5 Ways to Leverage Social Word-of-Mouth Marketing

By Dennis O'malley

Television media companies appear to be the first to leverage social word-of-mouth marketing across screens to keep audiences engaged and tuned in. You've probably seen several shows and events display a stream of tweets or Facebook posts directly on your TV or the stage set. Why? It comes down to engagement, and a new way media brands can further connect with viewers. By leveraging the power of their social network investments, TV media companies are broadcasting handpicked, visual word-of-mouth marketing expressions from passionate advocates to build a sense of community with audiences — all of which helps drive viewership and engagement.

Retail brands should take notice because consumer brand expression on social platforms is booming. The best word-of-mouth marketing is user-generated content. On the social web, this means Facebook wall posts and comments, Instagram photo sharing, Pinterest boards, tweets (especially accompanied by a photo), and YouTube videos. A retailer's best brand advocates are socially engaged and enjoy sharing testimonials and content that's authentic and shows a real passion for the brand.
The payoff for amplifying social testimonials on retailer shopping pages is measurable and significant, including the following:

• increases in page conversions;
• increases in page traffic; and
• increases in online revenue.

Daniel Neukomm, strategy leader for La Jolla Group, a multibrand apparel licensing company, put it this way after his company began promoting social word-of-mouth marketing content on e-commerce pages: "We knew that if a consumer could see a relevant product with a relevant social comment, it would create an additional emotional reaction or layer of attachment to what they were viewing. To put the right content in front of the right consumer at the right time next to a product they're considering buying is just a no-brainer."
The ways and means retail brand marketers can amplify word-of-mouth marketing from social user-generated content is multifaceted. Today's omnichannel audience wants a connected shopping experience online, in-store, over mobile devices, on social media platforms or through printed catalogs. Here are five ways retailers can best leverage social word-of-mouth marketing:

1. Augment product-level ratings and reviews on your product pages with brand and category-level social testimonials that are visual. Hint: Look for your fans interacting with you on Instagram, Facbook or Pinterest.

2. Have digital displays in your stores? Take a page out of TV media and stream real-time, curated, visually compelling social testimonials to show off your community of brand advocates who are proud to be your customers.

3. Leverage social graph information (Facebook's term for user demographics) from your highly engaged fans to improve targeting of precision email campaigns. Add social testimonials from "similar to me" advocates to email content targeting specific ge
ographies, age groups or settings that your data reveals.

4. Promote brand-level social testimonials as new advertising content for your partner affiliates and retailers on their web and mobile sites.

5. Show off your best customers’ expressions on social media channels as a community "Fan Board" or "Customer Stories" page on your branded web properties and mobile sites, or even in printed or digital catalogs as aspirational "Look Books" to reinforce the social proof we all need to feel confident in making purchase decisions.

The ability to capture, filter and promote your fans most compelling visual social testimonials and bring them to life across screens and marketing channels is very real. This is marketing, and retailers that take advantage of greater social integration will be a step ahead in the consumer sales cycle.
Dennis O'Malley is the co-founder and CEO of ReadyPulse, a provider of testimonial marketing. Dennis can be reached at dennis@readypulse.com.

To View Original Article: http://www.mytotalretail.com/article/5-ways-leverage-social-word-of-mouth-marketing/

How Retailers Can Prepare to Sell Socially

June 19, 2015

For the past 20 years, the internet has transformed the way we seek information, communicate with one another and conduct business. With the explosion of social networks and mobile technology, we’re no longer just consumers. We’re now and forever the “connected consumer.”

In just the first half of 2015, we’ve seen the latest attempt to capitalize on the connected consumer with the concept of “social selling.” The term seems to be gaining in popularity throughout the technology industry, defining it as more than just selling through social channels, but instead selling through relationships — behavior retailers have historically struggled to perfect, even up to this day.

However, retailers and leading online brands are beginning to take note of social selling and the potential marketplace they can reach through it. One billion globally connected consumers are driving nearly $1 trillion worth of annual revenue, with 75 percent of those transactions being made via mobile devices. With those numbers, it’s no wonder nine out of 10 marketers now say that their omnichannel campaigns take highest priority in their overall go-to-market strategy.

Google, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram have all recently announced plans to lean into this growth market by entering the e-commerce space. Retailers ultimately hope those plans will help them perfect their social selling strategies — or perhaps bypass them entirely. With the introduction of “Buy” buttons and Facebook Messenger for Business, these online giants will soon act as a point of connection between businesses and the millions of consumers already using the social networks. Whether facilitating point of sale with a Buy button or communicating with a sales representative through Messenger, retailers may now have the ability to facilitate purchases through consumer relationships built by popular brands.

As these networks begin to roll out their social selling campaigns in the coming months, retailers will need to adjust their own campaign strategies to take advantage of the new selling platforms and heavy foot traffic now available to them. Consider the following tips to help you:

1. Ensure your global commerce strategy is solid. While consumers are ready to purchase cross-border, are you ready to sell cross-border? Facebook alone has well over a billion users, with 750 million users active globally. We know through Pitney Bowes’ research that 40 percent of globally connected consumers have made online purchases outside their native country. We predict this number will continue to rapidly grow.
2. Cross-check your brand experience across channels. As consumers now have more options surrounding how they make purchases — in-store, mobile, web, social network — consistency in the brand experience will be essential. Regardless of which avenue a consumer chooses, you want to guarantee that their experience with your brand will never change, even if it’s delivered through a third party.
3. Work out the kinks in processing and shipping. Consumers expect to place an order and receive it in the allotted shipping time without any glitches. If a customer has a seamless shopping experience, from discovery to purchase to shipping and receiving, you’re certain to gain one more loyal customer and, if you’re lucky, they may even share that positive experience socially.

