It’s time for another handy social media guide! This time, we’re getting all arty with a few handy hints on how to get to grips with social media for crafters.
The world of crafts has absolutely exploded over the last ten years. Previously seen as a bit old-fashioned and boring, the industry has had a modern makeover and is now firmly in the 21st century. People everywhere are taking up knitting needles and crochet hooks, while tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters make it super easy to get creative.
It’s not just about having fun, either. Research has shown that taking part in creative activities is great for mental health. Spending time making something with your hands has the power to ease depression and anxiety, and the social aspect helps to bring people together.
The internet and social media have definitely helped the crafts movement. Whether you want to share your skills or your products, it’s never been easier to access a huge, global audience. Previously, anyone wanting to sell their handmade goods would need a bricks-and-mortar store – but now a social media presence and an online bank account is all you need to get going.
Which platforms are best for crafters?
Whether you’re selling a product or providing tutorials, anyone involved in crafts is going to be heavy on the visuals. There are four main social media platforms suited to crafters; Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube.
Photo sharing app Instagram is the platform for anyone wanting to target a younger audience. There are around a billion monthly active users, and more than half of those are under 34 years old. Additionally, over 130 million users are engaging with shopping posts – which makes it a great choice if you’re looking to sell a product.
There are a huge number of creative tools that are ideal for crafters and makers. Instagram Stories, IGTV, polls, quizzes and the new Reels feature are all perfect for anyone wanting to showcase their talents.
Facebook is the don of social media. The oldest and most popular of all platforms, it boasts an impressive 1.62 billion daily users – which is a heck of an audience for you to tap into!
There aren’t as many creative features available on Facebook, but it has recently introduced Stories, which work in the same way as those on Instagram. It’s a great place to post daily updates, behind the scenes snippets and all-important business contact details.
Pinterest is, essentially, a huge digital pinboard, and is perfect for anyone providing visual content. With 335 million monthly active users, it’s not quite as popular as Facebook or Instagram, but it’s still worth checking out.
The platform offers basic editing tools, allowing users to add text and other overlays to their images. There’s also the option to apply for ‘rich pins’, which feature your branding and logo, and are updated automatically when your website is.
YouTube
If you’re keen to get to grips with video, YouTube has 2 billion logged-in monthly users just waiting for your content. For anyone selling handmade products, this is a great place to showcase the creative process and environment. If you’re providing tutorials and lessons, it’s probably the best platform for you to be on!
Top tips for social media for crafters
Once you’ve chosen your platform, it can be a little daunting to know where to begin. But don’t worry – we’ve got some top tips to help you ‘craft’ a great social presence in no time!
Choose your aesthetic
Social media for crafters is almost certainly going to be mainly visual. When most of your online presence is based around photos and videos, it’s important to get your aesthetic right. Once you’ve decided how your page is going to look, it’s vital to be consistent, so choose wisely!
Think about your product, or what kinds of crafts you’re going to be doing. If you’re into everything ultra modern, a bright, colourful look would work well; think clean lines, modern shapes and pops of colour. If you’re more into natural elements, try a simple approach; fill your feed with lots of earthy tones and muted shades.
Plan content well in advance
The most successful social media users know that you have to plan ahead. Posting ‘in the moment’ is great sometimes, but scheduling ahead will get your content in front of as many users as possible.
Try planning a weeks worth of posts in advance, and then scheduling themin either in-app or through software such as Sprout, Hootsuite or Buffer. Mix up your content; alternate tutorials, product shots, behind-the-scenes posts and more topical subjects, such as posts celebrating national days. Finally, play around with post times – the best way to find out when your audience is online is to monitor responses to your posts and check out the all-important stats.
Learn some SEO skills
Social media for crafters shouldn’t just be all beautiful photos and captivating videos. While they’re important, technical skills such as SEO will also come in handy – it’s the best way of increasing your reach.
It’s all about those all-important keywords, and where to put them. Once you’ve decided what they are, they should appear in your bio, image captions and even hashtags – but make sure they stay relevant to the image or video you’re posting. Also, don’t be tempted to keyword-stuff, as this is spammy and can be irritating to your audience.
Use polls and quizzes
Instagram and Facebook both offer poll and quiz options in posting, so take full advantage! These are great for engaging with users, and opening up conversations. They’re also a super smart way of finding out what content and products your audience want to see – so you can provide them with it!
Facebook polls are fairly simple; they allow users to choose between two options. These would work well if you’re trying to decide on product colours or designs, or if you’re working out which craft tutorial you’re going to do next.
Instagram has a wider range of poll options available on their Stories feature. Using the stickers, you can ask your audience to take part in a poll with two possible answers, or respond to a general question. You can also set up a fun quiz, which tests their knowledge on you and your products, then provides the answer afterwards.
Be social
Social media is just that – a way to interact socially online. We all know the best interactions are two way – so apply the same rule that you would in real life to your social strategy.
Invest time in your community management, and you’ll definitely see results. Reply to comments and queries in a timely manner, and never ignore complaints – this is the quickest way to generate bad feedback. Make sure your efforts are outgoing as well; like, comment and share other users content to build relationships and grow your audience. Finally, think about creating exclusive Facebook groups for a more close-knit community.
