Ahhh, social media. I have a complete love/hate relationship with it. On the one hand, I love connecting with my customers and being able to show them my new pattern or what I'm working on. I enjoy that we get to interact throughout the day about a craft we're all so passionate about. On the other hand, it's easy to feel lost in a sea of knitwear designers online. With algorithms changing on social media sites all the time, how do you get your stuff (especially the new stuff) in front of your people?
Sure, consistency is super key. But I've also found that by occasionally sponsoring my posts, it can help get the word out that my new pattern has arrived!
So.....what works?
I hate to say this, because it seems so obvious/stupid, but experimenting is the key to the social media game (whether you are using paid advertising or not).
On Facebook (currently), your sponsored post will do much better if there is little to no text in the photo that goes along with your post. Facebook will actually tell you this when you're clicking through to make your sponsored post. Listen to Facebook. ;)
Facebook is happy with this photo accompanying my post:
Facebook is sad with this photo accompanying my post:
Using the top photo, I might get 3-4 times the audience reach for the same amount of money.
What I like about advertising on social media that it's very easy to create your target audience and you can set your budget for whatever you want. Also, on Facebook, you can also go back and edit your photo, so if it's not working, you can change it and keep going.
For me, if I'm advertising outside of Ravelry, Facebook is where I've had the most success, so that's where I go. As far as Instagram and even Pinterest, honestly, I've had zero success thus far when it comes to sponsoring posts. If you're a designer who has successfully advertised on these sites, I'd love to hear your experiences and what worked for you!
The bottom line is Ravelry advertising (for me, anyway) is the best deal and the easiest way to get your new patterns in front of the people who may want to make them. The rest of it is just one big experiment!
Want to read more about advertising as a designer? Check out this blog post on the Stitch Sprouts blog.
