OOPSIE DOOPSIE

When I became a mom, the stars must have aligned because I noticed that some of my close marketing/social media/blogger buds became moms around the same time. And in true mommy form, we began sharing the good, the bad, the ugly, and the unexpected. Another thing shared? Brands. And not just any brands – those hidden gems that unlock a world of creativity, fun, and high-quality products that are not only adorable but purposeful. One brand that stuck out on my social radar was Little Hip Squeaks (LHS).

Little Hip Squeaks is defined as “an ultra-modern brand for ultra-modern babies, tots and kiddos. No little dancing frogs. No puffy clouds.” Amazing. And when I got past the oh-so-perfect fabric designs of these products, which, by the way, founder Amy creates all of the fabric designs, I started to notice Amy’s online marketing efforts, specifically on social media.

Amy agreed to share her social journey with me, her great success with building her online brand through social avenues, and I’m passing her story on to you. From their start as a small, Etsy store to an Instagram sensation, I encourage you to check out LHS! Enjoy!

What social networks are you currently using?

So we use the three big guns in social media: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. We are lucky to have almost 13K followers between the three!

Tell us about your start with Etsy.

When I started the Etsy shop, it was merely a little, fun side project. My long term goal was just to be accepted into the Renegade Craft Fair, which I’m registered for my third RCF this June. I was shocked to see my first sale within a day of opening, and my business model was completely different then. It was just “an Etsy shop” and now we’re a full blown brand. It was somewhere in late 2011 that I started a Facebook page for the shop. In the spring of 2012, after I quit my “real” job to do LHS full time, I realized the potential of social media, and climbed into the Twitter and [Instagram] universe. I still get really excited and giddy when huge Mom Bloggers or other major brands in the kids industry follow me. It’s one of those “pinch me” moments!

What is your “stand-out” social network that really helps fuel your business?

In January, I had about 400 Instagram followers, and had just finished my first major trade show in Chicago. With a good chunk of inventory left, I decided to hold an Instagram-based flash sale. It would save me the time of shooting/retouching proper photos for Etsy, and would save me any fees that Etsy would incur. By the end of the sale, we had 1,100 followers! It was massive and unexpected, and has been a HUGE proponent in our growth. Since then, our numbers have climbed to almost 10K, and we find that any time a new product is added to the shop, if we post info about it to our [Instagram] page to announce it, the items sell out within an hour (we sold 277 headband sets in the 48 hours after we launched the new collections). We also team up with other brands for giveaways on [Instagram] which is a great treat for our followers, and a nice way to gain relevant potential buyers.

How does content vary across social networks?

Our content definitely differs from each site, the Twitter account is much more personal, and I tend to find that is used most between my other small business friends and I to chit-chat. Instagram also includes more of my personal life, and less “business talk”. Our Facebook account is all business – product launches, coupon codes – that’s it. My Brand Coordinator mans the Facebook page almost all by herself, these days, where as the [Instagram} and Twitter accounts are all me.

What does the future hold for LHS?

We have really grown exponentially in the last 4 months, and with that is coming a lot of major changes for us, including working with a small cut&sew shop to start doing all our production work this summer, which also will need to our new website (shop included) that is launching around that time. It’s a long long process – but Etsy has been so good to me over the last year and a half. The ability to link social media sites directly from your site (up by the shop banner) has been huge in helping us grow out Facebook and Twitter following.

Interested in learning more about LHS? Visit Amy and her team at littlehipsqueaks.com.