Hochschule Heilbronn Technik • Wirtschaft • Informatik

Submitted to: Sonja Salman Author: Chloe Rice Date:3/07/2015

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Hochschule Heilbronn Technik • Social Media Management and Intelligence Seminar(281795) The Status Quo of Social Media in Ireland in the field of a Craft Business THE POTENTIAL USE OF SOCIAL

MEDIA APPLICATION IN THE CRAFT BUSINESSES

1. Management Summary...........................................................................................- 2 -

2. Introduction.............................................................................................................- 3 -

2.1. Motivation.........................................................................................................- 3 -2.2. Goals..................................................................................................................- 3 -

3. What is a craft business?........................................................................................- 4 -

4. The Start-up of a Craft Business............................................................................- 4 -

4.1. Target Market....................................................................................................- 4 -4.2. Costs..................................................................................................................- 5 -

5. Social Media.............................................................................................................- 5 -

5.1. Why do we Converse on Social Media?............................................................- 5 -5.2. How Social Media is used by Craft Businesses................................................- 7 -5.3. Is Social Media more about Marketing or more about Social Networking?.....- 9 -5.4. Social Media in Europe.....................................................................................- 9 -5.5. Social media and craft business in Ireland......................................................- 10 -

5.5.1. Blogs........................................................................................................- 10 -5.5.1.1. An example..........................................................................................- 10 -

5.5.2. Facebook.................................................................................................- 11 -5.5.3. Twitter......................................................................................................- 11 -5.5.4. LinkedIn...................................................................................................- 11 -5.5.5. YouTube...................................................................................................- 11 -

5.6. How craft businesses benefit from Social Media............................................- 12 -

6. Craft Business V Larger Companies...................................................................- 13 -

7. Primary Research..................................................................................................- 13 -

7.1. Case Study.......................................................................................................- 15 -

8. Conclusion..............................................................................................................- 16 -

8.1.1. Have Ireland passed peak social media?................................................- 16 -

9. Appendices.............................................................................................................- 18 -

10. References..........................................................................................................- 22 -

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1. Management Summary Social media is used for both personal reasons and business motives. Small and large businesses have the equal right to use social media to establish and promote their business. Craft businesses today are using social media networks more and more, what is the status que of social media in Ireland in the field of craft businesses? The primary research conducted for this report consisted of a questionnaire. The results from the survey were quantitative. Questions were asked relating to social media and different social networks that craft businesses use. The question: what social media network do you as a craft business prefer, 20% stated Twitter, 50% shared that is was Facebook and 30% said Instagram. Every craft business has their own specific reasons for using a precise social media network. Twitter is great for news and customer questions. It is the fastest way to share and engage with customers in real time. Facebook offers an easy way for brands to engage with users and comment on activity and updates. Instagram is a mobile photo sharing app which allows users to share on Twitter, Facebook and more. Not every craft business can use all the social media platforms; if they were to do this they would spread themselves too thin. Craft business must find their audience and discover which network or networks best suits them. This is the starting point for craft businesses get to know the market, check out the competitors, get the pricing and costing right, and plan the goals and targets for the business. Craft businesses provide a range of skills including, textile making, clothing, pottery, ceramics, jewellery, glass, and wood making and furniture. In Ireland the craft industry is sustaining 5,700 jobs. In Ireland craft businesses find blogs effective. The owners of the craft business can post personal and detailed content about themselves and their craft. Blogs are a popular way of promoting your craft business in Ireland at the minute. 100% specified that social media was effective for their business. Each person and craft business is different and therefore they all have different preferences. This data is not 100% accurate because only a small number of craft businesses were given questionnaires. Therefore if they distribution number were higher, this figure may have been lower. Social media is beneficial to a craft business. Craft businesses do not have the budget to advertise on a large scale such as television. They may use other sources for instance radio, newspapers, magazines or billboards. With social media it gives them access to a larger audience. By posting content on the social networks businesses are sharing their material. If craft businesses comment on other craft businesses material they are making themselves more recognised. Consumers who will have never noticed them before may become aware of them at this point.

