How to sell etsy on instagram
How to link your Etsy shop to your Instagram in order to tag your products in your posts — Camille Medina
(Note: Please bear in mind that this post was published on the 2nd of July 2021 and that since then Etsy and/or Facebook/Instagram might have made changes to the way things work. Hopefully this post will still point you in the right direction though. Thanks for reading!)
I did it! After about a year and a half of trying (on and off) to link my Etsy shop to my Instagram in order to tag products in my posts I finally succeeded!
I remember the frustration, the tears, the discouragement, feeling like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, and while this is still fresh in my mind I want to help you smash that beast too, because no one deserves to struggle with something this silly.
This, my friend, is the post I wish I’d found on the internet!
Make sure your Instagram account is set up as a business account.
If you don’t have one already, create a Facebook page for your business and create an account / sign in on business.facebook.com.
In Facebook Business Manager go to: Business Settings > Domains > click ‘Add’ > enter your Etsy shop name following the format: yourshopname.etsy.com (for example mine is camillemedinadesigns.etsy.com) > click ‘Add’.
Copy the meta-tag line (see screenshot below).
5. In a new tab, open your Etsy Shop Manager (the backend where you can see your stats, orders, etc.) > Settings > Facebook Shops > paste the meta-tag that you copied on Facebook Business Manager
6. Go back to your Facebook Business Manager tab. You should now be able to see the status ‘Verified’ next to your Etsy shop name.
7. Add products to your Facebook catalogue.
You can do this directly from your Facebook business page or on the Facebook Business Suite website > Commerce > Catalogue > Items > Add Items.
You can simply copy the information from your Etsy listing here.
⚠ When you copy and paste your listing url, replace the beginning with yourshopname.etsy.com, like the domain you entered on Facebook Business Manager earlier! (So for example: yourshopname.etsy.com/listing/123456789/this-is-your-product-name)
This is part of what I was doing wrong (and the part that took me a year to figure out!) and I only figured it out when I compared one of friends’ listings with one of mine.
8. Go to your Instagram profile: Settings > Business > Shopping > Website and enter your domain like you entered it on Facebook Business Manager (so: yourshopname.etsy.com) and tap Select. You should see a line saying ‘In Review’ under your domain name.
9. It could take a few minutes to a few days but once your domain is accepted it will move under the ‘Current Website’ section and you will be able to start tagging your products on your images!
10. BONUS: I’ve recently learned that you can also tag products directly IN your Instagram posts: type in @ and you should have a screen appear asking you to choose between People or Products. Find your product* and voilà!
*You will have to make sure that you update your Facebook catalogue with your latest products every time because unlike Shopify, Etsy doesn’t currently have a way to sync all your products to your Facebook catalogue.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful!
If so, I’d really appreciate it if you could share it with another maker you know who’s struggling with this. And why not subscribe to my newsletter? You’ll become part of my inner circle and will receive a dose of joy, inspiration and motivation in between work emails!
tags: etsy, etsy shop, etsy instagram integration, tagging products on instagram posts, tagging products, facebook shop, instagram shop, step by step tutorial, instagram shop tutorial
categories: HOW TO'S
How to link Etsy to Instagram
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Etsy is a great platform for selling handmade goods, vintage items, and creative goods. If you're an Etsy seller, then you know that one of the best ways to promote your shop is through Instagram. By linking your Etsy shop to your Instagram account, you can reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your shop.
There are a few different ways that you can link your Etsy shop to your Instagram account. The most popular method is to use the Instagram Shop feature. This feature allows you to tag products in your Instagram posts and link them directly to your Etsy shop.
If you're not using the Instagram Shop feature, then you can still link your Etsy shop to your Instagram account by including a link in your bio. When you include a link in your bio, be sure to use a URL shortener so that it doesn't take up too much space. You can also use an Etsy banner in your bio.
No matter which method you choose, linking your Etsy shop to your Instagram account is a great way to promote your business and reach a wider audience. So, if you're an Etsy seller, be sure to take advantage of this marketing opportunity.
In this article, we will go through things you need to know.
Let's dive right in.
- What is instagram shopping
- Adding Etsy Products To The Catalog
- Tagging Products On Instagram
- The easy way to get started
- Linking your accounts
- The best way to showcase your products
- Increasing your reach
- FAQs About How to link Etsy to Instagram
- Conclusion
What is instagram shopping
Instagram shopping is a feature that allows businesses to tag products in their posts and Stories, making it easy for customers to learn more about and purchase those products without leaving Instagram.
When customers tap on a tagged product, they'll see a "Shop Now" button that takes them to the product page on your website so they can complete the purchase.
Adding Etsy Products To The Catalog
To add your Etsy products to the Catalog, you first need to connect your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page. To do this, go to your business settings on Etsy and click on the "Connect to Facebook" button. Once you've connected your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page, you can begin adding products to the Catalog.
