Crafting Authenticity

In the world of unique art jewelry, my story is one of self-discovery and finding my place in the creative realm. I'm Sandra, the driving force behind Entangled Co. Originally from Germany, I made my way to sunny California for an internship at a virtual reality company in 2012. This was during my computer science studies. After falling in love with coastal California, I decided to stay. Fast forward a few years, I got married, bought a house, had a baby. My journey here wasn't a straight path, though. After a decade in the United States and an unexpected maternity leave during the pandemic, I found my true calling.

Entangled Co. wasn't part of some grand plan; it emerged as a response to a time of transformation. It was a creative outlet that turned into something more. Driven by my passion for various art forms, I explored painting, knitting, and more. However, my true creative connection ignited when I discovered wire weaving, which became my solace during maternity leave. From a simple creative outlet, it transformed into Entangled Co. With an Etsy shop, I decided to share my creations with the world, not knowing where this journey would take me.

From Passion to Sales: Bringing People to Entangled Co.

Taking my creations beyond my workspace led me to explore social media. I figured that platforms like Instagram and Pinterest could showcase my work to a wider audience. It wasn't about fancy strategies; it was about sharing my journey. Turns out, people resonated with the stories behind the pieces as much as the pieces themselves.

Getting people interested in what I do online was one thing, but getting them to my online store was another. I shared the process of creating each piece, letting people see the journey from raw materials to finished product. It made the jewelry more relatable, and customers felt like they were a part of it.

Navigating the landscape of my first year in business was a journey marked by challenges and exploration. I was determined to find various sales channels and promote my handcrafted jewelry. I delved into diverse avenues, from markets and consignment stores to the reaches of Facebook marketplace. The decision to channel my energy into video content on platforms like Instagram was a turning point.

In the surge of video content during 2021, Instagram reels became my specialty. By showcasing videos of my wire weaving process, along with behind-the-scenes glimpses, I quickly amassed a substantial following. However, when I reflect on that period today, my most significant regret is not prioritizing the growth of my own email list. The short-lived nature of social media means that the virality and traffic I enjoyed a year ago have vastly diminished. This experience has taught me the necessity of concentrating my efforts on marketing channels within my control, particularly email. The true potency lies in leveraging social media and other third-party platforms to expand one's proprietary lists. My advice is: whether your social media following is small or large, channel your energies into directing traffic from these platforms to your self-owned outlets—like your website and email list.

While social media is an excellent avenue for finding an audience and fostering meaningful connections, its influence can dissipate in an instant. Let me dive into the mechanics and details a little more in the hopes the readers here can learn something from my experience.

Harnessing Social Media for the Growth of the Jeweled Adventures Collective

“My mission at Entangled Co is to empower people through the creation of wearable art that elevates personal style. I am passionate about using the artistry of wire weaving, silversmithing, and gemstones to capture each individual's authenticity and inspire confidence in authentically expressing themselves. With every intricately crafted piece, I aim to ignite a spark of creativity and empowerment, leaving a lasting impression on hearts and minds. I am dedicated to fostering a community of self-expression where every unique journey is celebrated, and the beauty of wearable art becomes a powerful tool for self-discovery and confidence.”

This mission statement evolved over years of unraveling the 'why,' 'what,' and 'how' of my business. Equipped with my reasoning behind it all, I utilize social media to spread the word about my work. My main focus remains on Instagram, this is where I started and where my expertise lies. However, I repurpose video content across platforms such as Facebook, YouTube shorts, Pinterest Idea pins, and TikTok. At the same time, I try to create value for my audience by including educational tidbits, small tutorials, motivational quotes, and frankly pretty pictures of pretty jewelry. Finding what works for me has helped me stay consistent and true to myself.

While sparking joy on social media, I try to steer my audience to my website and email list whenever an opportunity arises.  I craft valuable content on my proprietary platforms, including blog posts and downloadable PDFs. The strategy that yields optimal results for me involves selecting a theme and creating diverse content around it. For example: I featured the gemstone turquoise in a blog post “10 Intriguing Facts About Turquoise”. I shared this blog post with my email list and included an exclusive discount code for all my turquoise jewelry. I then created a couple of picture posts on social media showcasing my turquoise jewelry, making sure to mention the blog post in the caption, linking to the post in stories, etc. I shared a couple of process videos of making turquoise jewelry and in collaboration with a turquoise lapidarist, created a longform PDF gemstone guide that people can download for free from my website in exchange for their email addresses. This strategy furnishes weeks of coherent content designed to drive website traffic, cultivate email subscribers, and ultimately, facilitate sales.

At the end of the day, finding a regular cadence that works for you, finding a coherent content strategy that reflects your business goals, and making it valuable for your audience are the three big pillars of my social media and overall marketing approach.

Bringing it back to authenticity

I've transformed this venture from an Etsy side gig—where relatives and friends occasionally bought gifts—into a viral sensation with 57K followers and millions of views, resulting in fluctuating and erratic sales. Now, Entangled Co. stands as a small yet steadfast business with a solid fan base that is manageable within the time I have available between family and life.

Social media, especially Instagram, has been a steadfast companion all along. Meanwhile, the "jeweled adventures collective" (since we don't say "email newsletter" anymore) is growing, promoting self-expression and empowerment through one-of-a-kind art jewelry.

As I look to the future, I see Entangled Co. growing while staying grounded in its values. Sustainability and community are important to me. As for the digital world, I'll keep adapting and learning. My journey has taught me that authenticity is a powerful force – it inspires and empowers in ways I never imagined.

Normally here you would see a paywall, and below that paywall you can click through from one article to the next for the magazine to make it easy to read on your phone. This particular magazine is open as a free sample, so you can see how it works for subscribers.