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DQ News: Top 5 Retail Facebook Strategies

According to the website Realfresh.tv, ASOS is the fastest growing online retailer in the UK.  And guess what?  ASOS is adding fans to its Facebook presence at the staggering rate of 280,000 a month.  With a reported 750 million users, Facebook seems like the obvious way to grab some attention, some likes, some fans.  It seems odd, then, that according to the Internet Retailer Top 500, 105 of those retailers have yet to make a Facebook page.

The Best Strategies for Retailers

A Facebook page (or profile) is part of the modern retail world.  Like advertising in places where most people go, it makes sense for a business to be on Facebook, where most people do their online socializing.  As the social networking site changes, so it seems to cater more and more to putting people who want to buy, in the same room as people who have something to sell.  Businesses call their online presence a “digital engagement strategy”.   This might sound cold and calculating, and it is if handled badly.

The best strategies for retailers on Facebook revolve around understanding how Facebook works, and that people do not go there to shop.  They go there to socialize.  So what are the top 5 strategies?

1. Socialize

Facebook is heading toward commerce – some people call it f-commerce to differentiate it from old-fashioned e-commerce.  There are retail apps, for instance, and retail storefronts coming. Facebook, however, built its reputation on social networking, and with the introduction of the rival Google plus, users will migrate to other sites if retailers simply use the platform as a means to sell.  So retailers should engage people with status updates that are fun and entertaining.  People respond well to quotes and humor.  They respond well to questions too.  A good strategy is not to simply inform the world that you are now selling green widgets, but to ask the community if the color of the widgets you buy says something about you? Facebook is about making friends, even friends who have something to sell.  Social content is not there for people to read, but to discuss.

2. Use Tags

Tags are a method of linking to someone else of Facebook.  If you have an announcement to make, you can make it on your page and everyone who is a friend of your page will see it.  If you use the name of another company or person in your announcement, you can “tag” them.  Your announcement now gets printed on their wall too, giving your announcement an audience that you would otherwise have missed.  It is a promotional feature which is often overlooked.

3. Slow and Steady

The amount of information that any one Facebook user can handle is finite.  People collect a large number of “friends” on Facebook, and are notified of any status updates that these people write.  Facebook tries to filter this information to give users the broadest feel for what their friends are doing.  If you post updates too quickly, it is likely that the friends of your retail operation will see only one of your posts.  Posting your updates with only a few minutes in between is a bad strategy.  Posting infrequently also gives the appearance of an inactive business.

4. Customize

Facebook allows some degree of design creativity with your landing page.  Facebook Markup Language (FBML) is a way to create a landing page that helps to build your brand recognition.  Get your company colors and logos on your customized landing page to let people know who you are quickly and easily.

5. Make Pages for your Products

Facebook likes to make everything connected.  It doesn’t like information that it doesn’t understand.  If you make a page for your green widget on Facebook, then you have the power to control the content of that page.  If you don’t make a page for your green widget, then Facebook will do it.  That’s called a Community page and you have no control over what goes in there.  Making pages for your products on Facebook is a key ingredient in your digital engagement strategy.  It could also be said that not using the term “digital engagement strategy” is a good strategy to have on what is, basically, a place where friends hang out.

About the Author: This post was brought to you by Cashier Live. Cashier Live is a web based POS software that assists in running an efficient store. Cashier Live gives you the tools to better manage inventory, cut costs, & concentrate on the customers & products that really drive sales. From software to POS hardware, Cashier Live can help any small business set up a new POS system. Try Cashier Live’s POS software free for a 30 day trial today!

Photo Credit: benstein

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5 Practical Tips for Getting More from Facebook

5 Practical Tips for Getting More from Facebook

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