Are you making the most of Facebook Live? This week’s Jam is an awesome and unique conversation we had in beautiful Las Vegas during the 2018 Flourish Fusion conference. Richie and I had the pleasure of speaking with Meg and Beth from SirWinslowsZoo about their creative products and very unique use of Facebook Live which is bringing them some sweet sales. Read on to see how you too can use Facebook Live Craft Shows to boost your sales!

Richie and I had the pleasure of chatting with Meg and Beth from SirWinslowsZoo in Las Vegas last month. Meg and Beth use fun and funky fabrics to create unique, loveable stuffed animals. They also use Facebook Live in a very creative way.

Facebook Live Craft Shows

A few months ago, Meg and Beth started hosting craft sale videos using Facebook Live.  Think QVC…on Facebook. Sometimes things take a while to ramp up but Meg and Beth saw results from their Facebook Lives almost immediately. This platform is working very well for the sisters as it opens their geographic audience up beyond Illinois and Iowa. They’ve had viewers from all over the US tuning in to see (and buy!) their products.

Meg will take a product, show it to their audience and speak about it while Beth keeps an eye on the comments and engages with their community. The products that they choose to showcase on the Facebook Live events are ones that aren’t available on Etsy. They’re one-of-a-kind creations that shoppers can buy directly through the Facebook Live chat and nowhere else. This helps provide an element of scarcity and uniqueness to the events.

How do they do it?

Their Live sessions are typically about an hour in length and they will showcase 25 to 30 different products. Meg says it’s important to keep in mind that when you’re starting the Facebook Live sessions to remember it takes a while for people to get notified and join the broadcasts. Begin with some casual conversation and give people a while to show up before you start showcasing your products.

Having a second person to help keep an eye on the comments is IMMENSELY helpful. Not only is it hard for the presenter to keep up on what’s going on in the chat, an additional replying to comments helps Facebook see more engagement on the Live session and will prompt them to share it with even MORE potential viewers.

Beth mentions it’s also important to remember that there is a 26 second delay on Facebook broadcasts so it really helps to have a second person in charge of comments. It also helps to ask people to be VERY specific about which product they’re interested in purchasing. I’ll take one purple paisley penguin, please!

Don’t hesitate to get started with your own Facebook Live Craft Shows!

What do you do on the Live shows?

They use the Live videos to showcase new products. They also discuss the stories behind each product – like where they got the fabric, where the idea came from and how they were created. Every other week, Meg will sew and animal LIVE on their broadcasts. They’ve found that their audience LOVES seeing the behind-the-scenes action around their products. For those videos, which won’t contain products already purchased by shoppers, the sisters save and upload them to YouTube to increase their reach.

They’ve also taken advantage of the increased engagement to solicit ideas for future animals. What better way to explore new products than to ask your customers who are actively purchasing your current products??

Don’t ever give up

Stuffed animals haven’t always been Meg and Beth’s focus. They’ve tried baby clothing, scrap booking, upcycled clothing and jewelry. When they found that those weren’t really successful for them, they kept iterating and trying new things until they landed on something that really took off. If you’re finding yourself in a similar spot, don’t give up! Keep trying new ideas and new things until you find your gold nugget!