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2. IntroductionMy research topic for this report is “The status quo of social media in Ireland in the field of a craft business.” This statement is taken from the area within “The potential use of social media application in the craft businesses.” Social media is a new subject for me. Although I am constantly using social media every day, I did not know it in depth. I am interested in building my knowledge on the topic. This is because social media is the future, it is how people communicate, advertise, sell and more. It is essential in today’s world that a business must be involved in social media. If they do not take part this means they will be left behind, and missing out on many opportunities that could enhance a business’s accomplishments. This report contains information on social media, craft businesses, and more importantly how craft businesses use and adapt social media to their businesses.For this paper I have conducted both primary and secondary research. Both research methods have contributed important information for me to answer my research question. My primary research consists of an interview with the owner of a craft business in Ireland. My secondary research involves examining books, articles, journals and the internet webpages.

2.1. Motivation For me social media is very interesting. Today if a business isn’t on a social media network then they are losing out on many opportunities for their business to grow. I use social media myself for personal use and I wanted to discover how to effectively use social media for businesses relations.

2.2. Goals The goal of this essay was to discover how craft businesses use social media to promote their businesses. If they do use the networks why and how do they operate them? And what platforms do they use and which networks to they prefer.

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3. What is a craft business?A Craft business is one in which requires skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects. It may be a job or activity that involves skill and experience, or something produced using skill and experience. A craft business can be anything from a jewellery maker, a designer, a carpenter, a forester. The list of opportunities is endless. The craft skill comes first and then the business will follow. A person might decide to refine their skills, or work with a slightly different material, or use new techniques, but, for the most part, serious artisans know what skills they bring to the craft table. Selling hard goods, this refers to selling your actual handmade product. For example a person makes jewellery and decides to open up a business selling their hand made jewellery. Selling E-goods, E-goods are any type of digital item that can be sold. There are many ways a person can take their knowledge and skill around creating a specific type of craft and turn it into a digital product. For example instead of selling the actual items, consider selling instructions for making the items. A person own unique printable patterns or downloadable project instructions can be sold online.

4. The Start-up of a Craft Business

4.1. Target MarketA craft organisation must try to narrow down the target market as much as possible. They need to pin point as precisely as possible, what need they are trying to satisfy in their customers. Why would they want or need to buy a product? It is much more cost effective if the business is pitching to a narrow, well targeted audience than trying to appeal to everyone. This may result in the craft business growing more successfully. Once the business has thought about their ideal customer, what they do? What they want? Then they need to establish if there is a demand for the craft product or service. This information can be gathered in a number of ways: Ask your customers, competitor research, speak to experts, trails and a focus group. (Pullen, 2014)

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4.2. Costs After the target customers have been determined the crafter must begin to think about the costs of the start-up. Two important questions a business must ask itself; how much of a budget have I got? And what exact materials do I need to buy? (Unknown, How to start a craft business, 2015)

5. Social Media Social Media is a verb. It’s the act of creating and posting content in any and all of the following hosted environments: online, mobile, virtual, or as yet to be named. (B. Bonn Bough, 2011) The key concept behind social media is that it is shared with those that you identify as friends or followers. This is what is called an inner circle. Social media involves extending your personal identity into a setting where it is observed by others who have chosen to pay attention to you. It is a medium, just like print, broadcast and radio although it can be shared with many people instantly. With social media it is possible to foster an exchange, a give and take with the consumers. For example: A company can post something on Twitter and inquire that they provide feedback. (Evans, 2008)The power of social media goes far beyond making money through better advertising. Social media has changed the world. It has changed the way in which consumers communicate with consumers and the way businesses connect with businesses. It has altered the method of selling and purchasing products. Therefore social media can affect a craft business numerous ways. (Dave Evans, 2010)When it comes to identifying major sources of the internet traffic and predicts the future trends, the social media traffic on the internet is growing up very fast due to the extensive use of social media websites like YouTube and Facebook. (Naeem Ramzan, 2011)Craft is becoming increasingly visible in the social media sphere: makers, retailers, galleries and craft organisations are embracing Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms as key tools for a business and a creative development. The social media strategies and techniques being employed in the craft sector today are helping address challenges facing the sector. These challenges are the following:

Export market potential

The isolation faced by sole traders

An under-developed retail infrastructure amongst others

5.1. Why do we Converse on Social Media?Social media conversations possess unique characteristics. These features of social media conversations are different from online forum discussions, where user participation has been typically investigated. The key features of conversations include: community, presence of shared media and conversational interestingness. A community, shared media conversations can promote cohesive interaction amongst community members. Members of the community can interact in a specific conversation due to several reasons. First, individuals can come together because they share a common interest in the topic. Second, individuals may be interested in expressing their opinion on a media object related to a recent event. Finally, they may be interested in exchanging ideas with familiar community members, whom they observe participating in the conversation.

