When it comes to Small Business Saturday®, social media can alert and motivate customers to participate—not just online but for in-person store visits. During a recent Small Business Saturday – the Saturday after Thanksgiving –, Katie Katz scored with her company’s social media efforts. “We used Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, everything,” she says. “That’s how we were able to be found.”
It may sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to attract customers on social media is to not sell them stuff. “You don’t kill them with, ‘Look at me, look at me!’” Katz says. “It fails when you are just talking about yourself.”
Your product or service may be terrific, but customers who shop at small businesses also enjoy having a story to share about the experience. For Katz, the increasingly typical customer is someone from the local area who finds Bernard Katz Glass through an online search, and then visits the shop to purchase an item and meet the artist.
“Share video or photos so that people can see what you are doing in your business,” Katz says. Images put a face with the brand, personalizing it for customers. “Talk about why support is good for your business,” she advises.
Where some companies use online tools to drive customers to their websites, Katz instead uses the company’s website to engage customers personally. “I will be on the phone [with a customer] and say, ‘Let’s get on the website and let me show you all the things in yellow in this size range.’ They love that we take the time to do that.”
Katz estimates that she spends about 25 percent of her day on social media marketing. “There are so many channels, and you’re trying to figure out exactly how to use them.” In addition, she makes sure to follow up with online conversations and questions. “Keep the conversation going,” she says. “The worst thing you can do is be completely blank. Or have an automated response.”