Follow these steps to help you build a robust social media network that connects you with potential customers.
Spread the word on and offline
Customers can’t follow you on social media unless they know where to look. Be sure to connect your accounts to your shop so visitors can easily click through to view your content, see tagged product photos from past shoppers, and become a follower. To foster the connection offline, include your social media information on business cards or thank-you notes in your packaging along with a suggestion that they share a photo of their purchase online tagging your social media accounts. This way satisfied customers will know which handles to use when posting about their purchases.
Save on Etsy fees when you drive sales to your shop
The Etsy Share & Save programme rewards you for the traffic and sales you drive to your own shop. When you share your unique link to your shop and make a sale, we’ll take 4% of the order total off your Etsy bill – so you pay less in fees for that order. You can use your trackable links whenever you share your shop or listings, including the link in your social media bio. Get started with Share & Save.
Put your post into a broader context
Using a hashtag adds your post to a public feed for that phrase, drawing a wider audience to your content. Brainstorm what hashtags your target customer might be searching, and use hashtags relevant to your product that are meaningful to you.
On Instagram, use the Explore tab to research popular hashtags for your audience. Type a term into search, then click the “Tags” header. Once you click into your selected hashtag’s feed, Instagram will also suggest other thematically-relevant hashtags along the top. Using a general hashtag with millions of posts in its feed may not provide much exposure, so researching more nuanced tags specific to your audience and industry can help you reach a more targeted group. You can also explore using apps like Leetags or a site like All-Hashtag to source relevant tags.
Connect through comments
The purpose of social media is to be social (we know) and a great way to do that is through comments. Whether you’re responding to a question about your product, thanking a follower for posting about a recent purchase, or complimenting content shared by people in your target market, engaging through comments indicates that you’re active and attentive on social media – and helps spread the word about your business. Social network algorithms also tend to favour posts that generate engagement, so until it becomes unmanageable, be sure to respond to most, if not all, of your comments.
Establish a posting schedule
In order to gain followers, a key is that said followers need something to engage with. Instagram has even recommended posting 1-3 times per day in order for your content to be seen. The same however is not true for Facebook, where overposting can decrease your chances of being seen in the timeline. But while you may be posting multiple times per day, it’s important to space out your content (think every few hours or at times when you know your followers are online). For more information on when you should be posting, you can read the article on Planning an Effective Editorial Calendar.
Follow other relevant accounts
This is probably more true for Instagram rather than Facebook, but one way to get folks to follow your account is by following them. In addition to following people, it also makes sense to engage with their content (liking and commenting).
Collaborate with other sellers
A great way to get your name out there is to collaborate with other sellers in your area or nationally. This could be as simple as showcasing their content on your channel and tagging them and having them feature your content on their channel and tag you. It can also be as complex as hosting Facebook or Instagram lives together to chat through issues or successes related to your small businesses.
Run a paid campaign
While running follower acquisition campaigns can be an expensive endeavor, engagement campaigns are a great way to get your content out there and can have a halo effect by bringing in followers who engage with your paid content. Experiment by testing out various audiences and ad types.
Things to avoid
Understand that building an engaged following takes time. You may be tempted to try to use a few shortcuts, but the following activities are generally frowned upon and can even get your account suspended.
- Buying followers: There are sites out there that promise to deliver authentic followers for a small fee. These new “followers” are usually bot accounts that will not deliver actual sales for your business and can even get your account flagged if you grow too fast.
- Buying engagements: Similar to buying followers, these fake engagements can provide a temporary boost to your confidence, but have little to no effect on your business.
- Following and then unfollowing accounts: This tactic involves following hundreds of accounts per day and then unfollowing them within a few days. This tactic can get you flagged by Instagram as a spam account.
You can create posts for Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using Etsy's social media tool: We'll even offer inspiration on what to share and which hashtags to use.
Follow Etsy Success on Instagram and Facebook for more advice and inspiration on running an Etsy shop.
Words by Etsy Staff