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Therefore, an individual’s observations of the larger community are likely to influence her participation in a conversation.Shared Media, social media conversations take place in the context of a shared media object, including a video on YouTube, or a post on the technology blog, Engadget, naturally, the content (and context) of the media object—e.g., visual features of an image/video, textual content of a blog post, their associated metadata etc. are likely to impact an individual’s desire to participate in the associated conversation. Hence, analysis of factors behind voluntary participation in these conversations needs to consider the properties of the shared media. Are conversations interesting, temporal theme evolution is a key characteristic of social media conversations. New themes slowly emerge due to new user comments, and over time, the conversation topic can bear little resemblance. We conjecture that the degree of interestingness of a conversation, influences individual participation. (Munmun De Choudhury, 2011)

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5.2. How Social Media is used by Craft BusinessesSocial media allows the hidden stories behind the craft object to be told, and in the process builds buyers’ appreciation of the work and its value. These stories might contain the skills and materials used to make the product, the processes involved and the origin and traditions around them. They might involve a dialogue between the maker’s inspirations. The craft business might also connect the object to the maker’s lifestyle – where and how they work or where they have travelled. These stories are significant because, without them, it can be difficult for the potential buyer to recognise the true value – both cultural and monetary - of the craft object. Social media allows the maker to narrate the story of how an object came into being in an authentic way, and, in doing so, to explain how it uses skilful and risk-intensive processes to transform materials into unique creative products. Craft businesses in Ireland use social media to demonstrate the hidden value in their work. As glass (and ceramic) maker Charlotte Clark says, “Craft is about the making process – if the customer knows the back story, they’re more likely to consider buying.” Charlotte tells this back story by tweeting photographs of moulds and kiln firings taken throughout her working day. Other tweets announce exhibition openings and new work for sale. Often, Charlotte links these tweets to Facebook photo albums that show the work and making process in more detail. This kind of narrative is about more than making sales, however: it is also about adding value, in the longer term, to the maker’s brand. She also likes to highlight the inventive use of materials in design – “the human and humorous aspects of craft and design.” Her approach encourages us to understand her inspirations and the thoughtfulness of her creative process, and gives us a sense of the quality of making in her own work. Stories posted by the maker often develop into conversations with Twitter followers and Facebook fans, about the work and it’s meaning too. A challenge lies in determining the right balance between personal and professional content. Many social media experts recommend applying the 80/20 rule here, suggesting that 20% of content posted should refer to your work, and that the rest should inform or entertain your audience about other - related - topics.

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This diagram expresses everything a craft business needs to know when accessing and using social media. Facebook and Twitter are used as examples of social media being represented in this diagram. Activism or involvement essentials are the goals of a craft business. They are the methods in which they will use on social media sites. Meetings and gatherings, craft businesses should aim to post about event pages and chat. In terms of Twitter event- Tweets and tweet-ups are used under this heading. Advocacy and leader, community and affinity (attraction), each of these headings are aimed at reaching as many consumers as possible and keeping them consumer’s interested. Expression and shared voices and reach and connect, are about the craft businesses general posting and material about their business they wish to share with their customers. This diagram is important to ensuring a craft business performs social media correcting and effectively. “I did not use this exact social media diagram to conduct social networking, however I did use one similar to it” (Anne’s Handcrafted Cards)

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5.3. Is Social Media more about Marketing or more about Social Networking?

