There are 45 million social media users in the UK1 so it’s a fair assumption that a lot of your customers are on social media. That’s why it’s important that your business has a presence on the key social channels so that you can advertise, connect and engage with customers.
One of the key footfall drivers into convenience stores is the coffee-to-go offer, so why not use this as a focus to promote your business and get customers through the door?
When running a busy convenience store, it can be difficult to think about how to effectively manage your social media accounts to engage your fans, so here are some social media ideas from Digital Content and Social Media Manager at Tchibo Coffee Service, Sara Lindsay.
1. First things first. What social media platforms should you be on?
The most used platform worldwide is Facebook with 64% market share2. Twitter is the second most used platform, and Instagram rapidly growing in popularity. I think these are the three to prioritise as your main business to consumer social channels. Each can offer something slightly different and being on more than one means you increase your chances of reaching people from different demographics! If you can’t manage all of them, choose the one that best fits your store and focus on doing that one well.
2. Creating your own content
Our brain is programmed to retain visual content better than words, so it’s always a good idea to post imagery as well as text updates. The best photos you can post on your social feeds are your own. You don’t need a fancy camera; we’ve all got a pretty decent one in our back pockets most of the time – use your smartphone!
Entice your customers into the store by taking photos of the delicious coffee you are serving. You should always present the best possible image of your store, so ensure the coffee machine is clean and tidy before taking photos.
Why not take some photos of customers enjoying your coffee? Just always make sure you ask their permission before getting snap happy! If you can get a positive quote from them to accompany the pic, even better.
Try to make your posts eye catching. When you take tempting coffee and food photos, edit them to make them pop – think eye-catching colours and over-laying text on the image. There are many apps you can use to help you create visual content. Some mobile apps to try are Canva and Adobe Spark Post, or Pixaloop for making still photos come to life.
3. Using pre-existing content
Sometimes you just don’t have time to create your own content, but that doesn’t mean you need to neglect your social media.
There are often photos and information you can use to promote your coffee offer on the Tchibo Facebook and Twitter, as well as Smokin’ Bean content on our Instagram. You are welcome to share the imagery on your own pages to promote your coffee, but always remember to credit and @mention us – the same is true if you share the work from any other companies or individuals.
4.Engaging your audience
Social media should be a two-way street, so engage your audience by encouraging them to communicate with you. Social media should be a discussion. Encourage your followers to talk to you and make sure you respond to them in good time.
One way to do this is by simply asking questions. Which coffee is their favourite? What do they love about the coffee in your store? What is their favourite treat to enjoy with a coffee? Not only will this spark discussion, but it will also give you some insight into your customers. You can then use this information to create tailored promotions that will really appeal to your customers!
What about asking them to tag their friends in light-hearted posts? This is a great way to engage your audience, but also increases the reach of your page as your content is being shared. It’s win-win!
5. Launching a social focused promotion or competition
I’ve been asked about this a lot recently by business owners in the convenience sector who want to offer coffee promotions using social media. Here are some ideas:
Giveaways for shares, check ins or using your hashtag
Giveaway promos are great ways to interact with your followers and have the potential to increase the reach of your business.
Offer a free coffee to those who share a particular post or use a hashtag you have chosen. Sharing and hashtag uses are versatile promotional tools as they work on most social media channels. On Facebook, you could ask customers to check-in to your store to claim a free drink.
They can redeem their free coffee at the till by showing you their share/like/check-in on their phone. Always make sure you include terms and conditions on promotions like these and include an end date and time!
Social competitions
Competitions are often popular. Ask your followers to share photos of their coffee and the best one wins a KeepCup! Not only are you encouraging engagement, you are also getting valuable user-generated content, increased visibility and you are promoting less wastage by encouraging the use of a KeepCup.
With everything you do on social media for your business, try to keep your content conversational, friendly and personable – a hard sell approach does not necessarily translate on social, so try to keep your posts informational and fun.
Do you have any other tips for using social media in convenience? What has worked well for you?
Let us know in the comments.
References
1. https://www.avocadosocial.com/latest-social-media-statistics-and-demographics-for-the-uk-in-2019/
2. https://www.statista.com/statistics/280295/market-share-held-by-the-leading-social-networks-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Tagged with: coffee • coffee-to-go • Promotions • Social Media
