Social Media Special - Facebook

Here's another Social Media Special!

This time we're going to take a look at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Everyone has heard of Facebook, but some of you might not be using it yet, or may only be using it for personal use rather than business use. So today we're going to look at how Facebook can be used to promote your Etsy shop.

Facebook Basics:

First of all, here's a few Facebook Basics, for those of you who don't use it at all yet...

• You can use Facebook to share stories, photos and videos - both your own and you can share other people's too. You can also use facebook to join and communicate with 'groups' of people who have the same interests as you, you can follow business pages of business you like, you can play games, chat in Facebook messages, and more.
• To use Facebook you need to set up a Facebook account (anyone over the age of 13 can do so).
• PRIVACY SETTINGS: You should think carefully about the amount of information you put on there and check your privacy settings too. For example, if you tend to use your birth town as a password for your online bank account, then don't put your birth town on Facebook - you don't want to make it easy for people to gather your personal information and use it to hack into other accounts. This doesn't need to scare you off, it's just good to keep it in mind when you are filling out your details. You can change the privacy settings for each update if you want some to be public and some to only be seen by your friends, or specific friends only, etc. You can read more about privacy settings here: https://www.facebook.com/help/325807937506242/
• You can become 'friends' with your real-life friends and family, so you can see the photos and updates they post, and they can see yours. 
• People can interact with the photos and updates you post, by 'liking' them (or other emotions e.g. 'loving'), or by commenting below them - you can then reply to their comment too.
• To use Facebook as your business (your Etsy shop) you need to set up a page. You have to already have a Facebook account before you can set up a page. Once you have a page, then people can 'like' it, and they will see photos and updates you post in there (though they won't always see everything you post, we'll talk more about this in a minute). They will be able to interact by commenting on / sharing your posts. They will also be able to message your page. You can add other things too, like a shop where you can list your items but then they have to click through to Etsy to purchase it.

There is lots more you can learn about Facebook settings and uses and I'm not going to cover it all here today. See the 'getting started' page of the Facebook Help Centre to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/help/364458366957655/

Using Facebook For Business:

Here's a few ideas on how Facebook can help your business...

Your Facebook Page: As mentioned above, you can set up a page for your business. 

• You can post updates one there (photos, videos, or just snippets about your day). Try a mix of updates about new products, behind the scenes, and about you / your shop. 
• You could try finding some hashtags to join in with on certain days, like #motivationmonday or #throwbackthursday - see more here: https://thrivehive.com/39-daily-hashtags-for-small-business-marketing/
• Pay to 'boost' your posts or advertise to reach more people - and you can set the target audience these are being shown to so that it matches your target audience (see our post about finding your target market here:  https://dorsetteam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/business-building-finding-your-target.html)
• Not all the people who've 'liked' your page will see all your posts. If they haven't recently visited your page or liked one of your updates then your new one won't be shown to them, or it will be quite far down in their facebook feed, so they probably won't scroll down far enough to see it. Encourage people to comment on your updates by asking questions - the more interaction your post has the higher it will appear in feeds.
• You can set up a Facebook shop, as mentioned above. For how to do that see here: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/912190892201033
• You can also add events you are attending, for example if you will be at the Dorset Team Fairs you can show these events on your shop page. Here's how to do that: https://www.facebook.com/help/802612399854497

Your Facebook Group: Some business will also set up a Facebook Group for other people to join. 

• This can be set so it's not as public as your Facebook Page - you can then use it to share special offers or coupon codes with people in your group - so this could be loyal customers, or customers who have spent over a certain amount etc.
• People might be more likely to interact in a group - they might not want to comment on a public photo on your public page, but in a group there are less people to see the comment. 
• You can pin posts to the top of a group so that people see the important information.
• You could try creating polls to get more feedback - this works on pages and in groups but again you might get more responses in a less public setting.

Join Groups: You can also join groups to help you network your business.