Social Networks are primarily about relationships. It’s significant to both marketing and networking, but the real issue is how they contribute to relationships. The following words are the words that describe social networking. • Sharing• Connecting • Interacting • Speaking • Listening • Collaborating• Building• Learning (B. Bonn Bough, 2011) Each of these words plays both a role in networking and marketing. However they also play a major rule in human emotion. This is essential; the business must move beyond business and allow social media to affect the heart. Once the business has made a connection with the emotion both networking and marketing become easier and more successful. (B. Bonn Bough, 2011) This is significant because this is how a business’s value and skill is measured by how they affect their customers emotionally. (Vivek K. Singh, 2009)

5.4. Social Media in Europe

The market of Europe regarding the use of social media within a craft business, the European market is huge which is why there will be only one country focused on. That country is Ireland. In today’s world if a business does not use social media then they are losing out on a number of opportunities that could potentially help them become successful. Today customers are on social media websites and they are constantly communicating their opinions about products and services. A craft business may have to work that harder on social media compared to the global companies. Although Europe is one market, the use of social media in each country is completely different. For example the amount of hours spent on social media each day is greatest in Italy. Social media users in Italy spend 2.5 hours a day on the social media websites. The average amount of hours spent on social media is 2.4 and Italy is above this average. Italy still prefers to use the traditional way of advertising for their services and products. They have the highest penetration of mobiles in Europe and the highest number of Facebook users. Italian is the fourth language used in world blogs today, this means that they like to talk and express their opinions. Also this means that consumers and people are reading the blogs; there is a demand for them. (Kemp, 2014)In Ireland the following social media links are used by both individuals and businesses. • Facebook• Twitter• Instagram • LinkedIn• Google+• Pinterest • WhatsApp• YouTube The figures in the graph (see figure 1) portray the overall use of social media in Ireland. The statistics are different for a person’s personal use for social media and a businesses use

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for social media. The statistics (see figure 2) state the social networks used by Irish businesses. (Offical Social Media Stats in Ireland, 2015)Craft in Ireland is a dynamic and vivacious sector. As a main employer it makes a significant contribution to the Irish economy. Craft businesses provide a range of skills including, textile making, clothing, pottery, ceramics, jewellery, glass, and wood making and furniture. These craft businesses are typically small in scale and are geographically widespread across the country. The Irish craft business sector currently sustains 5,700 jobs. (DCCol, 2015)

5.5. Social media and craft business in IrelandCurrently craft businesses owners are using social media to promote their businesses, to sell their products and to become established in their current market. The most popular social networking sites to use in Ireland are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and the newest social network Snapchat. Another popular form of social media for a craft business to use today is blogs. Blogs are very popular in Ireland in this sector. Craftster, CraftZine, Sixapart, WordPress, Blogger and Whip-up are examples of popular blogs sites in Ireland.

5.5.1. Blogs

Craft business owners turn to blogs because they give customers an insight of who you are as a person, who and what their craft is, their skills, their services etc. Using a blog to promote craft is more of a personal way of connecting with the customers. The owner of the craft business is able to share more information about their craft and themselves in much greater detail. Blogs allow craft businesses to join together on one another’s blogs, for example the organisations could host a competition on one of their blogs and the opposite business would be mentioned. This is an excellent way for craft business owners to become more recognised.

5.5.1.1. An example Lisa is a bag maker, who has her own blog for her craft business. She uses her blog to give her customers an insight to whom she is, she provides tutorials and showcases the bag making skills of others. She hopes to introduce bag making skills to people who have never created bags before and increase the trust that customers have in her as the owner of her own business. She also hopes to encourage others to go into business themselves, and create a little corner for bag makers to congregate. Having your own blog gives you another web link (that you can get out there in the internet), and a platform in which allows you to talk about you, show off your craft photos, show off your craft, talk about the craft process. Lisa has found blogging invaluable to her business, and she can’t recommend it for anyone else’s craft business enough. Typepad is what she used to get her blog up and running, although there are many websites available to help craft businesses get underway. (Lisa, 2011)Lisa had never blogged before she started her own business, she started in November 2006. “You don’t need to be a computer genius; there are help pages available to guide businesses in the process.” (Lisa, 2011)

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5.5.2. Facebook

At the moment, 19% of Ireland’s 2.2 Million Facebook populations are between the ages of 35 and 44. (Offical Social Media Stats in Ireland, 2015) Facebook allows craft businesses to share everything and anything about their craft. They can share, post, like and comment on other pages. It is just as important to post your material on Facebook as it is to comment on others status. This conveys that you are interested in their information and permits you to become recognised. The most popular day for activity on Facebook in Ireland is Monday. The activities that take place on a Monday are page likes, photos, videos, comments, likes and wall comments. On Tuesdays the most popular activity is messaging and on Friday and Saturday the users update their statuses and check-in. With this information craft businesses have been able to time what activity to conduct on what day. Facebook has contributed to a great deal of craft businesses achievements in Ireland. (see figure 6)

