Twitter & Facebook… Retail Style

Social media can be so confusing. Yet so exciting. Yet so time intense. Yet so… well, you get the idea. The reality is, depending on the shoes you wear, you either love social media or hate it. A good handful of you probably lie somewhere in between. As for us at Retail Minded, we have tried for years to identify the best tips on how social media can best support retailers – but not just any retailers. Independently owned  retailers. Curious what we have discovered?

Facebook 

Facebook is fantastic – but only if you use it consistently and with a purpose in mind. If wanting to increase foot traffic, consumer purchases and brand / store awareness is your goal, Facebook is definitely a must on your social media to-do-list. But again, using it consistently and effectively is important. Here are a few of RM’s tips (in our opinion, of course… we know there are lots of those out there to consider):

1. Schedule a time to make a post daily or at least four times a week. Mid afternoon is a popular time for Facebook users to be taking a break from life, work and who knows what else – so posting during the 2pm to 4pm hours are ideal. Another tip? If writing posts – or anything for that matter – isn’t your strength, take time in advance to have these written up so you can just copy and paste them onto Facebook when the time comes.

2. Engage in conversation on Facebook – not just statements. Sure, stating a sale, special event or other exciting store announcement is always fun and definitely should be on your agenda, but don’t just leave it at that. Encourage responses by asking direct questions from your followers. For example, “Our Anniversary Sale starts at noon tomorrow! Let’s start celebrating now with our favorite buys from the past year. What did you enjoy most from (insert store name here) over the past 12 months?”.

3. Promote opportunities to get people into your store and make some money. After all, that’s why you are in business, right? With so many apps and daily deals out there, you’d think this is easy, easy, easy to do. Yet, for Facebook – how does this actually translate? Something we love for retailers is Recipreo. Essentially, if someone “likes” your post or page on Facebook, they get an offer from you. And as we all know, customers love offers!

Twitter

Twitter is a great way to gain a broad audience of consumers and folks in general. Unlike Facebook, many people who “follow” Twitter pages are not familiar with the actual brand or store. However, this can add to the appeal. It’s also common for Twitter followers to turn into Facebook “likes” since you can easily include URL links in your Twitter posts. While we suggest using Twitter a few times a day, it doesn’t have to be super time intense or – dare we say – scary to do. Here are our best tips for using Twitter effectively as a retailer.

1. Share news worth sharing – not just your personal feelings or thoughts. Now don’t get us wrong… having personality via social media includes sharing some of your emotions and ideas every now and again. But many folks using Twitter do so to discover new things, interesting news and other worth-wild topics to learn about. This includes discovering new merchants, products and places. We tend to go with the 80-20 balance here. 80% retail and business chit-chat with 20%  more personal – with a side of personality always included.

2. Include direct links to your own website – plus others, as well. If you only promote yourself on Twitter, you are using it the wrong way (in our humble opinion). Share direct links to anything interesting that your followers may appreciate. For example, if you are a jewelry store it could make sense to share news and URL links on how to care for silver, gold, fine jewelry, etc. Children stores could share links to do-it-yourself craft ideas. You get the idea. Naturally, you will want to share links to your own site – just don’t exclusively do this. Your audience will trust you more as a retail / consumer resource versus a sales resource.

3. Offer a reason for people to follow you on Facebook, too – not just Twitter. Facebook and Twitter are different, plain and simple. So don’t just settle on Twitter followers being Twitter followers alone. Encourage them to discover what else you can offer them via Facebook. Use Recipreo’splatform of giving “offers” as a way to increase your Facebook likes, and maximize what you can offer your followers. Between Twitter and Facebook combined, you are likely to gain increased  awareness and increased sales. Pretty sweet, huh?

Gain More Social Media Tips! Here Are Some of Retail Minded’s Top Social Media Inspired Blogs:

Does Your Store Voice Speak Effectively?

Incorporating E-Commerce Into Your Sales Strategy

Maximizing Your Current Customer Base

Optimizing Your Online Outreach

Social Media Tips for Black Friday & Small Biz Saturday