Do you ever have concerns with the growing presence of digital marketing in retail, grocery or merchandising? Are you afraid that all the shiny bells, whistles and buzzwords your competitors keep adopting will leave your brand or store covered in their dust? We know it might be daunting for some brands to think about competing against the fully funded champions of technology, but they might not need to be so worried.
Sharing the same qualities as spoiled kids in grade school, these larger establishments tend to overvalue material details. Blinded by privilege, these bigger players are at risk of overlooking a few basic principles when they try to make new friends. Naively, they tend to expect that their shiny new toys will win the hearts of the entire playground. But, despite their metaphoric designer backpacks and sweet matching lunchboxes, they still might spend all of their Recess playing alone… but how could this happen? Well, maybe ‘Hide-and-Go-Seek’ is trending and action-figures are out.
In this situation, it would have been more beneficial to listen to playground chatter before trying to make friends. After a few observations a strategy could be devised based on their interests and the knowledge that your schoolmates (read: customers) prefer ‘fun and exciting’ to ‘big and shiny.’ If you followed their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds you might find that they are an experiential crowd. This means that they’ll probably want to share pictures of great hiding spots and post schedule’s for next week’s matches. When game day comes you can certainly expect some friendly banter back and forth as well as lots of taunting at whoever is It.
#HideAndSeek #CantFindMe #StillNotIt
“So how do brands, grocers or retailers capitalize on this old school lesson in the elementary aspects of digital marketing? …By keeping it simple.”
We suggest you focus on developing your core digital presence. To do so you must understand your target audience. Once inside their heads, you can start thinking about the channels that they frequent and their corresponding activities. Then create an account and listen for a while. When you have figured out where your target audience spends their time online, try to dig a little deeper. Look into the hashtags that they use and assess any behavior patterns that may emerge. After you have a decent understanding of their social activity, you might consider throwing your hat in the ring with a little educated participation.
Go ahead and create an account for your brand to claim your space in the world of social media. Then follow our 3 steps to pump a next-level digital experience directly into your store by using a printed sign:
1. Create a branded hashtag
Get creative and coin your own unique hashtag. This should be something that speaks to the brand and your customers. It will need to inspire them to join a conversation or share a photo. They will be able to find these hashtags online and join conversations or find photo streams that relate to your brand or product.
2. Display your hashtags in-store
Use a variety of sign holders to make sure your hashtag gets noticed. Want to bring a lot of attention to your hashtag campaign? Make a beautiful sign and display it at the entrance with a poster frame display stand. You can even suspend store signs from the ceiling throughout the store to show that a hashtag relates to a specific area… Your customers can then check online to see what other customers are saying.
3. Encourage user generated photos of your products
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then social proof is worth 10,000. Let’s fuse them together for a powerful visual marketing move on Instagram. Offer a reward for sharing pictures of your products in action. Something along the lines of “Save 10% on your next purchase by playing our #BrandedHashtag game on Instagram…” should get their attention and help fill up your branded hashtag’s photo stream with user generated content. Be sure to promote the contest near the register with a countertop sign holder displaying the rules, the hashtag and a few sample photos.
UPDATE: For more examples of #Hashtag and other Retail merchandising go to the QR Codes in Retail Index Page at Fixtures Close Up.
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