outsource-powered Etsy Shops that have a professional staff for marketing.You can't compete with them in the same way.

So, You're Telling Me I Should Give Up?

No! This is not what I'm saying.I'm saying you shouldn't longingly gaze at Etsy Super Shops and ask yourself why you can't have that. You can, but those Shops are the result of many actions taken by those Shops to reach that level.In other words, it's better that you choose strategies that make sense for your small size with the same fervor as the bigger guys.

Are You An Owner-Marketer?

Realize that you aren't just the owner of a Shop, you're, what I call, an owner-marketer.An owner-marketer means that you're simultaneously doing a lot of things related to having an Etsy Shop (e.g. creating items, shipping orders, writing product descriptions) and also responsible for the marketing that enables all those owner activities to happen.While not always the case, I'd throw in the following attributes you could apply to yourself:

You have a small marketing budget, if any marketing budget at all.

You might be doing things for your Shop in addition to a full-time job or role.

You've had a limited number of actual sales on your site.

You have very few views on your Shop.

You may know more about your craft or product vs. digital marketing.

You have a limited amount of time each week to devote to marketing.

All these factors have one result: they eat way at your ability to promote your Shop.

Momentum As The Key For Sales

The key to producing sales for new or small Shop owners is momentum, which I define as critical mass of consistent marketing efforts designed to increaseMomentum is a state of "firing on all cylinders" with your marketing. It's you with a cup of coffee, all jacked up, and making your marketing happen. It's guerrilla marketing that's meant for the small guy to do themselves, each and every day, to make sales happen.I'm using "momentum" like you would with a successory poster with a giant eagle soaring above a mountainous landscape, but the word also describes another aspect of momentum: speed.Just like physics, an object at rest likes to stay at rest. Your Shop needs a critical mass of public relations, advertising, social discussion and a host of other things to reach full speed.That process is slow and discouraging.That slowness will eat away at your ability to be proactive about the things that, at first, will seem like they aren't doing very much for your Shop or your bottom line.

Be Intelligent With Your Time

There are activities that are a waste of your time. Case in point is self-posting promotional items in a forum filled with other sellers who are doing the exact same thing.Your goal is to be smart vs. being everywhere.Last week I asked in the Google+ Etsy Marketing Community if the posts in self-promotion actually produced traffic. Only two people responded with any meaningful insight.The point is that other sellers are not your consumers; especially not in a place where all the other sellers are just there to promote their own products.This kind of activity may make you feel like you're doing something, but I doubt it results in actual sales.

What Momentum Looks Like