The Monthly Retail Social Spotlight: Silpada Designs, Boot Barn, PetMeds

By Carolee Sherwood

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wrapped in a white towel riding in a bike basket like E.T., a smiling dog with a cheeseburger filling its mouth (captioned "the very picture of happiness") and a half dollar-sized turtle looking ferocious and warning, "I'm a ninja."

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Takeaways this month:

It's possible to have too much of a good thing. Throughout the month, these three brands managed some very engaging posts, but dozens of posts from each also had minimal response. While Silpada posts once or twice a day, Boot Barn posts three times a day (mainly weekdays), and 1-800-PetMeds posts an overwhelming four to six times a day. Through you should experiment to find your brand's ideal pace, many (Edgerank Checker, Social Bakers and Social Media Today, for example) say the right frequency for brands to post on Facebook is about once a day, citing the principle of diminishing returns after that. Carefully monitor "how busy" your Timeline is in other ways as well. Post diversity can be a good thing, but without a unifying principle like Boot Barn's Western theme, it can cause confusion — as can promoting too many activities and contests simultaneously.
It's not all about brand posts. Don't overlook engagement that happens beyond a brand's own posts. On April 9, Silpada reminded fans that they could upload Silpada-branded cover photos. The post itself received only 160 likes; however, the gallery of cover photo options (available via a Facebook app) shows the photos have been added over 1,700 times. When Silpada posted about its Silpada "Jewelry Organization" Pinterest board, fewer than 625 Facebook fans liked the post, but the board itself has nearly 5,000 followers. Another place to look for engagement? "Posts by others." When 1-800-PetMeds announces "Featured Pets of the Week," only a few fans like the posts. But "behind the scenes" in "posts by others," dozens and dozens of fans post pet photos for the brand to consider.
Don't limit creativity to Facebook. It's interesting to note that via Twitter (@SilpadaDesigns, @bootbarn, @1800PetMeds), these brands don't seem as engaging. Got interesting updates on Facebook and great images? Without duplicating content, infuse tweet copy with the same energy and take advantage of options like Vine to add more visuals. Similarly, Boot Barn's Pinterest boards have little of the personality that is clear on Facebook. Silpada Designs does a little better on Pinterest, but its boards are extremely heavy on product promotion. Why not add fun content too, like the popular "Smile It's Friday" feature from Facebook? Like Silpada, 1-800-PetMeds has some of the right ideas on Pinterest, but it doesn't go as far as it could. Imagine, for example, how fond pinners would be of an animal-themed "photobomb" board!