How to stay on the right side of big tech
A wide variety of businesses in the knife industry find navigating the ever-changing world of social media and online retail filled with challenges. Seemingly innocuous posts are removed. Algorithms randomly change what products can be advertised. Some accounts are blocked either temporarily or permanently. While there’s no one fool-proof playbook for knife brands using online platforms, members of the American Knife & Tool Institute are happy to share a variety of tips and tactics that help them continue to leverage the digital world as a sales and marketing tool.
Here are some insights members shared with the American Knife and Tool Institute.
LINK IN BIO
“On Instagram, other companies in other industries can often set up a shop or tag products that can be purchased by clicking through a link. Those tools are unavailable to us, so on Instagram, when we show a knife, it’s accompanied by links to our site in our bio. It takes the ability to purchase knives through one click off the table, but it’s the only way we found that allows us to direct customers to a place to purchase.”
– David Anderson
Digital Marketing Manager
KnifeCenter
NOT YOUR HOUSE
“I tell people that social media is like living in a rented house, and the rules for living there are very fluid. Facebook may allow one post to go up but block another with almost identical content. Just go in with open eyes that what happens on social media may not be a reflection of anything you’ve done incorrectly. They own the house. They make the rules.”
– Ben Peterson
Co-founder
Knafs
OUTSIDE HELP
“We’re a small business located outside of a tech hub. We don’t have the bandwidth or the skill on staff to employ somebody who can navigate the inner workings of Google, which isn’t a social media platform but is very important to our business. We hired a company that knows Google, knows how to get in touch with people there, and helps us with paid search.”
– Shanna Kemp
E-Commerce, Finance, Marketing
Jantz Knifemaking
INFORM YOUR RETAILERS
“We tell our retailers and dealers not even to bother attempting to sell our knives on Amazon or eBay. You can probably find our knives on both of those sites, but we really discourage it. For some reason, they don’t like our products, so our advice on those two sites – and social media as well is to tread lightly and pray you don’t draw a lot of attention for some reason.”
– Eddie Johnson
Business Development Manager
CobraTec Knives
THINK LIKE AI
“We use software for managing photo and video content called Bynder that uses Amazon’s Artificial Intelligence tool. We can search within an image to see what Amazon AI is seeing and adjust the image so it hopefully doesn’t run afoul of the content rules. Knowing what AI is seeing in an image helps a little with social media as well. It’s interesting for us to learn what AI is seeing.”
– Josh Warren
Senior Marketing Manager
Work Sharp
DON’T PAY TO PLAY
‘We make high-end pocket knives, but for reasons that are unknown to us, social media platforms won’t allow us to advertise them for sale. When we tried to pay for advertising on Facebook, it seemed to call attention to ourselves, and we ran into some issues with our posts being taken down and getting flagged for inappropriate content. For some reason, their programming can’t see the difference between a $25,000 pocket knife and a weapon of mass destruction. So we don’t even bother trying to advertise with Meta. We just use organic posts.”
– Lawrence McCormick
Vice President of Marketing
William Henry Knives
HAVE FUN
“When social media started, it was meant to be a way to connect communities. Sometimes, brands can get caught up in making sales. But the community bonds that social media can create can be special. We see people rally around a cause, and some of those people wouldn’t collaborate in real life. Brands need to engage with their communities on social media. Don’t be afraid to respond to comments, good or bad. And do so from a genuine place. Be authentically engaging.”
– Kristi Hunter
Digital Media and Marketing Administrator
Spyderco
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