Cultivate Community with Social Media

Cultivate Community with Social Media

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  28 CHRISTIAN MARKET/ OCTOBER 2016 / WWW.CBAONLINE.ORG In the heyday of Christian retail, many stores operated under the maxim, “If we stock it, they will come.” And the custom- ers did come, lining up to buy The Prayer of Jabez or the latest “VeggieTales” video. But then came Amazon, and today, with the advent of smart devices, they can buy anything, anywhere, at anytime. The draw of Christian retail now goes far beyond the product, and the good news is that customers of Christian resources are still out there. To attract them, storeowners need to grow and nurture authentic relationships with their clientele and develop their store into a gathering place. Holidays such as Easter present the ideal time to cultivate this sense of community. One of the more robust ways to do this is through social media. Unfortunately, the 2016 CBA State of the Industry report revealed that 25 percent of respondents didn’t even have a store website. The best place for the social media newbie to start, as the song says, is at the very beginning. SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the most popular social media channels. For CBA Board Chairman Sue Smith, manager of Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Facebook is key. “For our largest events, we boost the post and get pertinent feedback. Lately we’ve used Facebook to advertise an event with an ‘A-list’ author and within two weeks, the event was full. That’s the cheapest marketing for a 300-person event that I’ve ever experienced,” she says. “We’ve started using ‘Facebook Live’ as well during our events or to show off a live book review. We’re still experimenting with it, but it’s been fun to see the comments fly in.” Heather Adams, owner of The Greatest Gift & Scripture Supply (Pueblo, Colorado) and CBA board member, says Facebook is her main social media outlet, but she soon will be linking to Twitter. “I post a minimum of three Cultivate Community with Social Media By Lora SchrockHolidays provide optimum opportunities to engage people with your store. octcm.indd 28 9/8/16 2:06 PM
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  CHRISTIAN MARKET /OCTOBER 2016 / WWW.CBAONLINE.ORG 29 USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEEPEN RELATIONSHIPS Author Angela Breidenbach, president of the Christian Authors Network, knows retailers can make new or deepen current connections with customers through social media, especially at holiday time. “People want to know how to buy the right gift, decorate, and celebrate without worry or getting caught up in overwhelm. They want to pass on their faith traditions and create memories without the stress that breaks relationships and budgets,” she says. She suggests retailers use social media to: • Post holiday tips on Pinterest and Facebook, such as how to share family traditions, how to create and wrap gift baskets, simple storage solutions, and where to creatively hide presents. • Promote and hold classes that teach customers how to use Skype, Facetime, or Google Hangouts so they can visit with distant relatives. Then offer a special shopping day for those that come. Do this early enough to ship to APO boxes and/or long-distance addresses. • Give tips on how to plan and host holiday parties (on a budget, for children, for mixed generations, etc.). • Post gift-wrapping ideas online, from most efficient to most elegant. Then offer free wrapping for gifts purchased at your store. • Hold a family photo day by connecting with a local photographer who will take the picture in your store and email the photo to the customer. You and the photographer can then share the mailing list. Promote the event on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Let customers use fun props in their picture that are for sale in your store, like matching scarves, hats, or boxes of candy. “The idea is to use social media to visually promote any event that creates an enhanced experience or relieves stress. Any social media post should be clickable to lead to the store’s website or blog with details on the event,” explains Breidenbach. “Meeting needs brings people in the door.” times a week, sometimes as often as three times a day, depending on what’s happening in the store, what new product we get in, or what the Holy Spirit brings across my desk.” She initially was surprised at the responses her posts received. “I figured if I put on posts about sales, those would be the ones that got the most likes, shares, and comments, but they rarely are. In reality, when I put on product pictures with a caption of something simple like ‘our employees are great at merchandising new product’ or ‘we get some of the coolest things in,’ these are the ones that do well.” The popularity of these personal-touch posts comes as no surprise to Angela Breidenbach, president of the Christian Authors Network. A specialist in social media, she recommends retailers remember “social media posts that are visually beautiful, humorous, or interesting should help, teach, create laughter, or spark ideas in [their] customers.” Adams has discovered that human-interest stories make customers feel as if they’re part of the store community. “I have a segment I call ‘Good Samaritan Sighting.’ I have a graphic that shows a ‘Good Samaritan’ and we post that along with a shortened version of the story, and wow! I can’t even believe the hundreds of interactions those stories get.” She knows that when people share her posts, her store’s name gets into newsfeeds. “It keeps you in their minds and does so way more frequently than most other forms of advertisements are capable of. The more you become a part of their life, the more often they think of you for their needs,” she says. BUILD HOLIDAY EXCITEMENT When it comes to connecting with the community around Easter and other holidays, Breidenbach suggests inviting local authors to help run a special event that connects their book to cross-promotable products, then promoting the event through social media. “Build a promo with how-to books, household items, specialty baking/ cooking supplies, and cookbooks tied to the holiday you’re promoting,” she says. “The event can enrich the holiday experience and family traditions or simplify life during the season.” Adams says it’s vital to let people know what sets your store apart. “Pay attention to your statistics page; gear your posts according to your audience and schedule them at times your prime audience is on Facebook,” she says. “Take pictures of some of your displays and let people know when special things are happening. Take time to schedule these posts in advance, so you’re not bogged down with trying to create or remembering to post during your busy times. Show what fun your store is, what unique things you have, what an amazing staff works there. Those are the things that make them care about you.” With more than 20 years in magazine and book publishing, Lora Schrock is owner of Editorial Answers, LLC, www.editorialanswers.com. octcm.indd 29 9/8/16 2:06 PM