Getting your social media presence on point is one of the most crucial aspects of your marketing strategy in the 21st century. It’s your entryway to get broadcast straight into the hands of the vast masses of people who use platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram every day.
It’s easy to get business pages set up on any of these platforms. But once you do, how do you get eyes on them? How else can you utilize them to maximize business? And how does all this translate into physical foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar location?
We’re here to help you learn just that. Here are some tips and tricks to use your social media pages to increase your foot traffic today.
#1: Make the digital and in-store experiences mesh
In the era of COVID, as a matter of necessity, customers have increasingly moved to online shopping and patronage. As a result, many of these customers have gotten used to the ease and convenience that comes with moving their shopping experience to the remote realm. Social media has been a haven for this type of shopping, as it’s the prime place to advertise your digital business. According to Reveal Mobile, 70 percent of advertisers and marketers, and in particular small local businesses, said they were using social platforms to drive both online and in-store purchases.
In order to draw them back into physical locations, think about making that transition as seamless as possible. Take some of the lessons of the best aspects of digital shopping and apply them to your brick-and-mortar shop. Also, combine the two aspects of your business, making e-commerce and curbside or in-store pickup go hand in hand wherever possible.
#2: Keep saturation in mind
If you are running ads on social media, be aware of how crowded the market is. While ads perform well across all platforms, with about 20% of in-feed posts consisting of ads, some platforms run more than others. On TikTok, only 2.4% of posts are ads – and this is an opportunity that you should definitely take advantage of.
#3: Look to the future
Don’t just stick with tried-and-true social sites or apps like Facebook and Twitter – remember that Instagram and TikTok are on the rise, being two of the most downloaded apps last year along with Facebook.
This makes these platforms a great place to grow into to stay ahead of market trends and make yourself accessible and relevant to new, wider audiences – especially depending on the demographics you want to reach. 6 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic with Social Media
#4: Ask yourself: who’s using them?
Orienting your business to each social channel is a precise art. In order to craft an appropriate and effective social media plan for each platform, you have to know who is using it (i.e. who you are speaking to), and for what purpose.
Facebook and Instagram are both dominated primarily by millennials, with the majority of their users being between the ages of 25-34 years old. This means they are mostly young professionals with more money to spend than, say, either college students or retirees. At the same time, Instagram is frequented more often by women than men. 6 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic with Social Media
One of the reasons advertisers spend less time on TikTok is that they assume it’s only used by Gen Z – teenagers and pre-teens, meaning kids who don’t have jobs and therefore don’t have their own money to spend. While it’s true that this app is hugely popular with those demographics, in actuality they only constitute about ⅓ of TikTok’s overall user base. The other ⅔ – numbering around 88 million – are over 20. This makes them more likely employed, and potentially willing to shop with you if you reach them through that channel.
#5: Keep your mind on conversions
Another statistic might surprise you about how TikTok, as the new site in town, stacks up to longer-running institutions like Facebook. According to Adweek, 49% of TikTok users purchased a product they saw on the app. This beats Facebook’s conversion rate, at only 41%.
This goes to show how important it is not to overlook newer platforms like TikTok in building your social media marketing strategy. TikTok even has a hashtag for it: #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.
But Instagram is still the reigning champion, with 72% of its users buying products they’ve seen there.
#6: Know which is most cost-effective for you
Of course another important factor for you to take into consideration when you’re running a business is cost. Which platform is the most economical for you to use to market yourself?
Since TikTok is considered less in-demand real estate, the cost of running ads there is very low relative to other, more established sites – a $0.19 average cost-per-click as opposed to Facebook’s $0.97.
TikTok also has a lower advertising saturation because that’s part and parcel of their business model: “Don’t make ads, make TikToks.” This propels advertisers to blend their ads inconspicuously into regular TikTok media, leading to a high click-through rate and great engagement.
So again, think about who you want to market to – older professionals exclusively or also young people – and budget accordingly. If you have the capital and you think it’s a worthwhile investment, you may get a higher return on Facebook ads.
Each platform has its advantages, but what is certain is you have to make sure to diversify your social media marketing portfolio. Don’t stay in one place – don’t pigeonhole yourself. And don’t be afraid to be part of the wave that’s pioneering new terrain. We’re sure you’ll find it’s worth your effort.
