Written by Davey B of Gelert Design

Do you feel that when you post on Twitter, Facebook, or blog about your Folksy Friday selections that you’re just preaching to the choir? Do you wish you could reach out to real shoppers?

Then welcome to the latest method of getting your name out there – Showcase Sunday!

Folksy Friday and Link Love etc have very definite pros, the advantage of Showcase Sunday is that it’s just a little bit closer to the Holy Grail of promoting – reaching non-crafters.

A Selection of  items available at www.folksy.com tagged with the keyword ‘Celtic’

While you may be collecting fans for your Facebook page at a rate of knots, the chances are most of your fans are your peers in the handmade world. But when you first set up your fanpage, who did you invite to follow you? My first fans were my  friends and family. This is Showcase Sunday’s target audience – let’s call them “real people”.

This is how it works:

You need a Facebook fan page. Once a week, on a Sunday, as the name suggests, you choose a seller whose work you admire and you think will appeal to your friends. Just put a post up about them on your Facebook page with a link to their shop. Hopefully your followers will go and have a look, and because you’ve chosen a seller you feel will appeal to your friends, they won’t feel spammed.

Here’s an example of a typical post:

It’s Showcase Sunday time again, where I highlight another Folksy seller who I think you will like! This week I have chosen @GelertDesign

www.gelertdesign.folksy.com

The @ sign is a great tool as it creates a Facebook hyperlink. This will allow your followers to visit the fanpage page of the person you’re showcasing. The URL at the end will create a link to the person’s Folksy shop. Remember to go through the thumbnails to choose the most appropriate photograph.

Many of my “real life” friends are punks and rockers fast approaching middle age and starting families. When I showcased Cheerymishmash, I chose  the thumbnail of her “Anarchy” babygrow and I have since seen some of my friends commenting on her Facebook feed. Real people with a real interest in what she makes!

So, what are the benefits?

1. Some of your followers may visit the shop of the seller you’re showcasing = traffic, chance of more “real life” fans, possible sales!

2. By sharing the link, you’re networking on Facebook = more fans and a higher profile

3. By sharing your link on the appropriate day’s Showcase Sunday forum thread, other Folksy members will go and have a look. If they’re not already following you, they will now = more followers and less threads begging for Facebook fans:-)

4. Speed! unlike curating a Folksy Friday, it takes a matter of seconds to post your Showcase Sunday once you’ve decided who to promote that week.

5. If you’ve linked your Facebook fanpage to your Twitter account, you’ll be bringing in even more people.

Ettiquette – you can do it whenever you like. Some people do it on Saturday night. The important thing is to leave your Facebook page alone for the rest of the day. There’s no point in promoting another seller at 6m if you’re then going to bury it with tons of other status updates throughout the day.

Don’t expect hundreds of new followers, but I have seen some of my “real life” friends commenting on the status updates of shops which I have promoted through Showcase Sunday. If you’ve been showcased, remember to add a thank you message and, if appropriate, return the favour next week.

More about the author of this post…

If you would like to write an article for the Folksy blog then please get in touch – hilary@folksy.co.uk