To add a product to the Catalog, go to the Facebook Page that's connected to your Etsy shop and click on the "Shop" tab. From there, click on the "+ Add Product" button and select the Etsy product you'd like to add. Once you've added a product, you can edit the product details and add a product image.
Tagging Products On Instagram
Once you've added your Etsy products to the Catalog, you can start tagging them in your Instagram posts and Stories.
To tag a product in a post, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new post. From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
To tag a product in a Story, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new Story. From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
The easy way to get started
If you're new to Instagram shopping, the best way to get started is to connect your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page and add your products to the Catalog. Once you've done that, you can start tagging your products in your posts and Stories.
Linking your accounts
The first step to setting up Instagram shopping is linking your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page. To do this, go to your business settings on Etsy and click on the "Connect to Facebook" button. Once you've connected your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page, you can begin adding products to the Catalog.
The best way to showcase your products
Once you've added your products to the Catalog, you can start tagging them in your Instagram posts and Stories. To tag a product in a post, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new post. From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
To tag a product in a Story, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new Story. From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
Increasing your reach
There are a few things you can do to increase the reach of your Instagram posts and Stories. First, make sure you're using relevant hashtags so that your posts and Stories appear in relevant searches. Second, use Instagram ads to promote your posts and Stories to a wider audience. And third, consider partnering with influencers who can promote your products to their followers.
FAQs About How to link Etsy to Instagram
How do I connect my Etsy shop to Instagram?
The first step to setting up Instagram shopping is linking your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page. To do this, go to your business settings on Etsy and click on the "Connect to Facebook" button. Once you've connected your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page, you can begin adding products to the Catalog.
How do I add products to the Catalog?
To add a product to the Catalog, go to the Facebook Page that's connected to your Etsy shop and click on the "Shop" tab. From there, click on the "+ Add Product" button and select the Etsy product you'd like to add. Once you've added a product, you can edit the product details and add a product image.
How do I tag products in my posts and Stories?
To tag a product in a post, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new post.
From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
To tag a product in a Story, click on the "Tag Products" button while creating a new Story. From there, select the products you'd like to tag and click "Done."
Conclusion
Instagram shopping is a great way to showcase your products and increase your reach. To get started, connect your Etsy shop to a Facebook Page and add your products to the Catalog. Once you've done that, you can start tagging your products in your posts and Stories.
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And still counting! If you're still not impressed, try the Topbubbleindex tools for free. Don't hesitate to contact us for suggestions, complaints, or just feedback. We are always working on to keep the Topbubbleindex better.
Achieve social success on Etsy
This is a guest post by Adrienne Dancer from .
You might wonder why there is an Etsy store when we already have our own main e-commerce site.
The reason is that Etsy has become a great way for us to reach customers around the world in a very cost effective way. Etsy is gaining popularity and becoming eBay's main competitor - and I prefer the design and product focus that Etsy offers over eBay. (I see eBay as a big sale whereas Etsy is more like a boutique store.) Also, Etsy's fee structure and features are much more business-friendly compared to eBay if you're selling fixed price items and aren't interested in auction-style pricing.
However, having an Etsy shop is not enough. You have to creatively sell your Etsy store through various social media to really make a difference.
Using Instagram
To be honest, I think Instagram is the most effective social networking site out there (Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook). Etsy doesn't have a direct connection to Instagram at the moment, but you definitely need to set up an Instagram account for your business.
Posting to Instagram only takes a few seconds if you use a smartphone or tablet.
By using hashtags related to your items, you can connect with many Instagram users. Tweets on Twitter can be helpful too, but quick and interesting visuals are often more effective and instantly engaging than having to read text.
When using hashtags on Instagram, don't limit yourself to literally descriptive words about an item. Be creative to get more Instagram viewers. Example: If you are selling vintage dinnerware set 1960s, obvious descriptive words for a hashtag are "vintage", "1960s", "dishes set", "dishes", color, manufacturer, etc. In addition, you can also use other related words such like "Mad Men", "Dinner Party" and any other imagery or adjective you can think of. It could be a movie, a book, an actor, a song, or even a city that comes to mind when viewing an object. By doubling the number of hashtag keywords you use, you will also double the chances that other Instagram users will eventually view your post and then visit your site.
In addition to using hashtags creatively to post new items for sale, be sure to use Instagram creatively with what you post.
Don't just use it to post images of new products for sale. Use it to post images of items sold so that Instagram users can understand which items you have sold are popular - to help create a sense of need as well as scarcity. In addition to posting new items, I always post images of sold items with hashtags about the items sold, and refer to the city or country as a hashtag where the item is shipped.
