Social media is being advertised as being able to power everything from cars to soft drinks to the latest fad of diet books. But can social media help a dealer sell grills? This is a great question that raises an important aspect of social media. My immediate response is that I’m not sure social media can help you sell more grills directly. It’s unlikely you’ll tweet something, sit back, and then watch sales skyrocket as a result. The process just doesn’t work that way.
What you can use social media for, however, is to engage people in conversations, increase brand awareness for your store, and increase loyalty and a sense of community. Social media also broadens the field for you to provide excellent customer service that encourages repeat business. To some, this sounds like a job with no reward. On the contrary! The payoff comes when people see you as the thought leader in your industry, the expert they turn to for advice, or the dealer they refer to family and friends who mention they’re in the market for a grill.
If I want to attract customers online, how much preparation does it take?
The biggest mistake I see distributors making is jumping onto social media without a plan. For social media to take root, you need to know who you’re talking to and what platforms they’re interacting on. This requires a bit of market research and is also trial and error. Do you have a lot of beautiful pictures of delicious food and shiny new grills that you want to put on display? Try Instagram. For barbecue recipes, outdoor inspiration, or an online store, head over to Pinterest. Thought leadership blogs are perfect for Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn. Recipes work well on Google+ and Twitter. Of course, Facebook is still a major player in the social media landscape, but you may want to set aside a budget for boosting posts and running ads.
Can you give me some quick tips on how to get rolling?
Once you’re ready to dive in, follow these tips:
1. Hire. Social media is all about asking questions and having conversations about shameless promotion. Start conversations about what types of grilling your customers prefer, their favorite tips and recipes, and the #1 tip they’d give to new grillers.
2. Consistency is key. If you have a blog, Twitter or Facebook page, regular updates are crucial. Aim to post daily to get featured in people’s feeds and stay up to date and relevant.
3. Partner up. Invite experts and guest bloggers to write for you. He offers to write for them in exchange. Find a food blogger, expert griller, chef, or local celebrity and ask them to promote your store and products through their social media channels while you do the same for them. Saber Grills recently engaged in a cross-promotional partnership with YoungHouseLove.com. The partnership was a win-win. Site owners were able to give away a Saber grill for free, while the Saber had the benefit of being introduced to a younger demographic.
4. Stay focused. Unless you hire a coordinator, you won’t have time to keep up with the many social media channels and trends available. Pick one or two that resonate with your customers and focus your energies there. Use automatic scheduling to help with time management. Clearly define your marketing goals early on to maximize results.
5. Have fun. If you see social media as a chore, try to have fun with it. Show some humor and personality! Ask yourself what kind of post/tip/discussion you’d be interested in seeing, and then post it. It is very likely that if a topic interests you, it will also interest others.
Schedule at least 20 minutes a day to spend outreach, listening, and engaging on social media. It takes time to build a following, but the more consistently you engage your audience with relevant content, the more audience you have to sell to in the end.
keep roasting,
Steal
