The Biggest Social Media Mistake I See During High Point Market

Every Market, I see brands pouring enormous amounts of time, energy, and money into creating beautiful showroom experiences only to completely miss the opportunity to maximize the content afterward.

I think one of the biggest social media mistakes brands make during High Point Market is assuming that simply posting in real time is enough. Market content shouldn’t just last four days, it should support your brand for the next six months. This doesn’t mean that content you create at market should be your entire posting strategy between markets, but it should absolutely be a piece of it.

Market Is a Content Gold Mine

There are very few moments during the year where the furniture industry naturally generates this much behind-the-scenes access and product visibility. At market, you know you’re going to experience beautifully styled showroom, new product introductions, team members together, interactions between manufacturers, sales reps, and designers, hospitality moments, and educational opportunities.

Without a strategy, you can expect to leave market with random videos, disorganized camera rolls, and content you’ll not only never use, but will likely forget even exists. That’s a huge missed opportunity.

Posting Constantly Isn’t the Same Thing as Having a Strategy

Do you often find yourself approaching market in survival mode? You’re trying to capture that picture quickly and get out of the way, do a huge photo dump in your stories at the end of the day…likely just on the first day of market, or just running from showroom to showroom trying not to miss appointments.

While real-time posting absolutely has value, posting constantly without a larger plan creates fatigue for you and your audience. I’d rather see a brand post fewer things intentionally than flood their audience with disconnected content for four straight days.

The Best Market Content Is Planned Before You Arrive

The strongest content usually doesn’t happen accidentally. Preparation changes everything.

Take time beforehand to figure out:

• what story do you want to tell

• what products deserve focus

• what educational opportunities exist

• what types of content perform best for you and your audience

• and how you will use content after Market ends

Before Market even begins, here’s what you should be thinking about:

• shot lists – what photos do you need to take?

• video opportunities – B Roll is your best friend at market. Take short clips of everything. These can be paired with photos from showrooms for an easy recap reel.

• educational topics – what will you learn? How can you share that knowledge with your audience?

• interview moments – Reps interview designers that come in and ask about their showroom favorites. Designers interview manufacturers and ask for a recap of what’s new for their company this season. Manufacturers interview your team and ask what they love about your company.

• showroom walkthroughs – slow moving, walking video with or without voiceover

• designer interactions – interacting the furniture, fabric, decor

• behind-the-scenes footage – Manufacturers, this is your opportunity to shine. Show the process to create your showroom, the team behind it, and how it all comes together. Reps & designers, show your journey to market and end with a welcome message.

• rep introductions – who are you, what brands do you represent, what is your territory, what do you want designers and retailers in your area to know?

• product highlights – what’s new and why do you love it?

• and future content categories – what conversations do you want to have afterwards? Trends you saw, things you loved, things you didn’t love, what you wished you’d seen.

Content Should Serve Multiple Purposes

One of the smartest things brands can do during Market is create content that can live across multiple platforms later.

For example:

• one showroom walkthrough can become multiple Instagram reels

• a designer conversation can become educational LinkedIn or YouTube content

• product videos can support email campaigns

• behind-the-scenes clips can strengthen storytelling months later

• educational product demos can continue supporting reps long after market ends as an asset available in a digital toolkit they can access as needed

Market content should not be treated as disposable. It’s an investment.

Real-Time Content Isn’t Everything

It’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself to document every second of market in real time. I’m totally guilty of this myself. That pressure prevents all of us from feeling like we can be fully present and that’s not the goal.

You don’t have to capture everything and not every moment needs immediate publication. Some of the best content is thoughtfully edited and strategically shared later and some moments are worth experiencing without immediately turning them into content at all.

Audiences Want Storytelling — Not Just Documentation

One thing I notice often during market is brands posting endless photos or videos with very little context attached.

Instead of simply posting photos from showrooms, tell people the inspiration behind it, highlight details you love, what customers are responding to, spotlight designs that have been chosen by High Point insiders, share your experience.

That’s the difference between content people glance at and content people actually remember.

Your Team Needs Time to Capture Content

This is where we all miss the mark. Many teams are so focused on appointments that no one actually has dedicated time to intentionally capture content. Then market is over and everyone realizes you barely filmed anything useful.

Your content cannot happen successfully on the fly. It requires planning, designated time, intentionality, and realistic expectations. This is where your shot list really comes into play.

I have a must-do list for each day. These are my non-negotiables. If I capture no other content that day, I must get one clip of myself, one detail shot, and one environment shot.

Then, I have a shot list for all of market and I check it off as I go. I think about where I’ll likely get each shot and I organize my list based on where I’ll be each day. I review each evening, if time allows, and make sure I’m organized and prepared for the next day.

This type of planning ensures that you’re leaving with usable content.

Final Thoughts

I don’t think the biggest social media mistake during market is posting too little, it’s failing to think beyond the moment itself. High Point Market creates enough content opportunities to support brands, designers, and reps for months, but only if those opportunities are approached strategically and intentionally.

The brands that benefit most from market are the ones who walk away with organized assets, long-term strategy, and a clear plan for how to keep the conversation going long after market ends.