Also use Instagram to post when you are on vacation. Whether or not you choose to move your Etsy store to temporarily closed vacation status, you can use Instagram to post a "going on vacation" notice to your followers so they can plan accordingly. And when you're on vacation, use Instagram to post vacation photos from time to time. I think it would be nice to take a more personalized shot of you at dividouble - and it also allows you to use hashtags that you normally can't use when listing items in a store. Many people like photos of delicious food, serene beach scenes at sunset, fun active photos - there are many possibilities.
Post some cool vacation snaps and you can come back from vacation with new Instagram followers and new Etsy sales.
Etsy offers the ability to link your newly listed items to Twitter, which can be effective and should be used from time to time. Using hashtags is definitely important. I still think Instgram is much more efficient because as the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words" whereas Twitter only allows 140 letters/characters.
Using Pinterest
Like Instagram, the power of Pinterest lies in the appeal of simple, quick visuals. Instagram has more users and all posts are in one simple feed for followers to view or hashtag up. For these reasons, I think it's more efficient than Pinterest, but Pinterest can still be useful. Etsy offers direct links to your Pinterest account (if you have one set up). You can use hashtags on Pinterest, but they aren't as effective or used as often as they are on Instagram or Twitter.
When you have a Pinterest account set up, you create boards and then "pin" (post) your images on different boards.
Definitely install more than one board. Maybe a 'new items' board, 'items sold', 'holiday items', etc. Depending on what you're selling, you might have different board categories, but also: don't limit your Pinterest boards to just the goods you are selling. Just like using hashtags creatively, using boards creatively will also help you reach other users. Feel free to re-attach images posted by others, even if they are not directly related to the items you are selling. My business is based in Los Angeles so I have a board of directors with my favorite local restaurants. People love travel and food photos, so if other Pinterest users stumble across my photos of local restaurants, they might want to check out my other boards - and hopefully my Etsy store too.
Using Facebook
Setting up a Facebook page for your Etsy business is also a good idea. Etsy offers a direct link to the product listing on Facebook. Hashtags can be useful on Facebook too. Use Facebook to promote sales, post vacation closing dates, any cross promotions you might have with a brick and mortar store (if you can sell your items in stores as well as your own Etsy page) - many people use Facebook.
so being there can definitely help. As for paid ads to promote your store's Facebook page, I would say don't worry about it. I've always had more success simply attracting business with free and targeted posts than spending money on my own Facebook advertising service. There are already so many ads on Facebook that many people often ignore them, so spending money on them can be a waste. Free interesting posts that attract a large audience are effective in their own right.
Etsy features
In addition to using the above social networks, Etsy has its own features that will help you attract buyers.
One such feature is Google Product Ads, which Etsy offers to store owners for free. They don't list every item you have in your Etsy shop - just a few here and there - but it still means you should make sure the first sentence or two of your item descriptions are interesting and attention-grabbing to draw in the casual. Google search engines to your Etsy items.
On Etsy they offer adverts where you can list items of your choice, especially important when Etsy shoppers are looking for products.
You can set up a budget starting as low as $1 per day and you get billed when shoppers click on your product listings. Advanced listings on Etsy really work better than Facebook ads, so I recommend using them to increase your sales.
Another Etsy feature to use well and often: their very important formative store dashboard feature. (Their dashboard is a huge advantage that I think Etsy has over eBay.) With a quick view, you can see how many viewers have visited your store and the product listings where they came from (Etsy internal searches, searches Google, Twitter, another website, etc.) and see what keywords they use to access your products. You can also view the map to see which countries your properties are viewed in. These pieces of data - especially keyword searches - can be helpful to you when deciding what to put up for sale, as well as when writing product listings.
Cross-promotion with other vendors
If you find other sellers on Etsy that sell related products, reach out to them and see if they'd like to join the promotion on the Etsy store.
Example: If you sell jewelry, a retailer who sells accessories like bags, scarves, knitwear, or hats could be a great partner for a mother's day, holiday, or other selling event. Or, if you're selling organic items, cross-promote another supplier that has organic items that will complement the items you're selling.
When you promote an event on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to your followers, as well as to your sales partners, you have greatly expanded your reach of potential customers.
So use this smartphone or tablet with the tips above and watch your sales increase.
Happy sales!
About the author: Adrienne Dancer is the owner of Beat Bop Boom, which is a store specializing in music-themed clothing, accessories, memorabilia and recent collectibles. In addition to the Los Angeles brick and mortar location, they also have their own e-commerce site (beatbopboom.com) and an Etsy page.
Image image curtsey of Eustas Galaburda
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Entrepreneurs' opinions about promoting their business after blocking Instagram
Olga Takmazyan
spoke with entrepreneurs
Author's profile
After Instagram was blocked in Russia, the site's daily coverage decreased from 33% to 20%.
