I can’t remember how or why I came across Lisa Anderson Shafer, but I am so glad I did. Lisa’s interview sparked some pretty lively discussion between the two of us regarding social media marketing strategy. We seem to have a shared understanding that social media strategy is different for everyone. There is no One Size Fits All approach. It is your decision to choose which business goals you would like your social media strategy to support. We enjoyed our email exchange so much that we have decided to put a little something together for you. Details coming soon…
1. Who are you, what do you do, and how did it all begin?
Lisa Anderson Shaffer. Maker, writer and stylist at Zelma Rose. Zelma Rose was founded in 2010. After a chaotic year where the hits came faster than we could recover, I came home from my private practice one day (I was a licensed psychotherapist) and said to my husband, “I think I am done.” To my surprise he answered, “Good. I don’t think you have been happy for a long time.” He was right and it wasn’t until that moment that I knew it. Not making art for 6 years was a huge mistake and one that I will never make again. I closed my practice, went back to teaching art and started making anything and everything. One afternoon a friend came over, took a look at some jewelry I had been working on and said, “You have a collection. I’ll come over next week and take some photos. We will put them up on Etsy.” And there you have it!
instagram.com/zelmarose
2. Where can we find you on social media?
https://www.facebook.com/ZelmaRose
https://twitter.com/ZelmaRoseCurios
https://www.pinterest.com/zelmarose/
https://instagram.com/zelmarose/
3. What is your favorite hashtag?
#vsco. The VSCO community is tremendously supportive. I love discovering new people to follow via VSCO. It’s where I get inspiration for my own gallery.
instagram.com/zelmarose
4. Why do you use social media?
It’s essential. I love that specifically Instagram gives my customers and followers a visual companion to the story of my brand.
5. Which tools do you use for creating or posting content?
Hard work and planning. I create an Instagram publishing calendar every Sunday. I work to collect as many high quality and engaging photos as I can throughout the week. When I post I am sure to give a sense of all the things I do as owner of Zelma Rose in the first three rows of my gallery. For example, I try to include an image from a blog post, studio shot, process shot, product, and photo styling project.
6. What effect does social media have on your business?
Social media continues to impact my business in surprising ways. I think that is one of my favorite things about it. You never know where you are going to pop up and what impact it will have. I enjoy seeing the ways partnerships and customers use social media to share announcements about Zelma Rose. It gives an immediate window into how others perceive your brand and what the response is.
7. How do you measure success on social media?
Not by numbers. I might be one of the few people who honestly don’t care about the number of followers. I don’t think number of followers is directly connected to the quality of posts or integrity of the content one offers over social media. I use Facebook and Twitter to share mostly announcements and relevant articles or interests, but Instagram I use as an online portfolio of my work. My goal is not to gain followers but use it as a space for companies, and customers to learn more about Zelma Rose, the inspiration behind my designs, and ways to work with me. I recently learned that the final selling factor in being chosen to partner with a major store was the company viewing my IG feed and connecting to the images.
instagram.com/zelmarose
8. What aspect of social media do you find most challenging?
The time involved. I wish I had more time to dedicate to it. I really value offering customers high quality content and I would love to have more time to share articles, images, and just chat with them online.
9. What makes you follow another brand back?
Consistency in look and content. Artistic representation of product and subject.
instagram.com/zelmarose
10. Which brands have social media you admire?
I am a huge fan of skateboarding images. The motion, singular subject matter and style really speak to me. Grey Skate Magazine
11. Any advice for other brands just getting started on social media?
Just get started. Once you are out there, see what people respond to. Create a plan to keep your content in line with your brand’s vision, values, mission and objectives. Most importantly don’t forget to reach out and connect with people. It’s about being interested not just interesting. And hey, have fun!
instagram.com/zelmarose