While most retailers have some sort of presence on social media, there is still a surprisingly large proportion that do not have the expertise required to get the most out of these platforms. If your goal is to drive in-store sales, then I’m sorry to say but a half-finished profile and sporadic posts simply won’t cut the mustard.
Social Media as a Sales Tool
The online world and the brick-and-mortar store are very much complementary pieces of the same whole.Customers often refer to social media to see products in use, read user reviews, make queries and find offers and if these prove to be enticing they may pay a visit to your store to make their final purchase.
Numerous studies have highlighted the sales potential of social media. In fact, 74% of people use social media to guide their purchase decisions. The leader of the pack here is Facebook, with one-third (32%) of its 2.2 billion users engaging with brands on a regular basis. For retailers with an eye for the visual, Instagram is an excellent option as over 80% its users follow at least one business account. While not as popular as Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest presents wonderful opportunities to retailers with 90% of weekly Pinners using the platform to make purchase decisions.
Promote Brand Awareness & Engagement with Social Media
Social media has the ability to influence potential customers at every stage of the buyer funnel, whether it’s spreading awareness, winning them over, driving purchases or building brand loyalty. To find success on social media you will need to bring together creativity, strategy and effort. The key to this is to invest time and money into producing unique and engaging content that is created with both your customer and your goals in mind.
Social Media as a Customer Service Tool
According to one survey, 63% of social media users expect companies to offer customer service through social media. What’s more, when it comes to customer care social media is now the preferred choice, overtaking more traditional methods such as email and phone.
So, what does this mean for retailers? In order to meet the expectations of today’s more digitally-minded consumers, they must provide customer service through the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Providing customers with rapid, informed answers to queries on social media is just as important as having it via phone, email, or in person and will help to grow customer loyalty.
Learn More about Using Social Media to Boost In-Store Sales
If you would like to learn more about how to how to develop creative and strategic ways of using social media to increase in-store sales and footfall, we recommend that you have a read through this helpful infographic from the team at Colourfast. This highly informative guide explains how social media can play a key part in nudging the customer through their journey. It also includes some useful tips about how to integrate your social presence into your in-store experience.
Read the infographic below for more.
