13 minute read
Getting More from Social Media
After Facebook and Instagram told brands to drop sales pitches if they wanted better viewership, many small businesses wondered how to effectively gain attention. In this article, digital marketing experts share best tactics for today’s social media universe.
BY NATALIE HAMMER NOBLITT
No matter what the new trends are in social media, the advice I give my clients is to know who your target audience is and where they reside online,” says Lisa Apolinski, CEO of 3 Dog Write. “Will TikTok help you reach your target audience? Or will you be paying for ads and creating content f or audiences who have no interest in your products?”
During 2020, while many stayed home, social media use significantly increased. But the social media channels your target audience are now using may have changed. Consider your current social media channels. Find the two to three channels that generate the most likes, comments and shares among all your posts.
“If you aren’t sure what channels your shoppers browse, then ask! You can do a poll on most social media channels to get this information or use your email list and send a quick survey,” Apolinski advises.
HOW TO RANK HIGHER
Samantha English, founder of Marketing Academy For Small Business, says retailers who have a long history on a social media channel will be favoured, helping to give them more reach with audiences. But what’s more important, she says, is a page’s activity and interaction with its audience. Changes to Facebook’s algorithm now favour pages who post consistently and that have a high percentage of followers interacting with their content. The algorithm is what determines your organic reach, which are audiences you get without paying for ads.
English tells retailers to stay active on their pages each day, making sure to answer messages on Facebook or Instagram within 24 hours. If you let messages go for days, she says Facebook and Instagram will begin to lessen your organic post reach.
“Platforms want to see you are replying to users’ comments, even if it’s not something that really requires a response,” she says. “Find a way to say something positive and reply whenever you can.”
Staying on top of your interactions doesn’t mean you must constantly be on social media responding, she adds. Check on your pages at least every 24 hours, reply to messages and see what posts are getting the most response.
QUALITY INTERACTIONS COUNT
Create relevant content for your audience to encourage them to spend time viewing your stories and posts. English finds inspiring and funny content that people like to share with their friends to be effective for creating engagement. While in the past many stores could repost from other pages or cut and paste posts from another source, content is now favoured when it’s original. “Create content that makes your audience feel positive and as if they are the first to know this information because of your business.”
The longer you can get a viewer to engage with your video content, the better your future organic reach will be with potential customers. This is because algorithms on channels like Facebook and Instagram take length of viewing into consideration as they determine your ranking.
English recommends videos be at least three minutes long, featuring valuable content to keep viewers watching. Post videos with keywords relating to your business and your city. This allows the algorithms to pick up your content and suggest it to audiences with similar interests or geographic location.
Creating short videos and offering recorded testimonials from your customers can be a way to get noticed on social media, says Sam Shepler, a filmmaker turned marketer who is CEO of Testimonial Hero. Firstperson testimonials about your products or services can help alleviate any hesitation or concern a shopper might be feeling. This, combined with appealing aesthetics in your images and videos is key to keeping shoppers connected to your brand.
“Instagram, in its position as a lifestyle app, is still the king for clickthrough and shopping platforms,” he says. “Many people look to Instagram for visual stimulation, and it is the place most likely for them to have addto-cart trigger fingers.”
Videos create an effective way to sell without a traditional sales pitch, says Danielle Milne of Digital Hopper. Use video to encourage engagement on your social media channels as well as actual in-person visits. Create videos with concepts like “Learn To Do X,” “Hear Expert Play/Teach/Read” or “Bring a Friend and Do X In-Store.” You can pair these videos with events you are holding to create interest before they happen, she says.
STORES NEED COMPLETE STRATEGIES
While Milne is a firm believer in the power of social media, she also encourages retailers to connect what they do digitally with offline marketing. Your efforts online should support the promotions you’re doing in the store, on your website, topics in your blog, events in your community and your email or print newsletter, she says.
Some of the best campaigns she sees for marketing during the 2021 holiday season involve using email and SMS text messaging. Email provides a longer format to give shoppers more details and information while SMS is a quick hit of information that usually asks the shopper to take action. Stores should cultivate the audience themselves, asking for permission to communicate with the customer.
“The smart money is on building up an owned email list — and using paid traffic [on social media] to do so,” Milne says.
English, however, reminds retailers that social media posts shouldn’t directly ask people to subscribe or buy something. Content needs to be subtle in its approach. Facebook users now have the ability to see why they are seeing your posts and to snooze your business if they get tired of your page. It’s now easy for them to control their content right from their newsfeed and select favourite sources they want to see first.
“Because social media users can tune you out more easily than ever, it is critical to create engaging posts so your audience doesn’t unfollow you right away,” says English.
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Challenges Motivate Us to the Next Level
Iwas feeling pretty good about how well I was able to transform my women’s clothing and accessory business during the COVID-19 pandemic. With my doors closed to walk-in shoppers for most of the past 16 months, my weekly Facebook Live shopping shows, personalized front-porch shopping events, outdoor markets and curbside pick-ups were really starting to show results. Not only was my new format fun and safe, but I was also able to reduce costs, turn new product around quickly and steadily grow my sales month after month. I was equally impressed by how well other businesses were able to rework their models to handle unexpected growth or pivot to rebuild lost sales. Companies everywhere began moving their businesses online, setting up virtual and/or in-store appointments, offering curbside pick-ups, home delivery, contactless payments, and subscription box services. Out of desperation came great innovation.
I truly believed that I’d continue operating this way throughout the summer, but my plan came to a crashing halt in late June when governments across the country started announcing that many of the restrictions previously imposed on shopping and other activities would be lifted almost immediately. I knew the day was coming when things would begin reopening, but for some reason I was caught off guard, even shocked, by the speed and magnitude of the rules being relaxed. Almost overnight it seemed that what people needed, wanted and expected had changed.
Many shoppers expected stores to be fully stocked, staffed and ready to go the moment rules were eased. Others, being more cautious and/or enjoying the new alternatives to in-store shopping, expected retailers to continue making these options available. For several days, I was totally overwhelmed by what was unfolding. The number of people watching and ordering from my Facebook show started to drop off and long line-ups of shoppers formed outside larger stores. I bitterly accepted that I had to pivot again. In one afternoon, a new plan was devised. We would reopen the store to walk-in shoppers the first week in July, continue doing weekly shopping shows but with fewer products, have online customers pick-up purchases when the store was open, offer curbside pick-ups only on days when the store was closed and in lieu of large outdoor markets, host small events on our front porch. In a matter of days, our store was converted back into a beautiful boutique. Our studio and on-line order processing areas were made mobile with new fixturing. And, by the time this article is published, we will have a screen installed in the store so customers can watch the latest weekly episode of my “Shop with Diane” show.
Over the summer, we will get a better understanding about who our customers are, what they are shopping for and how their shopping behaviours have changed. This will be valuable information as we begin making our plans for the fall and winter. Yes, those plans will likely need a revision or two.
There’s no question in my mind that if we remain committed, flexible, creative, engaged and if we work together, we’ll move our businesses forward. It sure won’t be easy, but the opportunity for us to learn, grow and become wiser has never been greater.
Stay strong, stay well and stay in touch.
Diane Petryna is the owner of Take A Hike + Take 2 Boutique in Thunder Bay, Ont. She has won numerous community and business awards and in 2012 was inducted into the Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Hall of Fame. Prior to becoming a retailer, she was a selfemployed research and planning consultant. Diane leads the Passionate Retailer Facebook page (@passionateretailer), a place designed for independent retailers and industry partners who are interested in coming together, supporting one another and learning from one another during these difficult times.
Understanding Customers Through Surveys
For over a year now, we’ve unlearned and relearned how to shop. What will return to normal and what will be forever changed? To understand how today’s retail and consumer shopping climate has impacted your customers, you should start by asking them.
WHY YOU SHOULD CONDUCT A SURVEY
Surveys allow retailers to efficiently collect honest opinions and responses from customers and use that information to improve different areas of their business. Survey responses often confirm or provoke discussions on strategic business decisions and provide unbiased data to guide the decision-making process. They also help give customers a voice, letting you hear what matters to them.
CREATING A SURVEY
All the major automated marketing services companies (Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, Snap Retail etc.) offer survey templates. Pick the format that suits you and then start to work on your questions. Typical question categories include general satisfaction, demographic, product-related, servicerelated, along with place, time and location-related questions.
General satisfaction questions ask customers to rate their shopping experiences (either in-store or online), the behavior and support of staff, the ambiance and cleanliness of the store, the agreeableness of the return policies, fairness of exchange policies as well as the ease and quickness of shopping.
Product-related questions could range from ‘Are you able to find what you’re looking for when shopping with us?’ and ‘Do you feel our items are fairly priced?’ to ‘What type of products do you like the most at our store?’ and ‘How relevant are our products in your lives right now?’
Service-related questions should focus on rating how satisfied shoppers are with your staff, after-sales service and their feedback on the effectiveness of your marketing and outreach programs (newsletters, advertisements, social media, etc.).
When it comes to the questions related to place, time and location, try to elicit whether shoppers find your store to be conveniently located and easily accessible? How frequently do they visit your store? How would they rate your store’s layout, signage, décor and lighting? Are they comfortable and satisfied with your parking facilities?
Keep in mind that a survey of 20 questions or less will generally improve your response rate.
CIRCULATING THE SURVEY
There are many ways to get the word out about your survey including through an email newsletter, your website, social media posts, signage and more. When sending out an email you can expect to see almost half of all your respondent activity within the first three days. Using social media, the bulk of your responses will come within the first 24 hours of posting. Sure, you will see responses flow in after, but they will come in more slowly until they are just a trickle.
NOW WHAT?
You’ve done the survey and you’ve heard from your customers. Now, listen to them. They’re telling you what they like and don’t like about your products and services. Act on the results ASAP.
Barbara Crowhurst is a retail business coach who practices internationally. She specializes in retail store design, sales training, merchandising and social media marketing. Learn more about Barbara and the services she offers to independent retailers at www.retailmakeover.ca.
Back to the Future
By Anita Schachter
Optimism is in the air as we plan to return to our face-to-face events in January 2022, making it two full years since we’ve seen each other. While our aisles will be a little wider and our hair a little longer, our core values remain the same. Our Toronto and Alberta Gift & Home Markets aim to provide buyers the exclusive opportunity to see new products, feel the quality of merchandise and discuss bestsellers in a safe way.
Since the start of the pandemic, in the spring of last year, CanGift has successfully coordinated a series of virtual shows and introduced Canada’s first online businessto-business marketplace, CanGift 365. As we return to our live markets, we will continue to have thousands of products from hundreds of CanGift members available to source and order anytime, anywhere on CanGift 365.
Currently, we’re hosting a month-long virtual show from August 5 to September 3 with live online dates running August 9 to 12. Retail buyers can access the show ondemand, at the most convenient time for them and take advantage of business tools such as Zoom meetings and chats in real-time during the four live online days. We’ve added brand-new feature areas that will enhance buyers’ strategies for discovering products for their stores including New Product, Canadiana and CanGift 365 Showcases. The virtual show also boasts ample show specials from exhibitors and a must-see collection of featured exhibitor videos where buyers can view showroom tours and product demos.
Retailers actively looking to place orders during the virtual show can do so by making appointments on the platform with exhibiting companies or by clicking the “order now on CanGift 365” button in participating exhibitors’ booths to connect directly to CanGift 365.
This pandemic has taught all of us that to be successful, business must be done on more than one channel. CanGift is here to support you and empower you with the tools you need to stay competitive both face-to-face at our markets and year-round, online on CanGift 365.
We can’t wait to welcome you back to our Spring 2022 markets!
Submitted by CanGift President and CEO Anita Schachter on behalf of the association’s board of directors. For more information about the association, visit cangift.org.