• Join groups to help with your Etsy shop, for example the Dorset Team Members group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1514236692123255/ so you can ask for help if your are stuck on something, but also to share successes, news, etc with other shop owners who will understand your joy!
• Join groups where people go if they are looking for handmade items to buy, or where you can share your giveaways, news, latest products etc. For example there's the group 'Handmade Craft Network UK' with over 38,000 members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1578560309058402/ 
• You will find lots more groups to join if your search Facebook. When you search something (e.g. 'unicorn') you then need to scroll down to the 'groups' section, and click 'see all'. This will show you the groups it has found on that topic:

That's all we're going to look at for Facebook today. Let us know if you have any questions. Don't forget you can also 'like' the Dorset Team page here: https://www.facebook.com/dorsetteam/

If you missed our other Social Media Special posts you can see them here:

Social Media Special on Twitter: https://dorsetteam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/social-media-special-twitter.html

Social Media Special on Instagram: https://dorsetteam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/social-media-special-instagram.html

Be An Expert - Pricing - How To Price & Why

How to price your products is something we've covered before, and for those who missed it last time here's a link to a pricing formula that you can use to help you work it out: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/a-simple-formula-for-pricing-your-work/26192517008 

Today let's think about WHY we need to include labour AND profit in our pricing formula. As a self-employed sole trader all your profits count as your personal earnings, so you will be taxed on both your 'labour' and your 'profit' which you've added into your pricing formula. So why should you separate them into 2 categories when working out the formula and looking at how your business is doing? Here's why:

Labour should be your wages. This is what you actually need to pay yourself each month so you can afford to eat and pay for stuff for yourself (not stuff for the business). 

Profit is what you can use to help your business grow. Need to buy a new camera to photograph your items? A new printer for invoices or to start selling greetings cards? Want to buy your materials in bulk to bring the costs down? This is where you can re-invest your profits into the business, rather than spending your wages on them (and making yourself live on baked beans for the next month).

Make sure you don't spend ALL your profit on new toys though. Leave yourself enough for business expenses e.g. if you regularly spend £100 a month on jewellery findings, don't spend all your money on a new camera and then realise you can't buy jewellery findings for a few months. Leave yourself enough to pay your tax (even if you don't pay tax yet you might grow big enough to, so it's good to start setting some aside). Leave yourself a buffer for unexpected costs e.g. needing to refund a customer who spent a lot in your shop.

If you feel you can't put profit into your formula at the moment because it will push your product's retail price too high, then at least just include a small amount of profit. Once you've saved enough to buy materials in bulk this will bring your costs down and make your profit margin bigger, so you can grow it that way, rather than adding it to the retail price.

Just make sure you are earning enough to pay yourself and help your business grow!

Next week we're going to look at why your wholesale price should be approx 50% off your retail price.

Meet the seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Suzanne from Sunny Bunny Crafts

Name: Suzanne

Shop Name: Sunny Bunny Crafts

Shop Link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SunnyBunnyCraft

Located in: Bournemouth
 

Sells: Practical and pretty textile items for you & your home, including DIY kits.

Maker's Story: 
I blame my Mum, her Mum and probably her Mum too and all the little old Aunts that I vaguely remember from my childhood - many a day was spent with arms outstretched whilst someone would be winding wool over to make the next jumper or cardigan! I cant really remember the reasoning (perhaps to just keep us in one place?!).

Taught to knit at 5 and various other crafts at a young age, the passion got bigger over the years (apart from a few twilight years - late teens/early twenties when the pub was more interesting).

My main cardmaking passion came about through personal tragedy when my first son was stillborn. Without dwelling (nor casting it aside but this isn't the place for that story) I became involved in a support group, I met a likeminded fellow mum and we made cards to sell for the charity. From that the passion grew, and luckily for me so did my family! Skip forward a few years (too busy mopping kids and floors!) and I found I had a few spare hours to make cards again for my family and friends. Sunny Bunny was formed. And then I dusted off my sewing machine thanks to a chance remark from a family member and so we have my products today, all stemming from each other and the love of gorgeous fabrics!

I have also recently branched out and made some of my makes available as kits or tutorials. You can find these under the Sew Easy category in my shop. I also run regular workshops in Bournemouth so please convo me if you would like details on those.

Phew! That's Sunny Bunny in a nutshell, oh and I love personalised, we are all unique after all! So please have a look at my shop and if there is something you like but not in that colour/fabric please contact me!

 

 

Dorset Team Christmas Fair: Suzanne will be selling her beautiful crafts and kits at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

 

Please come along, meet Suzanne and our other makers and sellers.

 

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

 

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post

 

Meet the Seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Zoe Payne from Sand and Seagulls

 

Name: Zoe Payne 

Shop Name: Sand and Seagulls

Shop Link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SandAndSeagulls

Located in: Bournemouth

Sells: Sea inspired Jewellery

Maker's Story: 

Sand and Seagulls was formed in July 2013 by Zoe and Ash Payne. We have lived by the seaside all our lives and so have a real love of the beach. So much so, in August 2010 when we got married we had a seaside themed wedding with all things beachy from a VW camper to a fish & chips evening buffet!