We’re seeing rapid changes from all types of companies and business models to try and address how the future of commerce will be conducted. While we’re still in the early days, the promise of social selling could radically change the e-commerce landscape. Only time will tell, but as recent history has shown, it’s the consumer in charge that will lead the way.


To view the original article please visit: http://www.mytotalretail.com/article/social-agenda-retailers-can-prepare-sell-socially/

[WEBINAR] Marketing 2.0 for Retailers: Social, Local, Mobile (SoLoMo) in 2013

This webinar is now available through the One Step Retail webinars page.

In this action packed webinar, retailers will learn key steps to improve their presence and sales through social, local and mobile strategies to produce increased sales in 2013.

Find out how to maneuver the rapidly evolving shopping trends, establish a SoLoMo game plan and utilize existing resources to start your year off right.

February 5^th, 2013 (Tuesday)

11am – 12pm PST
LIVE WEBINAR IS NOW CLOSED 
#ExpandMyStore2013

 

SnapRetail’s Christian Kratsas, Social Media Manager
Take your online traffic and turn it into in-store traffic! Learn how to use Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to get customers to “like” you online and in person!

About SnapRetail: SnapRetail provides a web-based solution that makes it easy for local retailers to engage with customers through email, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Unique product features such as an interactive planning calendar, monthly promotion kits and hundreds of pre-written and professionally designed templates and social media posts make SnapRetail the choice for thousands of retailers looking for a one-stop-shop for their marketing needs.

PocketYour Shop’s Brian Downard, CEO and Founder
Learn how consumers are shopping in and outside of stores, with a focus on the latest trends in mobile retail and how you can leverage those trends to benefit your business.

About Pocket Your Shop: Pocket Your Shop provides mobile strategy, design, development and management for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

King Retail Solution's Andrew Swedenborg, Executive VP

Learn steps every retailer can take to maximize your retail space, with a focus on maximizing your real estate to grow your customer base and increase your sales.

About King Retail: King Retail’s award-winning environments leave your consumer feeling great about their experience in-store and looking forward to their next shopping trip. As builders, King Retail knows every step and every detail that it takes to realize a design with integrity.

RMSA’s David Downard, Retail Consultant
Find out how to utilize your existing tools and goal setting to manage your store and improve your customer’s experience for increased sales in 2013.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will end up somewhere else,” Laurence J. Peter

About Dave Downard: Dave has over 25 years experience working with retailers to analyze and improve store performance, helping hundreds of retailers achieve their business goals.


Registration link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/678248982


Hosted by One Step Retail Solutions, One Step Retail Solutions has helped thousands of retailers nationwide achieve their retail goals through top of the line retail technology. With a consultative and personal approach, One Step is a top resource for 5 of the top point of sale / retail management systems available on the market. Having been in business for over 27 years we have evolved relationships with specialists industry-wide and strive to bring educational resources to our retailers and other retail friends.

We hope that this webinar will help you to start your year off right and achieve your 2013 goals!


SoLoMo image source: socialmediatoday.com

Your Social Media Activities vs Miley Cyrus' Hair

It was recently brought to my attention that Miley Cyrus' bun (her HAIR) has more followers than a vast majority of retailers out there. I laughed for a few minutes and then there was a somber silence to mourn all of the lost sales and profits for small to medium sized retailers.

Social media still gets flack for being a "fad" or "pointless" while well over 25,000 people are getting updates from a fictitious, inanimate object and are INTERESTED and ENGAGED. There are countless companies, brands and celebrities that lept to being a household name through social media (Justin Bieber included).

Social Media will evolve, yes but the odds of it just "poof" disappearing are slim to none:

• Over 800 million people have Facebook accounts. (over 200 million of those users are over 35) 
•  77% of consumers say that they interact with brands through social media. 
• 56% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand after seeing a post on social media. 
• The average consumer spends 3 hours a day on social media sites (yowza). 
• There are over 3.5 BILLION articles, images and brands that get shared each week on Facebook alone. 
• There are over 100 million active Twitter users. 
• Many consumers are adding a new step to their decision making process "validate my decision" which involves seeing what others are saying about you and checking to see if your company has a presence online (social media being one of the key resources for this). 
• Interesting content is 92% more likely to get shared (see Beyonce's record breaking pregnancy announcement Tweet rate of over 8 thousand Tweets a second). 
• 77% of companies say that they have acquired a customer through Facebook. 
• Pinterest was launched in early 2010 and has a current estimated value of over 1.5 billion dollars, this giant really picked up steam in 2012 and is now driving in more traffic than all other social media sites combined for several major retail chains. 
• Interestingly, the odds of someone shopping or dining OUT is more likely amongst those that are actively using social media.

Social media is not a fad, it is a mighty tool to reach out to your current and future buyers/fans and keep them coming back for more.

Here is a choice tip for achieving results with social media, if you do not want to run the accounts or update them, assign those functions to an upbeat personable member of your team. Social media is not an activity that should be taken on begrudgingly and does take some time to get rolling.

Engage, interact, be fun, have fun, push the envelope and most of all, realize that this is the wild west of social media and if you play your cards right, your brand/name/product can also become a household name.

If Miley Cyrus' hair can do it, so can you! (Sorry, it's not every day that you can say something that rediculous).

Brought to you by : Amy Hanson, resident retailing blogger for One Step Retail Solutions

One Step Retail Solutions Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Linkedin.

Retailing: Making Your Social Activities Valuable

You may be wondering what to do on your social media sites and how to get more interaction. One surefire way to increase your value is to create helpful everyday tips. This is an excellent real life example of a retailer doing just that.