June 2020 - 19

MARKETING
look - with matching profile pictures
(which should just be a company logo),
similar cover photos (for Facebook
and Twitter) and similar company
descriptions and categories across
all platforms. By using a single brand
identity, your company is recognizable
by customers on any platform,
eliminating any potential confusion
over official company profiles.
Once you optimize your profiles,
it's time for content. A great way
to get customers - and potential
customers - engaging right away is
to interact with them by responding
in a timely manner to comments,
inquiries and messages on any
channel. When producing content,
your first thought should always
be making sure you're sharing
what customers want to see and
information they might be looking
for. Social media is also a great place
to promote deals, exclusive products,
coupons and more.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a nearly
unmatched way to help increase
your business' exposure. Over 99%
of customers open their email at
least once a day, according to the
popular marketing company HubSpot.
But even more than just increasing
exposure, email marketing gives you
company new ways to present your
customers with different purchasing
opportunities.
There are a variety of email marketing
platforms that you can set up in just
minutes and easily implement into your
company's website, including MailChimp,
Klaviyo, and Constant Contact. Almost
all of these platforms offer easy setup,
customizable options and drag-and-drop
email template editors.
Once your email marketing is set
up, the various platforms give you an
opportunity to get creative and help
incentivize your customers to shop with
your business. On your website, for
example, you can offer your customers
exclusive coupons in exchange for
signing up for your email distribution
list. Using emails to send offers on
special product releases, coupons and
exclusive deals are another great way to
use your email marketing strategies.
Be Informative
One of the most important - and
underrated - content tips a business
can use today is to create and share
informative content with their
customers. Having a blog isn't just a
benefit for your company's SEO - it
can also help in providing thoughtprovoking
content to your customers.
A garden center can use a blog on
their website to share gardening or
landscaping tips and techniques; this is
a great way to not only drive customers
to your website, but to establish your
store as an expert.
You can also use email marketing the
same way you use a company blog. By
sending out weekly or monthly emails
with the latest blogs on your website,
news from around your business, or
even industry information, you can
connect with your customers on an
informative level - continuing to
establish credibility and drive more
potential customers to your website.
On social media, posts that contain
an informative video (rather than
just a promotional post) see an
average of 48% more engagement
and interaction. Using videos across
your social media platforms to share
the same information given in the
examples above can be a great way to
drive traffic and engagement.
Creativity and engagement are the
name of the game across all of the
digital marketing channels in almost
every industry, especially retail. And
by just implementing even one of the
items above, it can go a long way in
helping increase your business' visibility
to customers online.
Joe Tacosik is a content marketing
specialist with SmartSolutions, a
partner to Lawn & Garden Retailer.
At SmartSolutions and L&GR, we are
passionate about utilizing the power
of communication to bring people and
businesses together - and we are equally
as passionate about your story.
Our team of expert marketers brings
its unique perspectives and diverse
experiences together to provide a one-stop,
full-service marketing solution to help your
business thrive. For more information on
how your company could benefit from an
email marketing strategy, contact us at
616.520.2135 or www.smartsolutions.media.
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LGRMAG.COM | 19
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June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2020
