Week 3: Part 2

       I am creating a knit and crochet design label of my own currently, and it is self-titled. My wife already has an established business in the same area so I decided to focus on knit and crochet designers. I come across a lot of knitting and crocheting businesses when I am on social media sites, and they are all so different. They all really only have one thing in common, yarn. Some design an array of items, others stick to just a few select things. Each business is as unique as its owner. It is my goal to create a brand that reflects my individuality, and create a booming social media presence.
       Of the five businesses I’ve selected, four are knit and/or crochet designers, and one (Our Maker Life) is a hub for various knitting and crocheting activities, events, blogs, vlogs, and designers. Our Maker Life is active on just about every form of social media platform. In my opinion, they are using social media the way it’s meant to be used. They are very interactive with their fan base and they are consistent with their posts. Practically every single day they post pictures and status updates on various platforms. Based on what I see, they use Instagram the most. Our maker life reposts pictures that were posted by the designers and artists they partner with. The pictures, although they come from many different people, flow nicely to create a very inspiring gallery.
       The next business I would like to highlight is Repeat Crafter Me. Repeat Crafter Me (RCM) is owned by a crochet and knit pattern designer. This business is also very active on various social media platforms. I wasn’t able to access a few of the crafting social media sites without an account, but RCM has their hand in just about every inch of the online social world. RCM uses Instagram a lot, but also posts often on YouTube. RCM is responsive and easy to get in touch with. I would say that RCM is using social media very well. The pictures posted are of professional quality and RCM has a refreshing vibrant color scheme on Instagram.
       Lunar Knits by Lori is another great knitting and crochet business that I come across often when I am online. On the main website, there is a simple layout with links to Instagram, YouTube, the WordPress blog, and the Etsy shop associated with the business. I really like the simple and easy to navigate website. Although the other businesses were on various platforms, Lunar Knits by Lori was the only one with a website that displays all of the important links. This made it easy for me to explore the feeds and view the videos. Instagram is once again the main platform used by this business, and it is being used well. The Instagram feed is bright and simple, just like the rest of her social media presence.
       Noorvana is a cutting-edge crochet design business. The social media presence of Noorvana is subtle, but it suits the type of business. Because there is one designer, and she creates full pieces of clothing from scratch, I’m assuming she doesn’t have much time to spend online. Noorvana still manages to post pictures on Instagram and engage minimally with potential customers. The pictures she posts are usually either models or herself wearing the items. They all look like they’ve been clipped from a magazine. Noorvana does social media very differently, but it works for the type of business.
       Lastly, I found a business called DeBrosse NYC. They use Instagram more than any other site. Their items are sold on Etsy and there is a blog linked to the page but it isn’t directly related to the business. It is more of a lifestyle blog. The pictures on all the platforms related to DeBrosse are sleek and minimalistic. This company also has a subtle social media presence but because they post such great quality images they have a huge following and I can tell from the Etsy that sales are rolling in often. Etsy has a feature that shows how many sales a shop has made.
       From spending years on social media, I’ve come to learn that each site is very different. They each attract a different crowd, and they are all used differently. The last couple of years, I have been helping my wife with her business. She has inspired me to begin designing as well. My wife’s website is currently in restock mode, otherwise I would have used hers. Collectively, I discovered that social media is a great tool to get noticed, generate sales, and interact with customers. Some of these businesses will be my competition in the near future, but I believe that since every target customer group is different, I will fare well.

I’ve listed the information about each business below.

1. The business name: DeBrosse NYC
2. Their website url: http://debrosse.com ecommerce Etsy website, last updated Jan 2, 2018
3. The social media they are visibly using [links on their website]:
       a. Last post Feb 9, 2018 http://instagram.com/debrosse_nyc
       b. Not dated but has posts related to the new year https://char-co.com

1. The business name: Our Maker Life
2. Their website url: www.ourmakerlife.org
3. The social media they are visibly using [links on their website]:
       a. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.instagram.com/ourmakerlife
       b. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.facebook.com/ourmakerlife
       c. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.twitter.com/ourmakerlife

1. The business name: Repeat Crafter Me
2. Their website url: www.repeatcrafterme.com
3. The social media they are visibly using [links on their website]:
       a. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.instagram.com/repeatcrafterme
       b. Last post Feb 10, 2018 www.repeatcrafterme.com
       c. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.Facebook.com/repeatcrafterme
       d. Last post Feb 9, 2018 www.youtube.com/repeatcrafterme
       e. Last post Feb 11, 2018 www.Pinterest.com/repeatcrafterme
       f. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.twitter.com/repeatcrafterme

1. The business name: Noorvana
2. Their website url: www.noorvana.com
3. The social media they are visibly using [links on their website]:
       a. Last post Feb 11, 2018 www.instagram.com/n00rvana
       b. Last post Feb 12, 2018 www.twitter.com/n00rvana

1. The business name: Lunar Knits by Lori
2. Their website url: http://linktr.ee/lunarknitsbylori
3. The social media they are visibly using [links on their website]:
       a. Last post Feb 9, 2018 www.lunarknitsbylori.wordpress.com
       b. Last post Feb 8, 2018 www.youtube.com/lunarknitsbylori
       c. No dates other than the policies last updated on 10/24/2016 www.etsy.com/lunarknitsbylori
       d. Last post Feb 11, 2018 www.instagram.com/lunarknitsbylori