Social Media


Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Social media—What It Is and Isn’t

By Jody Seivert

All things being equal, social media is a relatively new phenomenon that many people (especially anyone older than 50) are still trying to figure out. For as much business as it has created for some, it has created high anxiety for others who don’t understand its value and how to use it effectively. They also don’t quite get what it doesn’t do, especially as a replacement to traditional marketing.

What it is….

1. A formidable way to quickly inform those who “follow you” of your most recent promotions, new findings and perspectives, and information that you want to pass through you and on to your readers.

2. Here to stay. We have just scratched the surface of how this tool can keep us informed and connected.

3. A challenge to learn how to use and to manage. As someone older than 50, I really didn’t want to spend my time posting blogs and researching sites when that time is better spent speaking, consulting/training, coaching, or actually writing new blogs (in short, making money). So I hired someone to do it for me. Find someone to do this for you, someone who is dedicated to learning this vehicle and being a valued member of your team. It is money very well spent.

I started using Facebook about a couple of years ago—well, I got a FB page. About the same time I updated my website (which is due to be updated again, and changed from traditional website architecture format to a blog format), and I started a blog. My website was static and most readers didn’t venture beyond the home page. I had a blog that I had personally posted a couple of articles to but not much more than that.

In January of 2011, I posted an ad in Craigslist for a social media assistant and I found ‘Jr.’ who has been a Godsend. He linked all of my stuff—FB, Twitter (which I don’t use much), my blog and my website—and connected it to my Blackberry so I can view and post as needed. I have a personal FB page with a One by One page connected to it, to which blogs are posted weekly. I also send blogs via Constant Contact email blasts—and I do all of this weekly. I write the content, take the photos and then I email it all to Jr. to format and post. He also updated and linked all of my databases and segmented them so that I can write blogs for specific audiences—retailers, to the trade showrooms and salespeople, interior designers and business owners. I rework a blog so that it applies to the different segments and that makes my writing efficient. I now have 3,000 weekly subscribers and that number keeps climbing as I add to my database and to my email blasts via Constant Contact. My objective in 2011 was visibility—to get on and get back on the radars of people I want to work with. And I use all of these vehicles to post new programs and products (as well as YouTube) that I regularly create. While my average sale is lower this year, my number of clients and my overall revenues are up and consistent… which is good.

What it isn’t…

1. The single solution to your marketing plan, but rather an important piece of it.

2. Free advertising—your readers will get tired of you only selling stuff, so offer them information and opportunities that would be of interest to them.

3. A replacement for gracious, human touch. Social media does not replace a handwritten thank you note or a call to find out how someone is doing. It keeps people connected who might not connect otherwise, but it’s not a universal substitute for reaching out and touching someone.

We’re all learning how to use this tool to expand our audience and keep ourselves visible to those we most want to reach. I would rather remain the talent or the product in the discussion and leave the execution to someone who really loves to do it, but that’s just me. Regardless of how you engage, it’s imperative that you engage, and know that there is help to assist you however you want to do it.

All things being equal, social media is a relatively new phenomenon that many people (especially anyone older than 50) are still trying to figure out. For as much business as it has created for some, it has created high anxiety for others who don’t understand its value and how to use it effectively. They also don’t quite get what it doesn’t do, especially as a replacement to traditional marketing.

Jody is honored to be speaking on this subject at the Home Furnishings Industry Conference in Palm Springs in May 2012. By then she’ll have new anecdotes, applications and research information to share with you. See you there!

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Friday, February 3rd, 2012

12 Ways to be Likeable on Facebook

Okay. You have signed up for Facebook. Created your Facebook page. Now what? I mean people all say getting Fans is the easy part. There are over 800 million people on Facebook. It can’t be that difficult, can it?

Scratch that. It’s really difficult. You’re competing with a lot of other businesses in the social media marketplace. Facebook recently announced that there are now more than 3 million active business pages on Facebook, and the average user becomes a fan of four pages every month.

With that many business pages and more and more users joining Facebook everyday, can you really afford not to join the Facebook game and truly become likable?

Do I have you convinced to create a business page yet? Okay good! First off, don’t let anyone ever tell you that it’s all about getting people to press that “like” button. Now, don’t get me wrong, gaining a Fan is a vital part of Facebook and the success of your page. However, you own a furniture store for one reason and one reason only, to sell furniture.

Of course you want your Facebook marketing and communication campaign to be successful, but first you’ve got to be likeable! Below are the top-12 ways to generate more likes, clicks and fan interaction to build a powerful sales channel for your business:

1. Use a Landing Tab to Offer a Compelling Reason for People to “Like” You

When first-time visitors go to your fan page, they will initially see your Wall. That is unless you create a landing tab with one of your Facebook promotional apps.

Make your sweepstakes, share and save or fan coupon offer your landing tab and use it to offer potential fans an incentive or discount. Show them why they should “like” your page and what’s in it for them.

2. Share Pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, 800 million Facebook users share their pictures with their friends on a daily basis. So why shouldn’t you?

Share your pictures of customers, products, staff plus more and watch your fans comment on your store’s unique flair.

