Getting your Social Media groove on! - Part One

Awesome Facebook profile cover by Bettyoctopus

So you got all tech savvy and got yourself a blog. You then upped it by signing up for a Facebook page and you even decided to throw a Twitter page into the mix.

Now you're getting lovely blog comments from that very interesting piece you wrote about knitting those funky gloves, someone wants to order one of your fab items through Facebook and someone has hash-tagged you on Twitter and you're like 'whhhhhattt is going on?', aaaaannnd to top it all off, you're running your Etsy siopa on top of all this. You, my friends, are busy and from the sounds of it, in demand too.

Don't worry, I've been there. Social Media can be overwhelming but only if you let it be. The key to running (successfully) all these great tools is to be organised and if you're not the organising kind, then you need to get your Hootsuite and Evernote skates on folks. Failing that, a cute notebook and equally cute gel pen will get you started. you could even try this adorable notebook....in fact, I need it in my life now.

However there is a difference, a big difference to running all of the above tools and running them well. You might be updating your Facebook status on the hour, every hour. You might be tweeting like it's no one's business, but lets not forget quality over quantity. Ask yourself, Are you really engaging your current and prospective customers and followers? Are your updates exciting, current, informative and interesting? Are you doing all of the above and standing head and shoulders above the rest?

If not, here are some helpful tips that you might need / should / would like to avail of which will be discussed in a three part post series.

First up, me old mucker Facebook. I do like me a bit of Facebook and I follow a large number of craft pages and other types of business Facebook pages and here is what sends me into Facebook crazy lady overdrive and sees me un-liking your page.

Some lovely prop display from Nice Day Designs

- You update on regular basis but don't include interesting images. Here's the deal, crafts people are supposed to be visual people. They're creative folk and if you're making items, don't just talk about them, share the image too, even if it's a work in progress. People like to see what goes on behind the scenes. As for finished pieces of work, be imaginative in how you photograph them. Use props, colourful backdrops or even people! It gives customers an idea of how large / small your item is and perhaps where they can see it placed in their home.

Bringing some 'real life' to products - Nice Day Designs

- You update on a regular basis but include bad, blurry images. If you've gone to the trouble of taking an image, ensure its clear, well light and taken correctly. You don't necessarily need a fancy camera, iPhones do wonders these days. Just take the time to share beautiful images.

- Grammar, grammar, grammar and spelling, spelling and spelling. You are a business. You are a professional. You are your brand. So it makes sense to represent it well. Write all the clever updates you want, but if they're full of bad grammar and spelling errors on a regular basis, I will walk away from you. Always double check before posting. This goes for everything....emails, tweets, blog posts, the whole shib-bang my dears.

- Sharing items, pictures or competitions that are in no way relevant to your business or business page. Sure I'd like to win an overnight stay in some local B and B down the road from you, but what has that got to do with your craft?

Sure I'd like to win a hamper from Johnny the Butchers a million miles away from me, but again, what has that got to do with your craft business page? Keep these kind of posts to your personal page only and always, always keep your customer in mind and the reasons behind them liking your business page in the first page.

-You're boring and I don't get you. Don't be afraid to inject a little personality into your business page. If you see something (craft / design / art related) that inspires you, brings a little happy to your day - perhaps it will do the same for your followers. It will show them a down to earth side of your personality and Facebook is the perfect platform to do this. There isn't a need to over share and there's a real skill in doing this correctly. For perfect examples, check out Nice Day Designs and BettyOctopus, both of whom command a large following from home and abroad. Notice, how professional their pages are, how they interact with their customers and how they follow all of the above rules!

Nice Day Designs sharing a lovely, outdoors painting day!

Now, go have a look at your own page and see what you can do better. It takes practice and patience, but with time you'll get there. If you currently own / run a Facebook page to run alongside your Etsy shop, leave a link below for others to check you out and don't be afraid to ask a question or two in the comments.

Next week, part two and Twitter.