5.5.3. Twitter

There are 1 million tweets a day in Ireland, with 600,000 daily users. Currently Ireland has the 10th highest number of Twitter users per capita. (Offical Social Media Stats in Ireland, 2015) It was very important to be live on Twitter. If a craft business is going to use Twitter it must refresh their tweets frequently. Craft businesses in Ireland have been using Twitter for business to business networking. For example: a business makes little patterns for knitted toys; they network with other creators of children’s gifts, clothes and equipment. This is an excellent way to be seen by the other businesses followers. For this small craft business Twitter is all about establishing relationships with others and getting their name noticed. Twitter allows craft business owners to share short and quick messages with their customers. Craft businesses in Ireland have benefited significantly from Twitter; it has permitted them to flourish. (see figure 5)

5.5.4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service. LinkedIn provides real to craft businesses. Craft business owners have advanced by operating on LinkedIn. It enables them to make connections with other professionals on this network. It has allowed them to mingle with other crafters in the same area, to compare experiences and bounce design ideas off each other. The more established craft businesses can provide guidance for the new ones but the newer establishments can also offer a fresh, enthusiastic perspective to revitalise the experienced designer makers. (see figure 4)

5.5.5. YouTube

YouTube is dominated by user generated content, video clips, musical arts, micro-bloggers. YouTube emphasises “channels” for branded content.

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5.6. How craft businesses benefit from Social MediaSocial media can bring any business today benefits if it is done right. There are four ways a craft business can benefit from social media, they are the following: Selling- Social media creates new potential for craft e-commerce. Specifically, it opens up under-utilised export opportunities, and the chance of converting ‘window shoppers’ into first-time buyers. It also helps to spread the risk for makers’ businesses, by diversifying their retail base.

Adding Value-Social media can be used to reveal the hidden stories behind the craft object and its maker. By showing the creative making process, the provenance of materials used and the inspiration behind the work, it has the potential to raise the perceived value of craft in the marketplace.

Building Audiences-Social media can introduce craft to new audiences with other cultural and lifestyle interests through their own frames of reference. In exhibition contexts it can build enthusiasm by engaging audiences as active participants or commentators through the use of mobile platforms and apps.

Positioning-Social media can be used to position a maker or craft organisation in a way that creates new professional and creative opportunities. In this way, it can help both makers and organisations to evolve over time, and support makers in managing multiple strands of an ever-changing portfolio career.

Networking-Social media can be used to connect organisations or individuals into hubs for sharing the information, creative collaboration opportunities and companionship essential for a sector of sole traders. (Safko, 2010)

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6. Craft Business V Larger CompaniesUsing social media to promote your business is different to using a personal account. Therefore when a business intends to use social media they must remember not to inform consumers too much about their products or services. Consumers want to be notified about products but only to a certain extent. The large companies in the world today are at a great advantage when it comes to social media networks. Many of them will have hired people to monitor and update their social media webpages. They will also have people to supervise the negative and positive comments about their products. This is critical for any business to be successful. This is because a negative comment can cause a shit-storm and potentially give the company a bad reputation. For the smaller businesses and craft businesses, it is difficult to use social media to its full potential. Craft businesses do not have the budget and the audience that a large company has. It is important for a craft business to use social media to its full potential. This will enable them to compete with larger companies. Social media will allow a craft business to become established. It is all about strategy, that’s the essential point. The strategy has to come first, once the business has that they can craft a program to leverage social media to deliver upon that strategy. (B. Bonn Bough, 2011) It is important that craft businesses to do not spread themselves thin by making an appearance on all the social networks. In order to make social media work for craft businesses they must identify their audience, match their brands and pick the best fit. Each social media network has a different function although they all aim to do the same thing which is to share information/content.

