Social media is one of our culture's greatest tools for connecting with others and finding communities based on our common interests and passions. For today's woodworkers, social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are some of the most valuable tools they use both in and outside their workshops. While woodworking can be a solitary pursuit at times, these makers are able to expand their social circles and learn more about their craft thanks to the engagement properties of social media.

Woodworkers use social media to gain valuable benefits as a result of their genuine interactions with others. In this post, we'll describe how today's woodworkers use social media and how your brand can get involved in their conversations.

3 Main Ways Woodworkers Use Social Media

1. Show off their work: Whether they have a small business or just build for friends and family, woodworkers are proud of the things they create in the workshop and like to share them with the online community. From reaching potential customers to personal connections, these pictures and posts are the number one way most woodworkers share the product of their time and hard work with others. Both constructive feedback and compliments are appreciated on these posts, and sharing their work gives makers a record of their growing skills and creativity.
   
   
2. Follow woodworking brands: Perhaps more so than any other craft segment, woodworkers enjoy keeping up with tool and product brands they use (or aspire to use) on social media. They look for updates on new products, tutorials for new ways to use their machines, and inspiration for new projects that can spark creative ideas. Woodworkers find a lot of value in informational (and occasionally promotional) posts from brands and retailers, and those messages can certainly influence their purchase decisions.
   
   
3. Support the woodworking community: Especially on Instagram and in Facebook groups, woodworkers love to share their experiences with projects and products, ask and answer questions, and support each other's work. The online woodworking community is big but strong, with each maker forming their own micro-communities within the larger conversation. They make friends and connections both locally and across the globe that allow them to learn more about their process and push them to continue growing in their skills.

How Your Woodworking Brand Can Get Involved on Social

While a lot of the value of social media for woodworkers is learning from makers who are like themselves, there are valuable and welcome ways for your brand to get involved with the online woodworking community as well. Your first step should always be to get to know your audience and how specific it is. Which woodcrafters would benefit the most from your product or service? What challenges are they talking about needing to overcome? By simply starting as an observer on social media, your team can learn a lot about what content and information your target audiences are already looking for.

Another rule of thumb brands should always keep in mind when reaching out to makers on social media is to keep your content as helpful and genuine as possible. If all of your posts are promoting products and advertising in hopes of making sales, woodworkers won't get as much value out of following you as they'd like. Providing a healthy balance of informational and educational content along with sparing promotions and product posts. By offering your expertise on social media in a way that improves a woodworker's process, you can begin to earn the interest and trust that inspires purchases down the road. With some careful planning and the right balance of content, your social media presence can become an integral part of a woodworker's online community.