Canadian Retailer - The Marketing Issue - 44

SOCIAL MARKETING

"One of the most important things to be better on their mobile devices, because that's how most
about social media is that it's specific people access Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram. And it has to
and measurable," Haines points out, be social at its core; whatever a retailer puts into the market"especially if we're talking paid ad place as a piece of content, it has to have something built into
spends through a social channel like it that makes it easy to talk about and share."
Instagram or Facebook. You can drill
Another useful (and relatively new) addition to the marketing
into a target market based on simple mix is the use of Influencers-social media personalities with
demographics like age and gender, built-in followers who can be used to promote a brand or product.
all the way through to their specific
"It's the act of leveraging people with large social media folinterests, and tailor ad campaigns to lowings on any platform," says Tiffany Heimpel, Managing Dirthem. And you can watch it perform, ector of IZEA Canada and an Influencer herself. "It could be
and get all kinds of anaInstagram, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, and
lytics to back it up-im- "RETAILERS WHO MEAShaving them speak about your product or
pressions, clicks, likes, URE THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA
company, or their shopping experience.
shares, the list goes on PERFORMANCE BY WAY OF
They speak in their own voice, in their own
SALES ARE USUALLY GOING words, and in a unique and authentic way
and on."
Today's social media TO END UP DISAPPOINTED.
that reaches their audience. Once upon a
marketing campaigns IT'S NOT A ZERO-SUM
time, an influencer had to be a 'celebrity'.
can take on dozens of GAME. SOCIAL MEDIA WILL
Now, you could be an Influencer-even
different forms-any- BRING PEOPLE TO YOUR
with 200 or 300 followers."
thing from a Snapchat BRAND, BUT IT'S NOT JUST
Because millennials make the majority
filter, to a blog post, to A STATIC SALES TOOL."
of their purchasing decisions based on the
a Facebook page, to an
opinions of their peers (over traditional
- AMANDA HAINES
Instagram photo. And
ads), Social Influencers are playing an inReformation
while there are few
creasing part in many companies' markethard and fast rules as to what works, ing strategies; The Globe and Mail recently estimated that there
there are some things that seem to are more than 100,000 active in Canada, as part of an industry
gain more traction than others-par- that currently brings in $1 billion per year.
ticularly shareable, video content.
"There are definitely key things The Revolution Will Be Socialized
Even now, more than a decade into the rise of social media, the
that we know work," Joel explains.
"Going image-based works; any- future is far from certain. But one thing is clear: as businesses
thing in terms of photos or video, become more and more integrated, and mobile devices become
with shorter usually being better. more and more ubiquitous, retailers without a social media presWe know that it has to be mobile- ence run the risk of being left behind. And with retail in a nearfirst; those images and videos need constant state of disruption, that could be fatal. The road ahead
will require adaptation and transformation, and, as Haines puts
it, successful businesses will be ones who take the long view.
"Spoiler alert: social media posts aren't always going to translate into sales," she says. "Retailers who measure their social
media performance by way of sales are usually going to
end up disappointed. It's not a zero-sum game. Social
media will bring people to your brand, but it's not just a
static sales tool. Purchase decisions are based on more
than just seeing a pretty Instagram photo, and a lot of those
other things-like product quality and customer service outside
the social media channels-will ultimately impact the consumer and where they spend money."
Or, as Joel puts it, when it comes to the future, there's good
news and bad news.
"There are a lot of opportunities there," he concludes. "And
a lot of challenges. A lot of good, and a lot of bad. But overall,
I think it's a pretty amazing chance to create a direct relationship between a retailer and a customer. And that has a profound impact."

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CANADIAN RETAILER

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