Etsy is the largest online marketplace for crafts and its marketing strategy is just as unconventional as its handmade goods.

Etsy specializes in selling unique handmade crafts, but their social media efforts are a great model for any SMB marketing in the social media age. The company has tried some traditional advertising methods like print ads, but the new direction is solidly grounded in word of mouth referrals. In a recent online Wall Street Journal article, “Creating Etsy’s Handmade Marketplace,” Rob Kalin, the founder of Etsy, expressed an important aspect of his Etsy community: “I don’t want to hide behind a corporate firewall and start speaking with some third-person voice.” He adds that he is also fond of the rallying cry of “Keep it human.”

SSN Take: Etsy’s strategy of humanizing their company and living out their core beliefs through social media is a great model to emulate to cultivate customer loyalty.

David Hardt, April 13, 2010

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