So, you’ve taken the leap and created a Facebook business page for your supermarket. Great! Unfortunately, creating your page is just the first step. Once you’ve established an online presence for your supermarket, the real legwork in marketing your business online can truly begin.
Leveraging your supermarket for success through social media is all about reaching your customer base and boosting meaningful engagement. This can seem difficult, especially if your supermarket’s new Facebook page is your first venture into marketing your small business online. Luckily, with a little practice, you can begin marketing yourself online with ease.
Here are five great tips for reaching your customer base and boosting your engagement on Facebook.
1. Aim To Inspire
If your goal is to draw people in, then make the effort to ensure your content is engaging. Sales pitches can be effective, but are tiresome over time. And few people want to continually follow a page which appeals to them relentlessly in a sales forward manner.
Instead, break your content up by posting articles your audience will find interesting or inspiring. Relaying content that can teach your customer something relevant about your brand or your supermarket, or even the people behind it is more likely to engage your customer than yet another reminder to stop in and buy something next time they fill up. Share links you find interesting relevant news, studies or statistics.
The more your content is tailored to hold the interest of your customer, the more likely it is that people will pause rather than scroll on to the next status update.
2. Quality Over Quantity
It’s true that you should never let your supermarket’s Facebook page sit dormant. But as much of a misstep as it would be to never post at all, posting too much is likely to turn your following off entirely. Spamming your customers’ feeds at all hours of the day is almost certain to be perceived as obnoxious, and will drive people to unfollow rather than continue to engage with your content.
Instead, be thoughtful and post with intention. Not everything you think may be interesting needs to be shared, and not all thoughts need to be conveyed to your customer base. Take time when crafting your supermarket’s post, and keep in mind that a few quality posts are far better than dozens of thoughtless ones.
3. Consistency is Key
Establishing a consistent posting schedule can help you garner engagement on your page, and also help you find a rhythm in social media upkeep that works for you and your business. Understanding your customer, and knowing when they are most active on Facebook will help your posts gain visibility.
Nowadays, social media is more saturated than ever. Regular, consistent posting at scheduled times will help your posts rank higher in Facebook’s algorithm, and reach a guaranteed audience. To determine when to post, find out the social media habits of customers in your area. Differing time zones may have different peak hours of social media engagement, so do a little research before establishing your own schedule.
4. Talk Back
Expecting your customer base to engage with your content is one thing, but expecting this engagement without anything in return is simply unrealistic. Likes and comments should be viewed as an invitation to continue the conversation. Building a brand that focuses on enhancing your business-customer relationship helps establish trust with your clientele, and keeps people coming back.
Not to mention, reaching out to your customers allows you insight into what they’re thinking. Feedback from the very people you are catering to is one of the best ways to produce meaningful growth at your supermarket, and make sure you are doing all that you can to provide an optimal supermarket experience to customers in your area.
5. Add Images
No one likes to look at a wall of text. Imagine the feeling you may have gotten in school, opening a textbook only to find yourself staring at pages and pages of fine print. Curating a page that is free of video or pictures makes your supermarket’s Facebook page appear the same way.
Breaking up text posts with images and videos makes your page more appealing to the eye, and overall more accessible to your customers. Images and videos also present additional opportunities to present content that is more engaging. Store updates or infographics are all excellent media opportunities to increase interaction on your page and increase its value with your customer base.
It Can Take Some Practice
Most of us don’t come straight out of the gate as social media experts, but the truth is that starting a Facebook page for your supermarket is one of the most effective and cost-friendly ways to reach your customer base. Once started, your page can become a place that effectively builds your brand, creates lasting customer relationships, and seamlessly promotes your supermarket to new and existing customers alike. By following the simple tips above, you can create a social media presence that works for your business, and for your clients.
