Tales Of Fourth Generation Textile Executive: FB Live Video Challenge Analysis

October 1, 2018 /

Hey Everybody,

Happy Monday!  I thought it would be interesting to do a short analysis of the August 2018 Jaftex Facebook Live Shop Tour Challenge.  In a nutshell, I challenged quilt shop owners around the world to create a video tour of their shop and share it on my @jaftexpresident Facebook page.  The winner was the one who received the most likes.  However, if you ask me, I think everyone was a winner for gaining tons of exposure and for stepping outside of their comfort zone to put social media to the test.  I think social media passed the test with flying colors and hope shop owners around the world stop underestimating the power of social media as a way to market and advertise.  So without further ado, here is the analysis followed by a summary of the contest details.

  • 72 shops in total participated.  65 domestic and 7 international.
  • There were entrants from 31 states.
  • International submissions came from Australia, Canada, The Netherlands & the UK.
  • The total views for all shops was 434,695, but this was really higher because there were some videos where for some reason I was unable to pull the views.  In any case, that’s a lot of views no matter how you slice it and great exposure for so many and for the entire industry.
  • The total likes was 12,182.
  • The total shares was 937.
  • The total comments were 2,797.
  • The shop with the most likes (over 1000) and the winner was The Old Country Store in Intercourse, PA.  While you are checking out their website, make sure to check out the event on November 29, 2018.  The event was part of the winning prize and I will be in Intercourse, PA for that day and look forward to a great time, meeting lots of people and raising money for charity.
  • The shop with the most views received 27,100.  This is a monstrous number and really a good thing.  To me, any shop that got over 3,000 views really gained some great exposure which hopefully will convert to sales and new business.
  • The shop with the most comments received 448.
  • The shop with the most shares received 137.
Date Shop Name State Likes Views Shares Comments US/INTL
1-Aug Gossypium Quilt WA 211 13861 21 50 US
2-Aug Bluebird Quilts CA 211 5058 11 42 US
2-Aug Millie P’s Quilt Shop MN 497 12357 40 91 US
5-Aug Quiltshop 100 Rozen Netherlands 120 15947 19 12 INTL
7-Aug Sew On & Sew North ND 120 3285 6 16 US
7-Aug Bits N’ Pieces Quilt Shoppe NH 243 13079 18 34 US
8-Aug Happy Apple Quilts FL 178 8796 26 27 US
8-Aug HollyDee Quilts TX 102 17236 6 13 US
9-Aug Toll Brothers Quilt Designs Canada 175 3324 11 31 INTL
10-Aug Gruber’s Quilt Shop MN 506 14678 34 75 US
10-Aug The Old Creamery Fabrics & Quilting NY 101 5431 5 4 US
11-Aug Cotton Blossom Fabrics MS 363 8436 43 173 US
13-Aug Wish Upon A Quilt NC 196 9195 5 37 US
14-Aug Li’l Red Hen KS 133 3609 7 21 US
14-Aug Quilter’s Crossing TX 134 4303 5 21 US
15-Aug Nanas Quilt Cottage CO 221 2200 2 7 US
15-Aug O’Sewpersonal Fabric Shop MO 135 7 13 US
15-Aug All About Quilting NC 95 5 15 US
15-Aug We’re Sew Creative NC 259 8 54 US
15-Aug Quilt-n-Bee OK 105 6 11 US
15-Aug Country Living Quilts TX 104 2100 4 5 US
15-Aug Vermont Quilter’s Schoolhouse VT 110 5 9 US
16-Aug Calico Mermaid CA 82 2000 2 13 US
16-Aug Christie’s Quilting Boutique CT 133 6900 8 27 US
16-Aug The Modern Sewist FL 335 4800 15 183 US
16-Aug The Old Country Store PA 1000+ 25900 66 296 US WINNER
16-Aug Patchwork Dreamer.co.uk UK 78 1 8 INTL
17-Aug Appletree Fabrics MA 168 8300 11 22 US
17-Aug Quilts & More MT 132 4 11 US
17-Aug Mabel & Ethel Quilt Shoppe OH 192 3300 8 54 US
17-Aug Tennessee Quilts TN 252 13100 14 112 US
18-Aug Hen &Chicks Studio IA 136 4500 3 15 US
18-Aug Quiltshop-online Netherlands 229 11 25 INTL WINNER
18-Aug Fibers & Stitches OR 95 2300 2 11 US
18-Aug Kruusn Quilt Designs OR 90 2500 2 8 US
20-Aug The Cotton Harevest Quilt Shop Canada 115 8800 6 12 INTL
20-Aug StitchCraft FL 152 5600 6 41 US
21-Aug Mad B’s Quilt & Sew AZ 37 1 1 US
21-Aug Marietta’s Quilt & Sew SC 116 16800 9 13 US
22-Aug Nimble Thimble CA 967 11900 137 448 US
23-Aug Woodside Quilting IA 98 2700 7 3 US
23-Aug Sassy Stitches NC 106 3900 4 24 US
23-Aug The Cherry Pit TN 130 4800 7 13 US
23-Aug Quilt’agious WI 288 9900 9 24 US
24-Aug Intown Quilters Fabric & Yarn GA 164 4000 10 31 US
24-Aug Quilt-ish MA 430 27100 88 77 US
24-Aug Calico Gals NY 107 300 6 21 US
24-Aug A Little Fabric Store TX 111 8000 6 10 US
25-Aug Material Mart MI 135 4400 7 13 US
25-Aug 5 Little Monkeys Quilt & Sew NC 117 3200 2 34 US
25-Aug Sew Much Fun NC 192 10400 11 28 US
26-Aug The Quilt Shop At Millers PA 74 3300 2 5 US
26-Aug Island Quilters SC 195 3700 9 111 US
28-Aug JMG Fabric & Craft’s CA 98 2900 11 24 US
28-Aug Quilter’s Square’s KY 106 2400 12 5 US
28-Aug Aunt Mary’s Sewing Room OK 82 7600 4 9 US
29-Aug Quilting In The Valley IL 158 3800 6 21 US
29-Aug Quilte Have On Main MN 325 10000 21 47 US
29-Aug Red Pine Quilt Shop MN 183 3500 6 34 US
29-Aug Gotham Quilts NY 170 3800 5 9 US
29-Aug Stitchin’ Heaven Quilt Shop TX 177 8 13 US
29-Aug Heart Blossom Designs WI 207 7400 9 24 US
30-Aug White Flower Quilt Shop MO 62 17200 3 8 US
31-Aug Stitch Therapy Auburn AL 77 3100 8 10 US
31-Aug Nay’s Place Australia 96 3500 19 2 INTL
31-Aug Old Town Quilt Shop CA 100 4900 7 35 US
31-Aug Quilts By The Bay Canada 104 5000 4 15 INTL
31-Aug The Yankee Quilter CT 59 3 6 US
31-Aug Flew The Coop Designs CT 90 1800 3 13 US
31-Aug The Fabric Cobbler IL 87 6900 9 7 US
31-Aug Mt. Creek Quilt Shop TN 143 2400 14 54 US
31-Aug The Quilting Nook & More LLC WI 83 3200 17 6 US
TOTALS 72 12182 434695 937 2797

