A large portion of consumers no longer resort to phone or email to communicate with a business. These customers instead turn to social media to learn more about your business and find out what other users are saying.
If you are a small retail outfit, social media marketing can be a godsend that will drive foot traffic to your physical location and web users to your online shop. However, many smaller retail businesses struggle to engage potential customers once they get their social media accounts set up.
Here is some helpful advice to hit the ground running with your social media marketing.
Define your audience and platforms
Defining a target audience is so important in the realm of social media. Depending on your audience, the platform you choose can make a huge difference. If you design trendy clothing for young adults that are female, you might find that you have more luck engaging your audience on Instagram and Pinterest rather than Twitter, for example.
Are your products geared to certain particular demographics? Once you have defined your audience and the ideal platforms to reach out to them on, you should tailor your social media posts to appeal to their specific interests.
Monitor and be responsive
Social media is all about customer engagement. It’s extremely important to follow-up with users after making a post, responding to their questions and comments and, above all, addressing any negative reviews that may appear.
It is also beneficial to monitor your social media results using Google Analytics or a similar service. This will inform youwhat is being done properly and what needs improvement, as well as which platforms get your retail business the most engagement.
Engage with local influencers
One of the best ways to get your small retail business circulated in the right social media communities is to engage with local influencers. An influencer is anybody that has a decent social media following that you feel overlaps with your audience.
Influencers come in all shapes and forms, from bloggers to local artists and musicians. Find out who is buzzing online in your area and reach out to them for a mutually-beneficial collaboration.
Optimize your stores
Social media can be thought of as a trip where your online or physical store is the intended destination. If customers cannot easily make a purchase when they land on your webpage or if they can’t find what they are looking for in your physical location, you can bet you will hear about it on social media afterwards.
While it may not seem related to social media, store optimization is an important factor in keeping your customers satisfied in the online space. If you don’t know where to get started optimizing, try reaching out to a retail business consultant for help.
Final thoughts
Whether we like it or not, social media is an increasingly important part of retail business success. Each generation relies more on social media to inform their purchase decisions than the last.
There is simply no excuse to miss out on the amazing opportunities afforded by online platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Start building your online community today and you certainly won’t regret it a few years down the line.
