We're living in a crazy time right now.
The covert 19 outbreak and lockdown has changed lives.
It's changed the way we're doing business and there's no sign that things are
going back to normal anytime soon.
So let's talk about strategies for getting your small business through this.
In this video I want to share with you how to keep up on social media like
Instagram and Facebook,
if your shop is closed or just not operating at full force right now
at full force right now. Hi, my name is may.
Hi, my name is Mei and I help makers,
artists and designers create a consistent income selling their handmade products
online.
I've been running my own handmade jewelry business at tiny hands for over a
decade and I've taken everything I know from my own success and helping fellow
business owners with creative hive since 2014 and I've been working in the
trenches with you guys with my own shops online.
I'm the business owner of a small business,
just like you stressing over sales and this topsy turvy situation,
and I want to share everything I know with you so we can all get through this
and still be successful together.
I've seen so many small businesses temporarily closed because of the Krone
virus.
Maybe it's because your state has put a ban on nonessential business operating,
or maybe your studio space has been shut down,
or maybe your kids are home from school and you just don't have the time to
operate your business. Whatever your situation,
you might be wondering how to keep up on social media when you have nothing to
show. So let's talk about it. I'm going to cover three main topics today.
First, the importance of engagement to harnessing your existing content.
And three,
I'm going to share some great new content ideas to help keep you inspired
because I'm sure if anything covert 19 is making you feel this weird sense of
lack of motivation to do anything. Am I right? All right, so number one,
engagement. What do you think of when you think social media,
you think of posting photos, right? That's what everyone first thinks of,
but the truth is that posting stuff is only half of the story.
The reason it's called social media is that you're supposed to be social
engagement is what sets social media apart from other kinds of marketing like
email marketing or blogging or search engine optimization.
When social media started many years ago,
it was truly that a place for people to talk to each other and stay connected
and make new friends. Then in the last recent years,
social media has turned into like a TV show, like a Netflix of sorts, right?
You're not there to talk to people per se,
but to look at pretty photos and watch a viral 22nd videos of cute puppies and
kittens, but what does social media look like today?
We're actually going back full circle to what social media looked like in the
very beginning. The dark ages,
Facebook and Instagram and lots of other platforms have created algorithms to
force bringing back this element of being social.
And the people that do social well are the ones that win.
So when the stuff hits the fan is when the value of building genuine connections
and relationships with customers pays off.
I can guarantee you that unless your product is super trendy,
amazing or just really relevant right now, like soaps or face masks,
you're not likely to gain a lot of new customers at a time like this.
But if you've become a standby favorite,
your dedicated customers will keep returning with all this social distancing
happening, customers are actually spending some extra time on social media.
So take advantage of this time to really connect with your customers.
But what does real engagement look like? Jewelry, business,
commenting on posts.
So searching relevant hashtags and having genuine conversations with other
people, following new accounts,
sending DMS and connecting with publications or influencers that you've been
meaning to keep commenting, keep liking, make new friends,
keep establishing new relationships.
Even if you don't post a single thing engaging with other people will still keep
you active and in the game. Again,
I would argue to say engaging with other people is more important than posting
content. But speaking of which, let's move on to number two.
Let's talk about content.
Maybe you aren't making any new products or designs right now. First,
it's totally fine to say that to your audience and customers, be honest,
be real. You know,
people in social media actually really celebrate people who are just real,
raw and honest as long as they're being positive about it,
which I know sounds like a contradiction,
but it's a fine balance that can be done.
Now is a great time to think about your business as more than just a collection
of products you don't. Why did you start your business in the first place?
Did you start making baby onesies? Because when your sister was pregnant,
you who desperately wanted a baby,
one Z with a sassy message on it and you couldn't find any that you liked.
Tell that story.
Heck wouldn't it be super fun to show off where your 12 year old nieces now or
here's another thing to think about. Why do you use certain materials, right?
Can you show them to your audience? Can you talk about your process?
This is the real behind the scenes content.
You should really be posting all the time, but when business is booming,
we often forget to do it.