In closing, I must say that this contest exceeded my expectations by a lot.  I was a little bit disappointed with the number of shops that participated, but beggars can’t be choosers.  To me, it showed that people are still timid to integrate social media into their day to day business.  This isn’t a good thing if you ask me and I hope to continue to encourage shops to use social media more and more.

What do you think?  I would love to hear from the shops that submitted videos.  What has the impact been?  Or any other insights you want to share.  As for consumers, I too would like to hear about how these videos impacted you and if you in fact acted upon anything you saw.

Have a a great week!

Scott

 

22 Comments

  • Rene'e Goodwin

    October 6, 2018 at 12:31 am

    What a great opportunity for these shops! I just went to Lancaster, PA in August and went to the Old Country Store and absolutely its it! Good thing I love in N.Y. By the Canadian border because if I lived any closer to the Old Country Store I would be broke! The Old Creamery Fabric and Quilting shop isn’t very far from where I live and they are just so wonderful there. Their customer service is amazing, they have really gone out of their way for me! ?!?!?

  • Scott Fortunoff

    October 1, 2018 at 8:08 pm

    Hi Angie
    As I have been saying, it’s really about the exposure and experience doing video. You got both of those. If I come to Ok, I will certainly visit. No coffee though. Have a great week.
    Scott

  • Kathy Cayton

    October 1, 2018 at 7:59 pm

    I typed a comment on this site this morning but I guess it ended up somewhere in the great beyond. Your challenge was awesome and I really enjoyed watching the store owners showcasing their stores. I was disappointed that the Midwest (only checked Colorado, Kansas and Missouri) had so few stores participating. What an absolutely fabulous way for these stores to get free advertising. It will be interesting to see what ideas you come up with next. I, for one, really enjoy your Monday morning news tidbits. Thanks so much!

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 8:06 pm

      Hi kathy
      Your comment is up yet BC I didn’t approve it. No worries. In any case, let’s hope more participate the next time around. Have a great week.
      Scott

  • Mary Bird

    October 1, 2018 at 5:59 pm

    I loved the mini tours of all the shops. I’ve marked some on my map for when we drive to NYC this fall, and Texas this winter. Also marked some for our as yet unplanned 2019 summer vacation. Love KFC fabrics and will shop for fabrics ’til I drop!