3. Make and Share Videos

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video is worth 10,000. Upload your 30 and 60-second TV spots or even create your own, sharing insights and interviews. Mobile phones make it easy to create videos showing you having fun with staff, customers and partners.

4. Give Away Value

People respond well to quality information and freebies. Use different Facebook apps to offer your fans plenty of value (coupons, sweepstakes, interactive pages, etc.). Plus, it’s simple to provide information by sharing links to articles, podcasts, white papers, and webinars.

Potential customers will remember you and react positively to the expertise and value you can provide. You’ll become their “go-to source” for help and advice.

5. Respond to Negative Comments

There’s a temptation to delete negative remarks or complaints from your Facebook page but if you delete someone’s comments, they will only get louder somewhere else.

The two most important words in Facebook marketing are “I’m sorry”. Mistakes happen, so apologize, fix the problem and turn that complainer into a fan.

6. Respond to the Positive Comments, too

A heartfelt “Thank you” goes a long way too. Make “Thank you” your two next most-important words.

Don’t pass up the chance to encourage a fan who posts something nice on your Facebook page. Give them opportunities to spread the good word about their experience, and thank them sincerely. Get creative with this; there are hundreds of ways to show your appreciation with some personality.

7. Surprise and Delight

Elements of surprise and delight have always been a tenet of good business. But on Facebook, it’s even more important to surprise and delight fans since 800 million people are watching.

Consider giving away free stuff. Reward people randomly and have fun with your fans.

8. Ask Questions

Facebook is the world’s largest focus group. You can ask questions and get plenty of valuable feedback about your product or services, and opportunities or challenges. People want to know that you care about their opinion.

Consider this—it’s more important to be interested than interesting in the world of Facebook. Questions are the best way to generate comments, which will improve your pages, your rank and enable you to show up in more of your fans’ news feeds.

9. Share Stories

People love stories. Talk about how your company got started, an interesting customer or staff member, charity or community involvement. Keep the stories short and simple, and use multimedia.

10.  Be Honest and Transparent

Honesty and authenticity go a long way. Don’t be afraid to be honest with fans. They’ll appreciate the authenticity—and even vulnerability—that accompanies it.

Share what’s going on in your store. Fans will respect it and respond.

11.  Be Short, Sweet and Conversational

Talk to your business’ fans the same way you’d talk to your friends. Short, informal statements and questions generate a lot more engagement than longer posts. You can use up to 420 characters in each Facebook post, but try to keep it to 140 or fewer.

 12. Don’t Sell

Make it easy and compelling for your customers to buy your products. If you’ve set a precedent of quality fan interaction—by listening to them, creating value and educating them about your business through storytelling—then they’ll use your products and services when their needs must be fulfilled. Better yet, when their friends have similar needs, you’ll be the one they “like” and recommend.

Kevin is co-owner of R&A Marketing, a full service traditional and digital marketing company in Columbus, Ohio, which services clients ranging from $500k to $150 million in top line sales from coast-to-coast. For more information, contact Kevin at kevin@ramarketing.com or visit www.ramarketing.com.

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Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Social Media Highlights Home Fashions at High Point Market

A Real Life Use of Social Media in Our Industry
By Cheminne Taylor-Smith

PinterestAt the High Point Market we have a clear strategy for social media. We use it to increase brand awareness, to build a community within the home furnishings world, to provide customer service and respond to feedback, and to quickly circulate information about the Market.

There is also a less tangible, but no less important, reason that we use social media tools—and that’s to create excitement about, and enthusiasm for, the High Point Market. We’ve done that at every recent Market, from a flash mob in the fall of 2010, to viral behind-the-scenes videos in April, to our Style Spotters event last October.

Each of those programs increased traffic to the website (www.highpointmarket.org) and pushed the High Point Market brand, but they also showcased the fun and energy that surrounds each Market Week, which in turn allows us to draw in new retailers and interior designers. It’s a lot of pay-off for very little money.

The Style Spotters program featured a new social media website called Pinterest, now one of the fastest-growing sites online. Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) is a website that lets users organize and share photos on virtual pinboards. It works the way a designer’s “mood board” or inspiration board works—you select photos of things you like, or items that inspire you, and you pin them to your board.

Pinboards can have themes—like food, home decor, fashion—or they can focus on moods like “favorite things,” or “everything blue.” You can also follow other users and show your appreciation for what they’ve chosen by “liking” photos or re-pinning them to your own boards.

The High Point Market recruited home fashion trendsetters to showcase their favorite products and top trends from the October show on Pinterest. The Style Spotters were bloggers and interior designers, and they captured images of their favorite finds as they walk the High Point Market. The trendsetters also presented exhibitors with signs that highlighted the Style Spotter’s name with a QR code and URL for the Pinterest board.

The Style Spotters for October were Meg Biram, Mimi + Meg; Jennifer Brouwer, Jennifer Brouwer Design; Heather Clawson, Habitually Chic; Julieann Covino, Create Girl; Tobi Fairley, Tobi Fairley Interior Design; Lisa Ferguson, Decor Mentor; Wanda Horton, Interior Concepts by Wanda; and Elaine Williamson, Elaine Williamson Designs.

