Canadian Retailer - The Marketing Issue - 43

How savvy retailers are harnessing the power
of social media marketing, and what it means
for the future of your business.
BY JESSE DONALDSON

WHEN it comes to marketing for retailers today, there's good news and bad news.

"The Internet has totally transformed the buying process," notes Amanda
Haines, Principal of Reformation, a Vancouver-based public relations firm. "Consumers don't just see something in a shop and buy it based on the 4 P's anymore.
They do their homework. They solicit opinions on Twitter, they read reviews on
Facebook, they cruise Instagram feeds. They want to learn about a brand beyond
the basics. If a brand isn't active on social media, or if a brand doesn't have a social media strategy, chances are it's hurting their sales-because their competitors get it and they are engaging with their consumers on a daily basis."
While the rise of social media has created a new set of demands for today's
businesses (increased engagement, more informed consumers, new marketing
channels), it has also provided untold opportunities for those willing to embrace
"THE BEAUTIFUL THING
them; from creating distinct brand idenABOUT DIGITAL AND
tities, to interacting with consumers, to
SOCIAL IS THAT EVERY
showing off new products, social technolRETAILER CAN CHART
ogies can be utilized by businesses of all
THEIR OWN VERY SPECIFIC
shapes and sizes, in ways that are limited
COURSE. I THINK IT'S A
only by the scope of their imagination.
GREAT EQUALIZER. IT
"The beautiful thing about digital and
GIVES A LOCAL RETAILER
social is that every retailer can chart
THE CHANCE TO HIT THE
their own very specific course," says
SAME TYPE OF MARKET AS
Mitch Joel, self-styled "Media Hacker"
THE BIGGEST BRANDS IN
and President of global Digital MarketTHE WORLD."
ing Agency Mirum. "One might decide

- MITCH JOEL
to use Facebook in the way they might
Mirum
have once used flyers in a shopping centre. Another might use it solely for customer service. Some might use it to demo new products. I think it's a great
equalizer. It gives a local retailer the chance to hit the same type of market as
the biggest brands in the world."

Engaging on all channels

For retailers who have yet to take the plunge, there has never been a better
time to bring their business into the social sphere. According to a 2016 survey by Insights West, seven out of ten Canadians are now plugged into social
media, with engagement at its highest in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa. And
of those users, according to a 2016 study by Forrester, 62 per cent are already
talking about products and services online, while more than 80 per cent are
reading what others have written.
When compared with legacy advertising, the benefits of social media marketing speak for themselves; lower cost, increased flexibility, and the ability to
capture different markets - not to mention customer insights and customization
that can boggle the mind.

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