No other communication channel makes it as easy as social media to interact with your customers, engage them with your brand and inform them about your newest products or services. Social media marketing therefore is no longer optional for businesses. Whether your stores are in gastronomy or retail, getting your customers onto your social media channels is an essential way to maintain, engage or reactivate them and build long lasting relationships. The fact that they follow you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. already shows they are interested in your company and your content so you should definitely see social media as a big chance to exhaust your possibilities in reaching the right target groups.
We gathered 8 reasons to emphasize why you should lead your in-store customers to your social media pages.
8 reasons why social media is important
- The power of your followers
Social media is all about sharing. For your business this can have a huge impact on your outreach. Followers will share your content and spread your promotions, new products etc. and will therefore generate more followers and potential customers. Keep in mind that most consumers tend to trust recommendations from friends and family much more than from companies themselves. Therefore, it is a valuable and more personal way to (indirectly) communicate with your customers. Also encourage customers to leave reviews, comments and to interact with other customers. By initiating discussions, you can build positive relationships with current and potential customers.
- Turn negative comments into positive complaint management
As easy as it is for customers to connect with your business via social media, as easy it also is for them to post complaints about your business publicly and cause some damage this way. However, please be aware that social media also provides your business the opportunity to respond to negative reviews and overcome negative publicity. With a mix of proactive outreach, constant monitoring, and effective crisis management you are able to prevent sudden mood swings on your platforms. First of all you need a good content plan with frequent posts and updates. Then you need staff to check your platforms and respond to questions and comments. Finally, you should also respond to negative reviews, by explaining problematic situations or apologizing for any mistakes. This way you show your followers that your business is reliable and trustworthy. By addressing everything publicly on social media, you can show that your business is dedicated to righting wrongs and addressing customer concerns.
- Humanize your brand
The ability to create real human connections is one of the key benefits of social media for business. Show your employees how customers are using your products and make your employees visible to your customers vice versa. This will build trust, strengthen your brand values and show that you care about all humans involved or interested in your products.
- Staying present in your customers’ minds
With your social media presence you can connect with fans and followers every time they log in. Keep your posts entertaining and informative, and your followers will look forward to seeing your new content in their feeds. Staying present in their mind will lead to thinking of you first when they’re ready to make a purchase.
- Increasing website traffic
Social media posts and ads are one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website. By sharing great content from your blog or website to your social channels readers will be notified immediately when you publish a new post. Include your website address or online shop in all of your social media profiles so that people who want to learn more about you will be forwarded to it with one easy click.
- Announce new products available at offline stores
You can perfectly use social media to support your offline stores if you want more people to look for your brand offline and visit your stores or restaurants. With a consistent branded design throughout all posts, you help people remember the brand and recognize your products immediately on store shelves. Consider that 83 percent of Instagram users say they discover new products on the platform so there is a good chance that they will also recognize them offline.
- Promote Content
Promoting your own content on social channels is a great way to get your smart, well-researched content to new people, proving your expertise and expanding your audience. This will usually also lead to higher rankings in search engines, so you are improving your SEO at the same time.
- Advertisement and Targeting
Ads on social media are an inexpensive way to promote your business and distribute content. They also offer powerful targeting options so you can reach the right audience efficiently. Marketers are using social ads increasingly and it is expected that this increase has not reached its peak yet.
Challenge: Redirecting offline customers to your online channels
So how do you get your in-store customers to follow you on social media? It is indeed a little more challenging than just setting up links online. Customers need to search for the correct name that is used on the social media platforms, they sometimes forget to visit the platforms after leaving the store and over all it often seems a higher effort for businesses and customers likewise to connect in-store customers with the brand’s social media.
Here are some ideas on how to redirect customers as easily as possible:
- Asking customers directly: Ask your customers to follow you after they have made a purchase or eaten at your restaurant, for example by requesting some feedback or review. This way they feel more personally addressed and that their opinion matters to you.
- QR-code just for social media: Place a QR code on your POS that links to your social media platforms. This way customers just have to scan it with their phone to see your profiles in their browser.
- Social media tag on menu etc: Print your @-tag on your menu, business card, etc. so that customers can find you easily on social media.
- Direct link on digital receipt: The digital receipt by refive offers the easiest way to redirect in-store customers to social media profiles. By providing a QR code for a digital receipt you can place the link to your Instagram, Twitter etc. just below the receipt. This way your customers see it automatically and it does not need to be brought to their attention additionally.
With refive you can convert your customers into followers with just 2 clicks. Once they have opened your digital receipt on their phone, they just need to click on the link of your favourite channel to be redirected. Simply choose which channel you’d like to include in your digital receipt and we will prepare everything for you. Stop with the complicated attempts to get your in-store customers to follow you online and let refive do the work for you!