Market attendees also participated in the High Point Market Pinterest event, voting on the pinboards and products for each Style Spotter by generating “likes” or by re-pinning. At the end of Market, we tallied those votes on a point system and named Tobi Fairley the winner. A new group of Style Spotters will be named in March for the April High Point Market, and will also include Tobi Fairley as this year’s winner. To view the High Point Market Pinboards, go to pinterest.com/HighPointMarket.

Pinterest is a wildly popular site and the event generated a lot of online traffic for the High Point Market, and also created a “buzz” on other social media like Facebook and Twitter, particularly among interior designers and bloggers. What I enjoyed about it was the sense of sharing and community it created, as participants discussed their favorite products, trends, and companies.

Retailers also could use Pinterest for their own marketing campaigns, perhaps by offering contests for the best boards created from photos of products on your website, or by posting your latest Market acquisitions on a Pinterest board while you’re at Market.

Whatever social media tool or site that you choose, just make sure it fits your company image and brand, that you create your own community online, and that you have fun.


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Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Social in 2012

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Myspace, Foursquare, Blogger, Tumblr, Pinterest, Plaxo… the list goes on and on of social media sites that you and your business could utilize. But where should you start, what do you say, and how do you find the time to do it?

social mediaAccording to industry social media guru, Leslie Carothers, owner of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, the first thing that retailers need to do is evaluate how much time they have (or someone in their company has) to dedicate to social media. “It takes a lot of time to do social media properly,” she said. “Needless to say, the answer on how retailers should use social media would be based on how much time the retailer has or how much time they are willing to contract to an outside vendor. Social media is a conversation, so you need to be active in the conversation for it to be successful.”

Once you have decided how much time you are willing to devote to this new marketing medium, Carothers advises focusing on three key tools: Facebook, Pinterest and blogging.

Facebook will continue to be an important avenue for retailers since it has the largest audience of consumers. Carothers suggests retailers focus on Facebook advertising to help spread the word about their brand.

The newcomer for retailers this year is Pinterest. This invite-only site has only been in the social scene for 20 months, but has seen a huge spike in requests for invites over the last few months (and recently received $37 million in funding!). Created by a past Facebook employee and his friends, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board that allows users to share photos they find over the Web, including product images from your store. A description and original link location are added to the image, giving users the chance to visit your site directly.

“I believe it is going to be a very important tool in the upcoming year, and I already have design clients who are using it,” said Carothers. “If you want to connect with designers in your local area, Pinterest is the place to do it. Designers have been using it as a tool to help them get inspiration, and they are connecting with each other on the site. Retailers are able to go onto Pinterest and show their product offerings, new market finds, design tips and more. Retailers can create an upholstery board, night tables, bedding, etc. and post it all of Pinterest.”

Once items are posted on Pinterest, other users, whether it’s your customer or a local designer, can view your pins and re-pin an item on their own board. People who use this program are looking for new ideas for design, fashion, cooking, etc., and love to share with others. This site makes it easy for consumers to find styles and create a home they love. Brands like West Elm and Whole Foods have already started pinning like crazy. They are using Pinterest to show consumers the idea behind their brands, not just their products.

“A retailer might wonder why this is an important tool for them. It’s important because designers, hundreds of thousands of them, are already using Pinterest to find products and gain inspiration for new designs. It is very fast, and it’s great for search engine optimization because retailers can tag each picture with keywords,” Carothers said.

She also believes that Pinterest is going to be a social media phenomenon in 2012—especially for people who are in a visual field, “Consumers are hearing about the site, going online to look for inspiration, and then sharing it with their designers or working directly with a retailer. I think Pinterest is going to take off in 2012.”

The last social media tool that Carothers believes will be important for retailers in 2012 is the blog. While blogs have been around for years, many retailers still haven’t jumped on the bandwagon or aren’t using it to its full advantage. Blogs are another important tool for search engine optimization and can show your customers that you are the expert in home furnishings. Blogs don’t have to be long posts, but they should contain interesting information to engage your customer and keep them wanting more. Show your readers that you are an expert in home furnishings and design and help them create the home they have always wanted.

When conversing with customers (or potential customers) via social media, treat them with the same respect you would in person. Be gracious, say thank you, please and you’re welcome. Engage with the Golden Rule in mind, and be helpful and conversational. Don’t just send out your latest sale promotion; have conversations with your followers and be memorable. Match your online personality to your in-store personality. You will notice that many of the people who are successful in social media are those that listen, engage, and respond to everyone.

Have you used Pinterest? What do you think will be the social media hit in 2012? Let us know on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/westernretailer.

- By Melissa Dressler

Hiring Outside Consultants

You’ve come to the decision that your business needs to participate in social media, but who has the time? Social media consultants and “experts” are popping up everywhere—how do you know who to hire and who is legit?

