Honest Editorial: Why the Instagram Hashtag #etsy4agig?

If you don't already know, one of the main names of the American Girl doll community on Instagram is #agig. American Girl Instagram. AGIG. Get it? ;-)

So if you have an Instagram account and you use hashtags, I would recommend using #agig if you don't already. Poke, poke. :-)

It actually surprises me how many people post pics of their dolls, but don't use hashtags.

Like, how do you expect people to find you?

They need those hashtags to find you, man.

They ainst't psychic.

(Yes, I spelled ainst't wrong on porpoise.)

Other hashtags people use are #americangirldoll #americangirldolls #dollstagram #joy2everygirl 

(The last one is the hashtag that American Girl started themselves---insert a Maple eyeroll here for various reasons)

I am sure there are other tags as well -- we aren't creating a comprehensive list up there, haha.

Jacket from Liberty Jane

Shirt from The Glam Doll

So as we have spent more time on Instagram we noticed several things in the AGIG community.

1) Some people know about Etsy as a source of doll items, but not everybody. 

And there is a large amount of people who don't know about specific stores, or the best stores to shop at for what they are looking for. Overall, there is a lack of information on there, which I think is indicative of the lack of information on Etsy for the community as a whole.

For example, every time I go to the American Girl Place with a doll wearing Etsy items -- people now know what Etsy is when they ask where the clothing is from, but they didn't know they can shop for doll items on there.

There is usually a surprised "Ohhh!!!" when I tell them where the things are from.

I should just stand around in AGPs all day telling people about Etsy... Do you think I can get paid to do that as a job? How long do you think it will be before the AGP staff kicks me out???

2) Everyday there is someone who has just gotten a doll for the first time, and they usually don't know about Etsy.

Yes, we often forget that the AG community from 10 years ago is not the same community as it is today. Stuff changes, everyday. Everyday, man.

Sure, the collectors are usually still out there, lurking creepily in the shadows.

(We're talking about ourselves of course, cough, cough.)

But the girls who were 9 in 2005, are now 19.

And how many of them still buy Etsy items for their dolls?

Yes, some do.

But we can't expect that every girl or boy, woman or man, who gets a doll is automatically gifted the knowledge about Etsy like some sort of divine intervention.

If we don't tell those new fans about it, they won't know. It's as simple as that.

So on a related note.....

3) Everyday there is a new person who has joined IG with an American Girl doll-themed account, and sometimes they don't know about Etsy.

4) Youtube is very popular, and the AG community there is called agtube, usually. Some people in the agtube community know about Etsy, but not everybody.

(Are you enjoying this list yet? Haha.)

5) A lot of people take pics of their dolls in Etsy items, but don't tag it as from Etsy. And they don't tag where they got the items from, etc. 

Really it's about 30% of Etsy items that people say: The shirt is from _______.

They will say they just bought Etsy items.

They will say they received a package.

They will post pics of the package, and opening it, and showing off the items.

They will post pics of the dolls wearing the items.

And never say where they bought the stuff from.

If I was that seller, I would be dying a little bit inside.

All that free advertising and promotion was just wasted.

I'm dying from it, and I didn't even make the items.

Of course, the Instagram user doesn't realize what they just did.

But really, if you want to know where she/he bought anything, you have to hound them in the comments and DM (direct message). And not everybody is going to bother to ask.

Conclusion:

This made me realize that there is still a lot of work to be done to advertise and promote Etsy and independent handmade shops and sellers. 

Not just on Instagram, but everywhere.

(This relates to a post on obsoletion--the act or condition of becoming obsolete--that I posted on Wednesday http://thedollwardrobe.blogspot.com/2015/11/honest-editorial-fighting-feelings-of.html.)

So we decided to come up with a new hashtag. 

It's not our hashtag. We just invented it, but we want it to be everybody's hashtag.

#etsy4agig

A lot of people tag their for-sale items and Etsy items with a variety of hashtags, but there was no consistency.

Well, there still isn't, haha, but I am trying to make #etsy4agig sort of a solidarity thing.

"Let the Etsy Revolution Unite!" is my catchphrase for this.

Of course, it can be used in a variety of social media sites as well. So you don't have to just use it on Instagram.

We aren't going to boycott you if you don't use it, haha.

But if you do use it, people who click on it can then see the world of Etsy offerings for the American Girl dolls. 

It will bring them to a variety of pictures, and shop information that they may have never seen before.

They will see a thriving community with the types of doll clothing and accessories that they have only dreamed of.

Want to Join the Etsy Revolution?

On our Instagram account (about 5500 followers, small but mighty, haha) -- we are giving away shoutouts (i.e. reposts from your account to ours to drive followers to your account) to people who tag their doll Etsy item pics with #etsy4agig and @thedollwardrobeblog.

You can be the buyer/user of the items, or a seller of the items.

So this isn't just for one side of the community -- it's for everybody!

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!

Thank you for visiting us today!