Tag: content

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Unlocking Social Media Success: Content Ideas

social media content

Last week, we delved into the process of creating a social media calendar. This week, we’re taking it a step further by providing you with exciting content ideas to fuel your social media presence. Let’s dive into the world of engaging content that will captivate your audience.

For more insights on how to create an effective social media calendar, be sure to check out our previous blog post, “Manage Social Media With a Calendar.”

The 5 E’s of Content

To bring order to the chaos, let’s begin by organizing our approach. The 5 E’s of Content offer a fantastic framework for small business owners to leverage:

  1. Education: Start by sharing valuable content that educates and informs your audience.
  2. Entertainment: Tap into the power of humor and share amusing memes and content that resonates with your audience.
  3. Engagement: Encourage interaction by using polls, calls to action, and other methods to engage your audience.
  4. Exchange: Collaborate with fellow small business owners to expand your reach and connect with a broader audience.
  5. Emotion: Craft compelling stories that evoke emotions and allow your audience to connect with you on a personal level.

Getting Started

Need some inspiration to kickstart your content creation? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

  • Transformations: Showcase before-and-after photos of crafts or projects that highlight your brand’s unique offerings.
  • Pick-me-up: Share what inspires you to keep going and spread positivity among your followers.
  • Advice: Offer relevant tips and insights that can also be used as part of a simple campaign to engage your audience.
  • Call to action: Include a sale code or special offer in your social media posts and track its success to evaluate its effectiveness.
  • Quotes: Share impactful quotes that have made you pause and reflect, inspiring your audience in the process.
  • Share influencer content: Curate content from influencers who align with your brand’s values and aesthetics.
  • Support a cause: Advocate for a cause you believe in and encourage your followers to contribute as well.
  • Run a contest: Engage your audience with contests that may not always result in immediate sales but can help grow your follower base.
  • Host an AMA (ask me anything): Conduct Q&A sessions to share your expertise and provide insights into your industry.
  • Social media takeover: Collaborate with influential individuals or brands for exposure and cross-promotion.
  • Create short-form video clips: Experiment with engaging video formats like glitter video filters to showcase your products.
  • Share a milestone: Celebrate your achievements and share your success stories when you hit significant milestones.

We hope these content ideas energize your social media strategy and engage your audience. Happy content creation!

Inspiration for this post comes from “Take the Guesswork out of Social Media Planning” by Tracy Walker published in the April 2023 issue of Creative Retailer.

If you found this blog post helpful in managing your retail business, we invite you to subscribe to Creative Retailer for more valuable information and guidance. Already a subscriber? Join our Facebook group, where industry specialists like yourself share insights and engage in meaningful dialogue. Additionally, if you prefer a specific topic or want to explore our previous articles, you can always purchase single issues of Creative Retailer to access the content that interests you most.

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Manage Social Media with a Calendar

social media calendar

As a business owner, staying on top of social media can sometimes feel overwhelming. In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of effectively managing your social media presence with the help of a social media calendar.

Benefits of a social media calendar

  1. Strategic Planning: A social media calendar serves as a strategic and detailed plan for your upcoming posts. It ensures that you have a clear overview of what content will be shared, including important information such as the social channel and optimal posting times.
  2. Time-Saving and Consistency: By organizing your social media content in advance, a calendar saves you time and effort. It allows you to schedule posts in advance, ensuring a consistent presence across your social channels.

Conducting a social media audit

Before diving into planning your future posts, it’s essential to conduct a social media audit to gain valuable insights into your past content. Here are key aspects to focus on during your audit:

  1. Assess Metrics: Analyze the metrics of each social media account to define success criteria. Pay attention to engagement levels, reach, and conversion rates. This analysis will help you understand what’s been working and what needs improvement.
  2. Evaluate High and Low Performers: Identify your highest and lowest performing posts and campaigns. By understanding what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t, you can refine your content strategy moving forward.
  3. Define Your Target Audience: Review your existing followers and target audience. Understand their demographics, interests, and preferences. This information will guide your content creation and help you tailor your messages to appeal to your audience.
  4. Identify Areas for Improvement: Based on the audit findings, identify areas where you can improve your social media presence. This could include refining your content strategy, exploring new platforms, or engaging with your audience more effectively.

In our next blog post, we will dive deeper into the different types of content you can consider for your social media strategy. Stay tuned for valuable insights and ideas to enhance your social media presence.

If you found this blog post helpful in managing your retail business, we invite you to subscribe to Creative Retailer for more valuable information and guidance. Already a subscriber? Join our Facebook group, where industry specialists like yourself share insights and engage in meaningful dialogue. Additionally, if you prefer a specific topic or want to explore our previous articles, you can always purchase single issues of Creative Retailer to access the content that interests you most.

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Part Two: Creating a Social Media Strategy

social media strategy

Social media strategy consists of three elements: content, management, and giving. Last week we covered part one, content. This week we’ll tackle the next two elements, management and giving.

Social Media Management

Once your content is live it’s important to check your metrics. But first, you’ll want to set some goals. We recommend three-month, six-month, and annual goals. These can vary including increasing your newsletter subscriptions, to having more sales on particular items, or expanding your audience. Create a spreadsheet to track how past posts are performing.

Content Strategy and Giving

The next step is to keep the conversation going. That’s what we call giving. This means interacting with your posts (responding to comments, following other businesses, and commenting on other people’s content).

