Everyone’s heard of Facebook, MySpace, and probably LinkedIn at this point. But, you might be thinking that those sights are targeted toward teenagers and others who are looking to “hook up.” Au contraire!
Social networking sites can be great places to share your crafts with the world, and if you develop a following, these sites could become cornerstones of your overall marketing plan.
Facebook
To get started on Facebook, you will first need to set up a profile for yourself. Start looking for friends and family to become “friends” with, and your network will start growing exponentially. Once you’ve got your profile in place, you can set up a profile for your company. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the Facebook site and click on “Advertise” (don’t worry, it’s free!). Then, click on the tab labeled “Pages.” You will then see a place to create a page for your business. You’ll need a 200×200 logo and some basic information about your business. After that, you’ll have the option to “share” your business with your “friends.” You can also post the business to your page, become a “fan” of it, and upload photos, announcements, etc. Those who become “fans” of your business can post comments on your page. Very cool stuff!
MySpace
MySpace is similar to Facebook, but you don’t have to have a personal profile to set up a business profile. You can simply go to MySpace.com, click on “Sign Up” (check the upper right-hand corner of the screen), and go from there. It is pretty self-explanatory (there is no difference in a business page versus a personal page). Once the basic MySpace page is created, you can then search for different layouts and elements to customize your page. You’ll want to personalize it to give it the same “brand” as your craft business, and be sure too add plenty of photos and a link to your website, blog, Etsy store, etc. Then, you can search for your friends or find other who are interested in what you have to offer. A good tip is to find a similar business to yours on MySpace, and then invite THEIR “friends” to befriend your business.
If you’re having trouble creating layouts and color schemes for you MySpace page, either find the nearest teenager or do a Google search for it. There are hundreds of pages that can help you!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the business side of social networking. You can create a personal page for yourself that includes all of your work, education and experience information. For more information on LinkedIn, I recommend checking out Jason Alba’s book and blog on how to best utilize this resource.
Twitter
Sure, you’ve heard of blogging…but what about “micro-blogging?” Twitter has opened up the social networking area to a whole new world. With Twitter, you answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. You can use any username you choose, but I actually use two accounts. One is my personal account, and many of my friends follow me there. Another is my INDIE_MADE account, and that’s where I let my followers know that I’ve added a new article to the site, completed a new book review, etc. At first, Twitter can seem a bit overwhelming, but there are many tools to help you integrate it into your craft business marketing. Check out Twhirl to manage multiple accounts, and Twuffer allows you to create post-dated entries so you aren’t tied to your computer 24/7.
You will undoubtedly find other social networks, but these are the biggies. Just remember to have fun, and always do what works for you!
