“Is your social media strategy working for your brand?”

We all know that social media marketing is a force that one cannot ignore. The new media requires a new strategy and mindset to leverage it.

Loser’s mindset

The most common mindset in today’s retail companies pertaining to social media is to hire a social media resource (headcount) to their existing marketing team & this would get them to top of mind recall in their targeted customer’s minds.

Few premises for the above belief in many retail companies:

1. Social media is easy to handle and does not require great efforts nor any specialized skillset resource.
2. Putting posts about their services and offers is all they mean with “content”. Flashy artworks, offers/promotions, and beautiful product shots are all they know about content management.
3. They fail to identify, social media channels as a source of revenue and customer engagement.

Basically there is a lack of strategy to handle this new form of media.

With the popularity of Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and messenger apps have fundamentally changed how retailers interact with consumers online.

Simply posting photos or updates to a branded social profile won’t cut it anymore.

Need some Strategy for reconsidering your social media?

Here are a few retailers that have winning social media strategies:

Case 1: Birchbox

Birchbox uses Facebook Live to share great content and engage with fans. The cosmetics brand regularly runs Facebook Live videos in which members of the company share news, give away prizes, and answer questions.

According to MarketingDive, Birchbox’s top-performing stream “lasted 40 minutes and had an average view time of 10 minutes among the nearly 50,000 viewers who participated live.”

Strategy delivering result:

Birchbox sees the live video as a two-way street. It helps Birchbox engage with target audiences in real-time, but it also allows consumers to interact with the brand. The retailer approaches live streams as Q&A opportunities with audiences where Birchbox can market the products included in their monthly subscription boxes and educate audiences about the brand.

While some Middle Eastern retailers might still be wondering whether to consider live video as part of their strategy, Birchbox (the online beauty retailer) has been bullish from the start and is an early adopter of Facebook’s new live video feature.

Case 2: Born Originals

German fashion brand Born Originals has a large and engaged Instagram following.

For the benefit of my readers, Born Originals creates customized sneakers and leather goods.

Born Originals also makes good use of Instagram Stories. Their account is filled with gorgeous photos from the company and their customers alike.

I hope my article would help in giving directions to business owners and retailers in the Middle Eastern region & would force them to think differently and innovatively with their existing businesses.

Learn how food delivery apps like swiggy, zomato makes their money, click here. 

You may reach me on riteshmohan@yahoo.com

About the author:

Ritesh Mohan is a passionate retail professional with over 20 years in the retail sector, handling some of the biggest brands in beauty, fashion and fragrances retail & FMCG sector. He has been instrumental in the growth of some of the regional brands as well in the Middle East region. He specializes in Retail management, Product development, Brand management, Retail Operations, Sales Management, Business Management & Empowering business owners with his wisdom & experience of around two decades in the industry.