If any of these pieces seem too much for one person, remember you can pull in help from your team. You can also save time by grouping all of these into different chunks. One chunk to batch edit photos, another to interact with content, and so on.

Inspiration for this post comes from “Develop a Social Media Strategy” by Anneliese Johnson, account manager for Stitchcraft Marketing, and published in the December 2022 issue of Creative Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

If you still can’t get enough, register for the Creative Retailer LIVE Spring 2023 event May 2-4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma for opportunities to learn from peers and network with industry professionals.

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Creating a Social Media Strategy

social media strategy

Since 2020, quilters are spending 30% more of their time online. Follow these tips to tackle the seemingly daunting task of social media.

Social Media Strategy

Social media consists of three elements: content, management, and giving. Over the next three weeks, we’ll tackle each one; starting with content.

First, you need to plan your content instead of posting on the fly. At the beginning of every month, brainstorm ideas. To get ideas, start with checking last month’s schedule. Then think of what you’ve seen other businesses post.

Did you know you can schedule your social media posts? Once you have the ideas, take the photos (in one session, preferably at the beginning of each week), write the content, and upload into a social media scheduler. Many schedulers show the time your customers are most active so you can plan your posts around the same time.

If this still seems like a lot, check out the free Time Management Outline available at Creative Retailer to help get you started.

Inspiration for this post comes from “Develop a Social Media Strategy” by Anneliese Johnson, account manager for Stitchcraft Marketing, and published in the December 2022 issue of Creative Retailer.

Creative Retailer Roundtable

Join Publisher and shop owner Heidi Kaisand this Thursday, January 26th at 3:30 p.m. CST for a personal, hands-on roundtable.

Each month, retailers will celebrate wins and tackle topics through a presentation and discussion. Each session will conclude with any challenges you’ve experienced to be discussed with the group.

Register here or email info@creativeretailer.com to be added to the group. You can also email info@creativereatiler.com to register for all 12 sessions and pay as you go.

If you’re unsure if this is for you, schedule a consultation with Heidi.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

If you still can’t get enough, register for the Creative Retailer LIVE Spring 2023 event May 2-4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma for opportunities to learn from peers and network with industry professionals.

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Happy Holidays from AQR

Happy holidays

Happy Holidays from your friends at Creative Retailer! We hope the past year had more in store (literally and figuratively) than you hoped. As we look to 2023 we wanted to reflect on the past year.

Reflecting on 2022

  • The biggest change was our rebrand to Creative Retailer, expanding to creative arts beyond the world of quilting.
  • We also had our first live, in-person event that was so successful we had to plan even more. (Speaking of, registration is open for the next LIVE event in Oklahoma this May.)
  • Quilters once again rose to the occasion to support fundraisers sending aid for the War in Ukraine.
  • We continue to provide resources to retailers across the country and globe as the fast-paced world we live in transitions to more digital content.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We’ll see you in 2023 and hope you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Small Business Guide to Blogging

blogging

Isn’t it ironic that you can read a guide to blogging from a blog? Every small business should have one—read on to find out how to start yours.

Blogging 101

The first thing to know about blogging is that your customers are your readers. So blog for them!

Second, the content you’re blogging about should be constructive. It’s easy to think of blog ideas when you think of what you’d like to know. Topics can include day-to-day problems, social media tips, display ideas, inventory management, what gets you inspired (including self-help books and self-care strategies), the list is endless really.

Third, you don’t have to write a lot, but you should post often. When it comes to blogging consistent content is more important than thorough content. Speaking of content, people are visual thinkers and learners so images are important. Believe it or not, a catchy title can go a long way as well.

Finally, get the whole team involved. Your blog will go places further than you imagined when you bring in others to help.

Executing your blog

The easiest way to stay consistent with blog posts is to plan them out. A great way to plan your content is to become inspired by customers! What questions have they been asking lately? Is there any sort of product that seems to be in higher demand?

Similar to your physical store, you should interact with your customers online. That is, if someone comments, respond!

Last but not least, analyze your readership numbers. If something doesn’t seem to be working, try something new to see if that fixes it.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Crafting Social Media Posts

Crafting social content

Social media may be time intensive but everyday it’s becoming a more essential piece of business. Check out these tips to make the process easier (and boost your sales along the way).

Writing Social Captions

Instagram allows up to 2,200 characters, but not all text will appear when customers are scrolling. An option to “read more” will appear they can click on, so make sure your most important information is at the beginning.

Also consider adding hashtags to your caption. Hashtags make it easier for new customers to view your post. Hashtags can go at the end of the caption, or in the first comment of your post.

Instagram also allows up to 30 hashtags. You don’t have to use that much, but a combination of specific and general hashtags will optimize your post for the most views.

What to Post

There’s a variety of content you can post. We separated the topics into three categories:

  • Excitement: This post is perfect for promoting events. Make sure your caption stresses why they should come, and what makes the event unique.
  • Engagement: Think of this post as having a conversation with your audience. I’m sure you’ve heard of algorithms, but what you need to know about Instagram’s algorithm is the more engagement your post has, the more your followers will see it in their feeds. You can boost engagement by liking and responding to comments.
  • Selling: Have a new product? Tag the company in your post and write a call to action in your caption such as “click the link in the bio to buy this today.”

What are you waiting for? There’s no time like the present to step up your social media game. Put your best social media foot forward with these Instagram tips.

Inspiration for this post came from IG 1, 2, 3 by Kate Colleran, Joanne Hillestad, and Kris Poor published in the February 2020 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.