You built a Facebook page for your business, now is the time to really put it to use!
Facebook is one of the easiest social media outlets to use for your quilt shop. Our customers are visual learners that love fabric and seeing what just came in. Your Facebook page is a wonderful tool to share your new products, classes, and more.
Posting photos to Facebook is a great way for people to see what is new with your shop. However, have you noticed that your view count is not very high on photos? Has a photo on your timeline only reached 25% of your followers? Photos are great to share but video is even better!
How often do you yourself scroll through Facebook, maybe pausing on a photo and giving it a like, but instantly scroll to the next? Photos are great to show on social media, but you need to create a reason for your customer to stay with your post and remember your shop. It is time to introduce videos!
You can create a video post on your mobile phone and upload the video to your business Facebook page. Facebook will process the video for it to display correctly on your timeline, so consider the size of the video it has to convert when you are creating them. Once your video is posted, you can go back to the post and edit it if needed. You might want to switch the thumbnail image it created or add a tag to reach even more followers. Then sit back and wait for the higher view count! The algorithm Facebook uses ensures video posts will receive a higher reach than photos do. Similar to regular posts, a video post will let you know how many views you have, as well as how many minutes are watched.
Keep your video length in mind. It doesn’t have to be a long video. You can keep it short and simple: telling your consumers about a new class, showing a new product, or letting them know about something that will be happening in your shop. In a video be sure to tell the viewer how to find the product you are selling. Tell the viewers how to register for the event you are promoting. Give out your web address or store phone number in your video. If you forget, you can always add it to the text to accompany the post.
Want to take your video posts even farther? Try Facebook Live! Do everything you would do for a video post, except you are live in creating it. Live may feel a little nerve-racking, but with practice will feel like second nature.
Do you know what the best part of doing a Facebook Live video is? Your followers who are currently online will instantly receive a notification that your business is 'Live on Facebook'. Imagine the greater reach this will have!
Live videos will show you how many viewers you have. If you are doing the Live video with an assistant, the assistant can watch the responses on Facebook. Viewers can ask questions in the comments and you can reply, instantly! Once your Live video session is complete, you will have the option to save it to your timeline. That way if someone logs on hours later, they will see a notification that you were Live that day.
Facebook video posts and Live videos are amazing marketing tools. These tips will help you create posts that are more engaging for your followers. Try a video post on your shop’s Facebook page and see what a difference it can create for you.
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.