8 Ways to Use Behind the Scenes Marketing in Your Craft Business

Social media for craft business owners. It’s a delicate push and pull: You need to promote your business using it, but if you over promote, you’ll lose the interest of your followers. Followers will (and do!) get tired of you simply saying “Buy this!”, “And this one!”, and “I’m having a sale on this one!”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Diverse content on social media is the most successful way to keep your followers engaged. Since the earliest days of advertising, customers have responded well to behind the scenes looks at businesses. (As an aside: If you’ve never seen the Schlitz Beer advertising campaigns of the early 1900’s – look them up. They are testaments of how powerful behind the scenes marketing can be.)

Now, let’s get onto it: How can you use behind the scenes marketing in your craft business?

8 Ways to Use Behind the Scenes Marketing in Your Craft Business

Share concept drawings. If you create your product designs from scratch, show how you do it. Or, if you doodle out concepts before ever starting your products, snap a few pictures as you draw. Real life example: If you create handlettered designs, take pictures of your rough drawing, take pictures of the digitizing steps, and take pictures of the final product.
Show yourself creating a product. A lot goes into creating a product – take pictures of the product from start to finish. Better yet, create a sped up time lapse video! Real life example: A wooden sign. Record everything from the initial wood cutting and sanding to the painting and attaching embellishments.
Show off your workspace. Whether it is sparkling clean or on the messy side, your customers want to see where your products are created. Real life example: I bared it all when I revealed my new craft space on the blog!
Share your inspiration. Creators need inspiration. Share with your followers what inspires YOU. Real life example: If you are inspired by the seasons, share a few great landscape shots. Better yet? Photograph your finished product in a spot that inspired you.
Tell customers what is going on in your personal life. Yes, you are a maker. But before that, you are a human. By sharing tidbits of your life on your social media networks, you connect with your customers on a different level. If you juggle young kids all day while working, so off a picture or two. Real life example: I have connected with and made several friends with strangers online whom read this blog all because we are caretakers of loved ones with cancer.
Introduce your employees. If you have employees, give them their 15 minutes of fame and introduce them on your social media. If you are a one person operation, it doesn’t mean you have to skip this one! Show off the mail carrier who pics up your packages, your husband or wife who runs to the store to grab something, or your kids who unpack your supplies.
Show your outgoing packages. Customers like what other customers like. So, don’t be bashful if you’ve got a big stack of outgoing packages. Snap a picture and share it on social media. Real life example: Take a peek at this Instagram post.
Share your blunders. While you won’t be showing your finest moments, share your mistakes, your trial and error, and your clumsiness. Why? Again, it’s fostering that connection between you as a human and your customers. Real life example: Do you remember that cringe worthy Valentine’s Day project using Silhouette’s chipboard? If not, view it here.