As a handmade business strategist I am constantly looking at Facebook pages of sellers and makers. I see this MISTAKES being made over and over again. 

It’s not your fault, I get that as a makers you’re probably on Facebook because you want to sell more of your stuff so most posts I see are a bit like this:

Post: Picture of your pretty thing. 

Caption: Buy my pretty thing, here ____.

This strategy may get you a few sales but if you’re here reading this blog you’re most likely looking to up your Facebook game and would love to make MORE SALES. Right?

Okay, then we need to consider a few things each time you create a post. 

1. Facebook wants people (aka potential shoppers & customers) to stay on their platform as long as possible. So you trying to send them to your website or Etsy by including links or salesly jargon in your post are probably killing your reach.
2. Customers aren’t on Facebook to shop most of the time. People start scrolling to check in with friends & family or to be entertained and inspired.

So what’s the fix? 

A few ideas for fixing this.

• Look at the words you're using and cut out the no-no words and replace them with Facebook friendly versions.For example: replace SHOP with GRAB ONE, replace SALE with ROCK BOTTOM, replace FREE with UNBELIEVABLE. Or consider adding emojis an symbols to break up those words. SALE becomes S-A-L-E, SHOP NOW becomes s h o p  n o w and DISCOUNT becomes >>D I S C O U N T<<.
• Make sure 75-80% of your posts are non-salesy related. Inspire them with cute decor, share inspirational spaces, show them behind the scenes of your business or projects in progress, ask for their opinion, show the ups and downs along with the mess. 

I like to think about taking my customers along with me for this crazy ride of being a maker. I try to document the journey rather than just presenting a finished pretty project all the time. That shift in mindset will help you get your posts on track with what customers and Facebook like best.

We have even created a list of 30 days of post ideas specifically for makers you can use and recycle for each month again and again!

The second problem I see when I check out other makers business pages on Facebook is lack of posting. I get it. If you’re posting and not getting reactions, you get frustrated and fall off. Facebook becomes a non priority so you post only when you get time, if you get time. 

This is a recipe for a DEAD page. I understand the frustration, Facebook is a slow grow for most but inconsistently posting on your business page is NOT a Facebook strategy. 

Facebook is a powerful source of customers & sales if you use it correctly to build community and connection. You can create repeat customers for life and a platform of people who are excited to buy from you and tell others about your pretty things. 

The best remedy for this is putting Facebook on the calendar. You need to be posting 2-4 times a day, every single day! Wondering what to post? Remember we created this hand dandy LIST for 30 days of post content we created specifically for makers.

You can also schedule Facebook posts out in advance right on the Facebook Page Manager App or from your desktop so even when you’re not available, your potential customers are hearing from you. Consistency is key my creative friend.

As I'm sure you know QUALITY content is important too. But what does that mean? When you are posting, check in with yourself, think; would I comment on this post? Would I just scroll right past it? Is this something I would share with my friends? There is lots of competition for attention on Facebook so make sure you’re standing out. It cannot be all about YOU. It cannot be all about your product. 

Keep in mind Facebook is customizing each persons newsfeed based on their engagement. You are shown more of what you interact with in your newsfeed and that is going to be different for each person. The more engagement (reactions, likes, comments, shares & time spent) with your page the more of your followers that will see your posts. The best way to do this is consistently posting quality content!

I can’t wait to hear how these fixes help you improve your strategy on Facebook and get you started creating relationships with your customers and sell more of what you make creative lady.

Happy posting!