Whether you are a big box retailer or a local community pet store, it is important to have at least some social media presence. After all, that is where your customers tend to visit daily. If your store uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of the emerging platforms, it can be beneficial to take some time to plan out the best strategy for your store.
And what better time of year to map out how you can budget your social media campaigns or to start creating some new posts, blogs, or pictures to share. You can either pay for directed ads or just post daily pictures, articles, or content to help engage your customers.
While maintaining a social media presence can take some time each day, it can be beneficial for your store in the long run. It can help keep your current customers connected as well as bring new customers to your site or store.
Focus on your most relevant and engaged platforms:
If you do not have the time to spend on all the platforms, pick one or two that are the most relevant or where your customers are most engaged. It is better to spend time building a real and consistent presence on either Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and not a scattered one on all three. Choose the platforms where you find you have the most captive audience.
Some ideas of what your store can post to increase awareness on your social media platforms:
It is important that you don’t just sell or promote your store or products on your social media profiles. The goal is to engage your customers and promote your brand which will ultimately bring them back to your store or site. Photos, videos, and relevant content is a great way to engage your audience.
Some ideas to try:
Offer tips on puppy, kitten, or any pet care related advice
Your customers would love puppy, kitten, or basic pet care tips. For example, how to help your puppy sleep through the night. You can mention that having the right crate or the right blanket can do wonders for a puppy’s sleeping habits (you might even get an additional sale from this as an added benefit!).
Get your followers to talk about their pets
Everyone loves to talk about their furry family members. You can get conversations started with topics that ask your followers about their pets. For example, “What are four things that you love the most about your puppy or kitten?” “What toy does your pet love the most”? “How did you come up with your pets name?”
You will be surprised by how many people love to talk and share pictures of their pets to a captive audience.
Create contests
Contests are a great way to create engagement and can be very effective on any of the platforms. It can be a fun puppy photo contest, a caption-the-photo contest or even a video contest to engage your customers. Contests are shareable and can generate some buzz around your store.
For example, you can run a photo contest on your Facebook page of the cutest puppy and owner duo and use a customer voting system to choose the winner of a new bed, blanket, or jacket. Who doesn’t love to share their picture of themselves and their puppy?
Even better, if you get permission from the winner or even the contestants, you could use the photos later for promotional purposes.
Post images of your customers with puppies and/or products
If you can post photos of your customers with your products and/or new puppies, that can be a big win. You can ask your followers to share photos on your page of their puppies or kittens as well as different products they buy from you. This can be a great way to create engagement and you can link the product photos to your site to gain traffic and traction.
Offer exclusive deals that are only on social media
By offering different deals on either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter that are exclusive to your fans and followers, it can be a great way to get people to like and follow your store. It also shows your customer and fan base that you appreciate their loyalty.
Include hashtags in your daily posts
Hashtags are not only just for Twitter, but for Facebook and Instagram as well. By using hashtags, it can help ensure that your daily posts are seen by a greater audience than just your followers or fans. The more specific the hashtag, the better to make your product, brand, or store to stand out.
Share or retweet other articles that are relevant
When you come across an interesting or relevant article about puppies, kittens, or anything topical about pets, it can be beneficial to share them on your Facebook page, or retweet them on Twitter. Sharing content can be a great way to engage with your customer base and the content source will appreciate your recognizing and sharing their posts. They might even share something of yours as a thank you.
Be consistent about posting
It is very important to be consistent about posting on your most relevant platforms. Whether it is every day or four to five times a week, having posts and content that is fresh can make your store stay top of mind to your followers. If you keep the posts relevant and engaging, your customers will return to the platform and even share some of your content which can help attract new customers.
Having a social media presence can take some time and effort, but the result can be worth it.
If you need help with any pictures, graphics, or product photos to share on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, our marketing team can help. Contact our Success Team to learn more about how our marketing service works: successteam@thirdpartypet.com.