When Rudy, our gorgeous son, came along in December 2012 this gave Zoe the opportunity and idea (in-between naps and nappy changes!) to get creative again. In the evenings after work Ash learnt how to make a website, so we put our new found skills together and created Sand and Seagulls.

Why Sand and Seagulls? – Because they’re the things we love about the seaside, and Rudy shares this too as he loves to watch the seagulls!

Dorset Team Christmas Fair:  Zoe will be selling her sea inspired jewellery at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

Please come along, meet Zoe and our other makers and sellers.

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post

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Meet the seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Nicolette Dawn

Name: Nicolette

Shop Name: Nicolette Dawn

Shop Link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NicoletteDawn

Located in: Christchurch
 

Sells: Wire sculptures and handmade gifts, including knitted bags and fabric bunting.

Maker's Story: 
Handmade from the bottom of my garden...I started my Etsy shop following encouragement from my friends and family. I have always made things for myself and my home, filling it with my unusual handmade items. I enjoy drawing, painting, sewing, knitting and more recently sculpture. When coming to see me, my friends would joke that they were visiting my 'shop' and couldn't wait to see the newest additions I had created. They would always ask if items were for sale or if they could place an order.

My handbags were inspired following a visit to a local boutique. They were selling quite bland and plain knitted bags and I just knew I could do better. Each bag is hand-knitted and embellished with a design using felt, wool and buttons. No two bags are the same, making each one unique. As well as using re-cycled handles from charity shop finds I have also made my own, using Denim, Corduroy and Tweed fabrics.

                   

After spending years creating with fabric and wool, I decided to turn my hand to something completely different and am now sculpting in wire. I bought a roll of chicken wire, spent an afternoon experimenting and as a result, my first Indian Runner duck was conceived! A couple of pairs of leather gloves later and numerous scratches (it doesn't take any prisoners!) my menagerie has expanded. I am so pleased with how effective the result is and after creating ducks, ducklings and chickens I have expanded my collection to include other British wildlife. Hares in particular are proving very popular. Pictures of my collection can be found on Pinterest.com/NicoletteTrapp 'wire menagerie' board.

I hope you enjoy browsing my shop as I only make items that I love and would use or own myself. Each one has been 'handmade at the bottom of my garden...'

 

 

 

Dorset Team Christmas Fair: Nicolette will be selling her beautiful work at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

 

Please come along, meet Nicolette and our other makers and sellers.

 

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

 

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post

 

A Dark and Stormy Night, Twitter Chat and some sad news about treasuries...

Boo! Hello lovelies from a rather wet and rainy Bridport today! I was a bit MIA last week busy with orders and designing so missed posting themes for Treasury Tuesday and Twitter Chat but here I am, back in action and ready to inform.

We have some rather sad news for our team as this week's Treasury Tuesday will probably be our last since Etsy is doing away with the ability to create treasuries as of 5th October. Read all about it here, if you haven't already done so.

Even so, our Treasury Tuesday theme for today couldn't be more fitting and wouldn't it be fab to go out with a bang and create many lovely treasuries featuring our gorgeous team makes? The theme is: It was a Dark and Stormy Night so...think a chilly Halloween night, full moon blazing, bone chilling howls and sounds in the night, dark storm clouds and thunder and lightning filling the air. What are your most creep-tastic items to showcase?

Just to get you in the spirit, check out our very own Lynn Davy's and Mariangel Antonini's treasuries by clicking their names above. They featured so many lovely items!

As for our twitter chat this evening, I think this theme is one I especially could use a bit of help with- time management. I think as most of us work from home it is something that can often be tricky as there are more distractions around us. I know that I sometimes long for a studio space outside my home as it would then feel more like I am "at work" so hopefully this discussion will lead to some tips on how to better manage our time with less distractions.

So, just to recap: our treasury theme is Dark and Stormy Night and twitter chat theme is Time Management.

Next week we will be looking at a General Q & A for our twitter chat which is always a good time.

Don't forget to use the hashtag #dorsetteam when joining in and remember that our team twitter is @DorsetTeam.

Cosy & Cuddly + Tell Your Sellers Story: Treasury Tuesday & Twitter Hour Reminders

Hello lovelies! I'm down to crunch time with this reminder but, in case you haven't been onto Etsy or any of the other social media platforms it never hurts to have another reminder of today's themes for Treasury Tuesday and the Twitter Chat!

