5 minute read
USING SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVELY
RETAILER SUPPORT: AMY WILLIAMS, HEAD OF DIGITAL, HANOVER COMMUNICATIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA: A RETAILER’S GUIDE
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO GROW REACH, FOOTFALL AND SALES IS MOREVITAL THAN EVER FOR LOCAL RETAILERS DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND GETTING THE BASICS RIGHTNEEDN’T BE COMPLICATED OR TIME-CONSUMING, SAYS HANOVER COMMUNICATIONS’ AMY WILLIAMS.
In a time of long supermarket queues and empty shelves, social media is awash with people saying they’ve found products they didn’t know were available in locations they wouldn’t previously have tried looking for them. Consumer behaviour is much changed, and retailers need to better communicate to potential customers and shout about how they are the perfect location for a quick-and-easy visit.
Social media is ideal for this, so here we will look at the What, When, Why and How for retailers thinking about using social media to increase their reach, footfall and sales.
TOP FOUR TIPS FOR RETAILERS TO GET THE MOST FROM SOCIAL MEDIA:
Take advantage of content posted by suppliers to promote new offers and products in store
Embrace social media as a platform for engaging with customers by responding to comments, handling feedback and keeping an open line of communication
Communicate changes made in store to reassure customers that retailers are maintaining a safe and supportive environment
Use analytics provided by Facebook and Twitter to understand the online audience and know when the page and its content is the most effective.
WHY?
Social media allows retailers to communicate with customers and suppliers quickly, easily and without a high price tag. Different channels have different purposes and can serve retailers in varying ways.
We know many independent retailers use Twitter to engage with their peers or suppliers. We also know retailers, like @PremierSinghs in Sheffield, who use Twitter brilliantly to push offers to customers. The key is to understand why you want to use it, and act accordingly.
Facebook, on the other hand, is about building communities and engagement.
Customers are more likely to return if they see their store adding value to their local community, like Amrit Pahal at Nisa Local Walsall. Retailers can keep shoppers updated on changes in store and show they care by letting their personality shine through, to build trust and familiarity.
A Facebook business page, specifically, allows a retailer to access and make use of specific features that are ideal for their business activities – including opening hours, chat function, contact details and page moderation.
WHAT?
Retailers should take advantage of supplier content, including infographics, videos and images of new products, and share these via their own channels. We have seen retailers promote new products to customers by making their own tongue-in- cheek or informative videos; tailored content like this adds a personal touch to retailers’ social media pages and keeps audiences engaged.
Competitions work well on Facebook to expand reach, by getting shoppers to ‘share’ or ‘comment’ on posts to enter.
Twitter tends to be a faster platform. Users expect a little more content, as the Twitter timeline moves faster. Users also expect Twitter to be the place to get real-time updates and to potentially engage in two-way dialogue. For example, a user may want to quickly check if a store stocks a product, turning to Twitter using the @ handle to engage with a retailer.
WHEN?
Facebook doesn’t need to be updated as frequently as other social channels to perform effectively. If using Facebook primarily to share organic content (content that isn’t promoted or paid for), then reach will be relatively limited, and retailers need to ensure the community they build is engaged. Therefore, producing strong content and using it sparingly is more likely to ensure potential shoppers see it.
By using analytics, retailers can schedule and post content when users are most likely to see it, and ensure the type of content (for example, short posts with hashtags and videos or photographs) is one that will land best with the community.
If retailers are using Twitter in a customer-facing manner, we recommend they look to post as often as is needed to share up-to-date and timely information on the channel, as well as being ‘available’ to customers when possible to ensure they feel they can engage with them.
HOW?
We’ve seen retailers making incredible changes in-store such as fitting shields over the counter, rationing essential products so there is enough to go around, prioritising vulnerable people by offering home delivery and limiting the number of shoppers allowed in store. These changes can be communicated easily through social media and go a long way to developing a loyal customer base. Retailers can position themselves as the pillars of the community by providing regular updates and messages of good faith; the more this happens, the more likely it is customers will continue to shop in their stores post-pandemic.
Retailers should be responsive to customers and pay attention to the range of offers and products they promote to ensure they are sharing a variety to reach different types of customers. Of course, retailers can use their own sales data to determine who their customers are and which products they’re most likely to respond to, and tailoring posts to suit their customer base will make their Twitter page more relevant and useful.
…AND FOR HOW MUCH?
Social media allows retailers to communicate with customers quickly, easily and without a high price tag. Paid promotion can be used on Twitter with careful targeting (using postcode, location and demographic targeting to name a few) to promote key moments such as new products or launches or competitions. However, we always advise clients and retailers to use paid promotion sparingly and when appropriate to avoid ‘spamming’ followers or sharing content with people to whom it is not relevant.
Promoting posts or activity via ‘Paid For’ campaigns on Facebook can help to expand the reach of the page. Putting just a small amount of money (as little as £5) into ‘boosting’ posts can go a long way on Facebook, and it also allows direct and smart targeting using factors such as location, postcode, interests, gender, age or other page connections. Creating an audience to target is as simple as selecting options from a drop-down menu.
In the short-term this can help to achieve specific goals, and this will in turn boost organic page and post performance. In the longer term, building paid support into any strategy can help to grow business, reach specific communities and ensure a steady level of engagement.