7. Primary Research Primary research was conducted; by carrying out primary research first-hand information was obtained. The type of primary research in which was used to gather data was a questionnaire. Thirty questionnaires were distributed to forty different craft businesses in Ireland, however only twenty nine replied. The questionnaire provided quantitative data. It consisted of questions regarding social media and craft businesses (see figure 3). 20% of the craft business owners that received questionnaires stated that they did not use social media straight away when they created their craft business. Whereas 40% specified that they did use it immediately to promote their craft business. 10% of the craft business owners stated their reason for using social media in the first place was because it was an easier way of advertising and promoting. They specified that its less costly too. 20% expressed that it was because other forms of promoting were not working for them. They were unable to reach their target groups and unable to expand their business. They used other forms of advertising, for example local newspapers and local billboards. Another 30% stated that social media was recommended to them. They had been using other methods before social media had been suggested. 10% said they began to use social media because everyone they knew who were involved in the craft business area were on social media networks. The final 10% expressed that it was the way to go. That social media they believed has taken over, and they wanted to be a part of it. The questions: what social media network do you as a craft business prefer, 20% stated Twitter, 50% shared that is was Facebook and 30% said Instagram. The 20% that mentioned that they favoured Twitter said it was because Twitter is a more personal way of communicating with customers. You as a business are able to engage directly with your customers. It is not as wide based as Facebook; this is why they chose Twitter because it is a simpler form of communication. The 50% that stated that Facebook was their favourite social media site said this because it has more of a variety. Not only can you engage with

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your customer’s one to one but you can share information in a range of different techniques. 30% stated that they enjoyed using Instagram rather than Facebook or Twitter; this is because they feel that sharing images is more creative. Instagram allows a business to be imaginative with their pictures. It permits them to show their customers everything through images. 30% specified that they had used local newspapers and business cards to promote their business before they discovered social media. 40% stated that used flyers and posters to promote their business as well as newspapers and business cards. The final 30% declared that they attended craft fairs annually in order to establish themselves. 80% shared that Facebook was the first social media network that they approached. This was because Facebook in their opinion is the most popular social media network. 20% said they first started off on Twitter; this was because they had been using Twitter for personal reasons and knew more about it and how to use it. 100% specified that social media was effective for their business. The social media platforms that the craft businesses had chosen to use benefited them greatly. They were able to reach goals and targets that they had given themselves. Each person and craft business is different and therefore they all have different preferences. Not every social media site will work for every craft business. It is not possible for a craft business to be operating on all social media sites; they must use the networks that work best for them.

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7.1. Case Study Anne creates handmade personalised cards and gifts. Each card and gift is individually handcrafted by Anne. The card or gift can be anything you imagine it to be, from Christmas decorations to photo frames.

Anne’s Handcrafted Cards is a craft business owned and created by her. It is located in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow in Ireland.

Anne created her craft business five years ago, in 2010. She arrived at the idea when she was on maternity leave from work. She enjoyed designing and producing her own handmade cards for her friends and family for different events, and decided to start a business with this idea.

Anne did not take to social media straight away, for the first year of her business she operated by word of mouth. She ventured out and discovered Facebook. Facebook was the first social media platform she used. She began to use Facebook a year later to promote her craft business.

Anne enjoyed using Facebook because it allowed her to branch out and expand her customer base. She currently has 919 likes on her page. People are recognising her product and are sharing it with others. Facebook allows Anne to share, comment and engage with customers and other businesses. She has used it to build relationships with her customers but also other craft businesses. By doing this with other businesses Anne has been supplied with materials from them. She has been able to hold competitions with other businesses. This is beneficial to her craft business as it will allow more people to see her page than in the past.

Facebook is her most preferred social media platform. She attempted to use Instagram and Twitter; however she was not as fond of them as she was of Facebook.

“Facebook can be widely used, you can share photos, comment, like, message and post statuses. What I can do on Twitter and Instagram I can do on Facebook plus more”.

As well as using social media Anne attends craft fairs a few times every year to promote her craft. Social media has benefited Anne’s business greatly. She has expanded her customer base geographically, and has built a relationship with many of her customers. She couldn’t imagine her business without social media platforms.