Carothers had some tips to look for when hiring an outside company to do your social media interactions. “First, you need to decide if you are going to just have someone set up your pages, or if they are going to execute the day to day communication and be your ‘voice’,” she said. Once you have decided that, here’s what you should look for:

  • Get testimonials from trusted peers who have used the company for social media.
  • If they are to be the voice of your brand, be sure they understand your brand and the industry (the vocabulary, how personal the decision to purchase home furnishings is, etc.). You don’t want them to communicate the wrong message to the consumer. You must trust the person who is executing your social media strategy.
  • If you wouldn’t hire them to work in your business, then you shouldn’t hire the person to work in your online business.
  • Ask the consultant how social media fits into an integrated marketing plan and ask for examples of how they have leveraged a brands’ message across platforms in the past.

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Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

R&A Marketing Revolutionizes Facebook for Retailers

Marketing Firm taking Social Media to the Next Level

R&A Marketing is revolutionizing social media for retailers by using Facebook as an effective selling tool capable of increasing fans organically and then converting them to loyal customers. R&A’s new social media service is a tremendous asset to retailers and a great addition to R&A Web Plus, a user-friendly Web platform that integrates traditional marketing into the Website.

“We realized that the whole social media arena was growing,” said Kevin Doran, Vice President and co-owner of R&A Marketing. “It’s important that we stay ahead of the game and offer the best services to our clients.”

R&A’s new social media services are designed to help retailers make more money. This is accomplished first and foremost by creating a Facebook page for retailers and then connecting the Facebook page directly with the retailer’s Website.

Linking the two sites doubles the chance of a customer visiting the retailer’s Website and it also helps with organic search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. R&A’s social media package also includes four promotional apps that offer incentives to customers for “liking” the retailer’s Facebook page. These innovative promotional apps are intended to quickly build a large fan base so the retailer can easily interact with and market their products and services to hundreds of fans.

“We noticed trends showing millions of people turn to Facebook on a daily basis for information,” Kevin said. “It makes perfect sense to use Facebook as a selling tool to boost online and in-store sales.”

In fact, data from comScore shows 1 out of every 8 minutes online is spent on Facebook and that the average user spends more than 11 hours a month on Facebook.

A Syncapse Case Study published in June of 2010 found the following conclusions about a Facebook fan:

  • On average spends over $70 more than a non-fan
  • 28% are more likely to continue using a brand
  • 41% are more likely to recommend a product

R&A Web Plus services include 24/7 support and an online specialist who is assigned to maintain each Website. Every online presence needs monitoring, and the online specialists perform this job. They ensure the retailers’ Websites are up to date and achieving top-notch results. The online specialist is also notified of all activity on their client’s Facebook page.

In addition to a host of other clients, R&A is a social media provider for retailers of Ashley Furniture Industries, one of the nation’s largest and best furniture manufacturers.

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Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Showcasing Your Online Reputation

What Google says about your store will make you wealthy or leave your broke.

Over 81 percent of your prospects will Google you and make an emotional decision about doing business with you before they ever show up on your radar screen but after they respond to your advertising. Less than 20 percent of the 81 percent of the prospects that Google you will actually call you or land on your showroom floor. Even if you have positive online reviews, an easy to find website and a top listing in Google Maps, you will lose the bulk of your advertising respondents to Google Distraction Disorder (G.D.D.), never to be seen or heard from again.

My guess is that most furniture store owners and managers reading this, that have even a speck of an advertising budget, can instantly “feel” the truth of these statistics. Manufacturer’s often times support our advertising budgets and thus we can all be rest assured that they are looking at their retailer’s online reputation credit report. Services like Groupon®, Social Living® and Google Offers® use online reputation scores as the single most important qualifier for a new business member.

Your Online Reputation Credit Score
Ever asked your bank or lender to increase your flooring line? Yes you guessed it… They most likely are looking at your online reputation first and financials second. One of the single largest losses for capital lenders in any retail industry stems from retailers growing too fast. The problem is that five years ago if the retailer’s growth was fueled by marketing and sales practices that upset the public they rarely knew about it until hit their collections report.

Google has Become the X-ray Machine
Today a simple Google search for a furniture store’s name followed by the word “reviews” or “complaints” will tell a lender, a manufacturer, your prospects, the media along with your friends, neighbors and relatives everything they’d like to know about your business. The challenge with this reality is that usually a store’s Google footprint doesn’t reflect reality. A typical store’s Google footprint is either to boring or non-descript to keep the searcher engaged, is chalked with misleading, inaccurate or bogus information often placed there by competitors or rouge ex-employees, or just flat out non-existent.

Control Your Google… Control Your Income…
So now that we are painfully aware of the Google reality and we know that 70 percent++ of our advertising and marketing respondents are evaporating into thin air, what do we do about it? You must control the first three pages of Google. While this may sound like a lofty goal and an extra 100k out the window, you may be right but fear not. There are ways to control your Google on a shoe string budget and look better than your nearest competition when and where it counts. First let’s talk about what it means to own the first three pages of Google. What you are looking for is “Search Engine Saturation (SES)”, which means, “To own more positions within the first three pages of Google than any single competitor or reputation threat”.

