Recently, I have been seeing a lot of questions online about how stores can implement and manage successful social media strategies on a budget. If the thought of adding yet another task to your already full plate seems overwhelming, let me reassure you: Social media is a user-friendly tool that costs little or nothing. Allow me to share with you some beginner-friendly tips and tricks to manage your store’s social media account — and boost sales while you do it.
Get your team involved.
Growing the account as a team effort will help keep the task from falling on just one person. Plus, what resonates with members of your team will also resonate with your audience. The team approach also helps keep your page fresh with consistent new content, and diversity helps build a strong page as everyone brings a fresh perspective. You may also find that your associates’ followers will become store followers by proximity, which is a great way to grow your likes. To facilitate this, make sure the login and password info is accessible to everyone involved.
Provide the time and space for your social media to take shape.
Most stores don’t have a big budget to pay someone to manage and post on their social media. By allotting 15-20 minutes in the schedule for someone to maintain social media, you can cut down on costs and utilize the natural talent you already have. Keep in mind that the page should be managed from the store or during store hours, so it doesn’t become “homework” that people will want to avoid. Protected time can give staff something to look forward to, and it’s a nice way to break up other store tasks. Be realistic and start with two or three posts a week. Once your page starts gaining traction, it will become easier to make daily posts/stories. When you make your store schedule, make a small social media schedule as well. The value of social media can be hard to gauge at first, but remember: it’s allowing you to interact with customers in real time and drive sales in a new way.
Content counts.
A lot of people ask me, “What do I post?” You may want to avoid overly graphic posts like realistic dongs or hardcore items, but use social media to showcase other items that you carry in-store. Lingerie, lubricants, vibrators, C-rings, rope, light bondage items. Post new items, items on sale or employee picks. Manufacturers have also created a wealth of online content to help stores promote items with a branded experience. Many brands will take the time to organize shoots to launch each brand and create new marketing assets that retailers can take advantage of. Reach out to your distributors and ask what tools or content they have available. This should give you an easy selection of content any time you need to make a quick post.
Reposting from brands’ social media pages is an easy way to save time and grab quick posts without a lot of work. Remember to give credit to the original poster in your description. Spend some time following other retailers that inspire you, as well as manufacturers, distributors and others in the sexual wellness space. Surround yourself with content that keeps you informed on what’s new and happening in the industry. Social media is also a great way to network with other businesses, send quick messages to customers or vendors, or find local events you could potentially be a part of. Don’t buy followers or other gimmicks people may try to sell you; this is about social media on a budget, and you can build all the important aspects for free.
Take advantage of free social media content creator apps. One of my favorite apps to build content is Canva, which offers a lot of templates you can customize for your store. Posts will look professional and polished, and the best part is you don’t have to be a graphic designer to use the program. Pic Collage is another fun app that lets you format your photos into collages and make fun posts. You could take random shots of your favorite item and plug them into a collage. You could make a collage of lingerie bestsellers, or of top-selling lubes. Free photo apps like Pexels (pixabay.com) and Unsplash make it easy to grab images if you are feeling less than creative and need some help. Pixelcut is a cool app that will remove the background on an image so it focuses on the product. You can change background colors, create profile photos, find templates to use and a lot of other fun things to play with. Play around with these apps and learn to use them, so that they can work for you.
Where do I start?
Set up Instagram and Facebook pages if you don’t already have both. Link them, so when you make posts on Instagram, they automatically post to your Facebook and you don’t have to duplicate your work. When customers are checking out at the cash wrap, ask if they would like to follow you on social media and give them your account name. It can be a great way to capture customers who don’t want to share their personal data. Follow your favorite brands and industry people, and they will likely follow you back as well. Start reposting your favorite posts of theirs to build up your content. Get in the habit of posting or planning content, and it will become a natural part of your day.
The best part about this industry is the love and support we show one another. Social media can work for you, and I would love to support you in building your pages or helping with content. Please reach out to me @americassextoysweetheart on Instagram, and shoot me a message if you ever need help. I’m just a click away!
Social Media Beginner Tips to Boost Retail Sales by Danielle Seerley originally appeared in XBIZ