Social Media for Woodworkers: Attract Customers & Grow Your Business

Social media isn’t just for entertainment—it’s a powerful tool for woodworkers looking to attract new customers, showcase craftsmanship, and grow their businesses. But with so many platforms and content options, where do you start?

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If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by social media marketing, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to be a marketing expert to make an impact. With the right strategy, you can connect with the right audience, build credibility, and turn followers into customers—without spending all day online.

In this guide, we’ll cover:
✔️ How to identify your ideal woodworking customers
✔️ Which social media platforms work best for woodworkers
✔️ How to create engaging content that drives sales
✔️ The best tools for managing and automating your posts

Whether you’re a custom cabinet maker, furniture builder, or DIY woodworker, this step-by-step approach will help you take advantage of social media—so you can spend less time marketing and more time building.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get into it!

Knowing Your Audience

You can’t effectively reach potential customers if you don’t know who they are. So, we’ll start there.

Consider the demographics of your ideal customer, such as age, gender, income, and location. What are their hobbies, values, and preferences? And finally, what woodworking interests and needs do they have? Maybe they need furniture, home decor, or custom projects.

Once you understand your target audience, the next step is to create buyer personas.

Buyer persons are detailed, semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers, based on real data about customer demographics and behavior, along with educated speculation about their motivations, concerns, and preferences.

Feel like it’s too much work to create one?

Sure, it’ll require some time at first, but a good buyer persona prevents you from wasting significant time and money targeting people who are never going to buy from you. Here’s how you can go about creating these personas:

1. Start with research

Gather information from your existing customer base through surveys, interviews, and observation. Look for trends in their behavior and preferences. If you’re just starting and don’t have customers yet, you can research your competitors’ customers or use market research data.

2. Segment by criteria

Divide your customers into different groups based on common characteristics. This could be based on their needs, behaviors, demographics, or any other criteria relevant to your business.

3. Create detailed personas

For each group, create a persona that includes:

  • Demographic information, such as age, occupation, and income level
  • Psychographic information, such as interests, values, and concerns
  • Information about their relationship with your business, such as how they use your products, what they value about your business, and any challenges they face

4. Give your personas a name and a story

To help bring your personas to life, give each one a name and a backstory. This helps to humanize your personas and makes them easier to remember.

5. Use your personas to guide your strategy

Once you’ve created your buyer personas, use them to guide which platforms you use, the content you create, and more. For each piece of content you create, think about which persona it’s for and how it addresses their needs and interests.

6. Regularly evaluate your personas

Your customer base may change over time, so it’s important to regularly review and update your personas to ensure they still accurately represent your customers.

Choosing the Right Platforms

You don’t have to use all the popular social media platforms out there! Some will be more suitable for your business than others, so start with the one or two that best align with your goals. Here are some of the most popular platforms and how they could work for your woodworking business:

Facebook

With its vast user base covering almost all demographics, Facebook offers excellent opportunities for connecting with potential customers and showcasing your woodworking projects. It’s great for sharing a mix of content, including posts, photos, videos, and links to your blog or website.

Facebook’s Groups feature can be used to build a community around your woodworking business, which can be particularly effective if building brand awareness is your primary goal.

Instagram

This visually-focused platform attracts a younger, visually-oriented audience. It’s perfect for showcasing images of your woodworking projects and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your process. With features like Instagram Stories and IGTV, it offers additional options for sharing content, making it an excellent platform for a business that relies heavily on visuals.

Pinterest

Centered around inspiration and ideas, Pinterest is ideal for displaying your woodworking creations since its users are primarily interested in finding inspiration. You can share high-quality images and infographics, and if you have a blog, it’s a great platform for driving traffic back to your site.

Twitter

While not as visually focused as other platforms, Twitter can still be an effective way to share updates, promotions, and news about your woodworking business. Its real-time nature might require more frequent engagement, though.