Get a reputation monitoring system
You’ll want to invest in a program that allows you to monitor the conversation on the web about you and your competitors (Google alerts need not apply). Without one you are flying blind against the wind and with one you can get a bird’s eye view of your entire market area from 15ft back and 200ft up.*

The best content for Google, Facebook and YouTube
First you must have the ability to control an acceptable number of positions within the first three pages of Google and then you will need to decide what to put there. The best content in the world is always the voices of your satisfied customers. Whether we are talking about Google, YouTube your website, Facebook, Twitter, or your blog, happy customers telling the world that they love you trumps all other content hands down. Considering 75 percent of the buying public thinks that advertising is misleading, your satisfied customers digitally leveraged on the World Wide Web can become the ultimate leveling stick.

Doing right simply isn’t enough
Your good works and excellent customer service is no longer enough. Once upon a time a business’ reputation was won by doing business right and depending on your satisfied customers to tell the world. Today our customers are far too busy intercepting emails, text messages and phone calls to market your business or respond whole-heartedly to solid recommendations from friends and family. Even when we do pay attention to recommendations of a business, we Google them before we call them. So in the end the only way to garner the level of R.O.I. you deserve from running a great business is to go viral.

Going viral is what happens when word of mouth becomes digitally leveraged
To succeed in the repeat, referral and word of mouth business model you MUST give your satisfied customers a powerful voice and distribute that voice on their behalf to hundreds, if not thousands, of strategic online destinations across the web. In turn these distribution points go viral, get picked up by search engines (providing that they are optimized) and suddenly you find yourself in control of the first three pages of Google.

You will also find yourself selling more furniture, retaining more customers, generating more referrals and producing more traffic with less advertising. As a side note we all know that a salesperson cannot be effective on the showroom floor or on the phone if he or she is unable to position themselves as the expert in the mind of the prospect. Own the first three pages of Google and make sure that your prospects can SEE your customer testimonials front and center without having to click from Google to some other site first and your prospects will show your sales people a renewed attitude.

What about 3rd party review sites like Yelp, CitySearch and so on?
Having good reviews on a review site pales in comparison to owning the first three pages of Google. The reason being is that these sites get over 90 percent of their traffic from people that Google your name or your name coupled with words like reviews and complaints. In other words third party review sites exist because Google and other search engines exist. With that said, they are still important and the key to managing them can be summed up in two words “Strategic Management”.
Remember that you are only as good as your last review but to send your customers blindly to these sites without hand selecting them first is a receipt for disaster. The more reviews third party review sites receive the more they strangle hold your business name in Google. So know who your best customers are and then guide them towards third party review sites in a coffee drip fashion. Build slowly, methodically and sparingly and you will have five star reviews a great online profile without sacrificing your Google home page to do it.

The secret to using Facebook
Recently our company invented a way to make satisfied customers magically post positive comments on a company’s Facebook page and then link those comments to an auto-generated testimonial site complete with the business’s look, feel and logo. What we thought was going to be cute value add to our service has turned out to be one of the most effective online marketing tactics in existence (wish we could brag but in reality it was an afterthought). As such we have learned a secret, which is that happy customer comments and Facebook is a recipe for instant social media success. Place you best customer comments on your Facebook and then link them back to well designed testimonial page and just watch what happens.

The Ultimate Reputation Accelerator
In conclusion there are three facets to creating a stellar online reputation that will garner instant profits. Control the first three pages of Google, your online review sites, create a dynamic and robust testimonial site and add your satisfied customer comments to your Facebook and Twitter like your favorite hot sauce and you will find business life gets much easier.

Oh and one more thing! Create a credible and classy web page where customers can write a review about your business and give you their feedback directly. The idea is to get to them before they go public on you (by then it’s usually too late) and you will suddenly be in control of your customer satisfaction index.

Here is to you, your online reputation and your selling success!

Eddie Coleman, is CEO of Reputation Accelerator LLC, an online reputation management company. [*Good news! If you are a member of the WHFA, you already have a reputation management company paid for that is sitting and waiting for you to log into. It may get bored sitting on the shelf waiting for you so if you haven’t scooped it up already, you will want to do so. Simply contact Jeff Carrier at (877) 874-9737 ext #121 let him know what email address you would like your access link sent to. For more information, visit http://ReputationAccelerator.com]

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Friday, July 29th, 2011

How to Grow Your Business Through Social Media

Do me a favor.

Grab a sheet of paper and pencil. Go to your desk, the bathroom, outside, or wherever you think the best and write down five ways you think you can sell your product through social media. You got it? Great!

Now throw it away.

There are no right answers on how to make sales from social media. Don’t let anyone tell you they have the greatest solution to start getting you sales from social media. Social media is an ever-changing media. Every single day, something new is introduced or taken away.
You’re competing with a lot of other businesses in the social media marketplace. Facebook recently announced that there are now more than 3 million active business pages on Facebook, and the average user becomes a fan of four pages every month.

What can you do to reach and understand your Facebook marketplace? The answer to this question will help you increase sales and grow your social media presence.

Social media is exactly that: media that delivers a message. And just like traditional media, you need to get to know your customer and your marketplace. Although social media may be free, social media marketing is not. It’s just a whole new way to do it.