It has become impossible to launch targeted advertising, the business has lost one of its main sources of traffic.
Six business owners told why Instagram became their main channel for promotion and what they are doing after blocking it.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Tinkoff The magazine spoke with entrepreneurs in April to record their first reaction. And in the fall I contacted them again to find out what had changed in the long run.
“Do not hesitate to present your product to shops and marketplaces”
Lena Medvedeva
ceramist and creator of the Nezhno Ceramics project
Nezhno Ceramics is a St. Petersburg brand of ceramics that appeared in 2017. The main product is sculptures and vases, which I design myself. A team of 6-7 people works with me: foremen and administrator. I take over the functions of SMM, marketer and photographer.
Until mid-March, Instagram was the only social network in which the brand was present. He brought about 90% off all orders. The remaining 10% came after publications in the media and from interior designers or after master classes.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities have been recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
At the same time, I almost did not invest in promotion, I also did not buy advertising from bloggers. In five years, I spent a maximum of 3000 R on the target. But I invested all my time in product development. I set myself the goal of creating a product that I want to talk about. Buyers often take pictures of our ceramics and post them on social networks - this is how a new audience will learn about us.
Until mid-March, Instagram was the only social network where the brand was present. He brought about 90% of all orders. The remaining 10% came after publications in the media and from interior designers or after master classes.
At the same time, I almost did not invest in promotion, I did not buy advertising from bloggers either. In five years, I spent a maximum of 3000 R on the target. But I invested all my time in product development. I set myself the goal of creating a product that I want to talk about. Buyers often take pictures of our ceramics and post them on social networks - this is how a new audience will learn about us.
The Instagram social network belongs to Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation
In addition, interior designers often use our sculptures for projects and filming. They tag us on social networks and publish photos in interior magazines. This would not have happened if we were making basic plates or vases.
In addition to focusing on the product, I paid a lot of attention to posts: I shared meaningful information with subscribers, spoke in detail about the project, and filmed a video of the sculpting processes.
After one such video, a thousand people subscribed to the account.
Lately, I've started using the workshop for workshops and co-working - independent work with clay. Also, our space is often rented for filming: it is located in an old building with high ceilings and looks very photogenic. The content that guests make also promotes our brand.
/stolyarka/
How I opened and closed the carpentry school in Voronezh
In our workshop, we have a coworking format: when guests work with clay on their own and can ask the craftsman for advice Thanks to word of mouth, 37,000 people have subscribed to Nezhno Ceramics all the time. On average, we have 50 orders per month. More often they buy small vases for 7,000-8,000 R, but sometimes they order large sculptures for 100,000 R. Renting a workshop brings about another 10,000-15,000 R per month, but we do not seek to expand this direction: constant shooting will distract from work. Now they come to us a couple of times a week, and that's enough.
Our audience can be divided into three types:
- Buyers who value home comfort are interested in interior design, but do not do it professionally. This audience has grown a lot during the pandemic, when everyone was sitting at home and equipping their space. As a rule, these are people 27-40 years old, mostly women.
- Interior designers who buy ceramics for clients or their homes.
- B2B clients: restaurants, public spaces.
In addition to buyers, our Instagram has many subscribers who are not yet ready to buy, but love our ceramics and support the brand. Since our product is not cheap and not essential, there are almost no spontaneous purchases: the audience can take a long time to make a decision.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities have been recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
In 2022, we planned to reach the Western audience and launch a target, but did not have time: on March 14, we blocked Instagram.
At first, they gave up, but there was a glimmer of hope that everyone would learn how to use a VPN.
And so it happened: our audience basically remained. There is a feeling that VPN services are not used by older people who were not tied to social networks and spent little time on them. Since this is not our target audience, engagement remained the same.
About 200-300 people unsubscribed from Nezhno Ceramics, but this happened after I expressed my position on events in Ukraine in the brand account. Later, it became more difficult to speak out, but many brands and bloggers began to support us. Bloggers who love us began to actively talk about Nezhno Ceramics in social networks. In addition, we announced discounts up to 20% by March 8th. The campaign lasted a week and a half, during which time another 500 people signed up for us, and the number of sales increased by 3-4 times. April was not so successful: sales fell by 20-30%.
In May, June and July sales traditionally decreased by 40%.
This happens every year: summer is the low season for selling home goods. Master classes are also not as interesting to the audience as they are in autumn and winter: in the summer, many people leave the city.
Only after autumn I will be able to analyze the dynamics of sales, but, according to my feelings, there is no serious decline: 99% of requests still come from the blocked social network.
On the contrary, people seem to live more actively, absorb everything more greedily.
Many people did not go into austerity, but rather became selective in their purchases: they are more willing to buy goods from local brands, with a small serial number or unique ones.
