How We Elevate Retail Clients through Social Media Marketing

Social media offers so many benefits to retail marketing (especially food and beverage/hospitality) that it’s hard to imagine a modern restaurant, hotel, boutique or even chain store without a robust social media presence.

Keeping customers engaged and excited to return to your business for months and even years on end may sound unrealistic. Still, social media has not only made it happen but also increased its relevance with the advent of influencer marketing—especially for retail and hospitality.

People tend to do two things when weighing many options:  a) remember the businesses with the most resonant branding and b) turn to the recommendations of those they trust—in lieu of friends/family, they turn to content creators on social media.

Retail Branding for Resonance

Branding for competitive markets like retail, food service, and hospitality hinges on successfully:

• Sharing that story in the right channels

• Telling a good brand story

Gone are the days when a restaurant, hotel, or service provider could generate enough business on word-of-mouth reputation and a few billboards around town. Modern customers spend their time and money on brands they want to associate with—those whose stories resonate.

How does a restaurant or hotel tell a good story? The human faces and history behind how a business came to be is a great place to start. Crafting and communicating an organization’s “why” is the secret to differentiating a brand and attracting customers who will return and recommend your brand to others.

Using this “why” to relate to current specials, products, or events puts the story element into every aspect of your business and opens up creative avenues for differentiating yourself further.

Real-World Example

Summit Club of Tulsa (The Summit) came to Leadline wanting to increase club usage among their members. We built a strategy around replicating the “in-person” club experience on social media—publishing high-quality content highlighting weekly events and menus to create an “I don’t want to miss that” feeling in followers.

Leadline established four content pillars around lifestyle, club events, food & beverage, and club history to immediately improve social media engagement and increase club attendance, reservations and event booking as a longer-term goal. We published curated content to their social media accounts three times a week, balancing the four content pillars.

The Summit’s immediate and long-term goals were achieved so successfully that our client invested in their long-term social media marketing and continues to build on our successful strategy.

The Power of Influencers and Reviews

As mentioned above, resonant branding will get you noticed, but the recommendations/reviews of real people are what bring in new customers and make them advocates for your business.

This is why social media marketing, influencer marketing, search engine optimization, and attention to Google business reviews are all tried-and-true tactics we usually include in a marketing strategy for retail clients. We’ve all asked a knowledgeable friend or family member to recommend spots to visit in a new city—if they don’t know, Google business reviews or the recommendation of a content creator we trust are the next best thing.

Influencer marketing is so effective because an influencer’s own niche or brand acts as an audience filter for marketers. The influencer already has an engaged audience of specific demographics and tastes; if they publish content framing your business or service as a great experience, expect a noticeable uptick in business.

For real-world examples of Leadline’s success with influencer marketing, check this blog or contact us today to see how we can tell your brand story online.