“So,” you ask, “how do I get people to come to my social sites?” The answer is simple—sort of! You must embrace social media in all aspects of your marketing. Some examples:

  • Add your social media logos to your direct mail pieces and print inserts
  • Announce them on your radio spots
  • Include them in your TV spots
  • Talk about it in the showroom
  • Add them to your website
  • Have a promotion solely focused on social media
  • Create a direct mail campaign that embraces your offer and a Facebook contest

Selling through social media is no different than selling face-to-face on the showroom floor. Customers must be engaged and interested. They will not respond to random information or a hard sell. Social media is about your customer. They came to your page for a reason, so give them a reason to keep coming back.

One of social media’s best qualities is content: creating it, sharing it and engaging with it. Quality content will inspire, inform, educate or even entertain your customers (and if you’re really lucky, it does all four!). So if you’re looking to engage with your customers to keep them coming back for more, follow the tips below to implement social media cohesion:

Establish Your Brand Voice
Brainstorm with your team and establish your social media identity before you set up your social media accounts. Decide what your brand stands for and what you want to portray on your social media platforms.

Ask yourself the following questions to help identify your social media goals:

  • Do you want it to be strictly a selling tool?
  • Do you want it to build life-long customer relationships?
  • Do you want to increase fans and followers regardless of results?

Focus on Your Topic
Your social media fans may forget a specific post, but they will remember the topics you talk about the most and your subject matter of expertise—assuming that you establish one!
An effective social media branding strategy should write, talk and share about topics related to your business and industry. This will reinforce your weight as an expert on that topic. That’s not to say you should never post about anything else, but keep your subject matter close to your area of expertise to reinforce your image as a leader in that area.

Talk about what you know. You’re a furniture store right? Talk about what you do every day. Tell your fans how this new sofa is a perfect fit for the family. Share decorating tips; give them tips on how to pick out the right bedroom suite. Show them you’re the leading voice of authority in your industry!

Get to Know Your Fans
People become fans of your page for a reason. They didn’t happen to “like” your page just because they thought it looked cool. They want relevant and expert information from you. So go ahead and give them what they want!

Pay attention to their posts—both positive and negative—and respond appropriately. Allow negative feedback and address it head on. Simply say, “I’m sorry,” and don’t make excuses. Be real with your virtual fans, and you’ll create real friends.

Update Moderately
Don’t get caught in the overload zone. Once your fall into this trap, it’s hard to escape. Overloading your followers and friends with too many updates will annoy them and can cause them to un-like your page. However, it’s important to update moderately and steadily to help keep your brand fresh and reiterate your brand personality among your customers.
Okay. Now go back to the trash can and take out the five things you wrote down at the beginning. Take the four above-mentioned ways to produce social media cohesion and apply those to the five you wrote down. It’s about finding the perfect balance between selling and building that fan (customer) relationship.

Remember, you’re a furniture store for a reason and people become fans of your page for that very reason. So give them what they want!

Kevin Doran is co-owner of R&A Marketing, a full service traditional and digital marketing company in Columbus, Ohio, which services clients ranging from $500k to $150 mm in top line sales from coast-to-coast. R&A Marketing is a second-generation family business that began in 1987. Kevin and his brother Kyle purchased the family business from their father in 2011. Kevin graduated from Capital University with a degree in Public Relations as it pertains to social media and is leading R&A’s initiative to shape the digital strategy of the home furnishings industry, including R&A Web Plus. R&A Web Plus is an online selling solution for independent retailers that include social networking and product catalogs. R&A Web Plus allows retailers to compete head-to-head with the big-box companies in their towns. Through Kevin’s continuing leadership, R&A Marketing is positioned to handle the complete marketing needs for clients now and for many years into the future. For more information visit www.ramarketing.com.

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Monday, July 18th, 2011

The Hot Spot: Social Media Bar Returns for Summer Market

Popular Market Feature Designed to Help Attendees Increase Social Media Presence 

LAS VEGAS – (July 15, 2011) — Attendees of World Market Center Las Vegas’ Summer 2011 Las Vegas Market will once  again have the opportunity to “join the conversation” as they learn about all the ways they can increase their social media presence – and ultimately their bottom-line – with the return of The Hot Spot: Social Media Bar.

The Hot Spot: Social Media Bar, now in its third incarnation, will allow for market attendees to meet with experts who can provide the latest tips and techniques on how to maximize their presence and fully connect with their customers in the ever-changing medium of social media. This summer’s Hot Spot will also boast a new location at C-301, and will feature informational sessions twice a day, Monday through Wednesday, one for beginners and one for intermediate users, that will provide hands-on training for social media and tips for online marketing.

“Social media continues to be an important platform where businesses can connect with their key audiences,” said Dana Andrew, vice president of marketing and public relations for World Market Center Las Vegas. “But, the fact remains that many people do not know how to take full advantage of this medium as a method of generating business. We see Hot Spot as a value-add for our attendees that will get them tweeting and updating their fans and followers in a way that will ultimately benefit their bottom-line.”

