The number of retail brands aligning their social media networks with their traditional marketing is rapidly increasing. So much so that it is no surprise to see more companies integrating their social media with other online channels to increase demand for their product. The have to have it desire is quickly growing through the successful use of social media campaigns and here is how retail brands are doing it.
Starbucks and Target were two early adapters in allowing people to send gifts to their friends through Facebook. Surely you have seen the option to send a gift when it is one of your friend’s birthdays or a special occasion has occurred. This is brilliant marketing for two reasons. One, they are opening up ways to sell to their customers by going to them and where they already are. Two, it is great promotion. Whether or not you buy a gift for your friend you still see their brand name flashing right in your face. If you do buy them a gift it is posted all over Facebook for the world to see! There are other brands making it possible to send gifts through Facebook, but these two have really set the stage for this new selling feature.
Pinterest is a fantastic tool for retailers and a consumer’s worst nightmare! It is the new form of window shopping and makes someone want something that they did not know they had a need for it. Sure people spend countless number of hours on Pinterest and do not buy anything, but thanks to rich pins on Pinterest, brands can try to sway the odds in their favor. Too many times when someone is interested in buying something the picture does not link to the original source or there is no way to purchase from Pinterest (unlike Etsy). Pinterest now has rich pins that allow brands to post prices and will notify users when something they pinned goes on sale. In addition to rich pins, you can also embed pins on your site to auto populate boards or pins.
Twitter is one of the easiest ways to get more personal with customers. Take Honda for example with their #getnewcar campaign. They tweeted directly back to the user and make Vine videos out of them. Victoria Secret also goes a step further with getting personal by allowing followers to tweet the Angels questions. On Twitter brands are selling more than just a product, they are selling a mood and life style. Nike for example uses their slogan #JustDoIt to motivate athletes to get out there and work out. It is not always about the product you are selling, but it is okay to tweet about exclusive deals and promotions to your followers. It is a good way to give them something back for being a loyal follower.
Google+
Google+ is a relatively new social network, but that does not mean that it should be discredited for its ability to have an effect on users. H&M has been posting videos and pictures of exclusive behind the scenes shooting of their new clothing lines. They post these while the photo shoot is going on, and then later they will post the final edited version of the professional shots taken. They are doing an outstanding job at providing their followers with an exclusive behind the scenes look while also creating hype for their new lines coming out.
Like any other platform, brands use Instagram to announce specials, promotions and sales. What is different about this social platform is that brands often heavily promote their followers photos in their own stream. They have Instagram take overs where someone will post pictures for a whole day on behalf of the brand account or a brand will simply re-post a user’s picture that displays their product well. This is also a place where brands will give a special behind the scenes look to offer that exclusivity and create awareness around one specific thing.
No matter which social platform it is, there is no doubt that they have as a whole changed how people see and buy products. Everyone is aware of the fact that it is easier to compare prices now, but what they may have been unaware about is how much brands are allowing consumers to see now in order to build that customer relationship. Never before were you able to see behind the scenes look during photo shoots, you would have to wait until that publication came out with the pictures of that photo shoot. Now you are able to see everything from beginning to end that much faster. Are consumers taking this for granted or is this a great opportunity for brands to sell their brand image along with their product?