Despite being no social media expert, Sarah Laker knows how to use it in a way which builds her shop community. In this article Sarah will be sharing her top tips on how you can build your business, using social media platforms.
Social Media is an essential part of your marketing, it helps you connect with customers, keeps your brand in front of your customers and by giving advice and sharing information it sets you up as being a trusted retailer. It’s not just about selling, yes that’s the ultimate goal, but for me the clue is in the name ‘social’ media. Be social, don’t just sell. Always remember the old saying ‘people buy from people’. You are your business, people buy from you, so use this to your advantage.
Many businesses think it’s too time consuming, but it really doesn’t have to be. Whether you plan, or wing it, make it part of your week.
My 5 top tips:
- Be yourself, be natural, be authentic and play to your strengths. You know your stuff, you really do, so believe in yourself and use social media to show your personality, your passion and your knowledge.
- Pick a channel where your customers are and do it well, don’t feel that you have be on every social media going. It’s great if you can juggle all of them, but you don’t need to be everything to everybody.
- Don’t try and be perfect, getting something done and posted is good enough.
- Have a basic plan, it doesn’t need to be war and peace, just an idea of what you’re going to post and when. You don’t have to post every day, but you do need to be consistent.
- Re-use content! You are the only person that sees everything you post. When we opened our second shop, mid pandemic, I was too busy to plan new December social media so I went back to the year before, re used photos and wording where I could, saved a massive amount of time, no one noticed, and I still got a good reach and achieved sales!
We are so lucky as stationery retailers in that we have a vast array of beautiful products at our fingertips, and not only are they beautiful but they are easy to demonstrate too! Plus, we have all the props around us to take great photos.If your photography needs a bit of help, then book a basic course. I did a half day with a photographer in my shop where I was given some basic tips. These tips changed my photographs so dramatically that my customers were coming in asking if I’d got someone professional to take them! You don’t need a fancy camera; most phones can take a great photo.
Need some ideas of what to post? Think about how to sell without selling.
Take inspiration from elsewhere. Follow other independent shops and your suppliers, it will help you keep up to date with trends. And make sure that you show your customers that they can buy the latest stationery trends from you.
Support local. Be a part of your community, talk about what you do within the community and share local events. Take photos of when you use other local businesses and share those too. Dogs and food are always popular posts so get snapping when you use local cafes or when customers come in with their dogs.
Share more than just your business. People buy from people so talk about yourself and your staff. What are your interests? What are your funny habits in the shop? What does everyone do on their day off?
People love a good nosey behind the scenes of running a business. Share when you’ve been to a trade fair, show them the exhibitors and what you do during the day there. You can also include them in some of your buying decisions, show them photos of ranges you’re thinking about buying.
Video content is a clear winner. One thing that works well for me is videos and reels. They aren’t as daunting as you’d first think. I set myself up a private group with only me in it to practise ‘lives’ in it before going public. But videos don’t need to be live, they can be recorded. One of my best reels with over 14k views was the refurbishment of my pencil planter.
And whilst we are talking videos then try ‘unboxing’ …..it’s a thing! People love to see what’s in boxes.
Get a basic tripod so you can be handsfree it will open up a whole new world of product demonstration. Try time lapse videos – great for when you’re building a new stand or rearranging the shop.
Don’t think that everyone knows what you sell, they don’t, so regular videos walking round your shop showing your products are essential. It also has the added bonus of showing customers what to expect when they shop with you and can help with anxiety.
If social media really isn’t your bag, then outsource it, it’ll be worth it. There are lots of social media experts out there so do your due diligence, check their track record, who they’ve worked with, their reviews and their experience.
Always remember that you know your product; you’ve got the knowledge and the passion which will shine through. It doesn’t have to be perfect, so don’t compare yourself to others, your followers will love it because it’s you.
Sarah Laker is the owner of award-winning, family-run business, Stationery Supplies, in Marple and Wilmslow, Cheshire.