So now's your chance and if you're feeling low in photos and you don't have time
to take new ones, search back through your archives.
Chances are you have lots of images that you haven't used.
Check your last photo shoot.
Is there a different angle that you can share or can you Photoshop your photo
and zoom in a little bit that can make it look like a totally new photo and
trust me, your followers aren't going to notice if you repost it an old photo.
They're not paying attention to stuff like that.
Only you are because you're the closest to your work. I have.
So photos I can post five times a week and still have enough content to last me
like two to three years, but you don't.
No one's going to remember I posted that same photo two years ago and yes,
it's totally fine to slow down on your posting.
You don't have to post every day just a few times a week is good enough.
What's important is that you're still showing up. Okay, number three,
what if you still need some content ideas?
I'll share some great ones you can steal right now and they'll still be good
ideas six months from now. So write these down.
First thing is do a challenge.
It can be anything as long as it's something that you would connect with your
audience and you likely end up with loads of customer photos you can use on your
own social media. So for example, if you make soap,
you can start a two weeks of awesome self care challenge or something like that
where you release a new tip each day for relaxing and then encourage others to
join in. Or say you're a knitwear designer.
A challenge you could do could be a knit along and you can connect with a yarn
company to really increase your reach and you can post daily tips or even
customer photos if you make home decor products.
You can plan a nesting event,
chat about cleaning or organizing spaces and see how you can bring in a virtual
partner to make it a team event and give tips for decorating that
coincidentally, but not coincidentally, it makes your product shine.
These strategic with your challenge,
have a theme for it while tying it in with your product so you're still relevant
and it's not like it's coming out of left field.
Another idea is to share a unique use for your product. So say again,
you make soap and everyone knows you could use it to wash your face,
but does it maybe also double as a shampoo or delicate garment wash or say
you're a jewelry designer, right?
Can you show your customers a new and creative way to wear your popular designs?
Maybe a necklace can be doubled to be a cool like stacked bracelet,
right? I mean these days people are feeling thrifty because of lost jobs,
but they're also feeling splurgy because they're stuck at home all day and
they're bored. So if you can show your product as multiple uses,
you might show that you're the splurge worth going for. Oh,
you can also fill in the tutorial. Okay.
I know you think it's completely obvious, right?
How to use your most popular product but filler tutorial anyway and yes,
that means if you sell soap, set up a camera in your bathroom,
but first maybe take a few extra minutes to clean up a bit if it's not totally
camera ready, if you know what I mean.
And then actually film yourself washing your face and talking about your product
and how you would use it.
You could even tell us about the moisturizer you use afterwards.
An in depth tutorial is one of the best pieces of content you can make. One,
you're showing yourself in action,
which endears your customers to you as a real person. And to,
there is always going to be someone who learns something.
And my bet is you're sharing a tidbit or two that end up being useful for lots
of people. See,
like something we often forget as makers is we're the experts at what we do and
our customers buy from us because they don't know what we know about our craft
and product.
So I know a lot of you guys are probably thinking you have nothing worth saying
or nothing new to share with people that they don't already know, right?
But trust me, that's usually not the case.
And another great thing about videos like this is you're making evergreen
content you can use for years. You can put it on your blog, Instagram,
Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and even your email marketing or on your website.
Um, okay. So here's another idea. Gather your favorite resources to share.
Get together your favorite blog posts, videos, magazines, Instagram accounts,
YouTube channels, maybe mine, whatever it is.
Share them with your audience. Be a curator of amazing content.
I'm sure you've all seen those top 10 top 12 best restaurant lists are best to
make up product lists, right?
There's a reason sites like Buzzfeed and Huffington post keep writing content
like that. It's because people love seeing curated lists of products,
of resources.
Somebody else has already done the hard work to test or research those things
and put them together in a neat pile for other people to see.
I hope this gives you some great ideas about what to post on social media,
even if your shop isn't currently open or if you're not really making any new
things right now. If you stay engaged,
you will be well positioned when your shop is open again,
to be successful together. I've seen so many small businesses, temporary,
I've seen so many small businesses.