YouTube

If you plan on creating video content, such as woodworking tutorials, project showcases, or behind-the-scenes footage, YouTube is a platform you should consider. Catering to a wide demographic, it’s perfect for sharing video content and is a great platform for demonstrating your expertise and educating customers.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be useful for connecting with industry peers and showcasing the professional side of your woodworking business. It’s particularly effective if your woodworking business also involves providing services to other businesses (B2B), such as custom office furniture or retail display units.

Managing multiple accounts

If you decide to be on more than one social media platform, you may need a social media management tool to stay on top of them. They help you keep organized and maintain a consistent posting schedule. They also allow you to schedule posts, monitor engagement, and track performance—all from one central dashboard.

Let’s look at three of the most popular options:

  1. Hootsuite
  2. Buffer
  3. OneUp

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a comprehensive social media management tool that allows businesses to manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard. This tool is widely used by businesses of all sizes due to its robust features, which include:

  • Post scheduling: Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts in advance. This means you can create content when it’s convenient for you, and then schedule it to be posted at the optimal times for your audience.
  • Monitoring and engagement: Hootsuite enables you to monitor mentions of your brand, products, or relevant keywords across all your social media platforms. You can also respond to comments and messages directly from the Hootsuite dashboard rather than having to go to each platform separately.
  • Analytics: Hootsuite provides in-depth analytics to track your social media performance. You can measure reach, engagement, conversions, and more to gain insights into what’s working and what needs to be improved.
  • Team management: If you’re working with a team, Hootsuite allows you to assign tasks, track progress, and collaborate more efficiently.

2. Buffer

Buffer is another popular social media management tool that emphasizes simplicity and ease of use. Here are its main features:

  • Post scheduling: Like Hootsuite, Buffer allows you to schedule posts for future times. You can fill your Buffer queue with content, and it will be posted according to the schedule you set.
  • Content creation: Buffer comes with a built-in image creator called “Pablo” which helps you create stunning images for each social media platform.
  • Performance tracking: Buffer provides analytics to track the performance of your posts. You can see which posts get the most engagement and adjust your strategy accordingly.

3. OneUp

OneUp is a versatile social media management tool that is highly regarded for its functionality and affordability. It offers:

  • Auto-scheduling: Schedule repeat posts for content that continues to be relevant for long periods (called “evergreen content”). This is incredibly helpful for businesses that want to maximize their content’s lifespan and reach.
  • Categories: OneUp allows you to create categories for different types of posts. This can make it much easier to organize your content and ensure a diverse and engaging mix of posts.
  • Performance tracking: Like Hootsuite and Buffer, OneUp provides valuable analytics that let you monitor how well your posts are performing.
  • Google My Business integration: OneUp is one of the few social media management tools that allows posting to Google My Business. This feature can be beneficial for local businesses looking to boost their visibility on Google.
  • Compatibility: OneUp supports a wide range of social media platforms, including some less common ones.

Hootsuite, Buffer, and OneUp each offer both free and paid plans. The free plans have certain limitations, such as the number of posts you can schedule and the number of accounts you can manage. On the other hand, their paid plans offer more advanced features and fewer restrictions.

Remember, these are just a few of the many social media management tools available today. The best one for your woodworking business—or any business, for that matter—will ultimately depend on your specific needs, goals, and the social media platforms you use most. Always consider your unique requirements before deciding which tool to use for managing your social media accounts.

Knowing What to Post

To attract potential customers, create content that showcases your woodworking expertise, creativity, and passion. Some types of content that work well for woodworking businesses include:

  • Images and videos of your completed projects. These can interest your audience in what else you have to offer.
  • Behind-the-scenes and process content. Share glimpses of your workshop, tools, and the woodworking process. This will help demonstrate your expertise, build trust, and help potential customers to connect with you.
  • Educational content (tutorials, tips, and tricks). By providing valuable information and teaching your audience about woodworking techniques, you can position yourself as an authority in the field. This can help build trust and encourage potential customers to choose your business for their woodworking needs.
  • Testimonials and customer reviews. Sharing positive feedback from satisfied customers can help build your credibility. Encourage clients to share their experiences on social media and then showcase these reviews on your platforms.
  • Promotions and discounts. Offering special deals, discounts, or exclusive offers can create a sense of urgency and entice potential customers to buy a product or engage with your business.

