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How to Make Your Facebook Postings POP!

One of the ‘shops that POP! stores featured in my namesake book is Godfrey’s – Welcome to Dogdom, a pet lifestyle store.  Godfrey’s owner had a concept for a seasonal Fall marketing promotion to include a Facebook post. The idea was to showcase its selection of fall-themed pet products and this message:

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It’s the Fall season and leaves are floating by! That means some of us are out walking our dogs when it’s dark outside. Stop by to see new products we have to help your dog be seen in the dark to make play and walk time safer!

I loved the Fall-themed marketing concept, since every retailer should make the most of their unique seasonal opportunities.  For pet owners the fall brings special challenges as the days get shorter.  But as for the post, I felt it was good, but not great – it didn’t POP!

This is where I think it missed the mark:  It led with the change of season, not specifically what that means for the dog owner, which is danger for you and your pet.  The picture emphasized the season, but nothing in the picture said ‘come to the store and get products to make your dog safer this fall.’  No specific safety product was spotlighted.  Nothing but the wreath stood out in that shot, and what does a fall wreath have to do with selling dog safety accessories?  Nada!

Here is my do over to make the Facebook posting POP!

 

Lighted & Reflective Dog Gear: Essential NOW for Safety! It’s Fall. That means the days are shorter, getting light later and dark sooner. It’s essential that your pet be equipped with the latest lighted and reflective safety gear. Godfrey’s has what you need for your dog to be seen at play and on a walk. Stop by for the most up-to-date pet safety gear. Bring your pet along and get a free doggy treat. At Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom, dog is family!

The makeover brings the specific need – dog safety – to the fore.  It presents Godfrey’s not only as the solution for the need, but it also calls people’s attention to a critical seasonal problem that they may well have overlooked or ignored.

It provides a meaningful call to action – stop by to get your dog the most up-to-date, cutting-edge safety gear and if you bring your pooch along, it gets a treat.

The original text didn’t once mention the store’s name – big fail, since you need to imprint your store on the customer’s conscious and nothing does that better than repeating the name.

And this post, like every other FB posting, should end with a branding message, in this case the ‘dog is family’ tagline which is what the store is all about.

Finally to illustrate the posting, rather than the generic window display, it should show the product in action.

Make your next Facebook posting POP!

The first step is to get started.  Too many people find getting started the hardest part, but that is because they want the first draft to be perfect, which it will NEVER be.  So jot down some key ideas, key points, key messages you want to communicate in your next Facebook posting.

For example, Godfrey’s owner, Barb Emmett, views the store’s Facebook page as a place to slot different kinds of messages, some that are marketing-related and focused on customer needs, others that are personal and/or informational that promote the love and care of dogs, and others that communicate the shop’s comfortable and pet-friendly environment.

Sometimes the Facebook message can get confused if you try to combine too many goals in a single post.  Better to pick just one goal and make that focus, as in this case she has specific sales goals in mind, though she wants to convey the message in a personal way in keeping with the shops friendly environment. It is important to make sure that the specific goal is part of the first draft, in the above case to sell more pet-safety products.

Then with the posting drafted, identify what specific customer experience or need your offer will fulfill.  And make that customer need the lead in to your posting.  So while the change of season inspired the original FB draft above, the need to care for your pet’s safety is what the readers need to do.  Hence, the call out on pet safety now in the headline.

Be sure to mention your shop’s name at least once, if not more times, as appropriate.  Yes, your shop’s Facebook page has the store name, but make sure it is always part of the text as well.

Include an offer and a call to action, what you want the reader to do and how you will reward them.  Yes, sales and freebie giveaways are overused, but they do work.  Making them a limited time offer can provide some urgency to act.

Make sure there is a branding message on every posting as well.  This also is easily overlooked but adds punch to all your shop’s marketing and messaging.

And the picture that illustrates your post should include people’s faces,  not just products.  In my book, Shops that POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success, one of the essential principles highlighted is the need to imprint yourself and your store in the customers’ memories.  Using your smiling face as the model, or in the case for Godfrey’s its dog greeter, in Facebook postings is a powerful way to make a lasting impression.

Finally, write your posts with a clear idea of your goals and who you ultimately want to attract to your store.

Get more marketing inspiration from Shops that POP!

My new book, Shops that POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success, shows retailers, large and small, how to make their shop POP!  Written about and for specialty retailers, it is filled with cases studies of stores that have the POP! magic and presents hundreds of actionable ideas for retailers to put to work immediately in their stores. Shops that POP! mini

The most important thing retailers need to understand is that success today is less about WHAT they sell, and more about HOW they sell it.  Shops that POP! will inspire you to achieve extraordinary retail success.

And if you’d like my personal help to transform your store into a shop that POPs!, I’d love to hear from you.  I can assist in many ways including helping you craft more powerful and compelling marketing messages, studying your customers’ profile to map a path to find new customers you’d like to attract to your shop, or personally visiting your store and developing a customized POP! Plan for you.

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