The Hot Spot: Social Media Bar was inspired by the Apple Genius Bar and was introduced at the 2010 Summer Las Vegas Market. Free assistance is provided by Christi Tullis of PuTTin’ OuT, who in addition to providing the latest tips for social media usage, can also help market visitors register their companies and brands on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Catch the twitter conversation going on now, simply search #lvmkt.

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Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Partnering with Design Bloggers to Reach Customers

A fantastic new opportunity exists for furniture retailers (and manufacturers) to partner with design bloggers who are writing with passion about furniture and interior design.
There are literally thousands of design blogs being written now, many with hundreds of thousands of unique site visitors a month, and some with just 100 site visitors a month, but that doesn’t matter. A reader of a design blog is someone who more than likely loves design and furniture loves the point-of-view of that blogger and dreams of having a beautiful home—and these readers are potentially a rich source of customers for your stores or products!

What Can Bloggers Help You Do:

  • Create general brand awareness about who you are, and what you do through writing about your store or your products.
  • Drive traffic to your website—this can be accomplished through a variety of means—ads on their site, sponsored blog posts, specially created content, sponsoring their weekly e-newsletter to their readers, giveaways, contests, etc.
  • Drive traffic into your stores through sponsored blog posts that include coupons, planning events with you and using their blogs and email lists to drive traffic to your in-store event.

Context: Who Are The Design Bloggers?  What Are Their Goals?
The vast majority of design bloggers today blog out of their passion for design and furniture, not for money. However, an increasing amount of design bloggers are, indeed, looking for ways to monetize their blogs and/or create business opportunities for themselves so they can devote more or their time to their true passion—design, furniture and all things home!

Most design bloggers fall into three categories:
Working professional designers who are blogging to attract new clients and other new business opportunities such as speaking engagements, getting their work seen by publishers, licensing opportunities, etc.

Professional bloggers about design (their blog is a primary source of income) who accept various forms of ads on their blogs—which can take different forms, such as banner ads, sponsored blog posts, giveaways and contests.

Design bloggers who simply blog about design out of their love for design and furniture but who do not accept ads on their blogs—though their blogs can and do create other types of business opportunities for them such as sponsored trips, speaking engagements, guest blogging opportunities for magazines or e-newsletters, etc.

Each of these three categories of bloggers share one thing in common important to you—a community of devoted readers. They are the new editors. Their readers are heavily influenced by their point-of-view and what they are showcasing on their blogs. These readers can be your potential customers and there are millions of them in the aggregate.

THE NEXT 5 STEPS:

  1. Develop a blogger relations campaign. Figure out who is blogging about design and furniture in your trading areas.
  2. Subscribe through your RSS reader to their blog, “like” the Facebook Page for their blog, follow them on Twitter, read the comments on each post and pay attention to the visual aspect of their content—does it seem to fit in with what you have to sell?
    For bloggers, their most important consideration is always their readers expectations-they have deep and real relationships with their reader communities and their readers come first-not their advertisers. Even if they are in the business of making money off of their blogs, their readers come first because they know that the most valuable currency they have with their readers is trust. They will do nothing for money that will violate their readers trust in their editorial integrity. Therefore, you have to make sure that your product and your store’s image is consistent with what they share with their readers or else you will get turned down—regardless of money.
  3. Once you’ve identified the bloggers, followed and listened to them for a time, determine which of the above categories they fall into and plan your strategy accordingly.
  4. Before the first email or phone call, figure out, too, what that blogger might need (besides your money) that would be a value add to them—this will go a long way in establishing trust and goodwill when opening up your initial dialogue.
  5. Once you know what your goals are and what you believe you might be able to do for the blogger in return, send them an email to open up the dialogue. If it’s a professional blogger that accepts ads on their site, they will have media kits that you can request and they expect that request—it’s normal.

Once the dialogue is open, everything is up for discussion. Design bloggers are tremendously creative and collaborative by nature and, when treated with respect for the design editors are, will find all kinds of unique and interesting ways to help you achieve your goals and reach their readers—your potential buyers!

What could be better than that?

Leslie Carothers is President of The Kaleidoscope Partnership—    a social media agency for the home furnishings and related industries. She has been working in the furniture and interior design business for the past 29 years and works with companies and tradeshows in the home furnishings and related industries to strategize, create, train and execute on social media campaigns that drive their profits.

Leslie is also a well known micro-blogger on Twitter on design and furniture related topics where she is known as @tkpleslie. She is the founder of the #GetPublished chat on twitter which brings interior designers, bloggers, editors, magazines and book publishers together monthly to discuss all aspect of getting published and she also manages a vibrant online discussion forum on LinkedIn for furniture and design professionals with over 700 members currently participating.

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Friday, July 8th, 2011

New Media Marketing – What’s In It For You?

Digital marketing. New media marketing. Social media marketing. Web 2.0 marketing. These are all interchangeable terms which have at their core the crafting of a marketing strategy that combines social media such as blogs, podcasts, webinars, videos and social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Bebo, Facebook, Flickr, Ning, etc. to cost-effectively and directly connect with your current and future consumers.

