If you are already active in the social web, or are at least taking a peek at what your competitors are up to, likely you have noticed that no two retailers have identical seeming social media strategies.
This one is for retailers, let’s look at the key uses of social media for retail brands today,
- Customer service: directly responding to customer’s questions, complaints and inquiries via social media.
- Crisis management: having your finger on the pulse of a crisis just as it unfolds or directly after it occurs and being able to respond, diffuse and assist quickly.
- Campaign or promotion management: the use of social media channels to spread word about a contest/sale/exciting change that you want your community to hear about and participate in discussion about
- Shopper loyalty: keeping your customers engaged and interested in the community you createand making it difficult for them to ever want to fall out of love with your retail brand.
- Keeping tabs on the competition: understanding the successes and failures of rival retailers, and using this intel to earn more loyalty points for your retail brand.
Remember that deciding on a social media strategy that fits a retail brand is a process, not an impulse buy. Just as customers try on more than one pair of jeans before making a purchasing decision, a great social media strategy should be implemented one thoughtful step at a time. Don’t feel as though you should dive in and attempt to hit all of the aforementioned use cases, and instead identify your top priority and begin there. One thing at a time. Always.
If you are still wondering how can any of these pointers get you more sales? Then you must drop the idea of implementing any social strategy for your business, al together. Because being Social is Engaging, rest follows.