After the blocking of Instagram, many began to resurrect Vkontakte. I led a group there about 10 years ago, even before the creation of the ceramics brand. Perhaps I will resume publications in it and design the store. But I doubt that our Instagram audience will come there.
I asked my subscribers in stories: while everyone is sitting and praying on VPN. Some are mastering Telegram. I also started my telegram channel, but never published anything: there is no time to run it in parallel with Instagram. In addition, this platform is more suitable for developing a personal brand.
The Instagram social network belongs to Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Perhaps I don’t even need Telegram: in the spring, many were afraid of losing each other and subscribed there. But now users are tired of the flow of information and have begun to unsubscribe from channels. On average, a person is subscribed to 5-7 channels in Telegram, while on Instagram there can be 200-300 subscriptions.
The materials we worked with are either not available for order or have risen in price by 2-2.5 times. We are currently looking for a replacement0002 Now I am still engaged in the social network: in order to keep the engagement not falling, you need to make more efforts than before, for example, sharing not only work, but also personal.
We do not have the task of attracting a huge number of audiences: due to the foreign policy situation, problems began with the supply of materials. We cannot take many orders without understanding when new batches of clay will appear.
The whole business strategy has turned into tactics: we live for today, the planning horizon has narrowed to a week. The issue of entering Western markets is also on pause for the time being: we cannot accept payments from foreign banks and logistics is practically frozen.
So far, I don't see an alternative to Instagram in terms of audience and work mechanisms. One of its main advantages is that it is an international platform. It is convenient to find new trends there, follow the work of Western artists and ceramists, and get inspired by ideas. A local site cannot have the same benefits.
The Instagram social network belongs to Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
We found ourselves in a more favorable situation than new market players: after five years of work, the brand began to work for us.
For those who are at a loss, I recommend to be open to cooperation, collaborations, associations. Many sites that used to sell European brands are ready to work with Russian ones. Do not hesitate to contact stores and marketplaces and present your product to them.
We have not worked with marketplaces yet: Nezhno Ceramics is a high price segment, I think it is not very suitable for Wildberry or Ozone. In the future, I plan to enter niche marketplaces with a narrower audience.
“VKontakte audience is not in the mood to buy”
Victoria Lantyukhova
co-founder of the vintage furniture restoration studio Zanovo Studio
Our studio is engaged in the restoration of furniture to order and the sale of restored items. The project was opened with my friend Svetlana in Voronezh in 2019.
For two years there were only masters in the team, and we managed social networks ourselves: I wrote posts, since I have a journalistic education, I bought ads from bloggers and set up targeting, for this I took three-month courses. And Svetlana is a photographer, she shoots and fills the account with visual content. Since July 2022, an SMM specialist has been working with us: he fills social networks with content.
Until mid-March, our main channel for promotion was Instagram. About 10,000–15,000 R per month were spent on advertising with bloggers and targets. This brought good results: since the fall of 2020, the number of our subscribers has grown from 4,000 to 16,000. In addition, we have reached a stable 8-10 orders per month with an average check of 50,000 rubles. whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
We did not consider other channels: we were completely satisfied with Instagram. Since January 2022, we have started creating a website: we have mounted a video course that we sell on the website.
Even before the blocking, we duplicated all the content in the Vkontakte group, but it was more of a testing ground. Several times we tried setting up a target there to see if it worked.
They spent insignificant amounts: 500-1000 R. The channel was ineffective: in two years the group grew to 150 people, no more than 30 subscribers came from the target.
The target audience of Zanovo Studio is people aged 30-45 with an average income and above average, more often women. There are many Muscovites and Petersburgers among our clients, since furniture restoration is an expensive and not the most popular area for the regions. Another audience is visitors to our master classes. These are people who want to do something with their own hands, find a new hobby. Among them are many who are engaged in intellectual work.
/zabytoe-staroe/
How I restore old furniture
Vintage chairs we have restoredAll of our clients are active Instagram users. When it was blocked, I thought: how good that we have collected the site. Then she created a channel in Telegram and a page on Yandex Zen.
The Instagram social network belongs to Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
At first, Telegram was needed in order not to lose contacts and agreements.
And then we came up with the idea of launching a paid private channel, where we would consult, show restoration techniques and filming processes. We launched this channel on April 1 by subscription — 800 R per month.
Tried to promote a channel in an adjacent community dedicated to Scandinavian style in the interior. We paid 1100 R for placement and got 50 new subscribers. In addition, 3-5% of our audience moved there from another social network. In the summer, we invested about 5,000 R in advertising in Telegram communities, I consider the decision successful: the audience is alive, there are buyers. As a result, by August we had about 200 subscribers. There were about 10 sales in total, but it's hard to tell if they came from ads in channels, from old social networks, or from a website.
