A big request for help

I really want to do well with my Folksy shop but I’m already in a pickle. I have loads of stuff that I’ve made previously which I have to photograph (not my favourite task) and upload to my shop (even less of a favourite task). I love baking things but have big problems actually marketing and advertising them. Did anyone else used to be like this and is there a way around it or should I just pack up everything previously made, to be uploaded at a later date, and focus on making things now and putting those into my shop? Any advice would be more than welcome as would any pointers around Folksy in general, I could definitely do with a mentor lol.
Be Kate

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I find the photography really hard. My photos still aren’t as good as many other shops. I would definitely recommend that you persevere. It would be a shame not to list the things you’ve made.
You could do them in small lots if you find the whole job is daunting. Maybe groups of 3 or 5 to photograph a day then adjusting them in photoshop in small lots. The same with listing and marketing.
If you can afford it you could ask a professional product photographer to take them for you.

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I think Bekki’s idea is great, try listing a few at a time. Marketing yourself can be very daunting at first, I certainly found it that way and still do to a point. I just copied they way I saw other people putting there shop out there and it kind of worked. Pick which social media platforms you’d like to use and share, not easy I know but you’ll get there.
I like to use Instagram, Twitter and I found Folksy Shop Group a great place to share. It can all be very time consuming though so if you only have time for one that’s ok. I rarely post on all three platforms all the time. Hope that’s of some help. :slight_smile:

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With the photography its worth sitting down and figuring out which items will require the same set up/ props and pick some of those to do in a session (so bracelets for one group, pendants might be another, cards a third). That way you don’t have to faff about with rearranging the props you can just substitute in the different items (I use little bits of blutac to stick my props down so I can’t accidentally move them). I have my camera on a tripod so the props stays lined up in the shot but you can experiment with propping your camera up on different things so that it stays in one place.
I make a list of all the different style of photos I need to do (eg flat lay, shot in hand, close up) and then do all of one type of shot for that batch of items before I move on to the next type of shot (items start off lined up on one side of me and get lined up on the other side when they’ve been photoed so nothing gets missed out and they are already lined up for the next type of shot).
To make listing things quicker there is the ‘copy’ function if you are listing similar items (so if you have a bracelet to list you might copy a listing for another bracelet) just make sure you double check all the fields (especially the tags) and update them for the new item.

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Ahh Sasha - this is exactly how I do my photos too! I feel like a pro now lol!!
I find one other benefit of this is when I go to edit my photos - I use Photoscape (free Microsoft photoshop type software), & if I crop a photo then it remembers where I cropped to for the next photo, so I can crop them all exactly the same with no effort.

Kate @CabinCraft - so, I still don’t particularly enjoy photography or writing listings, but it does get easier & you’ll find little tricks that work for you. Definitely do them in batches - you’ll probably be surprised how many you get through. It seems a shame not to list things if you have them all ready to go. You could maybe just set aside an afternoon & see how much you get through - I tend to have an afternoon a week just for taking & editing photos.

Marketing is hard work, & can be really daunting if you’re not really a social media person. My main advice would be to just go for it, as soon as you get into a routine with it then it does get easier, promise! In fact that advice holds for photos & listings too! I view my shop as a work in progress…you’ll never get things perfect first time round, but you can keep constantly tweaking & updating things & figure out what works for you.

Don’t forget to use the #FolksyShop and #FolksySeller tags as then we can all find & follow you. Also maybe have a think about filling in your ‘about’ section at the bottom of your shop - it creates trust in your brand when people can see they are buying from a real person. I still need to update mine with a picture of me though (need to take my own advice :rofl: )

Good luck with it all, you’ll be surprised how quickly you get into the swing of things! x

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Hi Ya, Everyone has given lots of good advice! I still find it really difficult to do the whole marketing thing too, especially as I never seem to be happy with the photos & end up deciding to retake every so often. I tend to use Instagram and Facebook for social media, mainly because when I put a post on Instagram I can tell it to upload to Facebook as well so this saves a lot of time! There is a thread on the forums to leave your IG username, the idea being we all follow each other to give a helping hand. There are lots of other threads to help with promoting each other on here too which is worth joining in on.

Good Luck!
Cheers Lou

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Thank you to each and wvery one if you. I’m going to try to upload some more today and look around the forums but there’s so much, I honestly don’t know where to start. I now I need to make a FB page but not sure how I’ll find time to explain up with Insta and Facebook and the forums as well as checking emails etc xx

Start with one social media and see if it works for you, once you’ve got to grips with it start on the next one rather than starting them all at the same time and feeling over whelmed.

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Thanks @SashaGarrett that’s just answered a whole heap of questions for me except I don’t want to use one form of social media then find I need to relist everything all over again on another or remake a whole account on one. I’m trying to set it all up in the first place :slight_smile: