Social Media… In Your Store?

Millions of conversations… and purchases… are taking place online everyday. Whether you are a smart phone addict who has Facebook at your fingertips or a retail pro who prefers out loud chit chat, the reality is social media is making strides – big ones at that – in the retail marketplace.

Let’s forget about you for a minute, and think about your customers. Do they use social media? Would they if it was a more accessible experience for them? Would your store sales increase if customers interacted with you more online… even if you only have a brick and mortar store?

The thing about social media is that it’s not always about selling (though really it is… keep listening). Social media provokes small talk in a very modern way. From chatting about the weather to discussing your weekend plans, social media encourages conversation, very simply. And if you and your store encourage this conversation, the conversation will naturally lead back to you (sales!). One way to do this is by introducing a Social Media Console to your store. This console would be a dedicated space that only has your social media outlets available for customers to engage in – in other words, not just a computer for them to play on. Twitter and Facebook tend to be the most popular for retailers, though there are a variety to choose from. The key is creating a space for customers to talk abut your business while they are experiencing your business… even if they have their own smart phone. The experience is the whole catch. And if they aren’t the smart phone type but still like to check in to their Facebook account every so often, your store console is a great place to do it… providing they are chatting about your biz.

No space for a console? That’s okay. Remind your social media fans walking through your store to “check in” on their phone. An inviting reminder to “tweet” and “update” where they are and what they are doing… or better yet, include a pic… is a great way to gain visibility to audiences that may not already  know about you. And if they do know about you, it never hurts for a reminder to let them know your doors are open.

Finally, your store introduces hundreds of ways to market itself, and social media should be one of them. If you have a few minutes to spare, log on. Only have  second? Log on! It’s not going anywhere, so it’s time to make it a (big) part of your retail life.