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Four things you should be doing on social media

Business3-Mar-2021

Following her IGTV Live, Abi Neill details what crucial steps you should be taking to increase engagement, followers, and improve your social footprint.

There are a few mistruths about social media success! One of which is that you do not need to be/look a certain age (or way) to become good at it or to be confident behind the camera. I offer a mini social media confidence package to retailers that need a boost but here’s a roundup of a few tips that might help you review this area and ultimately move you towards greater social media content and success. Grab a pen, jot down some notes, and get implementing.

Use video more and go live

Video is so important for google and social media platform algorithms, it will help you rank higher, and connect you more deeply with your customers so you need to GO FOR IT and start creating more video or go live more frequently.

Not sure what to go live with or what to create a video about? Try interviews with suppliers or manufacturers, do some FAQs, how about a favourite gown showcase, or a tour of your shop? Whatever the subject, consider what the viewers will see when you hit record or go live, and in preparation for that do the following:

Tidy up behind you and ensure you have checked what the viewers will see by selecting video and selfie mode.
Use a stand or ring light. Position the camera so that viewers will see you from approximately the waist up, not just your face.
Smile! Be warm! Be friendly! Be happy – your facial expression and body language is everything.
Prepare what you are going to say. It’s okay to use notes. Don’t worry if you fluff it, just KEEP GOING if you are live.
Interreact with viewers on a live. Say hi, answer questions, and have fun.

Engage with your customers

The aim of the game on social is to build an engaged audience that feel a sense of connection with your brand. Your audience should consist of existing/potential customers and relevant businesses (local and national); ultimately you want to create a business community and fan base. If you keep this in mind your content will be relevant and well received. There are lots of ways you can improve your engagement with customers. Here’s a few tips:

Provide details of your social media handles at point of sale and add your Instagram and Facebook links in emails and on your website.
Customers love a fast reply. If you are sent a DM message on social (especially out of hours), reply! This is so powerful.
Be authentic in your content creation - be you and get personal! It will increase trust and engagement when you show who you are and share personal stories and details.
Ask questions and invite opinions. Use Instagram tools such as ‘questions’ and ‘poll’ to get to know your followers. Share their stories, follow them, and comment back.

Provide an online booking facility

Your customers will love 24/7 diary access and the convenience of hopping online when it suits them to book appointments. There are many different online diaries you can harness. We use BridalLive - it’s amazing! Yes, there is a cost involved but it is worth every penny. If your competitors have an online booking functionality on their social media, they will be attracting more appointments than you, trust me, you need this too!

When and if you invest in this area and enable this functionality, ensure you pop clear and obvious ‘calls to action’ onto your socials such as, ‘link in the bio’, ‘swipe to book’ or ‘click here for the diary’. There is no point in having the facility if you don’t let your followers know about it.

Create and share great content

This may sound obvious but successful social media pros do far more than just post consistently, and you’ll notice they don’t just throw up content for contents sake - it’s always relevant, fun or creative. Consider holding a weekly session to brainstorm some ideas of your own and then create a schedule or plan to manage the activity for the forthcoming week.

There are tonnes of great apps that can help you with content creation and editing such as, PicCollage, Canva, iMovie, Quik, etc. Spend time googling ‘Apps to make videos on Instagram’ or ‘Best free picture editing apps’ and you’ll find articles that will help you find the best tools.

Spend time checking out what other retailers and brands do. Keep a note of ideas that you like, add your own flavour, and replicate it in a few months’ time. Vary your social media content and include posts about your store experience such as staff and products. Include audience relevant subjects like family and pets! Aim to entertain, inspire, or inform, and soon you’ll have an engaged and growing audience. Good luck and have fun!

To watch the full IGTV live of ‘Four things that you should be doing on Social Media’, click here.

You can follow or reach Abi Neill directly on Instagram @abineill for more information, inspiration, and coaching assistance.