museums&MORE Fall 2020

Marketing Tips By Kim Baker

Retailers have valuable tools at their fingertips for communicating the latest information about their stores — including plans to re-open to the public. Use social media, email and your website to keep your customers informed. If your hours have changed, or will be changing, make sure it’s prominently displayed across all platforms. And share your new safety procedures and policies. Talk about the measures you’ll take to open slowly and safely, doing whatever you can to keep your customers and employees healthy while you open your doors back up and welcome them back into your store.

This is going to be a great time to share what you’ll be offering in the fourth quarter this year. Use your social media accounts to tease “coming soon” products you’ll be offering for the holidays. Offer interviews or stories of the makers behind these products – videos and Instagram stories are a fun way to showcase products and makers. Set up your website with a special section to highlight those products you’ll be offering for Q4. Even if they’re not available in-store or online yet, those photos and stories can get your customers excited about the new products you’ll be selling.

SmartSolutions Top 5 Tips for Social Media

Be Present

It’s important for you to stay present on social media. You need to stay connected with your customers and let them know what’s going on. But, even more than that, you don’t want to disappear from their feeds and their minds. Keep the communication flowing, and make sure your customers — and those social media algorithms — still recognize you when you’re back open for business. Your posts should be a mix of selling and storytelling. Every post shouldn’t be asking someone to buy something from you; some of them should be sharing a little of your story or other information you think your followers would be interested in. For every promotional post you share, you should follow with a couple of informational or “just for fun” posts.

Stay Engaged

Make sure you’re not just pushing posts out to your pages. Make a point to comment, like and otherwise engage while you’re there. Allow your personality to come through — people want to interact, and do business, with an actual person. By engaging with those who are engaging with you, Facebook and Instagram algorithms will see a high-performing post and deliver your content higher in the news feed.

Build Connections. Engage with other small business owners in your town. While you’re actively sharing your products, your promotions and your story, be sure to interact (as your business) on other business pages as well. Share their posts. Tag them. Support them. And ask them to do the same for you. Businesses helping other businesses is one way to keep building on your success.

Stay Positive

People are looking now more than ever for positive news — and they’re mainly going to social media. Use the potential of added exposure to keep your social channels positive with motivational, feel-good and engaging content.

Utilize Video

Did you know that social posts containing video see over 48% more engagement and interaction? That’s because social media algorithms place a higher priority on seeing organic, engaging video content above almost anything else. Use this final quarter to work on your business’ content and try to utilize more video – think product picks, tutorials and witty promos.