As an accessible avenue, social media elevates the connection between your customers and your retail brand. Interactions reach a personable level, and breaks boundaries that traditional advertising can’t quite do. A social media manager is the one responsible for creating and managing engaging posts and campaigns. Finding good retail social media managers not only give your brand a fresh look but it gives a pathway to let leads and sales flow seamlessly. Your brand’s online presence solely relies on the expertise of retail social media managers.
Social media managers wear many hats as the face of your digital presence. While social media content is the name of the game, their role has evolved over the years. Social media became the extension of customer service, a digital storefront, that showcases the industry’s expertise. The role of retail social media managers becomes crucial in the success of any and all retailers. They can enhance not just your social media presence, but they can also improve your brand’s identity. In finding retail social media managers, you should keep in mind of their knowledge on retail and is active in social media to be able to flexibly manage your brand in different platforms.
Shaping your Online Brand Identity
Engagements, content, and interactions define your company’s online brand identity. At the forefront of it all is your social media manager. They offer a unique internet-focused perspective when shaping and displaying your brand online.
Parts of keyword marketing and traditional advertising do not transfer well for social media marketing. Social media is all about fast-paced engagement and eye-catching content that keeps up with the trends. Since social media revolves around customer feedback, User-Generated Content (UGC) plays a pivotal role in content creation. It’s an innovative tool to not only gauge social perception but leverage user feedback.
How Social Media Managers Shape your Online Identity
Content Creation. As far as social media management goes, content creation is the staple. Good social media managers know how to generate timely content that boost engagement and expands a brands’ reach. They should know how to use authentic UGC or prompt posts to drive UGC creation.
Influencer Marketing. “Influencers” are individuals who have garnered a community – or a “following” – online. To propel community awareness, retail brands partner with influencers to promote products to their followers. Often, brands look for influencers who cater to a certain niche, which means researching influencers and their audience is essential. Influencers can also enhance your brand’s overall presence in social media. They can also adapt to your brand’s identity to be able to further resonate with your customer base.
Feedback Reviews. Social media managers have direct access to customer communication. Customers often post feedback on your products or even comment on your posts. It’s the manager’s responsibility to acknowledge user testimonials and be the voice of your brand.
Trend Analysis. Social media managers should also know how to leverage social media trends. From hashtags to challenges, your manager should know how to keep up with and apply trends that expand your reach. They should also have an eye on what most internet users consume on the daily.
Omni-Channel Identity. Not all platforms are created equally. Managing social media across multiple platforms means knowing how content is made for that specific platform. While short-form videos are king in Tiktok, the same may not be true for Youtube. Long social media post copies do well on Linkedin, but not so much on X (formerly Twitter). While your brand identity should be consistent, content types should vary on each platforms’ features and target audiences.
Social Media as a Social Storefront
A social storefront is an e-commerce store in an established social media platform. Essentially, social media became its own digital store, and you’re going to need someone to man it.
A fairly new mode of e-commerce, social storefronts are an effortless way to showcase your products and drive conversions. Most platforms like Instagram and Facebook feature a shopping function in their social media pages. It’s like a small website in your business’ social media page – and it’s definitely an advertising opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.
By utilising the existing features on social platforms, your social media managers enhance your online presence and sales. They are the curator of your storefront who knows how to present your business in the best light through social media. They are also in the front lines in observing the latest trends to keep your brand up to date with the interests of your customers.
Social Storefront Management
Storefront Setup. Setting up shop means familiarising yourself with how storefronts work on different platforms. From Pinterest to Tiktok to Instagram, they won’t all have the same user processes for their storefront features. Your social media managers’ first step would be to keep up to date with not only the new platforms, but with emerging trends and features for every one of them.
Update and integrate. Your social storefront acts as an extension to your existing e-commerce platform. Whatever you add or change on your online store should also appear on your social storefront. Be sure to regularly update one to reflect the other.
Content to Checkout Pipeline. A social storefront offers a seamless customer journey from building awareness to conversion. It enables your audience to discover, explore, and buy your product within the same platform. The social media managers’ responsibility is to pave the way for purchase through informative and eye-catching content.
Retail Social Media Managers Enhance Customer Service Experience
Customers are turning to Facebook or X (formerly, Twitter) to write and read service feedback. This is why most businesses have leveraged social media to connect better with customers – and why wouldn’t they? Head of Social Media at Klaviyo, Azad Yakatali, considers social media as the “most accessible touchpoint for consumers.” He states that it has become the call centre, suggestion box, and customer service desk for brands.
To truly stand out in your industry, your social media interactions should reflect the same expertise that you provide. Luckily, specialised roles are the bread and butter of offshoring experts. Through offshoring services, retailers can connect with a team that specialises in that sweet-spot between industry expertise and social media creativity. You should also keep in mind of how your social media manager would interact with your customers.
What is Considered Good Social Media Customer Service?
Salesforce recently published the 6th edition of their State of the Connected Customer Report. There, customers detailed what they consider to be proper customer service – most of which can be achieved through an offshore social media manager:
Proactive Response. 53% of consumers expect businesses to anticipate their needs. As soon as a review hits socials, customers now expect businesses to provide support without filing an initial complaint.
The Human Touch. Customers do not mind automation for good support. However, 81% of customers want a human in the loop to validate the output of automated assistance. They also want to be able to express their inquiries and complaints in an instant.
Cross-Channel Support. A huge struggle in social media CS is the disconnection between multiple channels. In fact, 79% of customers expect seamless interactions across all channels and representatives they interact with. A great social media manager knows how to integrate customer service efforts across multiple social channels.
88% of customers say that good customer service gives them more cause to purchase again. Some could see it as a challenge to keep up with the evolving nature of customer support. But, it’s ultimately a unique opportunity to understand your consumers and weave a better customer experience.
Level Up Your Social Media through Offshoring a Retail Social Media Manager
Today, small and large retail brands acknowledge the power of a specialised social media presence and the cost-saving perks of offshoring. You’ll have the benefit of a social media manager who caters to your niche at a better cost. Working with a global team also expands and diversifies your teams’ perspective when it comes to content creation. Contact HGS today and we’ll get you set up with offshore social media managers who will work with you in enhancing your online brand.
Citations:
HGS Offshore Staffing Solutions. “The Social Media Marketer’s Guide to Good Content.” HGS OSS, 29 Sept. 2023, hgsoss.com/newsroom/the-social-media-marketers-guide-to-good-content/
Beveridge, Claire. “User-Generated Content (UGC): What It Is + Why It Matters.” Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard, 26 Mar. 2024, blog.hootsuite.com/user-generated-content-ugc/
Emplifi. “What Is a Social Storefront — and Why Do You Need One?” Emplifi, 19 Sept. 2018, emplifi.io/resources/blog/what-is-a-social-storefront-and-why-do-you-need-one?utm_source=pixlee.com
Smith, Aubree. “How Customer Relationship Marketing on Social Media Drives Revenue.” Sprout Social, 30 Oct. 2023, sproutsocial.com/insights/customer-relationship-marketing/
Salesforce. “State of the Connected Customer Report.” Salesforce, www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