If you still haven't posted a treasury, don't worry, Tuesday isn't over and there's still time to curate a lovely treasury. Today's theme is Cosy & Cuddly. Let's see your many cosy and cuddle worthy favourite items from the team!

Twitter Chat tonight is all about telling your seller story, what inspired you to start selling and how are you expanding this via social media platforms.

Twitter chat starts at 7:30pm and lasts for an hour. Please remember to use the hashtag #dorsetteam and be following @DorsetTeam on twitter for a lovely chat with other team members!

Have a beautiful rest of your week!

Late Sunshine for Treasury Tuesday and a little Q&A

Hello there lovely people! Sorry I missed posting last week! Alas, life was a bit busier than I'd have liked it but here I am bringing you a reminder of today's Dorset Team events! Firstly, if you haven't already done so or remembered to check on Etsy or other social media platforms, today's Treasury Tuesday Theme is Late Sunshine. Let's see your subtle golds, your sunsets, warm oranges and beautiful late sunshine hues!

Twitter Chat this week is General Q&A so it's a great time to discuss things you might be struggling with and get feedback from other team members who are participating. Don't forget to use the hashtag #dorsetteam to join in the conversation. The chat starts at 7:30pm and lasts an hour. Be sure to follow @DorsetTeam if you aren't already doing so!

Hope those of you with children who started school this week will have a good week and that you'll all be settling into the school year routine well!

Next week's themes for Treasury Tuesday and Twitter Chat will be: Cosy & Cuddly and Telling Your Seller's Story. Just a little heads up for you to be preparing for next week!

Hope to see your treasuries and see you in the Twitter Chat!

Meet the Seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Sophia Palmer from Jessalli

Name: Sophia Palmer

Shop Name: Jessalli

Shop Link: https://www.Jessalli.etsy.com

Located in: Sturminster Newton

Sells: Handmade Homewares

Maker's Story: Jessalli is a Handmade Homewares company situated in the heart of beautiful Dorset. After a couple years of selling at Markets and fairs, demand for Jessalli-wares was enough to open it up as a full time business in 2011!

Thanks to my Mum Allison and Sister Bea, we’ve transformed a small home-based soft furnishings company into an established brand! Our staple Dorset themed products are still popular with customers. But we strive to bring you new and unique products all year round! I also have a huge passion for teaching much needed basic sewing skills whilst having huge amounts of crafty fun! Which is why I started Jessalli Workshops! (www.jessalli.co.uk/workshops)
Jessalli remains in the heart of the Dorset Countryside surrounded by beautiful green fields! Where we get all of our inspiration from!

Dorset Team Christmas Fair:  Sophia will be selling handmade homeware at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

Please come along, meet Sophia and our other makers and sellers.

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post




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Afternoon Tea and Tweets

Good afternoon lovely Dorset Teamsters! In case you haven't already taken notice of this via the team forum or any of the Facebook pages-groups, today's Treasury Tuesday theme is 'Afternoon Tea'! Still time to get a nice treasury in if you want to participate or go peruse some of the treasuries created by wonderful team members!

In other news, our Twitter Hour this week is a social chat, a chance to get to know other team members, their likes, dislikes, habits and more! Please do join us at 7:30 on Twitter and don't forget to use the hashtag #dorsetteam when replying to the questions/chat prompts.

I was away until late yesterday evening so apologies for posting a bit later than I had hoped. Trying to get back into the swing of things is always a bit tough when one has been away, isn't it?

Last week's twitter chat theme was all about Social Media. It seems, from the discussion, that people are mainly using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to connect with customers on a regular basis. Are these platforms you use regularly?

Building reach on social media should also help translate into more sales and it seems that those taking part in the discussion last week came to the conclusion that the most effective platforms to do this on seem to be Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Posting product photos as well as work in progress ones are always a good idea as well.

All in all, it seems that we are all learning by trial and error what works best and what doesn't when it comes to social media. This is why it is great to have these twitter chats as it gives us a chance to talk things out and bounce ideas off each other. Please do join in tonight to get to know each other a little better.

Next week's Treasury Tuesday theme is: Gorgeous Greens!

Next week's Twitter Hour Chat theme is: Selling at Events, I am sure this will be a great chat especially for those of us who are a bit newer to this kind of selling.

Look forward to tweeting with you all later!


Afternoon Tea photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

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