In the spring, she posted a large text on Yandex Zen with a link to Telegram. About 200 people read it, and three of them signed up. Since then, I have not been doing Zen anymore.
Vkontakte is by far the most unproductive channel for promoting our project.
From April to August, we had several orders from there, sometimes we receive requests for a calculation of the cost of restoration.
So what? 09/27/22
VK apps disappeared from the App Store. We are looking for alternatives for Vkontakte and Mail.ru
In the spring, about 300 users joined the Vkontakte group. But subscriptions are not the same as purchases. I have a hypothesis that the audience on Vkontakte is not set up to buy there. Posts with restored furniture that can be purchased do not arouse interest. The comments often say that prices are too high and that old furniture cannot cost that much. Our project is designed for an audience that appreciates vintage and understands it. We probably haven't found our clients there yet.
Armchairs from Moscow, which we have updated While VPN services are working, we continue to run Instagram. Advertising for bloggers has been suspended: it is interesting to see what will happen on the site without paid publications.
From observations: the number of subscribers continues to grow. Some notice us in the recommendations feed, others from hashtags.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Stories coverage has fallen: before they were watched by 1500-2000 users, now they are 1000-1700. Revenue remained almost unchanged: in March there were slightly more orders than usual. A similar situation was at the beginning of the 2020 quarantine. I think people are making purchases they've been putting off. They are afraid that prices will rise, and they will not have time to buy what they have long wanted.
Now, after several months of blocking, little has changed. Instagram still brings 90% of sales, Telegram is in second place and Vkontakte is third. We are not promoting the site yet.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
The promotion tools on Instagram have, of course, changed.
Now we only post rils — this format is promoted by site algorithms. We don’t buy ads from bloggers, but our clients mark us in their posts, and subscribers also come from there. In the near future, we plan to organize giveaways on Instagram: this will also attract a new audience.
“Revenue increased by 40%: many started buying what they were saving”
Dmitry Gubin
co-founder of the brand of designer fabrics Mojd
Mojd is a family-owned fabric design workshop from the Leningrad region, which started in 2016. We produce textiles and wallpapers with prints inspired by northern nature and folklore. The workshop was opened by my wife, artist Lena Gubina. She invents prints, writes posts on our social networks, and is responsible for production. I'm in finance and advertising.
Since we have several products, the audience is also heterogeneous. Scarves with our print are bought by girls aged 25-40 who love unique accessories. Curtains are more often purchased by women with children who make repairs or renovate the interior.
And the third narrow audience - B2B - manufacturers who purchase our fabric and sew products from it: pillows, tablecloths, upholstery for furniture.
When we first launched, the main platform for promotion was the Vkontakte group. We invited friends to it, agreed with other communities on mutual advertising. At the same time, they opened sales on Etsy, but there were few buyers there.
In 2018, we started Instagram, and it immediately became the main platform, bringing in at least 90% of sales.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
At first, they used the then popular "mass following" for promotion - they subscribed to other people. Programs that automate this process cost about 500-600 R per month and brought from 50 to 100 new targeted subscribers per day. Later, the admins of the social network began to fight against mass following, and we took up marketing.
I hired several targetologists, watched their work and learned. For example, I came to the conclusion that in our case it is more efficient to launch an ad with a call to subscribe to a social network, rather than go to a website. Another insight is that advertising on recent posts is most effective. This helped to additionally display posts as recommended and increase viral coverage due to the internal mechanics of promoting the social network. For the last six months, I have been setting up the target on my own.
Fabric cushion with Mojd 9 print0002 I have tried several times to collaborate with influencers whose audience is similar to ours. I can not say that it brought a significant result. For example, a blogger with an audience of 10,000-20,000 subscribers could only attract 50-100 new people to us. But there was an impression that the audience that came from bloggers treats us very warmly. Gradually, the number of our subscribers grew to 25,000. I spent 10,000-15,000 R per month on the target.
For bloggers, if we translate barter into foreign currency, about 10,000 R every three months. The target launched in 2020 brought us the greatest growth.
In parallel, we continued to maintain a page on Vkontakte. We duplicated the content there, and tested the target six months ago. With the same settings that I used on Instagram, an advertising post on Vkontakte received a reach of 50,000 people, and there were only 100-150 clicks. Due to low efficiency, I did not begin to study the site and forgot about it until the spring of 2022.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
When Instagram was blocked, I made a second attempt to set up ads on Vkontakte. And I saw different results: the personal account and settings became almost identical to Instagram, the conversion rate with the same budget is 10,000-15,000 R per month is the same. In April, our group had about 5,000 subscribers, now there are more than 17,000.
Vkontakte began to bring 50% of sales.
