Hi guys! I just attended a very well received social media
webinar hosted by Mari Smith and Guy Kawasaki. Both
are not only experts in social media but have a serious
knack for creating and building relationships. I found
some of their tips to be particularly useful to retailers so
am pleased to be able to share them with you. The full
webinar can be watched here:
http://marismith.com/7smtrends/video.html
Point #1: Listening to your customers.
Going out of your way once can result in a repeat
customer for years to come. Imagine a customer of
yours posts on Twitter “I am in serious need of a (insert
a product of yours here)” and you catch that post. You
then message them or, even better, reach out to them
by phone – VOILA very happy customer and you can
bet they will mention that to at least a few friends.
Morton’s Steakhouse took this concept to a new level
and became one of the top 5 Tweets of the year. For
the Morton’s Steakhouse story -
http://ramonwow.visibli.com/share/lYoR45
Point #2: Not allowing pictures in your store.
Many retailers do not allow photos in store or of the
merchandise. While this makes sense if that person was
going to go off to replicate the item or purchase a similar
style at another store, in the age of social media, the odds
of one posting this image up onto their own sites
(Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter) is quite high.
Girls are forever trying on hats, sunglasses and bling and
posting these pictures for their friends to see, many will
even ask opinions on if to buy or not from their friends.
Allowing photography can open you up to free promotion.
webinar hosted by Mari Smith and Guy Kawasaki. Both
are not only experts in social media but have a serious
knack for creating and building relationships. I found
some of their tips to be particularly useful to retailers so
am pleased to be able to share them with you. The full
webinar can be watched here:
http://marismith.com/7smtrends/video.html
Point #1: Listening to your customers.
Going out of your way once can result in a repeat
customer for years to come. Imagine a customer of
yours posts on Twitter “I am in serious need of a (insert
a product of yours here)” and you catch that post. You
then message them or, even better, reach out to them
by phone – VOILA very happy customer and you can
bet they will mention that to at least a few friends.
Morton’s Steakhouse took this concept to a new level
and became one of the top 5 Tweets of the year. For
the Morton’s Steakhouse story -
http://ramonwow.visibli.com/share/lYoR45
Point #2: Not allowing pictures in your store.
Many retailers do not allow photos in store or of the
merchandise. While this makes sense if that person was
going to go off to replicate the item or purchase a similar
style at another store, in the age of social media, the odds
of one posting this image up onto their own sites
(Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter) is quite high.
Girls are forever trying on hats, sunglasses and bling and
posting these pictures for their friends to see, many will
even ask opinions on if to buy or not from their friends.
Allowing photography can open you up to free promotion.
Point #3: Spam vs promotion
Many are concerned about “spamming” their followers. One
point is that that individual did elect to hear about you, your
offers and what you are up to. If you keep your content
relevant, helpful and fun, you are actively promoting, NOT
spamming.
Point #4: Pinterest
Further confirmation that this is a force to be reckoned with.
Please see One Step’s earlier blog for tips on its use.
http://retail-services.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-get-sales-through-pinterest_1530.html
Point #5: What to do if you get a complaint or goof up.
There is a new coined word going around, “flawsome” which
is flawed and awesome smooshed into one word Lewis
Carroll style.
The concept behind this is to not aim for perfection but
staying “real”. How you handle goofs and negative reviews
means more to a customer than being flawless. Per a study
noted in the webinar, many actually prefer to know that there
are some flaws or they feel that the company or service is not
real. Aim for your best but don’t automatically delete all
negativity on your sites. The webinar goes into some tips for
handling negative reviews or comments on social media sites.
Point #6: Pictures are like eye candy.
Keep the pictures coming. You can even have fun with the
different apps (Instagram is increasingly popular for retailers)
or just grab an image from istockphoto to go with your posts.
Pictures will increase interaction and familiarity.
I hope that this helps you!
Amy Hanson
www.onestepretail.com
Me trying on wraps at a vintage store for my best friend
(just a few weeks ago) to wear over her wedding dress.
I needed to get pictures to send up to her in Portland but
due to a no photo rule I was cut short. I explained the
situation to the sales clerk but she was adamant,
LOST sale.
