Social Media Crash Course

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Digital Age Marketing:

Before the digital age, marketing was largely about product awareness. But in the digital age, consumers have power over marketers. Consumers have the power to search and compare products. Simple marketing messages of "I have this product" will no longer be as effective.

Tailor your content to each platform:

Facebook/Meta allows you to cross post on Facebook and Instagram, but sometimes it's best to tailor your content. Facebook = Connect and Share, Instagram = Reach and Engage

Instagram Stories - An Intimate Inside Look:

• Stories connect you with your community.

• 70% of Instagram users watch stories every day.

• Stories can be low effort and high impact.

• Capture the little moments of things you find interesting.

• Engage with your audience. Ask questions. Share your frustrations. Be relatable, even if it's mundane. (Mundane is key!)

• Videos are more engaging that photos.

• Use text boxes to help give context.

• Caption your videos if someone is talking.

• Explore music and stickers. You can link to websites/shops.

• Save your best stories as highlights on your profile.

Instagram Reels - Engage Your Audience, Reach New People

• Reels have higher potential to reach new and younger audiences.

• 20% of US Gen Z adults use Reels weekly.

• Reels get 22% more engagement than regular posts.

• Reels can be reposted to Tik Tok and YouTube shorts.

• Reels MUST have an aspect of connection, entertainment, or

information. Most viral reels are entertaining in some aspect.

• Watch Reels to learn how they work. Successful Reels have a HOOK. Audience retention drops to 50% by 10 seconds and 10% by the end of

the video.

• Consider the shareability of your Reels. Shares are more valuable than

likes.

General Posting Tips:

• Take high quality photos (even with your phone). Well lit, nicely framed photos perform better.

• When recording, adjust your video settings to film in 4k. Your back camera films in higher quality than your selfie camera.

• Experiment with posting times. Mondays and Tuesday mornings are generally the best times to post on Instagram, but you audience may differ. You can schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram.

• Try not to post more than once a day (except for stories).

• Use a few hashtags to increase reach. Typing in a hashtag will show how many posts are under that hashtag. Use relevant hashtags with more posts under them. What is the post? Who would be interested? Where is the location? #art #localartist #maryland

• Tag people in posts and and stories so they can see and share.

• Invite collaborators on Instagram to post on both pages. Works especially well if you can collaborate with a page with more followers.

Captions:

• Use captions to convey information that doesn't fit in a post or video. Let your media be the hook and your caption be the "learn more." Any advertising should be done in the caption rather than the post.

• Only a few lines of caption appear on a post, so consider what might convince a viewer to view more.

• Consider captions to increase engagement. Ask a question that might prompt comments or shares.

Audit Yourself:

• Is your username and name easily searchable?

• Does your bio give essential information? (Who, what, where, when?) Are your post interesting to you? Do they connect, entertain, or inform? Or are they ads?

• Which post do you gravitate to immediately? Or ask a friend to help.

• This post could be pinned to your profile, allowing it to show up first.

• Which posts have more likes/comments/shares? How can you make more posts like this?

Craft Fairs

Monday, November 13, 2023 (Maker’s Challenge: “Magic Touch”)

Vendor Shows & Booth Tips:

Applications:

• Pay attention to the rules for photos (file type, sizing)

• Submit the best of the best (crop, change the contrast, be mindful of the background

• Pay attention to dealing (application submissions, payment deadlines)

What Sets Me Apart?

• About me- write about what makes you unique (where you source materials, techniques you use, where you recieved your training from, etc)

• Online presence- not necessarily important to have a huge following- but having a website or an etsy is helpful when being considered for a show- even a simple free website that shows your products and range is helpful. You can also add a mock-up display booth or a previous show you've attended on your site!

Your Table/Booth:

• Packaging:also good to take photos of your products alone and with the packaging- showcase your quality of work!

Setting Up:

• Mock-Up and Trial Run: set up ahead of time- this saves you valuable troubleshooting time (have your friend or family pretend they're shopping your booth, note what they miss, what they inquire about for prices, are they picking up the items or passing them by? Ask then what they first saw that stood out)

• This is a great opportunity to take a photo to submit during the application process! 

• Take into account set up time- can anything be transferred from car to table as it? What will allow you the most efficiency? 

Displays:

• Build your own that best display your products, if you can't build your own- visit stores like Target, Michaels, or Joanne Fabric to buy little crates, tins etc- get a prototype and develop it on your own! Amazon works too! 

• Build in 2ft or 4ft dimensions to accommodate a 6 or 8 ft table to maximize your booth space

• Pay attention to eye level, create tiers and a pyramid/triangle of a focal point to let your customer see everything you have to offer

• Be mindful of outdoor shows- lighting (battery powered), windy- duct tape is your saving grace! Account for moisture, rain, sun etc)

• Packaging- be mindful of having your packaging stand out. Bags and Branding- stamps, ribbon, tissue paper- little details that elevate the shopping experience. 

• Making interactive signs like "Ask me for more sizes" or "More colors available- Ask me!" or "Handmade with local wool" are very helpful

Marketing:

• Booth branding- backdrops, front of tent logos - easily ordered on etsy, banners.com, etc. 

• Business cards, flyers for upcoming events, stickers with your logos - give away or add them to your bags when customers shop

• QR codes for following you on social media- for venmo or payments, easy and quick!

• Newsletter sign ups

• Flyers for custom commission work!

Tax/Insurance:

• ACT Insurance: - Can be helpful if you get stuck at a show where there is bad weather or even theft 

• MD and PA give temporary sales tax licenses for 60 days if there are shows that require you to have a license! Some shows will provide it for you and send you a list later to report anything that you sold for that particular show or timeframe.

• Speciality Insurance Company

Where do I find shows?

• Facebook, Social Media (searching #hashtags)

• Doing a show and asking others how they found it