How to use the capabilities of social networks in daily work with customers?

Digitalization has taken over every sector of the economy, including retail. In our magazine, we regularly explore new ways to communicate with customers using digital technologies, which help increase traffic, boost sales, and build a loyal customer base—in short, make the retail footwear business more efficient and profitable. It's time to create a dedicated section for such materials. In this issue, Elena Vinogradova, SR's resident expert on digital tools for fashion retailers and social media management, discusses how to leverage the power of social media in the daily work of salespeople.

Elena Vinogradova -

Elena Vinogradova, expert in purchasing and sales in the fashion business, more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry from buyer to commercial director of a retail chain of 30 stores, retail consultant, business coach, speaker at industry conferences.

https://t.me/fashionbusinessblog

So, let's talk about how you can use social networks in the daily work of the seller with customers. I identified several areas of activity involving direct participation of staff and, conversely, its exclusion from the process.

1. Stories on Instagram

The main "selling" tool on the most popular network - Instagram - is stories, short videos in 15 seconds, disappearing within 24 hours. It is their transience that attracts the attention of customers, literally tying them to your brand. Provided, of course, that the content in the stories is interesting and useful to your target audience and causes an emotional response.

If we now selectively look into the stories of most shoe companies - large federal chains, regional players or individual stores - we will see something like this:

• photo collections - catalog shooting of individual models;
• fashion photos from their own seasonal lookbooks or materials of suppliers;
• stories telling about current promotions, again in photo format;
• news, in 90% of cases - about a new arrival in the form of a photo;
• rarely - video clips;
• even less often - customer reviews;
• and it’s almost impossible to find - the real work of the store / company, including the backstage and personal themed videos from employees and business owners.

But you can run into your stories life, emotions, real people, and not just processed photos of the product. And this will significantly increase interest in your brand, loyalty and engagement of the audience and, as a result, sales!

What exactly can be done?

Involve employees in the formation of content in social networks, entrust them with “live” shootings for stories from the store - just a video.

Examples of what you can shoot:

• review of new products - show steps and trends in the collection;
• models in stocks with an emphasis on their advantages and their demonstration;
• beautiful layout, comfortable store, ready to receive a client;
• navigation - how to find you in the shopping center or on the street;
• trying on customers (this is great selling content!). Here I will make a reservation right away that it is better to ask a person for permission to take such a shot, not everyone will agree, but there are fewer of them. You can shoot without a face, only an image, a combination of clothes with shoes and a bag;
• fitting models on oneself, demonstration of fit, ease of donning;
• satisfied customers with the purchase, you can immediately ask the review to say - the most right moment;
• packing and sending online orders, if this happens in the store;
• the process of accepting a new collection;
• purchase packaging process for a customer;
• a full house in the store: a line at the box office, mass fittings, hype also sells well;
• window dressing;
• new items not related to the collection: new packaging, new uniform for staff, new design in the hall;
• funny situations throughout the day.

There are a lot of ideas, every day in retail it brings themes for content in huge quantities.

Of course, I foresee reactions in the spirit of “these are not the functions of sellers”, “they do not know how, it will turn out nonsense”, “they need to trade”, “there is no budget for an individual” and the like. But let's be honest - this is a matter of desire and organization. In the work of any, I emphasize, any store, in everyday work there is time to remove interesting moments within 2-5 minutes a day and put them in a tape. And I see such examples in the fashion industry in a variety of segments.

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Who can do this? This can be a free seller, administrator, manager, office employee, working in retail, if you practice such functionality, an SMM manager.

In mass-market stores with a huge flow, you need to think a little more how to organize the filming of such content without sacrificing trade. In the stores of the middle, premium and luxury segments, the presence of a temporary resource is obvious, since the traffic is less and the work with the client is more personal.

Important:

• choose an employee / several who are really interested, like who sincerely want to participate in the online promotion of the company, do not hesitate to speak and - if necessary - show yourself on camera in the work profile on the social network;
• understand that the employee who will appear on the air - voice or person - will personify the company and therefore it is impossible to appoint such a person at random;
• conduct basic training: how to shoot, how to upload, what programs are there for minimal processing of photos and videos - text overlay, filters, if necessary. How to use the light and zones of the hall, which angles are better to choose, so that, for example, when shooting a client in the process of trying on or buying, show him in the most advantageous light. It is not as difficult as it seems at first glance and, in addition to work, it can be useful to the employee in his personal life, especially if he actively uses social networks;
• develop and fix the rules: what we remove, when, how much - what is the minimum per day.

2. Mirrors in the changing rooms and the trading floor

Now let’s figure out how to use digital technologies in the seller’s work without the seller’s participation.

Despite the fact that in the clothing market there are enough examples of the use of mirrors as a means of marketing communication, in shoes, mainly, there is ignoring the capabilities of this element of commercial equipment.

What is the connection between mirror and online technology? It's simple: this is a platform for posting information that a client who has entered the fitting phase is guaranteed to see. And if we are talking about involving the buyer in digital communications with the brand, then here the possibilities are very wide.

Examples of what can be done:

1. Place on the mirror the inscription “Did not find your size? Order online ”and the website address.

2. A sticker with a QR code, pointing the phone at which you can send the client, depending on current goals, to:

• service satisfaction survey form;
• receiving a coupon for a second purchase or a bonus here and now;
• Subscription to social networks of the company.

3. Place a thematic hashtag on the mirror, an Instagram icon, for example, and a call to participate in the action. “Take a picture in Top Shoes shoes, upload a photo with the hashtag # my favorite TopShoes couple in your profile and stories - and participate in the drawing of the couple as a gift.”

4. A call to subscribe to the brand’s social networks and get something in return. Yes, even just to subscribe - through the sticker on your Instagram card to speed up the process - it will already be much better than nothing!

Summarizing the topic of the article: the use of digital technologies in everyday work is already a reality. And it is absolutely affordable, does not require expensive solutions and lengthy preparation. It is enough to look at examples of a couple of brands (not necessarily from the shoe industry) for which this has already been implemented, and just start doing it. Step by step, every day. And since success is determined by action, we sincerely wish you success in using the tools from this article in your business.