Why are so many brands switching from traditional media to social media or, at the very least, combining the two? Simply put, because that’s where consumers are spending their time — over 570 million of them a year and growing. In addition, social media is cost effective, completely measurable and targeted.

Just what are some of the social media tools available to you and why consider using them? The rest of the article will examine that topic in depth.

Here are 10 reasons why it might be a good idea for you to consider a comprehensive digital marketing plan for 2009:

1.  Over 570 million people worldwide use some type of social networking site —not just the Internet, but, specifically, a social networking site such as those shown above. Facebook has the highest adoption rate worldwide at this time with over 52 million users alone. This means it is highly likely that at least some of your potential consumers can be reached this way and Facebook for Business is but one of many very powerful, free applications available to you to do so.

2.  General Internet usage by consumers is exploding: According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, there are over 1,463,632,361 people using the Internet as of June 2008. Yes, 1.4+ BILLION. This is approximately one-sixth of the entire world population and represents a worldwide usage growth rate of 305.5 percent from 2000 until 2008. North America alone has had a 129.6 percent increase in usage between the year 2000-2008, but that pales in comparison to the Middle East and Latin America at 1,176.8 percent and 669.3 percent respectively.

3.  Social networking sites are free for you to use. There is no cost. They are generally supported through ads or through premium levels of subscription services. Facebook for Business is free and supported by ads, LinkedIn is supported through premium subscriptions. Twitter is free. Flickr is free. YouTube is free.

4.  By careful use of social media and social networking platforms, you can find out in real time what your customers want, what they are thinking and how you can serve them more effectively.

5.  Setting up digital marketing strategies does not require you to spend additional money. It requires you to migrate part of your traditional marketing and advertising expense into new media platforms.
Once the strategy has been implemented, the cost is free with the exception of online community moderation. This cost, while real, means that you or someone you hire is actively talking with your potential consumers every second of the day through online conversations. You can’t get much closer to the pulse of the consumer than that nor show them a better level of customer service. Active community management through engagement and conversation will be a key differentiator for smart retailers in 2009 and beyond.

6.  Mobile phone text messaging usage is increasing: The official Google blog writes:

There are currently about 3.2 billion mobile subscribers in the world, and that number is expected to grow by at least a billion in the next few years. Today, mobile phones are more prevalent than cars (about 800 million registered vehicles in the world) and credit cards (only 1.4 billion of those). While it took 100 years for landline phones to spread to more than 80 percent of the countries in the world, their wireless descendants did it in 16.

By utilizing new media tools, you will be able to connect with your potential customers as they are driving around on a Saturday afternoon. You will be able to invite them all in for a special event or give them a discount for the next two hours only.

7.  Every time your company engages in an online media strategy, your company name and your company’s keywords are indexed and search engine optimized. Why is this important? Because if a potential customer types in to Google’s browser the words “traditional sofas Portland Oregon” and you don’t show up, then you are invisible to that consumer. If that consumer lives out of state and is moving to your area, you have just lost your opportunity for them to know you exist.

Points 8, 9 and 10 are the same:

Social media and social networking marketing initiatives are directly measurable. You can see exactly which initiatives and sites are sending traffic to your website, how many visitors are coming, what time of day, what pages they are landing on, how long they stay on the page, what they click through to from one page to the next, and many more data points.

I leave you with this:
When was the last time you had to spend no money to drive traffic to your website and into your store? When was the last time paid advertising and marketing were directly measurable on an hourly basis?
That’s why so many consumer durables companies are setting up a presence within the social networking and social media communities.

IKEA, NestLiving, HomeReserve, Landfair Furniture+Design, many interior designers (wouldn’t you like to connect with interior designers in your market for free?) are all adopting new media tools as a key component of their 2009 marketing and sales strategy. Within the greater consumer durables world, Proctor and Gamble, Ford, Constant Contact, Dunkin’ Donuts, Sears, Kmart and Comcast, to name a few, are all developing a personal connection with their customers in the social networking world.

It’s easy, it’s simple, it’s free except for upfront strategy development and ongoing monitoring costs.

Digital marketing using social networking and social media tools will cut your marketing budgets by two-thirds, give you the ability to listen and learn from your potential customers, prospect extremely fast and develop a reputation amongst your customers and on consumer online opinion sites as being connected, engaged and caring. What could be better than that?

Sales. More. Larger. Faster because your customers know you are listening and engaging them where they are in the online communities they have chosen to participate in.
To survive and thrive in 2009 and beyond, I think it’s time for all retailers, manufacturers suppliers and designers to be there, too.

What do you think?

Please email me with your comments or questions at leslie@tkpartnership.com or call me at (713) 705-2482. Your opinion is the one that really matters to me.

The Kaleidoscope Partnership is a new media consulting firm specializing in providing retailers, manufacturers and suppliers in the home industries with the tools they need to execute social networking, online reputation management, e-conversion and analytics sales and marketing strategies. For more information, please see Leslie’s profile on www.linkedin.com/in/lesliecarothers, visit her company page on Facebook at The Kaleidoscope Partnership, follow her on Twitter at tkpleslie or visit her website at www.tkpartnership.com.

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