Spring 2019 Hardlines Strategies

SOCIAL MEDIA

Engaging Customers Online How Social Media Can Strengthen Your Business

If you don’t have one of these pages yet, it’s a good idea to set one up so you can encourage more followers online, helping to grow your business. “Social media is a cost-effective way to personally connect with current customers and extend your reach to potential customers,” says Jody Maude of Distribution America, Blish-Mize’s buying group. “Implementing a social platform can help boost your online brand awareness, as well as act as a primary or secondary website.” If you’re not sure how to get started, don’t worry—Blish-Mize and Distribution America are here to help. Below, learn more how you can engage with your customers online. Getting Started If you haven’t yet created a social media page for your business, Blish-Mize will help you set up a page on your social media platform of choice. (Keep in mind that almost all programs require the administrator of a business page to already have a personal page.) This service is provided at no cost. The team at Blish-Mize If your company has a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram page, it’s important to keep it updated regularly. U sing social media sites for your business is a cost-effective way to reach a lot of people with just a few clicks, and for very little money.

will walk you through the initial setup and show you how to fill in store information and add graphics so you can start reaching out to your customers online. Reaching Your Audience In social media, there’s a popular idea customers, or encourage them to interact with your business online, and 20 percent should be used to sell or promote products. Blish-Mize’s Social Media Starters program provides users with ideas for content they can post on their social media sites any day of the month as a way to engage with their audience. The program is free of charge to all Blish-Mize customers. All you need to provide is your email address, and you’ll be sent these online conversation starters each month. known as the “80/20 rule,” where 80 percent of your content should entertain, inform or interest your Put Your Ads Online You may already use AdStudio, a program that allows retailers to create custom publications to be printed in a variety of formats. Part of that program is the AdViewer module, which you can use to convert your print ads to an electronic format so you can distribute them online, either by email or by embedding them on your store’s website or social media site. AdViewer is available to any Blish-Mize customers who have signed up for the AdStudio program, Maude says. There’s a nominal fee to use AdStudio, and AdViewer access is included at no extra cost. “With AdViewer, much of the work is done for you,” says Maude. “It includes a built-in scheduling feature with a ‘set it and forget it’ option, so there’s no need for you to remember to post new promotions or remove expired ones.”

Try This! Here are a few more tips for you to make the most of your time online. • Claim your business. It’s likely already listed on sites like Yelp. By claiming your business, you can ensure store information, such as the address, phone number and store hours, is correct, and it provides • See what others are doing. Follow other retailers on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. What are they doing? What inspires you? You may be able to find some ideas and mold them to fit your business and its online plan. “behind the scenes”—let your customers see your employees putting together a new display, or even show off the store pet, if you have one. Host contests and promote in-store events. That online engagement can translate to more traffic through your store and an increase to your bottom line. a place for you to link to your website and social media places. • Stay active online. Post regularly, and go

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