Retail Marketing Tip
Tip #368 - Converting Customers to Fans
In Tip #366 we told you how to set up your personal Facebook profile and then create a Facebook "Fan Page" for your retail business. That way you can keep your business fans separate from your personal friends. You really don't need your customers reading posts from old high school friends reminding you about the crazy things you did when you were eighteen!
This week's retail Tip is a four-step process for turning your customers into Facebook Fans.
Step One: In your next email newsletter invite your customers to visit your Facebook page and become a Fan. Be sure to include a link directly to your page.
Step Two: As added incentive, hold a special Facebook contest and offer a shopping spree or give away a big prize to a random winner when your Fan count reaches a certain level. For example you might give away a $250 shopping spree when your fan count reaches 500.
Step Three: Encourage your customers to tell their friends about your Fan page and the contest. Remind them that the faster you get to your Fan goal, the faster the prize is awarded! There will be naturally occurring growth, too, because when a customer fans your page all their friends see it. Some of them will visit your page, like what they see, and "Fan" you too.
Step Four: Repeat! You'll have to ask more than one time and remind them of the contest more than one time for the majority of your customers to Fan you. Keep asking until you hit your Fan goal and give away the prize. This is a key concept for all your marketing efforts - once is never enough.
Why bother? Just read this email from Karla Schikore who owns Haus Fortuna, a store in Petaluma, CA that specializes in Italian goods...
Howdy! Just thought Id give you an update on Facebook...
It was my top goal from the Retail Success Summit. I got my Fan page up on the Wednesday I returned, launched it to my customer list on Thursday, and by Saturday had over 100 fans, and TESTIMONIALS!
What I found so intriguing is that I didn't have to ask a single customer for the testimonial and there they were! I have about 60 I would guess.
The other fun fact is that yesterday we had 3 people come into the store, who had never been, and visited because of their friends recommending us on their Facebook page. I know this is only the beginning, but wow, what an amazing quick response. The concern I had as to whether my customer base was the right demographic (using Facebook) was certainly not a problem.
We are telling everyone who comes into the store about our Facebook page and have had an amazingly positive response, and really fast. Probably the fastest response I have ever seen.
Thanks for making this part of the Summit last week. The boost it has given my staff, too, is simply incredible!
New customers, fast and free. Amazing unsolicited testimonials. Social proof that her store is worth visiting. Boosted employee morale. I'd say that was definitely worth the small amount of effort it took to get her Fan page up and going. Way to go, Karla.
If you want to visit Karla's Fan page to see what she's doing, you can find it here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaluma-CA/Haus-Fortuna/215721065505
And while you are on Facebook, go check out the WhizBang! Training page and become a Fan!
www.facebook.com/WhizBangTraining
Oh, and by the way... we're running an awesome contest...
When we hit 1000 Fans we are going to give ALL our Fans a special little gift (it'll be good!) and one lucky Fan chosen at random will win FOURS HOURS of personal, one-on-one consultation with WhizBang! Training. The winner will get a:
One hour marketing makeover with Bob
One hour inventory management consultation with Susan
One hour website review or social media strategy session with Natalie and
One hour teleseminar for your whole staff on telephone skills (or other customer service topic)
You can't buy this package and we rarely do one-on-one coaching, so be sure to Fan us! Tell all your retail friends (local or in your industry) to Fan us too. The faster we reach 1000 fans, the faster you'll get your free gift and possibly win this amazing package. It could be worth tens of thousands of dollars to your store!
