{"id":19681,"date":"2015-01-22T17:32:10","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=19681"},"modified":"2017-04-17T12:09:24","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T16:09:24","slug":"five-social-media-tactics-that-will-drive-traffic-and-sales-for-your-shapeways-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/five-social-media-tactics-that-will-drive-traffic-and-sales-for-your-shapeways-products","title":{"rendered":"Five Social Media Tactics That Will Drive Traffic And Sales For Your Shapeways Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all want more sales and exposure for our Shapeways business and products but in order for that to happen we have to put in the effort to make it happen. Social Media has made selling and marketing online so much easier in the digital age, and with the right tactics and practice you can begin seeing sales and traffic to your Shapeways products increase immediately. In this blog post I will highlight five specific tactics and channels that will help get you in the mindset of being your own sales person and sales lead generator.<\/p>\n

1) Facebook Fan page direct Messaging<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re selling miniatures, jewelry, figurines, or tech accessories there are Facebook fan pages and brand pages associated with that specific product category. By doing a simple search on Facebook and filtering out your search to \u201cpages\u201d you will see a list of fan pages. From those search results you can find a blog fan page that might be interested in sharing your content. In this case I will use my Thorgi<\/a> as an example, I searched \u201cCorgi\u201d on Facebook, filtered out the pages related to Corgis and began direct messaging the fan page owner asking in a kind and respectful way if they would be interested in sharing my 3D printed product with their audience. It’s ok if you don’t get a response back or they say no. My philosophy for why we share on social media is that we tend to share content that makes us look good to our audience. If the content you’re asking them to share isn’t relevant or interesting, don’t be offended if it doesn’t get shared.<\/p>\n

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2) Creating albums and uploading your photos to Imgur<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imgur<\/a> is a online photo hosting service where users can upload their photos and create photo albums that can be easily shared across the internet. With a click of a button you can upload your product photos to Imgur, share with the Imgur community, and then share across your own social media channels, and Reddit. Sharing Imgur photos and albums is now the preferred way to share photos on Reddit which is a great platform to drive hundreds to thousands of visits to your Shapeways product page. Here is my previous blog post for Reddit best practices<\/a> for showcasing your work.<\/p>\n

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3) Instagram – Search hashtag and Comment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instagram is becoming more and more a platform where brands and small businesses go to attract shoppers. By searching the right hashtags and commenting on relevant photos, you can go straight to your customer and make a direct sale. In this example I will use my Tardigrade<\/a> as an example, I searched #Tardigrade and found hundreds of photos of die hard Tardigrade fans. I began commenting on a few photos letting these Tardigrade fans know I made the World’s first 3D printed Tardigrade and before you know it users were commenting on the photo of my Tardigrade and buying them a few days later. A important tip for promoting your products on instagram, when someone comments on your photo and says things like “This is awesome” or “I need this”, they have expressed interest in purchasing and it is YOUR job to ask for the sale and engage those users letting them know where to find and buy your product.<\/p>\n

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4) YouTube Influencers and unboxing videos\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Youtube is the largest platform for video content creators. In this previous blog post<\/a> I speak on the importance of having a engaging product video to showcase and sell the product. A tactical way to get your product seen by thousands of potential shoppers is to reach out to a Youtube channel relevant to your niche and contact them about featuring your product whether that’s through a giveaway, unboxing video, or product review video. You can find Youtube influencers simply by doing a simple search on Youtube, browsing their channel, and often times their business contact information is on their Youtube channel information page under “contact”. Here is an example of a product review done by Scott Manley <\/a>on 3D printed dice designed by\u00a0Avandius<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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