BusinessMarketing
Use Social Media to Promote Your Business
Engage your customers on social media with active content like contests and videos highlighting products.
Photo Credit: 3Rivers Archery
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Author: Taylor Walston
Information is instant and accessible. We constantly see ads on social-media pages for products we’ve never heard of. Retailers should use their social media to market themselves to several audiences with engaging and interactive content. By posting on social media, you boost your odds of being seen by potential customers. When someone comments on your Facebook post, it might appear on one of their friends’ news feeds. Use trending hashtags to increase the post’s visibility on Twitter and Instagram. Social-media users who stumble across your post might visit your shop.
Host Contests or Virtual Competitions
That all sounds great, but how can you post engaging content on your social-media pages? Try hosting contests that require participation. Contests encourage followers to interact with your shop. Give them a “call to action” to engage with your shop and your content.
First, though, determine the contest’s goals. Assess whether you’re seeking more followers, building brand awareness, or promoting an event. Ask customers to tag two friends and follow the shop’s page to enter your contest or giveaway. It’s a great way to attract new eyes to your page. Offer free lessons, product discounts, or free tuning to entice visits. Prizes specific to your shop build brand awareness. If the contest’s goal is to promote an event, require the winner(s) be present at the event to win. Always try to drive traffic to your shop or event.
Virtual competitions also engage customers with your shop, and encourage them to practice at home. To enter the competition, ask them to upload videos or images while posing with their targets. Offer gift cards or discounts they can redeem in person or through your website to increase online sales.
Post Product Spotlight Videos
Post videos of you and your staff reviewing products from your shop. These spotlights give customers a product’s pros and cons in a digestible format. It’s much easier to watch short videos than it is to conduct hours of research on each product. Customers will appreciate the help and associate your shop with the product. They’ll visit your store to buy the product because you’ve done the research and answered all their questions.
Product videos also let customers meet your staff virtually. They’ll automatically feel more comfortable when showing up because they’ll think they know you and your staff. Videos spark connections. They show you care enough to talk to customers. Think of videos as virtual sales. Present products the same way you would in person. Don’t rattle off facts. Explain how each feature benefits them. If possible, demonstrate the product.
Ask customers to tag your shop in their photos after an event to gain exposure. Photo Credit: X10 Archery
Ask Followers to Share
Ask followers to share photos of themselves practicing or using equipment they bought at your shop. Share the photos on social media, and include a personal shout-out. When others notice you sharing customer photos, they’ll more likely tag your shop in future posts.
Take photos of customers in your shop — with their permission, of course — and share them on social media. Include stories about their tournament experiences, or how they discovered archery. Someone who’s considering archery might be encouraged by a story about another novice buying a product or practicing at your shop.
Create shareable content to boost the post’s performance. Videos lasting two minutes or less, and eye-catching photos with a message perform well on social media. Aesthetically pleasing photos encourage users to stop and look. Short videos do well because they can be watched on the go and take little time. Sharable posts can be seen by networks of new users. The more people share a post, the more widely it will be seen.
Your goal is to connect with customers personally. Show that you want to get to know them and hear their stories.
BECOME A MEMBER
WE ARE HERE TO HELP THE INDUSTRY, TO HELP INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES GET THE MOST OUT OF THE INDUSTRY, AND TO HELP YOU.
Use unique hashtags on Instagram that will identify your brand. Photo Credit: Archery Headquarters
Stay Active
Post as often as possible. Create a social-media calendar for posting so you know what you’re posting and when. Facebook lets you schedule posts in advance. Load posts into the calendar, and set them to post at designated times. Try different types of posts to avoid “message fatigue,” which risks losing followers. Schedule time to respond to comments or questions.
Create a hashtag unique to your shop, and use it in every post on Instagram and Twitter. Encourage followers to use your hashtag when posting photos of your shop. Also encourage them to mention you in comments to connect your shop with the phrase. Effective frequency shows that repetitive messaging succeeds in advertising. Social-media users will more likely remember you if they frequently see your posts or hashtag.
Share posts from Archery360 or Bowhunting360 if you need more content. Each post generates engagements, and can be used with your own content.
Track how each post performs, and adjust your posts based on results. Post more product videos if they receive lots of likes, comments and shares. Pull back on posts that generate few engagements.
People buy more often from companies they’re emotionally invested in. Consumers like to invest in companies and people they like and connect with. Get involved in conservation projects or host a benefit shoot. By participating in charitable activities, you demonstrate your values, and you inspire emotional investment in your brand.
ATA Staff Can Help
ATA members can take a course on Facebook advertising campaigns through the MyATA Learning Center. Take the course to learn about Facebook ad campaigns, and run an ad to promote your contests or other high-priority content.
Promoting your business through social media helps you connect with existing customers and potential customers. Keep your content informative and engaging to pull followers into the conversation. The more people you engage through social media, the more customers you’ll attract to your business.
Questions? Contact Scott Einsmann, ATA’s digital manager, at (866) 266-2776, ext. 114; or scotteinsmann@archerytrade.org.
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