Tag: Sommer Leigh

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Think Outside the Box: Embracing Social Platforms

Social media platforms

Believe it or not, there actually are social media platforms other than Facebook and Instagram!

Whatever social media platforms you spend your time on doesn’t necessarily reflect the same alignment as social platforms your customers spend their time on.

Read on for a list of other social media platforms to check out, and what sort of content applies.

Social Platforms

  • Pinterest: Covered in an earlier post, Pinterest is the digital mood board to end all mood boards! What’s nice about this platform is users can be as engaged (following entire boards) or indifferent (repinning ideas to their boards) as they want.
  • TikTok: TikTok is easily the hottest social platform right now, and some of it may have to do with TikTok’s advanced algorithm. And what makes it so great? Essentially the algorithm does the hard work of putting your content in front of the right audiences.
  • YouTube: Everyone knows what YouTube is, but this platform has the second most users (after Facebook) for a reason. YouTube is a great place to organize long-form videos of recorded Zoom calls, how-to videos, or livestreamed Q&As.
  • Reddit: If your customers prefer text to visuals, Reddit is the place for them. You may be thinking none of your customers prefer text to visuals, but when it comes to AMAs (Ask Me Anythings), Reddit is a great way to consolidate those.
  • Spotify: Last but not least, companies have been getting incredibly creative with sharing music. If music is a big part of your life, consider sharing the playlists you create for the store and/or classes in your newsletter.

Inspiration for this post came from “Embracing Social Media Platforms,” by Sommer Leigh published in the February 2022 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. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Livestreaming: Part Three

Livestreaming

In the final part of our livestreaming triology, we cover the housekeeping pieces: best practices, promoting, and all of your livestreaming options.

Best Practices and Promotion

For best practices we’ll keep it short and sweet:

  1. Prep your materials and setup before you go live.
  2. Include a promo code during your livestream to further entice viewers to shop your product.
  3. Include links to the products highlighted to the archived version of your livestream.

As for promotion, think about the build up prior to the event. Include “sneak peaks” in your story, and ask your followers to vote on options they want to see.

Livestreaming options

Many platforms offer livestreaming capabilities, so we included a list and description for each to help you determine which is the best for you.

  • Zoom: Two years into the pandemic people are very comfortable using Zoom. This could be a great option to start practicing livestreams.
  • Instagram: You’re likely pretty familiar with Instagram live videos. Know you can split screens with other accounts, simplifying the livestream work load.
  • Facebook: Livestreaming on Facebook shows up as videos in follower’s timelines. You can also archive the livestream to your page as a recorded video.
  • Twitch: Although this platform originally began for gamers, Twitch is a livestream-only service. As the platform grows so does the types of content so this might be a good place to grow your audience.
  • Amazon Live Creator: Only look into this option if Amazon is a major source of sales for your shop.

Inspiration for this post came from “Connect Through Livestreaming” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2021 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

AQR Academy Live!

One last thing before we go—AQR Academy is going LIVE for three days! The event runs April 19 through the 22nd just outside Des Moines, Iowa. Registration is $250 and you can find all of the details including a full schedule, meals, and lodging at the event link here.

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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Livestreaming: Part Two

Livestreaming

To continue our series on livestreaming, this week we’ll cover how to structure your livestream as well as ideas on what to livestream about.

How to Structure

Livestreaming is much like organizing a dinner party; the atmosphere changes depending how many people show up!

If one person shows up, the livestream will feel more like a meeting. If many attend it can turn into a classroom. Or, if it’s your most devoted followers, it will feel more like an intimate gathering.

Plan for one hour to get the best engagement, and be sure to plan accordingly. For instance, if you have a 30 minute interview scheduled, include 15 minutes of talking points prepared before and after the interview.

When you go lives, use the first few minutes to chat with your viewers so you can get used to the speed of comments coming in. If there aren’t any comments, run through an outline of what the livestream will entail. You don’t want to jump into things too quickly as you’ll likely have to repeat yourself as more attendees join.

Ways to Use Livestreaming

When it comes to livestreaming, there are many ideas! Check out this list for ideas and tips:

  • Launch a new product: This is a great option for shoppers interested in a first look of your product.
  • Q&A: Be prepared for down time in this one! Have stories or talking points on hand for when questions are slow coming in.
  • Interview: This is a great option if you’re uncomfortable being on camera the entire time. Plus you’ll get a variety of styles and personality types.
  • Teach a new skill: Publisher Heidi Kaisand’s quilt shop, Hens and Chicks Studio, goes live every Tuesday afternoon to show a new project or technique.
  • Chat and craft: Tik Tok-ers do this best. Set up your camera to focus on what you’re making. If you like to talk while you craft, then this is the best option for you.
  • Go behind the scenes: This is the best for promoting events. Show people how the sausage is made when decorating your shop or making treats.

