Crystal Media

Marketing Clarity.

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21 New Customers

You know your customers are on Facebook and Instagram every day, so you know it’s where you need to advertise. But how do you know your ads are working? The answer is simple… ask your customers!

My ad client Deb, the owner of Half Moon Handwerks, recently told me that in December she had seen a significant increase in customers who told her they “saw her shop posts on Facebook.” Then she started 2020 with her annual Clearance Sale and told me “we had 21 new customers, most mentioning they saw the notice on Facebook. Yea!!!” 21 NEW Customers, think about that for a minute. 🤔 What could that do for your business?  Deb has been consistently growing her fans and engagement with Facebook ads the past few months, couple that with an awesome sale and Cha-Ching! 💰To obtain awesome data and feedback, all she had to do was ask!

So yes, ADS WORK!! Various ad campaigns have increased Deb’s social media following and her Most Recent ad campaign promotes her new posts daily. She is staying IN FRONT of her customers, and getting in front of new customers leading to an increase in recognition and thus an increase in sales!  MONEY in the bank. The best and easiest way to track these successes is by simply asking your customers where they heard about your store. Share in the comments your ads success stories!

If you’re inspired by the results, you’re in luck because we’re opening 5 spots for our Facebook and Instagram Ads Management tomorrow, if you want to snag one schedule a call, here.

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Hiring A Social Media Agency

Hiring a social media agency? Read this! 

I’ve been in the social media industry since 2012 and, over the past year, I’ve noticed a major increase in retailers hiring social media agencies. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard many success stories. 

To help you prevent hiring the wrong agency, wasting money (sometimes a lot of money!) on little to no results OR to help ensure a successful relationship with your current agency, I created this resource for you. It includes things to look for and ask so you’re more informed because let’s face it. If you’re not very social media savvy, it’s hard for you to know if you’re hiring the right company/person. But don’t worry, this guide will help.

If you have any questions or want to share your experiences with me, please email hello@crystalmediaco.com.

Hiring a Social Media Agency? Use the below to help find the right company:

Do they ask about your business goals?

In order for an agency to know if they can assist you, they need to know what your goals are so they can create strategies to help you achieve these. One of the first questions we ask potential clients is what their goals are and, if they’re loose, we try to tighten them up a bit by making them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timed). By giving the agency your SMART goals, you’ll be able to hold them accountable and ensure they’re moving your business in the right direction.

What are the contract terms? 

You should be getting a contract from the agency which includes the scope of work (more on that below), the duration of the contract and how to get out early if you need to. I personally think it’s bad business to lock people into contracts. I understand the typical reason for needing time to see what does and does not work. But hey, unexpected things happen (including things like not getting what was promised or not being in sync with the agency’s direction) and it may make you feel more comfortable having a way out.

What’s the scope of work? 

Make sure they provide you in writing with exactly what they’ll be doing for you. I’ve seen a lot of proposals from other agencies that just say “social media management”. What does that mean? How often are they posting? How many ads to how many audiences? What sites are they using? Does this include other sites like email or mobile texting programs? Are they designing graphics for you or do you need to provide these? The more specific the proposal is, the better. 

What is the communication schedule?

Does the agency detail when they’ll be meeting/communicating with you to ensure they’re staying up-to-date with store events, promotions, and products? Most of our retailers prefer monthly check-in calls but, depending on your products and type of store, you might need more or less. Also, be sure to specify the best way to contact you.  Email might not be as you might prefer a phone call. Make sure this is hashed out right from the start.

If the agency will manage your social media (actually posting for you), do they tell you how they are going to mimic your voice? 

Is there a process they have to ensure they’re best representing you? One thing I created for my Insider Members is a guide to help their employees step into the tone of the business. We used this with past management clients and often heard, “I can’t believe how you sound just like me!”. We were able to do this through our process.

If they are going to be responding to say, negative reviews, do they tell you how they’re going to do this? For example, will they ask you for approval on the response first? Or will they send it to you to respond? Make sure this is ironed out so reviews don’t go un-replied to whether good or bad.

Are they transparent on the audiences they are going to target?

If running paid ads, how did they work with you to learn about your audiences? You should be involved in this process. At Crystal Media, we have an Intake Form we send to Ad Clients to learn all about their audiences, and then we make suggestions on who we should pay to target. The retailer is always involved and in the loop to ensure we’re reaching the right people.

What kind of reporting do you get? 

And when will this be sent? At Crystal Media, we send our Ad Clients reports each month that highlight things like the performance of the ads, the performance of the audiences, what worked/what didn’t and the plan moving forward. 

