When you think about social media, there are probably a few things that come to mind; friends, family, memes, celebrities, and local retail businesses.

Back in 1997 when “social media” became a thing, it was nowhere near what it is today, and I’m sure if you were to ask someone from that era about a “meme” they would probably give you a blank “Deer-in-the-headlights” stare and then ask, “a what?”

Now that we’re in 2020, social media has flourished into a beast of a marketing tool for businesses of all sorts. Retail brands specifically have reaped the rewards of what Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can bring them in terms of new clientele, and rightfully so, in most cases, their target audience is everyone!

And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love the fact when you’re researching a retail shop, and the first thing you see is a “50% OFF EVERYTHING THIS WEEKEND ONLY” post. That sells.

When it comes to brands like clothing stores, it’s an important tool to promote products and services in a “non-sales-ee” way, and with 91% of brands now active, it’s become a primary tool for growing businesses to utilize.

Let’s dive into the platforms.

Facebook

Good ol’ Facebook – they’ve been cleaning up lately with the big purchases of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus, but probably the biggest change of all has been the emergence of Facebook Marketplace. Facebook Marketplace is now active in 70 countries and has over 800 million monthly users – crazy! It allows you to browse for sale items by category and location, add photos, and most importantly, you can message buyers and sellers to arrange transactions efficiently and safely!

Ultimately, Facebook is pretty much the new Kijiji and Craigslist Buy, and has become a massive tool to bring customers into your shop.

Twitter

Twitter was made to sell! With a 280 character limit, Twitter is a great way to get your point across quickly and without the fluff.

Using local hashtags that relate to your area is a great way to promote, but the power of a retweet will always give you the best exposure. With a “tag” feature on photos now, you’re able to tag local directory pages on a photo or within the caption of your message. Twitter is an information hub, and a great resource, so make sure you’re using lots of photos, links, and videos to gain attraction to your business!

Instagram

Well, Instagram, much like Slim Shady, needs no introduction. A lot of people already know how impactful Instagram can be for a personal account, but it’s also the same for a business account to show off credibility, quality of business and validate that they are, in fact, real. Now it seems pretty straight forward to slap something together, post it, and your problems are solved; but to gain ACTUAL BUSINESS, there’s a method to the madness.

Firstly, consider the photos you’re posting.  Blurry/non-sized images will make you seem like a low-quality company, whereas high-resolution photos will make you look like a high-end business.

Secondly, you need to entice with your captions. The overused “We have the best stuff ever so buy it today” won’t sell as much as you may think. Be unique and short. With so much content on the ‘gram, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention.

Lastly, using hashtags, geotags, and location tags are how you get the exposure to your post (if done properly). If you’re a clothing store, you have to ensure your hashtags are targeting the words and people that relate to your business. Geotags are tagging pages that showcase or feature local products and services, and there are LOTS in all major cities.  Finally, location tags are adding the location to your post, so you will show up when people search for that city on Instagram.

Are you putting time and effort into social media? Or are you just posting “here” and “there” and expecting the world in return?

We have divisions dedicated to graphic design, content writing, proofreading, engagement, and account management to make your businesses social media profitable and worth it.

The race to social media stardom started in 1997, and if you haven’t made the decision to blitz social media marketing already, it’s going to be very difficult to catch up.

Get in touch with us to see which social package is right for your business.

(437) 317-4451 | info@yourlistingexpert.com | yourlistingexpert.com

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