The rest comes from Instagram, which we continue to maintain in the same style and with the same frequency, but without advertising. A small percentage of the audience comes from search engines, from where they go to our site.
“Moid” means “fairy tale” in the Komi languageThe blocking of the social network and the economic situation had almost no effect on revenue. Usually it fluctuates in the range of 300,000-350,000 R per month, increased by 40% in March, and returned to the previous level in April. I think this surge was provoked by panic: many were afraid of the price increase and began to make purchases that they had previously postponed.
We are not afraid of a complete blocking of Instagram. We really like this social network, it is suitable for selling textiles, since the emphasis is on the picture. But now we have become stronger in the idea that the main thing is to concentrate on the product. If it is of high quality, unique and in trend, the audience will notice it on any platform.
Therefore, now we do not pin all our hopes on Vkontakte: this social network will not exist, another one will appear.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities have been recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Perhaps everything will roll back a little and the value of publications in magazines, exhibitions, markets, the presence of an offline store or showroom will return. Social networks as a sales channel can fade into the background. Anticipating such a scenario, we are thinking about cooperation with designer markets and opening a showroom.
Instagram became a fast promotion method a few years ago, and many brands have relied on it. I know companies that have no website, no other social networks, no showroom, only Instagram.
Brands that poured all their resources into one channel suffered the most.
Now you have to approach promotion more comprehensively and from different angles.
Explore all possible channels and not stop at one. Recently, the popularity of marketplaces has increased. We responded to this trend and went to Ozon with silk scarves. About 50% of sales of scarves occur through the marketplace, the other half through our website. I recommend all manufacturers and sellers to study this channel and analyze whether the product is suitable for this platform.
On July 1, we launched a showroom in St. Petersburg, participated in the designer's market. We plan to go to another market in the autumn. Now the most interesting thing for me is advertising from bloggers in various social networks. Recently, we agreed with several people about barter advertising. We expect that each integration will bring us about 100-300 new subscribers.
“Subscribers come from bloggers, not buyers”
Evgenia Khokhlova
Founder of Ovechkinson, a children’s toy brand
Ovechkinson is a Kostroma brand that I created in 2020. I sewed the first toys myself, although I had not sewed before, I am an artist.
Now there are six people in my team, including me: two woodworkers, a seamstress, sometimes a second one is involved, and my husband Dmitry, who is engaged in promotion and packaging design. He is a designer by profession. I also collaborated with a translator who helped dub posts in English for foreign audiences.
Promoted her brand through six channels:
- Immediately after the launch, she created a page on Instagram. My husband's brother, an SMM specialist, helped with the promotion. He set up targeted advertising. They invested in it from 5,000 to 10,000 R per month. Target began to bring us more than 90% of purchases.
- We worked with bloggers: they often found us themselves, bought our product and shared their impressions with subscribers. One such post or story attracted an average of 400-500 subscribers to us. Later, we started working with major bloggers on a barter basis. For example, with Masha Gorban and Masha Anokhina, each of them has more than a million subscribers.
The target showed a greater effect than advertising from bloggers. Subscribers rather than buyers came from the latter. - Promoted Ovechkinson by participating in major seasonal festivals in Moscow.
- I tried to post my works on Pinterest, but they were immediately copied. I was approached almost immediately by entrepreneurs from China, who offered to move production there and scale it up. I refused: quality is fundamentally important to me, I personally check each product. And streaming production is likely to have a negative impact on quality. Besides, I never had the goal of making Ovechkinson a big business.
- Promoted the brand on a special marketplace for craftsmen Oozor. There are great conditions for participants: no need to pay a percentage to the marketplace. Since the site has high attendance, a steady flow of orders comes from there - monthly revenue - 20,000-30,000 rubles.
- Another channel for promotion is articles on Yandex Zen. This is a free and effective channel.
From there, I get high-quality feedback and better understand what our audience is interested in: this can be seen from the responses.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
I also planned to launch an Etsy store, but then the portal froze all Russian accounts. I hope that someday we will conquer this site as well. Promotion through all channels has consistently brought results: for the past six months, revenue has averaged 160,000-170,000 R. About 100,000 R goes back into business.
Our mobile - hanging toy above the cotThe first two weeks after blocking Instagram, we had a recession: in March, revenue dropped to 70,000 R, and then everything leveled off. Revenue in April even turned out to be higher than in previous months - 300,000 R: people in general began to buy more.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
We have started work on the site, we plan to launch it in a couple of months.
They also started a group on Vkontakte, where they invited all Instagram subscribers. We haven’t tried launching a target there yet, but sales have already begun: I think some of the previous customers have switched to Vkontakte. On average, sales there bring us about 30,000 R per month.
I began to visit the blocked social network less often: it does not always work for me even with VPN. Sales there decreased by 15%.