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8. Conclusion In summary to my question the status quo of social in Ireland in the field of craft businesses” the findings revealed a number of different results. Craft is a growing industry; it is becoming more popular to set up a craft business. To promote, advertise and sell your business, social media must be taken into consideration. Craft businesses use social media to a current extent, they will operate on the social media sites that they use themselves personally. Facebook is the most used social media site in Ireland both for personal and business use. Craft businesses use Facebook the most to communicate with their customers, this is because it allows them to post material in a number of ways for example images, videos and it permits them to check-in where they are and more. Craft businesses use Facebook because it is a safer option as to venturing out and trying new networks. YouTube is a very popular social networking site. This has not been mentioned in comparison to the other social media networks. It is not greatly used by craft businesses in Ireland in contrast to the larger corporations. This may be due to the fact that it is not as familiar to them as others. YouTube could potentially change a craft business more so than Facebook. Videos of the content can be shared on all of the social media sites, therefore if a craft business is posting videos for example about their business or their craft or showing them what they do. This can then be linked to Facebook, but they will be using their own videos. The customers will then be able to see their YouTube channel, and they may continue to watch out for more videos. Craft businesses in Ireland need to take more of a risk when it comes to using social media. They are following one another, and doing what other craft businesses are executing. They need to be different in order to stay recognised. They need to learn new methods of promoting and advertising. However craft organisations are doing a decent job in the social media area. Craft businesses need to use social media to impact people, not impress people.

8.1.1. Have Ireland passed peak social media?

Statistics in Ireland have reported that social media usage is down. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the most popular sites to use in the country, by the public. Therefore craft businesses may tend to use these three as their main networks of social media. This may not be as good of an idea as before, because the usage of them has declined. 60 percent of Irish people are on Facebook and 72 percent of users check their pages every day. (Conroy,2014) Twitter is the second highest used social network site in Ireland with 28 percent operating accounts. These Irish numbers follow the worldwide trend towards less Tweeting. The amount of Irish users checking the site everyday has fallen by 7 percent since August 2013 37 percent of the users check Twitter every day. (Conroy, 2014)Whereas social networks like Instagram and Snapchat are rising in terms of usage. 18 percent of Irish users have an image on the app and Snapchat is up 11 percent. (Unknown, The latest snap shot of social media , 2013)Craft businesses need to be more aware of the social media platforms in which their customers use. If they are using the wrong network, then they could be losing out on opportunities. Public users are branching out and trying new social media sites for example Snapchat. It is a new and exciting to people, it’s a different way of communicating. This method of communicating challenges businesses; it allows them to see if they can affect the consumer emotionally. Instagram also permits craft businesses to become creative with the material in which they post. This app allows users to edit their

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photos to different styles and colours. If a craft business can affect its customers with one picture and a caption, they are reaching their target audience. The primary and secondary research portrayed similar and different findings. The secondary research conveyed a physiological aspect as to why and how social media is used among craft businesses in Ireland, whereas the primary research portrayed a general theory.

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9. Appendices (Figure 1) (Offical Social Media Stats in Ireland, 2015)

32%

14%5%

19%

8%

3%

11%

6% 2%

Most the popular social media platformsFacebook Twiiter Instagram YouTube Google+Pintrest LinkedIn Snapchat Vine

(Figure 2) (Offical Social Media Stats in Ireland, 2015)

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70%

61%

61%

44%

Social Media Usage In Businesses Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

(Figure 3) Questionnaire

I am a third year student and I am currently in my sixth semester. I am investigating the status quo of social media in Ireland in the field of a craft business. I would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill in this questionnaire.

I. When did you first start your craft business?

II. Did you join social media networks straight away?

III. Why did you choose to join social media networks to promote your business?

IV. What social network did you join first?

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

V. Do you use any other methods to promote your craft business other than social

media? If yes could you specify?

VI. What social media network do you prefer to use and why?

VII. Do you find social media effective for you?

(Figure 4)

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50%

30%

10%

10%

What is the prefered social media platform in relation to craft businesses?

Facebook Instagram YouTube Twitter

(Figure 4) (Unknown, Pentartion of social media in Ireland, 2015)

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(Figure 5) and (Figure 6)

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Dave Evans, J. M. (2010). Social Media Marketing, The Next Generation of Business Engagement . Indianapolis,Indiana,Canada : Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Pullen, F. (2014). Craft a Creative Business: Making & Marketing a Successful Creative Business. Turnbridge Wells, Kent : Search Press Limited 2015.

Qualman, E. (2010). Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. Canada : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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