Crafting compelling captions and headlines

Good headlines and captions capture attention and encourage engagement. Follow these principles to make them the most effective:

  • Clarity: Your captions should clearly convey the message or the story you want to share. Avoid jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. The simpler and more straightforward your message, the better.
  • Relevance: Make sure your captions are relevant to your visual content and your audience. Irrelevant captions can disorient your audience and may lead to lower engagement.
  • Actionable language: Use strong, active verbs to make your captions more dynamic. This can help inspire action, whether that’s liking a post, leaving a comment, or clicking on a link to your website.
  • Emotive words: Emotive words are descriptive words that evoke people’s emotions. These help create a personal connection with your audience. Think about how you want your audience to feel when they see your post, and choose words that match.
  • Questions and calls to action (CTAs): This could be as simple as “What’s your favorite woodworking tool?” or “Click the link in our bio to shop our latest products.”

Scheduling Posts

A consistent online presence requires regular posting. But it’s not just about quantity—the timing of your posts can also affect how many people see and engage with your posts.

To know when to post, you’ll need to consider your audience and when they’re most active online. Analytics tools can help you determine that. Then, create a posting schedule.

The optimal posting frequency will vary depending on the platform.

On fast-paced platforms like Twitter, you might need to post several times a day to maintain visibility. On platforms like Facebook and Instagram, once or twice a day may be enough. Monitor your engagement rates to find what works best for your business.

Social media management tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can help you maintain a consistent posting schedule. These tools allow you to schedule posts in advance, freeing you up to focus on other aspects of your business.

Remember, quality should always come before quantity. It’s better to post less frequently and maintain a high standard of content than to post frequently with lower-quality content. Always prioritize valuable content that your audience will appreciate and engage with.

Visual Branding

A cohesive visual identity helps your woodworking business stand out and creates a memorable impression on your audience. Having a consistent image across your social media platforms will help people to come to recognize you.

One way you can keep this consistency is to have a brand style guide. A brand style guide is a document that outlines the visual elements of your brand, such as the color scheme you want your brand to have and the types of fonts and images you use.

Key components to include in your style guide are:

  • Your logo
  • Color palette
  • Typography
  • Imagery and photography style

Apply your brand style guide to all aspects of your social media presence, from your profile pictures and cover images to the content you post. This will help create a consistent and professional image for your woodworking business.

Advertising

man with megaphone Paid advertising on social media can help more people see your business and connect you with potential customers. Each platform offers unique advertising options, such as sponsored posts, carousel ads, and video ads.

First, let’s give you an idea of what the process looks like. We’ll use Facebook as an example, given its wide user base and comprehensive advertising options:

  1. Set up a Facebook Business page: Your business needs a Facebook page to run ads. If you haven’t created one yet, you can do so by visiting the Facebook Pages section and clicking on “Create Page.”
  2. Create a Facebook Ad account: You’ll manage your Facebook ads in Ads Manager. Create a new ad account by visiting the “Ad Accounts” section in the Business Settings of your Facebook Business Manager.
  3. Define your marketing objective: When creating a new ad campaign in Ads Manager, choose a marketing objective that aligns with your business goals. Facebook offers several options, including brand awareness, reach, traffic, engagement, app installs, conversions, catalog sales, and store visits.
  4. Define your target audience: Define who you want to see your ads. Facebook offers a range of targeting options, including age, gender, location, interests, behaviors, and more.
  5. Set your budget and schedule: Decide how much you want to spend on your ad campaign and set your budget in Ads Manager. You’ll also need to set your ad schedule—when you want your ads to run.
  6. Choose your ad format: Choose the type of ad you want to run. Facebook offers several ad formats, including single image, video, carousel, slideshow, and collection. We’ll look more at these below.
  7. Create your ad: Design your ad and write your ad copy. You’ll want it to align with your brand and clearly convey your message.
  8. Review and submit your ad: Review everything before submitting your ad. Once approved by Facebook, your ad will start running.
  9. Monitor and optimize your ad campaign: Regularly monitor its performance in Ads Manager. Use these insights to optimize your ad campaign for better performance.