I used to think that the social network sells my toys. But this is an illusion: the product sells itself, regardless of the platform.
Before blocking Instagram, all sales were from there, now buyers from Vkontakte have appeared, and our income has generally stabilized. For example, in August, our revenue amounted to 200,000 R. In addition, we stopped spending money on targeting, reduced the cost and simplified the packaging of products, and thereby reduced costs.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Customers who are really interested in buying contact me themselves: they find a group on Vkontakte, my WhatsApp.
I am convinced that a person who wants to purchase our handmade mobile will look for it in any social networks. Our audience is lovers of something special, unique. These are aesthetes who will not agree to cheap analogues from China. Our mobiles cost 12,000 R, so they are mostly bought by people with above-average incomes.
If all VPN services are blocked, this audience will have to go somewhere. And since there are few options, most likely, many will resurrect Vkontakte.
/list/vpn-services/
What to use to bypass blocking: 5 VPN services
I think you need to be flexible and follow your audience.
The more perspicacious managed to spread straw for themselves: they continued to lead groups on Vkontakte, even if another social network brought results.
“My people are not on VKontakte”
Daria Popova
founder of the Surepka linen clothing brand
The brand was born in 2019 in Stavropol, and then moved with me to St.
Petersburg
My audience is people from 20 to 50 years old. 80% women, although there are unisex clothes in the collections. Most buyers do not work in the office, but are engaged in creative work: photographers, freelancers. Many of the big cities, but love nature. 90% of buyers from Russia and 10% from CIS countries, Europe and America. Currently, due to the foreign policy situation, we cannot accept payment from foreign customers.
My main platform for promotion has always been Instagram. At first, she advertised products with the help of repost contests. The winners were given certificates or finished products. Contests brought in the most subscribers.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
Integration with bloggers was an excellent tool. Periodically, I found those who were of interest to me and negotiated with them about barter advertising.
It was chaotic and unsystematic: sometimes the integrations happened twice a month, sometimes once every few months.
Once I tried to buy advertising for money, and not by barter. I paid a symbolic amount of 5000 R, and it paid off tenfold. 300-400 people subscribed to Surepka, some of them made purchases. Not all integrations have been so effective. Sometimes it seemed that the blogger had a large and active audience, but, probably, it did not really coincide with mine.
I started doing targeted advertising only in 2021. I invited several targetologists, paid them money, but there was no result. And only in November 2021, I met a professional who squeezed out excellent results from relatively small investments. She did not manually set the target, but instructed me how to do it. I paid the targetologist 6,000 R per month, spent about 10,000-15,000 R on advertising itself. By the end of December, the number of subscribers grew to 10,000, by March - up to 11,000.
I did not believe until the last moment that Instagram would be blocked: it seemed to me that this was too big a market and blocking was not reasonable. Therefore, I did nothing to somehow help myself and foresee such a scenario.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities have been recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
telegram channel.
When it became clear that the social network continued to work with VPN, I continued to maintain an account there. But it turned out that it was inconvenient for many to enter the social network, and coverage began to fall. I duplicated the content on Vkontakte and invented a new format for myself in Telegram. This attempt to sit on three chairs continues to this day.
Telegram is not very convenient for the store, so for now I keep it in the format of a diary: I write down my thoughts, share my feelings.
VKontakte is a return to the past, which I strongly resist on an emotional level, because I don't like the design and layout there.
Although there is a store that is quite convenient in terms of functions. The main problem is that my people are not there. 10% of my active subscribers moved there from another social network, but there are still few active users there. Everyone came there to post, but there was no one to watch the content.
I keep posting stories on Instagram. On a bad day, they get 1000 views, on a good day they get 2000. But on Vkontakte, a good day is 50 views, 90% of which are random people. This is very depressing. For a month of active attempts to maintain three sites, I burned out. Instagram is still the main source of orders, but I understand that other sites should not be abandoned.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
It is still difficult to talk about how the blocking affected revenue. We have seasonal goods: in spring and summer, sales are 40-50% higher than in autumn and winter.
For example, last August, the turnover was 500,000 R per month, and in the winter months it was 200,000–300,000 R.
I think that a loyal audience, for whom the brand is really important, will follow it to other sites. Perhaps she will not be so active because she is not used to these social networks. But if clothes are needed, customers will buy.
10% of our customers are abroad: now these orders are on pauseIf all VPN services are blocked and we cannot access Instagram, this "core" of 1000 people will remain with me. Another question is that now it will be difficult to find new clients: advertising has been limited on Instagram, I have not figured out advertising on Telegram and Vkontakte yet. Perhaps those very loyal 1000 people will help me.
The Instagram social network is owned by Meta, an organization whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
At the beginning of the work on the brand, I had difficult situations.
