Using Social Media to Connect with Merchandisers
Social Media is now playing a major role in candidate sourcing and company branding. According to a recent case study by OnlineMBA.com , over 66% of all online adult users are connected to one or more social media platforms. And according to Wikipedia, there are over 200 “notable and well-known” Social Media sites.
So if your goal is connect with Merchandisers, what are the best social media sites to use? The key to building a successful social media strategy is to first identify your Target Audience, which social sites they most likely use and then build a relationship with them.
Identify your Target Audience
Let’s take a look at the Target Audience and identify the Target Merchandiser Profile. Statistics compiled by Quantcast for The National Association for Retail Marketing Services (NARMS) website reveals visitors are 59% female and the highest group by age falls into the 35-54 age range. In addition, 59% had a household income $0-50K and 46% do not have a college degree. The Set and Service website and Facebook page website statistics mirror these same findings.
Social Sites for the Target Audience
Now let’s compare the top five Social Media sites and where our efforts might be most effective to connect with the Target Merchandiser Profile. The following data compares the highest percentages of demographic segments of the Target Merchandiser Profile to Social Sites visitors.
|
Top Segments for Target Merchandiser Profile
|
% Target Merchandiser
|
%Facebook
|
%Twitter
|
%Pinterest
|
%LinkedIn
|
%Google+
|
|
Gender - Female
|
59
|
55
|
55
|
82
|
48
|
29
|
|
Age - 35-54
|
43
|
24
|
30
|
35
|
45
|
11
|
|
Household Income –$0-50K
|
59
|
42
|
53
|
42
|
29
|
n/a
|
|
Education – No College Degree
|
46
|
47
|
49
|
61
|
27
|
n/a
|
Sources: Quantcast, OnlineMBA.com
These stats reveal some interesting information. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are great sites since the majority of visitors are Females. And Twitter and Pinterest have a decent percentage of visitors in our Target Merchandiser age range. But don’t count out Facebook due to the lower percentage of visitors in the 35-54 age range. With an estimated 845 million active users, 24% of visitors in this age group is a pretty substantial number! Though LinkedIn has a high number of visitors in the 35-54 age range, their typical visitor is at a higher household income and education level indicating their visitors are at a Professional level. Google has a high number of male visitors with the majority under 24 years old so this is probably not the preferred Social hangout for our Target Merchandiser.
So does this mean if a social media site does not match the Target Merchandiser Profile perfectly that it should not be used? No! All Social Media are valuable to connect with visitors and business branding. But if limited time for Social Media efforts forces a pick of only a few sites, stick with the best matches for the Target Merchandiser Profile – Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Use all other sites, including LinkedIn and Google+, as time permits. Presence on these other social sites will help build business name recognition and branding as well as potential candidates but to a lesser extent based on the demographics.
Build a Relationship with your Target Merchandiser Audience
Since we have now determined who the Target Merchandiser Audience is and which Social Media sites they use, we can now work on building a relationship with them. When using Social Media for business reasons, it’s not all about your company! Using Social Media platforms is not just about posting job ads or tooting your company horn. Your Social Media success will depend on how well you can build a relationship with your audience. Just as in any good relationship, a good rule is “half for them, half for us.” In other words, try to maintain a healthy balance of content that is of interest to the Target Merchandiser Audience and balance that with information from and about your company.
Here are some tips to get you started building a relationship with your Target Merchandiser Audience.
Interact with your Audience
Social media sites are for interaction, so first of all take time to chat and interact with your audience. This is an opportunity to build a positive image, so talk with your audience and learn more about them.
Post Questions
Encourage interactions and reach out to your audience by learning more about them such as “Fill in the Blank: I enjoy working as a Merchandiser because _____________.” Or “What merchandising reset tools do you keep in your merchandising toolbox?”
Highlight Employees of the month
What better way to acknowledge and recognize field employees than to brag on them in public?
Interviews
Make your corporate employees “real” to your Audience. Interview company employees like District Managers and corporate employees. Also, go outside of company box and interview Industry Leaders as well.
Provide Valuable Content
Your main goal should be to provide valuable content that is helpful and will establish you as an authority and someone people want to follow. Here are some suggestions on how to start incorporating quality and compelling content on your Social Sites.
Blogging
If you are not already blogging, start today! Write interesting content that is of value to the Target Merchandiser Profile. For example, you can share the best websites for Merchandisers to find jobs or share articles on how to become a better Merchandiser. Write about current industry trends. This is not only an effective way to showcase your area of expertise, but it’s also a chance for you to put your own distinctive spin on a topic. Show that you are an authority in your field and your audience will begin to trust you.
Industry News
In addition to your own companies’ news, share other Merchandising or Retail Merchandising Industry News such as an upcoming conference, Industry association news, etc.
Book Review
Read a good book lately that is relevant to a Merchandiser such as how to be successful in customer service or shopper insights at store level? Write a review and encourage your audience to read the book too.
The ideas are already flowing, aren’t they? Don’t be afraid to experiment with content formats that work best for your writing style and subject matter. Connect with your Target Merchandiser Audience by interacting with them and providing them with valuable content. They will not only return often but they will share with their friends. By developing these relationships, you will develop trust and that can lead to a win/win situation for both your Target Merchandiser and your company!