Ad Formats

Choosing the right ad format can make a difference in how many people see it and take an interest in it. Each social media platform offers multiple ad formats. Here are some:

  • Facebook—single image or video ads, carousel ads, slideshow ads, and collection ads. Carousel ads can showcase up to ten images or videos in a single ad, each with its own link. This format works great for woodworking businesses, as it allows you to display different products or different angles of a single product.
  • Instagram—photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, and stories ads. Instagram Stories ads can be a powerful way to showcase your products in a full-screen format.
  • YouTube—video ad formats like skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable in-stream ads, video discovery ads, and bumper ads. In-stream ads play before or during another video from a YouTube partner, making them a great way to showcase woodworking tutorials or product demonstrations.
  • LinkedIn—single image ads, carousel ads, video ads, text ads, and message ads. If your woodworking business has a B2B component, LinkedIn can be a great platform for showcasing professional aspects of your work.

Experiment with different formats on different platforms to see what brings the best results.

Ad Targeting

Ad targeting is a feature that allows you to define who you want to see your ads. Precise targeting ensures your ads are seen by the people most likely to be interested in your woodworking business. Each platform offers a range of targeting options:

  • Demographic targeting allows you to target based on age, gender, language, location, and more.
  • Interest targeting allows you to target users based on their interests, hobbies, or pages they’ve liked.
  • Behavior targeting allows you to target users based on their past behavior, like online shopping habits.
  • Custom audience targeting allows you to target people who have already interacted with your business, either online or offline.
  • Lookalike audiences (Facebook) or similar audiences (Google) allow you to target people who are similar to your existing customers, helping you reach people who are likely to be interested in your business.

Ad Copywriting and Design

The visual and textual content of your ad plays a crucial role in attracting attention and inspiring action.

If you plan to write the ad copy yourself, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Who am I trying to reach?
  • What are their pain points or needs?
  • How do my products/services meet those needs?

Use the answers as the starting point for creating compelling copy that shows the value of your business.

Make it short and punchy. And remember to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells the audience what you want them to do next. A CTA could be as simple as “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up.” Also, consider adding a sense of urgency (“Limited Stock,” “Offer Ends Soon”) or exclusivity (“Exclusive Collection,” “Members Only”) to make it more enticing.

Once the copy is finished, you have to think about design. Your ad should be visually appealing, professional, and aligned with your brand identity. Use high-quality images or videos of your woodworking products, eye-catching colors, and professional fonts to do this.

If you’re using text in your ad image, make sure it complies with the ad platform’s guidelines.

Measuring Success

Regularly review your ad performance and make the necessary adjustments to improve their effectiveness. Pay attention to metrics, such as impressions, clicks, click-through rate, and conversions. Then, tweak the ad copy, design, targeting, or ad format as needed.

Social media advertising is all about testing and learning. Experiment with different approaches to find what works best for your woodworking business.

Working with Influencers or Partners

When you become active on social media, other avenues of advertising will open up to you. You may decide to collaborate with influencers or industry partners, who can increase your reach to new audiences.

When people see you associated with a well-known company or figure, they’re more likely to give your products or services a try.

If you’re ready to take this route, look for influencers and partners who align with your brand and have a following that matches your target audience. This could be DIY bloggers, home decor influencers, or even other local businesses.

