Retail Marketing Insights

Social media helps companies in many different ways from customer service, product feedback and building customer loyalty. Fortunately for retailers, they have an advantage to jumpstart this engagement and really start conversations. The key is doing it right.

In DC, there is a fast-casual restaurant that took full advantage of their retail locations to engage both in store and through social media. Through a contest to win a year’s supply of restaurant food, Sweetgreen asked customers to tell them their New Year’s Resolution. They could post it in store or tweet #sweet2012 or text. The store in Bethesda I walked by, used their entire windowscape to promote the contest. There were tons of sticky notes and plenty of twitter usage.

What’s key is that Sweetgreen recognized that social engagement isn’t just a counter card. It became their windowscape and integral to their promotion. Retailers, need to understand the opportunity that they have and extend the in store experience to the digital world. When you do this your campaign is more successful and you extend the relationship you have with your customers and future customers.

Launching a retail campaign and need to quickly ensure its success? Here are some very simple tips to optimize your retail advertising campaign:

1. Social Media “Gut Check”: The new path that shoppers take includes an entire influence process. They are talking to their friends about you on social media before visiting your website. Listen to what types of conversations are taking place about your brand or retail location, and make sure it’s good – before launching a paid campaign. There are many free options for this, using a Twitter search, HootSuite, Google Alerts and more.
2. Optimization: Make sure your media planning is fluid. Don’t lock into a schedule or commitment that does not allow you to optimize daily.
3. Mobile: More customers are reacting to your retail campaign on mobile devices than you think. Your coupons and offers should be accessible on a mobile friendly website, and your campaign should be integrated with geo location sites like Foursquare.
4. Call to Action: If it’s retail and intended to do some heavy lifting, make sure your offer or call to action is strong and compelling. Too many advertisers are using call to actions like this: “Look for our ad in this Sunday’s paper!” How many of you actually “rush” to do this – going through your Sunday paper seeking an ad? Strong, unique online call to actions will always work best. If you’re asking someone to call, give them a reason for why calling now is better than calling later. Countdowns and special time-limited offers help.
5. Track beyond the sale. Be prepared to track the correlation between impressions and actions, coupon/rebate downloads, online visits, and social media lifts. There may be holes in the buying process that are affecting your sales, and the right analysis of data can help find those.

At the agency we often ask ourselves “what are we asking the consumer to do, and why should they do it?”

With many retail marketing and advertising campaigns the answer is clear: “Buy Now, Call Now, Click Here.“

But as we’ve stated, the consumer has changed. The new consumer doesn’t want to be told what to do, and we think you shouldn’t just tell them to do something.

Influence them in way that they feel as if it was their own idea to ‘like’ you on Facebook, call you, or buy your product. I would call it “informed motivation.”

For example, bring them to an online video that better explains the benefits that lead to a “call to action” screen. Or, drive them to customer testimonials on Facebook that feature an adjacent coupon.

And for those who would like to stick to the tried and true “Call, Click, Act!” we encourage new methods of looking at this.

My current favorite is Stella Artois. Their recent campaign integrates the old fashioned 800 number. 1-800-My-Chalice drives you to a telephone operator with a fabulous accent, and you’re given the option to opt in to “win your chalice”, or learn more about how a chalice is made, and, most important, why a chalice is not a glass. What a smart way to illustrate who they are, and to call me to action!