Promoting Folksy by Boosting SM Reach

Shop Talk Social Media
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A few people have mentioned they might find it easier to interact with social media posts if they had a prompt on the forums, so here it is!

Our aim is to help spread the Folksy name as a great place to buy handmade. There are already some great posts by both Folksy and Folksy sellers promoting the site and what can be bought here, but low interaction can mean they’re not always seen by as many people as possible - even those that are following the page!

Social media algorithms can be a pain, but the more interaction a post has, the more likely it is to be shown to more people. Whether it’s a like, Facebook reaction, comment, share, retweet, save or even clicking on a link, all can help increase a post’s reach.

This means if we join together as a community and put a little effort in to interact with Folksy related posts, we can increase the reach on those posts, meaning more people are reminded of the site and what lovely things are available here, or if we’re really successful, we might get some new people finding out about Folksy (think of those times Instagram gives you a suggested post to a page you don’t follow, or Facebook shows you a post of a page you don’t follow because your friend commented on it, as well as with shares which can reach a different audience to the original post).

So if you have a Folksy related post on social media, share the link here so everyone can easily find it to interact. You may also want to use the hashtag #folksy5aday to make it easier to find on the platform.

If you’ve got a few spare minutes, have a look through the thread for links on social media platforms you use and interact with some posts.

As there’s already a specific thread for Folksy Fridays, it’s probably best to leave posting those to Promoting Folksy so they don’t overwhelm this thread, but for your other Folksy posts, please share here!

To start, here is today’s Facebook post from Folksy, promoting handmade supplies and kits made by our sellers - Folksy - What craft project are you working on right now?... | Facebook

At the moment we generally get more interaction on Instagram posts than Facebook posts, even though the Facebook page has more followers, so it’d be nice to see if we can give that a boost and get seen by those people that have already shown an interest in Folksy but might not have seen our posts for a while.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CdOF8O0Nf3w/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr8zQE7tJty/

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In case anyone isn’t sure how to get the link to their social media post to put on here:
Instagram - click the 3 dots in the right hand corner above the post > click “link” OR click the send icon (paper plane) below the photo > click “copy link” (Instagram are currently in the process of moving things around so it could be either)
Facebook (browser) - click the date/time on the post to open the individual post > click on the address bar (at the top of the screen) to highlight the link and copy

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Facebook (app) - click the 3 dots in the right hand corner above the post > click “copy link”
Twitter - click the share icon (last symbol below the post) > click “copy link to tweet”
TikTok - click “share” on right of the video > click “copy link”

Once the link is copied to your clipboard, you just need to come to this thread and paste the link in to a reply.
If you’re not sure how to paste, the instructions can vary depending on the exact device you’re using, but generally
Windows - right click > select “paste”, or press the control key and “v” at the same time on the keyboard.
Mac - press the command key and “v” at the same time on the keyboard.
Phone/tablet - it’s usually holding your finger down where you want to paste for a couple of seconds, and then the option to paste should pop up.

If you’re not sure what sort of posts you could do to promote Folksy, here are a few ideas.

Share a photo of something you’ve bought on Folksy. Showing that you’ve had a good experience buying can give people more confidence to shop here, and although people might not be able to buy the exact same item, it’s good promotion for both Folksy and the seller and can have more impact than just the seller/us promoting the item to sell (think about when you’re buying, do you trust a recommendation/review from a previous customer more or the company’s advert?)

Promote some of your own items along with those from other sellers on a theme, showing that Folksy is a site with a wide variety of items.
This is often done with Folksy Friday boards, but you might want to find a different angle to share a few sellers work. Such as picking one of your items and a few things from other sellers that compliment it. For example, you could put together an outfit/accessories for an outfit from items made by yourself and other sellers. Or a selection of items to pamper yourself with, for a cosy night in, to decorate a bathroom…

One way I combined the two above ideas on my own social media post is with this little set of questions

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Sharing something you’ve bought (giving confidence) along with something from another shop and your own (giving variety and yourself a little promotion). If anyone wants to do this themselves feel free to use the image.

Put a call out for people to share their items (will work better on Facebook or Twitter). Sellers want to promote their own items, so one way you can increase interaction and show a variety of Folksy items is to put a post sharing one of your items, and ask sellers to share their own Folksy items on the theme. For example “here’s my new lamb painting now listed on Folksy, have you got any items that celebrate the signs of spring? Post your Folksy links in the comments below”. Or think about your own shopping struggles - “Father’s day is coming up and I’ve got a very tricky to buy for dad. Have you got any items a … year old, … loving man might like? Share them in the comments”

If you find you meet a lot of people who haven’t heard of Folksy, you could also just do a simple post explaining what Folksy is and why you like using it.

If you want to use the Folksy logo on your posts, you can find a variety of images on here - New Folksy badges, banners and printable flyers and postcards. Please note it’s not just the images displayed on the page, the links (download Folksy logos and download Folksy graphics) each contain a different selection of images. This includes a single colour outline logo, which you can change the colour on if the normal version of the logo is a bit too colourful for what you’re using it on.

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My last purchase from Folksy has been pinned to Pinterest. First Snowdrops. Georgina Crawford Art.

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I’m thinking of doing another Instagram Giveaway but with the proviso that all entrants must tag Folksyhq.

Perhaps this might bring in a whole new audience.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnv5VHfKm90/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

(Not sure if this copy link and paste from Instagram Folksyhq has worked??)

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@VioletFlameGlassArt That might work! The featured makers giveaways often include a Folksy related condition such as following or tagging them along with the maker. Always good to hear more ideas of what might work well :slight_smile:

@NorthernSilversmith It worked (as long as you meant it to go to the Folksy colours of the year post).

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Ah ok, yes that was the intention. I was expecting to see the Instagram picture as well though :slightly_smiling_face:

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Different thing but I miss the button on our posts so that we can share items in Folksy shops to twitter. I used to use that a lot and it’s easy, simple and quick. Will that be reinstated in the future?
Claire x

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I pin most of my creations to one or other of my Folksy titled boards on Pinterest. This is one of them :

and this another

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I hope this link works!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9Wef2o15u/

I don’t have many followers yet (only been on instagram a couple of weeks) so the impact will be limited, but I guess it’s the thought that counts!

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I’ve just followed you on instagram

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Just tweeted!

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This is my first post with the Find me on Folksy badge added to the corner.

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@Eiderglass ive just followed you on insta

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@pipdesigns just followed you on twitter

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Morning

I post the same thing on insta and fb - are we sharing just 1 link or both, asking before doing so. As some people might not be on all platforms.

This is my insta post

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr-aSuPMyd9/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

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pinned to Pinterest. Lovely card.

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Followed on Instagram :slightly_smiling_face:

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Just made my first ever sale, a response to a post on Instagram !!
Feeling very chuffed as we say up in Northern Silversmith land :slightly_smiling_face:

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