Next week we’ll cover best practices, promotion, and livestreaming options. Inspiration for this post came from “Connect Through Livestreaming” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2021 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

Even though it’s two months away, it’s not too early to register for AQR Academy: The Buzz – Spring Fling held virtually on April 7 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Door prizes are available and the day will be packed with product videos! Don’t worry if you can’t make it, but still be sure to register to get access to the recording after the event.

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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Livestreaming: Part One

livestreaming

In this next series, we’ll cover everything you need to know about livestreaming. In Part One specifically, we’ll go over what livestreaming is and tips to increase engagement.

What is Livestreaming?

According to Wikipedia, livestreaming is media that is simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time over the internet. Additionally, 80% of livestream viewers prefer to watch a livestream than read a social media or blog post.

So, why should you do it? Essentially, livestreaming is a great option to connect retailers to shoppers. Multiple social platforms have livestreaming capabilities and the popularity continues to grow. Since livestreams are shown in real time, you can get information out quickly, and the preparation doesn’t take much more than recording a normal video.

Tips to Increase Engagement

Check out these tips to help you increase engagement on your first livestream:

  • Offer a live Q&A: This incentivizes your viewers to come with questions ready and interact throughout the stream.
  • Promote: Promote early to get your followers excited and ready to tune in.
  • Look professional: Investing in a camera mount or tripod will go a long way!
  • Share the replay: Post the livestream on your social for anyone who missed out.
  • Ask for feedback: This is another option for two-sided engagement. Ask if your followers if they can hear you or if they want more information.
  • Send reminders: Create more excitement by posting frequent reminders the day of.
  • Offer a next step: Have a goal for the livestream. This can be to get more followers to your social platforms (or to your store too of course).

And speaking of real time engagement, don’t forget to register for our AQR Academy All Access Membership. By registering before next Tuesday, you can save $120 and have access to an entire year’s worth of networking and educational opportunities.

Inspiration for this post came from “Connect Through Livestreaming” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2021 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. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Omnichannel Marketing as a Quilt Retailer

Omnichannel Marketing

Continuing our series on tech savvy-ness, we thought we’d take a deep dive into omnichannel marketing. In this article, you’ll learn about this new marketing tactic and how your business can benefit.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel

There are many differences between omnichannel marketing and multichannel marekting. Firstly, multichannel marketing casts as large of a net as possible to get customers. In comparison, omnichannel marketing caters to the customer. For example, omnichannel marketing’s goal is to create the most seamless shopping experince for the customer across all platforms.

This means that regardless if you have a customer walk into your store, stumble across your products on Instagram, comment on your Facebook page, or any of the other ways a customer can manage to contact you, you deliver the same quality service.

Moreover, the thought behind omnichannel marketing is novel. Essentially the thinking is you already have the customer, and you are guiding that customer through the most seamless shopping experience as possible. Interesting stuff, right?

What are the benefits?

Businesses who do omnichannel marketing see a 91% higher increase year-over-year in customer retention compared to those who don’t. In conclusion, omnichannel marketing gives you the extra push to develop your brand and keep it consistent across all your platforms. A great place to start is by having all your links redirect back to your website across all of your social media channels. As a result, your business will see the benefits of omnichannel marekting immediately.

Inspiration for this post came from “Get Tech Savvy” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2020 issue of American Quilt Retailer. Stay tuned to get more tidbits on how to stay tech savvy in our technology solution series.

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.

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Meaningful Social Connections

Meaningful social content

It seems like more and more people these days are doing a “social media detox.”

Social media companies are even getting rid of something known as “vanity metrics.” Take Instagram, who hasn’t shown the likes on photos since 2019.

Social media can be an effective tool to establish trust with your customers. These are some ways you can create meaningful content on your platforms.

All of the social medias

Your business likely has a variety of social media accounts. If you ever wondered why you have and maintain so many, think about it as a service to your customer.

On the flip side, if all of your focus is on Twitter, but your customer base checks Facebook twice as much, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect.

Knowing what social media platforms your customer base uses and frequents can help you to organize your social media schedule.

For loyal customers who connect more frequently, think email. If you’re communicating more frequently than that, consider creating a Slack channel to stay in touch.

Creating meaningful content

Creating meaningful content will help you to stand out of the crowd. If every post feels from the outside like just another way to complete a sale, you’re making your customer feel left out. The worst case scenario may even happen; they hit the “unfollow” button.

User generated content (content created by people using your platform) is a great way to create meaning. Start by encouraging your employees to post videos or photos on their social media, and share that on your company’s pages.

Stories are also a great way to experiment with what people do and don’t want to see. Consider posting stories that do well permanently, or revamping campaigns that aren’t getting much interaction.

The world of social is always changing, and so are your customers. Viewing social media as another touchpoint to communicate with your community will show in whatever content you decide to publish.

Inspiration for this post came from “Social Media’s Changing World” by Sommer Leigh published in the June 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.