When proposing a partnership, look for ways to make it beneficial for both parties. You could suggest exchanging products, offering commission on sales, or providing exclusive discounts to the influencer’s followers.

Be sure to communicate clearly and openly about your expectations for the partnership in the beginning. This will avoid misunderstandings later on.

Building an Online Community

Using social media for your business goes far beyond advertising. You’ll be most effective when you focus on building relationships with people and creating community around your topic of emphasis.

Here are some ways to build community through your social media account:

1. Be genuine

In today’s digital world, people appreciate businesses that are genuine and transparent. Showcasing the real people behind your woodworking business and sharing your passion for your craft can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level.

2. Balance promotional and non-promotional content

While it’s important to promote your products and services, too much promotional content can be a turn-off. Aim for a mix of content that educates, entertains, and inspires your audience, in addition to showcasing your offerings.

3. Encourage engagement and interaction

Engage with your audience by asking questions and soliciting their feedback. This fosters a sense of community and makes your followers feel valued and heard.

4. Respond to comments, messages, and inquiries

Responding to your audience in a prompt, courteous way will build trust and show that you value input.

5. Showcase user-generated content

User-generated content, like photos of customers with your products or testimonials, can be incredibly valuable. Sharing this content can help build trust, as it shows real people using and enjoying your products.

6. Organize contests, giveaways, and events

Online events, like contests and giveaways, can help boost engagement, increase visibility, and attract new followers. You could also host a webinar teaching people a certain skill or go live with a Q&A.

Monitoring and Analyzing Your Performance

Tracking social media metrics is an integral part of any successful social media strategy. Without these insights, you’re essentially navigating in the dark, with no concrete knowledge of whether your efforts are bringing the desired results or not.

Metrics not only tell you how your content is performing but also provide valuable insights into your audience’s behavior and preferences. They can highlight which content types are most engaging, what times are best for posting, and even identify potential areas of improvement in your overall strategy.

Moreover, metrics can help you measure your return on investment (ROI), allowing you to demonstrate the value of your social media efforts to stakeholders and adjust your budgeting accordingly.

While there are numerous social media metrics you could track, here are three key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor:

  1. Follower growth: This shows how many new followers you’re gaining over a specific period. A steady increase in followers suggests that people are interested in your brand and your content.
  2. Engagement rate: This involves likes, comments, shares, and saves.
  3. Conversion rate: This is the percentage of your social media audience that completes a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter. It’s a key indicator of how well your social media efforts are driving business results.

When you have this data, what should you do with it?

The real value comes from analyzing and interpreting the data and then acting on it. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Identify trends: Look for patterns in your data. For instance, do certain types of posts consistently receive more engagement? Do your followers respond better to posts at specific times or on particular days?
  • Understand audience behavior: Use metrics to learn more about your audience’s preferences and behaviors. What content do they engage with most? When are they most active?
  • Measure against goals: Evaluate your data in the context of your social media goals. If your goal is to increase brand awareness, metrics like reach, impressions, and follower growth would be important.
  • Compare: Compare your performance with past performance to track your progress. Also, consider comparing your performance with competitors or industry standards for a more comprehensive view.
  • Apply insights: Use the insights from your analysis to refine your social media strategy. This could involve adjusting your content types, posting times, ad targeting, or any other aspect of your strategy.

If you find that a certain type of content isn’t performing well, don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy. Social media is all about testing and learning.

Small, Consistent Actions=Success in the Long Run

Social media offers a powerful platform to showcase your woodworking business and connect with potential customers. And though using these platforms doesn’t have to be complicated, they do require a clear strategy and some effort.

Also, recognize that you may not experience overnight success. It takes consistency in the small things to build a following.

Are you ready to make that commitment and dive into the world of social media with your business?

You don’t have to do it alone! i7 Marketing can give you the boost you need to get going!

Last updated on February 24th, 2025

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