How can you attract retail customers with social media?

I've found that digital platforms like Meta advertising can be an effective way to gain retail customers and drive retail foot traffic. When I founded the Zevo Brand, a DTC insect control brand, we partnered with Home Depot as our first retail partner. They measured our success on the number of units sold per store weekly. One tactic that worked well for us was: 1.) Creating a retail targeted Meta ad audience by loading in all the zip codes of the stores as our location constraint. 2.) We customized our best motion graphic creative with a call to action on the end frame with our logo and the Home Depot logo. 3.) We made the call to action in the copy say: "Try it at your local Home Depot today!"

Social media is about "socializing", seeing how it feels like to use your product. Showcasing your product and its benefits in an environment that's familiar will help create the want, "I want to be like them."

May be a good idea from a marketing perspective. From a pure social media user perspective, its a nuisance. And who knows how much of privacy/data has been eroded due to it?

A formal marketing mix content strategy requires a section planned for responses. The social media professionals on your team will, hopefully, be spending more time answering replies and engaging with accounts that also address your audience. This includes monitoring mentions of your brand, even on social media channels you may not currently have a handle on. For example: if your business doesn't have a TikTok account, make sure to check the channel every so often. If you find videos that talk about your brand, consider sharing the link on other social media properties so people can see what customers love about your retail space.

A good starting point is creating a template for a formal understanding with influencers. Set aside a budget to provide them with the goods for free, ahead of a launch. If the review is positive, follow up in the future with similar, incentivized contributions. Otherwise, thank them for their time - you can even consider sending a gift card as a thank you. Follow up and maintain engaging conversations with active members of your community regularly. Don't forget the human.

The Click to WhatsApp are promotions that direct shoppers to chat conversations with your brand on our messaging platform. These ads appear on feeds and stories on Instagram and Facebook, as well as Facebook Marketplace. This is a potent way that allows business to engage their customers on the channel they're at home on and engage where they're comfortable chatting. Customers reach out on their own terms to start conversations, which makes it easier for businesses to boost sales and build lasting relationships. This has become an integral way for us to engage with our retail shoppers.