Hi All!,
Just looking into advertising online and wondered if anyone had any advice or success stories using online advertising (paid or free).
I am finding my folksy shop lagging way behind my shop on the other side and really want to make the most of my plus account! I promote on Facebook, twitter and pinterest. But probably not as much as I should!
Any Advice?
Hello
Ive been actively promoting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Pinterest. I spend a lot more time promoting than making at the moment. Things are a little quiet here for me also.
I don’t really know what the answer is to attract customers with online promotion. Its really hard isn’t it.
For me I’m beginning to realise I definitely need to sell in more places. I only have my Folksy shop at the moment as I was trying to keep costs down on listing fees etc, but I know if I want to make a go of it I need to try other options.
My worry with the ’ other side ’ is its so vast. How do you get noticed???
Another great way would be to go out and meet your customers by trying a craft fair. For me I wouldn’t be able to make enough stock to cover a table with having a day job, but for some folks it works really well alongside their online shops.
Wishing you all the best with your shops
Karen 
Hi Karen,
I find different places to sell in definitely works for me. As for the vastness of the other side I find that works for me, there’s only a handful of people that do similar knitwear etc so i think you just have to find your niche. Also it has a stat page that shows you how people got to your shop and what search words they chose. Which can help choosing what to list etc.
I’m thinking about reaching out to bloggers when I have the time to get more exposure. But i’m not sure when to start!
I tried a couple of craft fairs last year and didn’t even cover my table cost 
I think my location just didn’t attract my target market.
Just gonna have to keep trying new things!
Grace x
Hi,
Considering that the “other site” is so vast with a lot more competition, I get lots more views and favourites and likes than I ever have done on here so you do get noticed on there. But admittedly I make most of my sales through ebay. I’ve never had any success with a Facebook page, twitter and Craftjuice. I’ve spent a huge amount of time in the past promoting and advertising but it took up too much of my time without getting any extra sales. It is hard to attract custom and to know the right way to do it. We very rarely hear about the success stories on these Forums, I suppose they are all too busy doing the right sort of advertising! Good luck with finding the right formula!
Kim x
Hi Karen, try a craft fair and share a table with another crafter. Shares the cost, covers toilet breaks etc and gives you a bit of company too. I do a few with my sister, always an opportunity to get your stuff out there, hand out cards etc. Liz.
I get most of my custom work and sales through craft fairs (especially around christmas). In one day I can sell as many items as it has taken me 20 months to sell on Folksy. I have made it into gift guides, pinterest boards and other people’s blogs but the items featured have yet to sell via folksy (my cloud pendants get featured in blogs, have picked up plenty of likes and sell well at craft fairs but I’ve yet to sell one of the designs here).
I ran an experiment back in November about the usefulness of facebook as a promotional tool - I generated a facebook specific discount code set it loose and then waited to see how many people used it. The answer - no one. Over 400 people saw the post but no one wanted 10% off to help with their christmas shopping. I know some people run sucessful FB shops and generate business through it but I wonder if it works best for a specific type of product/ price point.
Dottie who runs BritishCrafters seems to do a good job at promoting so you might want to consider paying her to do your tweeting etc for you. Never tried it myself as i can’t decide which item to promote.
I advertise with Dottie over on British Crafters and I think £10 for 5 days advertising is very reasonable. She has tens of thousands of followers on FB and Twitter, so it can’t help to get your name out to all those people, can it?