Im not good at small talk either, but I try to interact a bit and comment on other peoples work like you hve done, it definately generates more interest and reaches that bit further, when I don’t do FB things go quiet. I find it easier to do than when I first set up my page in January, and some of the comments can be quite a boost, so makes you want to post more. But I know that feeling of being self conscious, I really only say what I’ve been up to making wise - im not sure peeps would want to know about my personal life 
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I joined lots of facebook art pages and I have had buyers contact me to buy my items and I direct them here. ALso when I list, I share the listing on my facebook page. I try to “like” as many items as possible on facebook and that helps to get you noticed and people respond…
I also always give free gifts with any purchase as Edwina said…you have to give, to receive and yes it works…I also think what a lovely thing it is to get an extra surprise arrive. I do not advertise the free gifts as I don’t think that would be the right thing to do but I just always enclose a little extra.
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That’s the conclusion I have made about facebook too Liz, you have to try to beat them at their own silly games 
x
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Most of my sales are through Facebook, I don’t seem to get many on Folksy anymore unless I promote my butt off and I don’t have time for that. I like the fact that you can chat away on Facebook and no one seems to care! I also agree with Liz that if you talk a load of rubbish you will get views!! So I post a few non business posts and then put in a few photos of pendants and before you know it people are coming over to have a look. You have to be crafty too! Julie x
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I can understand putting up a photo with a link to your Folksy shop might get visitors. But when you say you get sales through Facebook not through Folksy how does that work? Do people just put their credit card details in a comment or what? Excuse my ignorance, I only set up a Facebook page earlier this year, and I’m still struggling with it.
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I send out invoices via Paypal, it’s really easy all the customer has to do is send me their email address and the rest is straight forward. They can then pay through their Paypal account if they have one or use their debit or credit card to pay the invoice.
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Thanks very much for everyone’s useful advice. I’ll continue to battle on with it when I’m not rounding up errant ewes who keep escaping 
I often share a picture of what I make on FB before I get round to listing it and I regularly get people wanting to buy. Then I send them an invoice. It does avoid Folksy fees. I think a lot of my Folksy sales come via FB as well and I have quite a few lovely repeat customers. I do try to share what I’m doing without always trying to sell it so that I don’t put people off x
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This is a very interesting discussion as I am new to both fb and folksy. What I find curious is how does interacting in these forums result in more sales, surely what it’s doing is making other crafters aware of your work? Plus how do you make potential customers aware of your work via fb? I’m not saying we won’t all occasionally buy something from each other, but surely what we really want are customers with more money than most people who make crafts have?
My living so far comes from selling direct to galleries across the UK, but I’m trying to get more direct sales as I have ongoing health issues that mean I could do with getting paid more per bird than I do when a gallery buys and has to add at least 50% plus VAT quite often. I have been tweating and fbing and getting to know folks here at folksy for about a week and to be honest I am finding it exhausting. It’s really not helping my health to be obsessing about whether someone is liking my fb and responding to comments etc, its quite adrenalin provocative. What I would like to know is how engaging with forums etc raises our profile to customers rather than each other and how the best sellers attract non craft customers. The kind of people who might walk into a craft or art gallery? I’d be really interested to hear what other people think and their experiences.
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Completely agree with the issues you’ve raised. I was in art for a long time and that had the same problems online but possibly worse; art sites promoting art to artists. No one sold much, and I think to the public straying in sometimes it made art look insular. I also had work in a craft centre, the type that rents shelf space, and the only people I ever met there were other crafters. The owner did a very good job of making out on Facebook the place was buzzing yet no one sold anything because she just attracted more crafters buying into the success story.
In answer to your question, I don’t know how to get to the non making public online, although I think being somewhere like Folksy helps. I think with things like Facebook people interacting with you can be seen by their friends, so you may broaden your scope a little. Pinterest can also be useful for getting to non makers, however on the converse side some people use that as a convenient way of archiving work so they can copy it and try to sell it themselves! I’d say if you have gallery space and work is selling, try to hold onto that as well as having an online presence so people who have bought your work can find you online.
