Social media: Forums, Websites, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.... Things have changed.

Last night when I posted, I was impressed that I had 26 followers on Instagram. I hadn't posted in a few weeks.

...THIS morning I had 106 followers. (Ben RT I thank (hate?) you. ;)) for this. It's powerful.

I've posted a few images this morning. Before I could get to the fourth image, I had three 'likes' on the first.

It appears there are a couple of camps:

  • Those who are successful and don't need to look any further.
  • Those who WANT more exposure and are willing to do the extra work.

Truthfully, I am up to my ears in work. I have built a strong dealer base and my images are in good demand. I'm not clamoring for new or extra work.

However, I like to stay current.

I'm liking we are open to hearing how this is evolving.
 
anyone can benefit from opening themselves to opportunities, and the new media really facilitates that.
 
Don Hanson III said:
Cool story Matt! It got my attention.

BTW yesterday, Joe Richardson showed me one of yours knives he just got. I was 'instantly' attracted to it... :cool:
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Thanks Don. That is a huge compliment coming from you. Your knives are what began me chasing hamons. I think I have been trying to get hamons for about 6 or 7 years now. I still haven't nailed one like some of yours
 
A really good and informative thread. Very interesting seeing how different knifemakers view and use social media.
 
Even in the old days people used the latest tech to promote their work...
I need to get busy!
 
SharpByCoop said:
Last night when I posted, I was impressed that I had 26 followers on Instagram. I hadn't posted in a few weeks.

...THIS morning I had 106 followers. (Ben RT I thank (hate?) you. ;)) for this. It's powerful........
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Your welcome, or I'm sorry. : )

I am a relative nobody in this knife world, and I don't have a year long + backlog. So I need to put my work out there as often and in as many ways I can. I haven't been able to go to any of the big shows yet, so 99% of my interactions are with people who have only seen me and my work online. Although I don't get instant sales like some guys, Instagram has been a useful tool for me and it gives my customers and potential customers an inside look at how and what I do.
 
CKCA said:
A really good and informative thread. Very interesting seeing how different knifemakers view and use social media.
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CKCA sums up my thoughts on this thread exactly. I'm a newbie to the knife world but want to become a maker and sell one day. But for now I am following any advice I get from this site and other sources. Thankfully and also a bit sadly I am part of the generation that revolves around the cell phone. It's both a good and a bad thing at times. Instagram has been a big help for remembering to take process pics but gathering followers can be hard. I will eventually make a website when time permits. But I got to say that Blade forums has been the biggest help in my progress down the knife path. Thanks for all the insight and opinions.

Ted_Peachsmith
Oh and check out my instagram @ted_peachsmith. :P
 
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I just joined instagram about two weeks ago, @frycustomknives. Finally getting a feel for the platform, although I'm not quite used to shooting square pictures. Even so, seems like putting your work in front of more people is never a bad idea. I've not built a separate Facebook page for knives, but I post knives all the time on there. I've had several direct orders or sales from FB, but more than that, it's just added to my "reputation" as a "serious" knife guy. Really what that means is that folks get the idea that I make knives, have made them for a while, and take pretty pictures.
 
I just started instagram a few weeks ago I'm kinda old school as well still learning #stovallcustomknives I havent quite figured out how to get the followers yet. I also do a facebook page while I get a lot of like most of my orders are from hunting forums and word of mouth I also have a website but have never sod a knife off of it most people view it to see what they want me to make them.
 
I found out about custom knives because of web forums.

I have little interest in social media like Facebook, instagram, twitter primarily because of privacy issues related to some of those companies.

I'm content with the forums and surfing the net.
 
Hello!

After being old-school all over, I took a dive into the cold water and started an Instagram page over the easter holidays (thanks for the support, Ben!). I just did my first ever "Instagram-saw-it-first" shot of one of my knives, one of Bob Appleby's wonderful bamboo integrals I got some time ago.

The files are not really good quality because of the image-processing of Instagram, but I do actually find it a quite interesting way of getting the word out there...

Will be fun to see where this is heading.

Best,
Alex
 
RogerP said:
Old fashioned? :) To the thread subject, I am connected to many knife folk on Facebook and enjoy it for the most part. The only down side is most just want to engage in non-stop political rants
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One of the potential downfalls of the social media scene is there is no moderation, as the forum has. Any and everything is fair game. I have lost some respect for several people in the custom knife world due to their behavior on social media, everything from religious/ political rants, overt racism, general intolerance or just negativity. On a forum with certain expectations, they are fine but give them an open mic...
 
A.l.e.x. said:
Hello!

After being old-school all over, I took a dive into the cold water and started an Instagram page over the easter holidays (thanks for the support, Ben!). I just did my first ever "Instagram-saw-it-first" shot of one of my knives, one of Bob Appleby's wonderful bamboo integrals I got some time ago.

The files are not really good quality because of the image-processing of Instagram, but I do actually find it a quite interesting way of getting the word out there...

Will be fun to see where this is heading.

Best,
Alex
Click to expand...

It's great to see a lot of your pics in one place!
 
Being new to this whole thing and a youngin, I've fell in love with Instagram. It's allowed me to reach out to hundreds more then I could before and kept me busy with orders.

The only trick I've had is realizing I'm marketing to a huge crowd of people who know nothing about knives.

It's also great fun to follow other makers and see how they do things on a day to day basis! Such as checking out Bens page. :]
 
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