You did it! You put your shop on Facebook! Great job, time for step two: Posting!
So, how often should I post?
Consider the most common times people look at social media. Do you look at your phone during a lunch break? I would imagine most people do. What about that 3 o’clock hour when you sneak a little break, seeing if it is 5pm yet? Or do you look after work, relaxing at home? The thing to think about here, is people look at social media multiple times a day. You want to make sure they see YOU multiple times a day. You can even use your Insights on your Facebook Page to see when your viewers are online the most!
Posting consistently is key. Using Facebook you can schedule your posts to come out at the same time each day. You should post late morning and midafternoon, each day. Including days when your business is closed! This way, when people take their breaks they will see you just posted! Visitors will get used to seeing your posts at those times and want to make sure they don’t miss anything from you.
You may think posting twice a day is a lot but it really is not. How many amazing products and classes does your store have that you want to share? You may find twice a day does not cut it!
There are three types of posts you can share and you should switch back and forth between them: Educational, Inspirational, and Entertainment.
Educational posts will be your main posts. These will be your products and classes you want to promote. You can post images of your products and their direct links to your website for people to order. If the item is not on the website, that’s ok too. Posting the product allows the customer know you carry it in store! Share your brand new items and your best sellers. Educational posts will grant the most income, but don’t inundate your customers with only products. You do not want to be seen as ‘ads only.’
This is where Inspirational posts come in! Your customer may have purchased that great new fabric line from you, but how should they use it? Use your creativity to come up with great new projects and kits that use your fabric. Some fabric companies have free patterns that go specific with their collection. These are great resources to share, and then direct the viewer back to your store to get the fabric for it! Share an image of a product in use, not just in packaging. And then show multiple ways to use the same product. How can they resist?
Finally, add in Entertainment posts from time to time. These can be behind the scenes of your store and team. Show when a mountain of packages come in from a distributor! Did one of your fabric companies you purchase from put up a funny post? Share it to your page! Any fun posts that keeps your page active is key, even if it is not directly related to a product.
Check out the most popular tool on QuiltingHub. Use the search 'Map Of Resources' or the 'Resources Trip Planner' to the right (or below).
Ellen Ault is a professional long arm quilter. Her quilts have been in national quilt shows and in numerous publications. Ellen is a graphic artist and assists local quilt shops with social media.