Artisans and Social Media Sites

As retail sales move increasingly online, commerce in the arts is rapidly shifting. Marketing tips for handmade artisans are so pervasive that marketing your marketing tips is now also a mushrooming phenomenon. While there are a few stellar sites offering quality advice for free, such as Handmadeology, which has, overall, the best, most up-to-date articles, much of the advice is about how to establish link farms on every available social media site. While this grows Etsy’s business by increasing page views, and may result in some sales, it won’t grow your business. Why? Because you really don’t need individual sales. What you need is True Fans.  It takes a lot more effort to sell 1 thing to 1,000 people than to sell 1,000 things to 1 person.  A True Fan is a loyal, repeat buyer. You establish this relationship by offering a genuine connection, a way to engage people who are interested in you. One of the best ways to do that is to look at social media sites as a way to virtually entertain, to throw a big party, to have an intimate dinner, to open your studio to a weekly discussion.

So, your Pinterest boards could create a virtual space serving  your favorite treats to eat, decorated in your own style, with bookcases of your favorite books.  Just like your home, the things that you make are there, but your entire house is not a billboard. And there aren’t price tags all over, either.

Your blog is a peek into your workspace, with a chance to see how you work, and what you think about.

Your Facebook business page could be a cafe where you meet friends for a quick chat.

Once I understood this, using social media sites became as natural for me as telling a kindred spirit to “stop on by” when you are in my neighborhood.

by Lee Wolfe

Pinterest and TumblR Strategies for Promotion

To successfully use Pinterest and TumblR to promote your own work and that of our team, you must first attract a following. That following is most effective when it consists of as many non- Etsy shops as possible, since just trading pins with those who already know your work is useless. Yes, you can fill your team promo points by opening a Pinterest or TumblR account and filling your quota of team submissions, but it won’t help your teammates, and most importantly, it won’t help you!

To be effective, create boards and posts with unusual and narrowly focused content, especially when you are beginning. Plan to spend hours the first week finding great content that fits your own chosen themes.

On my Tumbleblog, I gained a following early on  by posting unusual content. Over time I added some of my own and that of our team. Although I don’t add team submissions every day, when I do, they are seen by people who aren’t already familiar with your work, and that’s the goal!

I am just getting a handle on Pinterest but find it highly promising. I am getting more views from there than TumblR now. If you see my boards on Pinterest, you will find team work, and my own, scattered throughout. One kiss of death is to have a pinboard named “AGTeam” or “Etsy”, as people will unfollow just that board. It is better to place your promotions strategically throughout your other boards, and surround them with powerful, moving, engaging imagery.

Since Pinterest gets more views for our shops, I am now using TumblR to find great content for my pin boards, and pinning team work among that. This became clear when my own bird plates were chosen on TumblR as a featured tag for #crafts, and were endlessly reblogged. The traffic to my Etsy shop was minimal. The same plates on Pinterest, were only repinned a handful of times, but are generating up to 10 views in my Etsy shop/ week.

I’d love to hear your Pinterest and TumblR experiences!

by Lee Wolfe/ OneClayBead