Smart Ways Retailers Can Incorporate Social Media Into Marketing Plans

In today's retail climate, a successful business can't afford to exclude social media. The desired 18-year-old to 49-year-old demographic is very much wired in.

The social media universe is growing — Facebook debuted 10 years ago and has been joined by Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr and others. As of September 2012, Facebook had 1 billion active users. The same year, Twitter had 500 million registered users posting 340 million tweets a day. Google+ launched in 2011 and is second only to Facebook for social networking, with 540 million active users each month. Many of these users come from interacting with Gmail and YouTube, both owned by Google.

With millions of users, retailers simply can't ignore social media. Social media allows you to build relationships with customers, and their feedback will help you build your business. But to do that, it's important to know how each works and what pitfalls to avoid. Be smart about incorporating social media into marketing plans and use your resources wisely.

Probably the most talked about social networks are Facebook and Twitter. Many times companies simply cut and paste their posts from one to the other. That's a mistake. Facebook is the forum where customers are most likely to share their experiences. It's like reading their pulses, and you want to make sure that you're connected and monitoring what they're saying.

How to Tailor Your Message to Each Unique Network
Twitter, on the other hand, is a real-time tool that enables you to share insights on your business, industry-related news and look for prospects. There are several tools — socialcentiv.com for example — that can help you find customers by searching for tweets with relevant keywords and giving you the opportunity to respond with a discount or freebie to help turn a prospect into a customer.

Mashable calls YouTube the go-to site for video online. One hour of video is uploaded to the site every second. With 800 million unique users a month worldwide, YouTube is the third most visited website — and it receives millions of hits from those users sharing video links with each other.

Retailers can use YouTube to post videos such as customer testimonials, product showcases and "how tos." A furniture store, for example, might highlight how one of its designers helped a customer pull together a room. Or a bakery might give instructions for decorating the perfect birthday cake. Think about your YouTube channel as a way to answer a question relevant to your product that a customer might google — e.g., how to accessorize for the office, summer grilling tips, etc.

Pinterest is another visual discovery tool; think of it as a blog with pictures. In January 2012, comScore revealed Pinterest hit nearly 12 million unique monthly visitors. And according to Mashable, the site drove more traffic to retailers than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined. Most Pinterest users are women who "pin" items of interest about home, crafts, food and fashion to their "boards." It's a good forum for retailers to post products and pictorial how-to instructions that are searchable and savable. Consumers visit Pinterest to learn, get ideas and share.

In developing marketing strategy, retailers should ask how to best incorporate social media, including which social media outlets are appropriate for their content. While the public doesn't necessarily have to be entertained, avoid boring and uninteresting content. For example, creative or eye-catching photos are better choices for social sites geared toward the visual (e.g., Instagram and Flickr). One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make on visual sites is posting lots of text; you'll lose followers quickly that way.

Smart retailers set goals and decide how to best use marketing, including social media, to achieve those goals. These same smart businesses also know the value of monitoring social media accounts and addressing customer needs.

Connect with followers in the moment. Join in active conversations. Answer questions, but try to avoid canned or scripted language. Most importantly, if negative comments or complaints are posted, address them immediately. Think of it like taking a phone call or responding to email. Having a social media presence is about connecting and being active. It's not about setting up an account, then forgetting it or checking it only occasionally. Keep it current and updated with the latest information.

Lindsey Madison is co-founder and chief products officer for Hiplogiq. HipLogiq's Social Compass and SocialCentiv apps help businesses find new customers on Twitter. Lindsey can be reached at lindsey@hiplogiq.com.