Recently we highlighted the importance of improving your online and in store experience to enhance the journey of your customers. We all agree that having a social media presence is important for your brick-and-mortar business. But where should you start? And more importantly, how should you produce and deliver engaging content to your social media audience?
Here at Adina Watches we came up with a genuine solution to assist our retailers with new social media tools! We are not for a minute (a dad joke which I couldn’t resist!) suggesting that you get on to them all today. That would be overwhelming. But you will discover that with a balanced approach, you may reap real rewards for your shop. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or You Tube, every social network has its strengths.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could use all of them at once? With a cross platform approach, you can turn this wish into a reality. I will show you what we have done, how and why it is worthwhile considering running social media campaigns on different networks.
The benefits of cross-platform campaigns
More platforms mean more effort, which is true, but with the right strategy it will reap rewards. By using multiple platforms, you will increase the engagement of campaigns and reach different segments of your target audience as you tell your story. Instagram for us provides us with a ‘sexy’ way to showcase our watches and encourage followers to interact in a quick and easy fashion whilst inspiring. Facebook is really conversational and broad reaching and is viewed more as entertainment and so on. In addition, cross-platform social media marketing is usually way more affordable than cross-media campaigns that include radio, television and print advertising!
Why posting the exact same content on multiple networks might not be a good idea
Maybe now you’re thinking, “No problem. I’ll just copy the latest product post from Facebook and publish it on Instagram and LinkedIn as well.”
This is of course a tactic that saves a lot of time, especially when you’re using a social media management tool. However, there are a few things you ought to consider when doing this.
- Each platform has different formal requirements. Chances are that your Facebook post doesn’t look very professional on LinkedIn, and vice versa, if you simply copy the original post.
- The same applies to wording and visual language. Users on LinkedIn want to be addressed differently than users on Instagram. Cross-posting without adaptation may also be irritating in this regard.
- Boredom is a no-go in social media marketing. But it may set in when users always encounter the same content across different platforms.
This does not mean that your extensively produced image video should only be shown on YouTube. Quite to the contrary. Use the content you have, just differently! Get creative!
One of the first questions that comes up when considering cross-platform campaign approach of course is, which is right for us? The answer will depend on several factors:
- Objectives: Do you want to attract attention, generate leads or establish your company as an expert?
- Brand: Not every store or every brand can be successfully marketed on every platform. Remember to be clear in your head what you wish to focus on. For us, we are 49-year-old Australian family business that makes watches. We aim to tell stories that reflect this.
- Target group: Which platforms are popular within your target group? You need to find this out before starting your social media journey. If you primarily want to address very young people, you could include Snapchat in your strategy, for example. LinkedIn is great suit for B2B marketing.
To make your choice easier and find the perfect platform mix for your campaigns, we put together an overview of the most important advantages and key features of popular social media platforms.
Although some may think the FB network is on the decline, for me one thing is true, you not being on Facebook. Even though the organic reach of the social network with the largest user base is quite limited, the number of people using Facebook is still growing. If you provide good content you can still reach many people who will ideally share your posts with their network. Facebook also offers a wide selection of ad types and excellent analytics options.
The network is well suited for sharing informative content with added value such as tutorials, best-of lists, infographics and blog articles and for building a loyal community. Storytelling content, for example in story format, and videos are also popular. Used in the right way the storytelling aspect can do more than you could possibly imagine! Stories activate different parts of our brain. They promote trust, motivate and make us identify with something or someone. People remember a good story, as opposed to a bombardment of facts. Stories can clarify a brand’s purpose and thus ensure that brands stand out from their competitors. The same can be said for jewellery shop!
With comparatively many ways to set links, you can direct users to your website, shop, or other channels and generate leads or purchases.
Instagram is all about visual content. Seeing and being seen is the motto. User Generated Content appears authentic and trustworthy and is the perfect complement to self-created product photos.
Instagram Stories and IGTV are ideal for storytelling as part of ongoing campaigns. Furthermore, Instagram is a central network for influencer marketing, which have never really dabbled in but if you know somebody who has a following get in touch! They can only say no….
Good picture quality is imperative. Keep in mind that users are highly likely to view your content on a mobile.
YouTube
YouTube is a “veteran” among social networks, but it is as relevant as ever in the video age. On this platform you can use the full potential of moving images, for example with tutorials, product releases, storytelling videos and so much more all which can be easily reshared across your platforms and networks.
You Tube videos can be longer than the recommended minute for Facebook but same rules apply. Keep it interesting and keep it relevant!
LinkedIn is the perfect social media channel to address the decision makers in an organisation. This makes it particularly suitable for B2B marketing. In contrast to Facebook or Instagram, seriousness and professionalism are the main focus here. Users want to further educate themselves, receive interesting new information and make business contacts. As part of an awareness campaign, for example, you can use LinkedIn to promote you may be an expert or have a talent in a certain field.
Measure
Be prepared to react when you realize that your campaign is better received by one target group than another. Then, for example, it might be clever to redistribute your efforts and always consider special peculiarities on each platform and make sure you use them, such as hashtags. These help people find you and more importantly your message!
A standard week on social media at Adina Watches
A standard week at Adina will look something like this:
- Monday: we will use the same image on Facebook and Instagram with the aim to inspire and get you rolling into the week.
- Tuesday: we will discuss anything that is happening in the Adina community from sporting event to shop birthdays. Usually on Facebook but often we will change the content a little to fit on the LinkedIn platform.
- Wednesday: it’s all about you, our retailers.
- Thursdays: it’s ‘throwback Thursday’! I will dig up something old from our back catalogue and discuss its history.
- Friday: we will do a video which will go on Facebook and You tube (remember it will always be there to use at any time down the line).
- Saturday: again a watch image across FB and Instagram.
- Sunday: it’s always a story about a watch that would have been sent to us!
So, there you have it! Our social strategy in nutshell.
This may sound daunting, but there are many brands just like ours trying to make it as easy as we can to get you up and running!
Enjoy the challenge of getting your message out there! Customers will love to know who you are and what you sell! Embrace it… as it is not going away!