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Hmm yes I think that’s the trouble isn’t it how to get seen online by customers with an average or above income rather than church mice like me. Don’t worry I have no intention of losing my shops sales it would take alot to replace them, only I can get virtually double a bird if I sell direct myself. My own website sold 50 birds last year, with NO promotion, but I was hoping places like this would up my sales. I have signed up to Seek & Adore too, but I am surprised that despite my work being top of their most recent e-mail out to customers so far no sales - an expensive learning curve. Although I hope xmas will rectify that and it has helped me get better images etc. Be interesting to hear anyone else’s experience.
Good points! I do think that crafters and artists buy from each other. I have bought lots of birthday presents from Folksy sellers since I’ve been on here because I like to support fellow crafters and I have found things I would never see in the shops. I love to see lots of different arts and crafts so I interact with FB pages that make things other than jewellery. And you are right Emma that friends of people who like my page can see what they are interacting with and I have had interest that way. It is hard work. Just over two years ago I started selling on Folksy and I said I would give myself a year of working at it and see what happened. I set up my FB page at about the same time. I don’t make a living but I cover all my costs and expenses and have made a small profit in the last year. If I don’t post on FB or list regularly my shop views go down to single figures so I have to keep up the momentum. I’m sure others will have other tips but it does take time and effort.
Di x
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I have a fb page where I talk about my crafts, I dont do it for sales(although they would be nice)but its just an outlet where I can waffle on daily about theprojects Im working on. Once I wrote about something and it reached about 250 people, no idea why, not sure if it was craft related, so Ive no idea what to write about really. Its just nice to add pics to and tell people what Im up to.
Craftjuice is good but hvnt notcied any sales because of it.
Ive not had any saes for along time so Im a bit diheartened currently, guess I need to get back into the swing of things. My blog and FB page should be link in my shop.
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I have to be honest and say my whole family rely on what I sell as our living and so I have to do more than cover the costs, I have to ensure my scarce time (because of my health) is used to maximum financial gain. I only clear about £8,000 in a good year, but nevertheless we have to live off it. It’s not my hobby it’s my living, so it’s really useful to hear how most people here get by and view their work, if I had any spare time I’d be doing something different. But all this is informative and useful in guiding me to know whether Folksy or similar selling platforms are going to be viable for me personally. It’s great that people can make and sell work with out the pressure of earning a living, it’s great to really enjoy your art or craft and have an outlet for it. I’d be interested to hear from anyone else on Folksy whose total or major income comes from what they sell here.
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I use facebook and have had some sales through it. It seems to be a case of trying lots of different ways of selling as any one alone doesn’t work. Occasionally I get sales through fb after people see me at craft fairs, so the business cards are worth it! Posting little and often seems to keep your reach up. There are so many pages it is amazing any of us get seen at all
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I really like your birds. Have you thought about approaching a magazine who might be interested in doing an article about you and what you do which might give you more exposure to people who might appreciate your work? Something like a home and garden, or nature magazine may be interested, especially as you have a love of British birds.
I often think luck in the right person seeing your stuff can play a huge part now, which is why it can pay to not have all your eggs in one basket these days.
Thank you Emma, yes I have, one of my reasons for going to Seek & adore is that they get articles in magazines etc and I’m hoping they still will, particularly in the run up to Xmas, but it’s hard to get a foot in the door with magazines like Home & Gardens etc. Sometimes my birds have been in one as part of a gallery’s products, but of course they don’t say who made it so it only benefits that gallery.
Emma, just a quick one, S&D, what is their commission rate?
Did you mean Seek & Adore @littleRamstudio? Get ready to choke… £180 for a year plus 25% of everything you sell - if that’s anything. Ask me this time next year whether it’s worth it!
Choking!
And Dyslexia rules K.O.