  • Barbara Esposito, The Quilted B

    October 1, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    Happy Monday Scott – I think for a first time idea, it is amazing. It is sad that shops would pass up the opportunity. I think the next challenge should be IG stories or IG TV! I was happy too, to see three shops from CT in the mix and how cool, the Netherlands!! Always a treat to read your posts. Thank you!

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 8:10 pm

      Hi barb
      Happy Monday. Hope u had a nice weekend. It will get better each time for sure. I am more into facebook but I guess I could consider ig next time around. Have a great evening.
      Scott

  • Lisa McCann

    October 1, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    This was a very interesting quilt shop promotion and experiment in the power of social media. I’m surprised that that no quilt shops from Indiana participated in the challenge. As a former resident of Indianapolis, I know there are a number of excellent shops there. But still, I think the numbers are very good for a first-time challenge! It was great fun to view the videos. Each shop appears to have its own unique specialties and style. There’s a lot of shops I want to visit! I can see how social media promotes what a shop has to offer and the potential for drawing people to a shop in ways that a printed ad cannot.

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 9:23 pm

      Hi lisa
      How are you? Hope all is well.
      There are lots of shops that need to participate next time around. We shall see. Have a great week.
      Scott

  • Dean Mast

    October 1, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    With encouragement from several customers, we entered this challenge, and we’re glad we did.

    While it’s hard to measure the immediate impact of being part of this challenge, we do know that we added a significant number of followers to our Facebook page during the challenge period. These new followers will now see future posts we make to our Facebook page. That’s good news.

    We also now have a great video that remains on our Facebook page for new Facebook friends to watch to learn about our shop.

    We are humbled by the outpouring of support from our many customers who liked and shared our video with their friends requesting votes for their favorite quilt shop.

    We’re so happy to be hosting Scott at our upcoming charity event in November. Excitement is building for his visit, and the Charity Block Design Challenge that will be part of the event.

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 9:24 pm

      Hi dean
      Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough comments. Looking forward to the event. Congrats!
      Scott

  • Cheryl Hummel

    October 1, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    I LOVED seeing all the different shops! I ordered online from several, and plan to continue. Every shop was unique…it would be impossible for me to see them all in person. Hooray for online shopping and UPS! I am looking forward to coming to The Country Store in PA to hear you speak. This was a great idea…fun, and a boost for all. Keep up the good work!!!!

  • Kara Benavides

    October 1, 2018 at 11:58 am

    Data! Cool! As a consumer, I was amazed at all the wonderful fabric out there, and all the places to buy it. I was disappointed that there were not more shops participating. When I asked some shops I have visited recently if they knew/had participated in the contest; most knew but none participated. One comment, “Oh. That’s that thing that the new owner is doing, you know, the one who bought Free Spirit” Then they turned their back on me and continued their own conversation. Hmm. I found a lot of really exciting places to shop (mostly those with on-line options because I can’t get out much) who want my business and are going the extra 5 miles to get it. And my purchases will now come from those shops.

  • Jane Hinrichsen

    October 1, 2018 at 11:39 am

    I loved this and if I had a shop (and I seriously would consider it if my husband and I weren’t selling our present business and retiring) I don know why you wouldn’t participate. It is fantastic exposure and as a Consumer I really got to see some great shop that I know I will visit in my travels. (And some I have already seen) scary, hahaha.

    Thanks for your fun adventures in the textile industry.

  • Michelle Tothill

    October 1, 2018 at 11:32 am

    Hello Scott,

    I loved your challenge and I forwarded it to about 5 different quilt shops. Troll Brothers agreed to do a video and I was the shaky camera woman. I have not asked her if it increased sales and traffic to her online shop.

    For me as a consumer, I was introduced to quilt shops from far and wide. I am planning a road trip across North America next year and plan to visit shops along the way. The ones who posted videos are on the list.

    I have followed several of the shops on Facebook. It is interesting how different shops use their fb page to promote new stock, specials and upcoming workshops and classes. I think for some it is a missed opportunity.

    I am enjoying your fb page and how you are encouraging both retailers and consumers to participate in online quilting communities.

    Regards,
    Michelle

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      Michelle
      Based on what you are saying, I sure hope lots of others are saying the same thing. Thanks for playing.
      Scott

  • Katie Wyatt

    October 1, 2018 at 11:05 am

    What a successful and fun contest and in this day of on-line shopping it was genius on your part to have local fabric shops participate with creative video’s.

    Look forward to meeting and hearing you speak in November. I was one of the first 20 to purchase tickets to the Old Country Store event.

    All the best, Katie

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 1, 2018 at 9:29 pm

      Hi Katie
      Glad you enjoyed. I look forward to meeting you too.
      What do you get for being one of the first 20 to buy a ticket?
      See u soon.
      Scott