Top Tips on Social Media from Stone Carver Zoë Wilson
In this How To guide, stone carver Zoë Wilson shares her top tips for using social media as a maker. With over 15 years of experience in stone carving, Zoë has built her career by sharing her passion for geometric patterns and British stone, and now she’s passing on her advice to help you connect with others in the craft community.
We asked Zoë about how she approaches posting, collaborating, and planning content, as well as how social media has helped her career. Whether you’re looking to share your making process or engage with fellow creatives, read on to find out about creating engaging content that reflects your craft and your journey.
How do you decide what to post and how do you capture your making process?
I think it’s important to find your own style on social media, so that your content always feels it has the same tone and identity. For me I like to imagine a friend has come into the studio and I’m showing them what I’m doing that day or week. I film it all on my iPhone and like to focus on capturing the process of making.
Do you collaborate with others on your content, if so, what tips do you have for collaborating?
Yes, I do collaborated with others. My biggest tip would be to make sure the person or business you’re collaborating with is something/someone who shares similar principles to you and your business so that it feels like a good fit to your viewers and can be a collaboration you’re proud of. For example I carve British stone and use traditional techniques. For me it’s good to collaborate with other British bands especially those who are sustainable or are aware of reducing their environmental impact and interested in how their products are made. A poor fit can really harm your brand identity and how people view you and your craft.
Do you plan your posts in advance, or share things more spontaneously? Are there any tools to help you do this?
I always try to be more organised and plan my posts, but to be honest usually fail! I’m definitely more of a spontaneous content creator, I find it to be easier to get on and post it whilst I’m thinking about it and it’s fresh in my mind.
Have you found that social media has helped your career or business — and if so, in what ways?
Social media has certainly helped my business. For a free marketing tool it’s pretty powerful when a reel can get nearly 60million views. I think you need to be clear about when your goal is though with social media, if you’re trying to gain followers ask yourself why? What is it you’re trying to achieve. It’s important to know what your goals are so you can keep on track to working towards them and also so you feel a sense of achievement when you reach them.
Is there any other advice that you’d give to someone who is looking to start a platform or post more regularly about their work?
Remember that social media is a powerful tool but shouldn’t be the sole focus of your marketing strategy.