If you know you need help with social media and are looking to hire someone, but don’t know where to go, you can click here to learn more about how Crystal Media can help.

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What’s Still Working on Social in 2020

Welcome to the first Crystal Media blog of 2020! I’m actually writing this during our winter break because I wanted to wait until the last minute to get the feedback from the team. We all collaborated for you this week on what’s still working in 2020. Keep reading to see if you discover a few themes.

“I think we’re going to see the use of Instagram Stories continue to grow. With Instagram adding fun Stickers, Filters and more, the IG user is not only posting Stories, but they’re also watching. In fact, 500 million people use Stories every day. Stories are a great way to stay top of mind daily. If you’re new to Stories, don’t overthink it! It seriously takes a minute or less to post. Just be you, relate to your audience, and be consistent. As you keep posting, you’ll start picking up what’s performing well and what your audience wants to see.” – Crystal, Founder of Crystal Media and Retail Social Media Expert

“Humanized content and behind the scenes will continue to capture your audience and grow your brand in 2020. People buy from people and it’s a HUGE advantage small businesses have over the big box. Don’t shy away from sharing your story, what makes you unique, your funny quirks, passions, and interest. Sharing behind the scenes videos of you and the team will help potential customers get to know you. If you’re stuck one simple tip is to talk to the camera like you would talk to a customer in your store, it doesn’t have to be perfect but it does have to be real.”  – Pauline, Director of Operations and Retail Social Media Mentor

“Authenticity is going to be key when creating content for Instagram. Consumers want to get to know the face behind the business, so don’t be afraid to tell your story whether that be through video in Stories or a long-form written caption. The more connected your customer feels to your brand/business the more likely they’ll share your content with others on their own accounts.” – Erika, Marketing Coordinator

“Video! Using videos as ads, especially Video View ads as an objective continues to be the most engaging and cost-efficient content. Take it one step further and go Live on Facebook and then turn that into an ad.” – Jess, Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager

“Videos are definitely still working today, as they are engaging and memorable: Your message is more likely to stick! Posting interactive humanized content or sharing user-generated content are also great tools. You want your viewers to be engaged and feel included!” – Maddie, Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager

There you have it, without knowing it all 5 of us predicted very similar trends to continue in 2020. Are you taking advantage of video? Facebook ads? Instagram Stories? Humanized and authentic content? If not be sure to add it to your plan and leave a comment with how you’ll use these tips in 2020.

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3 Facebook Live Tips to Drive Last Minute Shoppers In

Christmas is 2 weeks away 😱 and, for some, that means one thing: It’s time to START shopping! The good news? While these last-minute customers might be stressed out, you have the chance to save the day. Stores are about to get slammed with crazed consumers, so I want to give you 3 Facebook Live tips that will have them running to your store.

Consider the following before you hit the Live button…

Meet them where they are.
Join their (stressed out) internal dialog. They know they’re behind the holiday 8-ball here. Let them know it’s ok. Hit Live and supportively say, “Hey, if you’re stressed out only a couple weeks to check gifts off your list, spent hours scrolling and adding to your Amazon cart, and still have little to show for it, I’ve got you and I’ve made it super simple.”

Limit options.
Give only 3-5 gift idea suggestions. Don’t overwhelm customers by listing every item you have in-store. Fewer options mean fewer decisions for the customer to make – it’s science. Pick your top 3 selling items (or top 3 items you need to move) and share a few simple reasons why they are the perfect gift.

Make it simple.
Give them the price and the how, when, and where they can buy it. Period, done. If you can gift wrap it to save them time, great. If you can set it aside with a simple comment on the Live video or post, even better. Whatever you can do to make it a simple no brainer, do it.

That’s it! Three simple tips to help your stressed-out, last-minute holiday shoppers take note of (and action on!) your Live and run into your store. 😁

Psst… Before you go, are you more of a Buddy the Elf or the Grinch? Let me know in a comment below.

via GIPHY

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3 Tips to Drive Sales This Holiday

Happy December! One month to go and then we’re on to the next decade! Phew. Are you ready?!

Before we ring in the New Year, let’s make sure your cash register is ringing this holiday season. Here are 3 of my favorite tips to help!

  1. Post a Story on Instagram each day. Ok, ok… Before you think I’m crazy for asking you to post to Instagram every single day during hectic December, listen up. Posting an IG Story can take you just one minute or less. Truly. Your Story doesn’t need to be super professional or polished. Just be you and share something your audience would enjoy seeing. I recommend setting a reminder alarm each day to jump on your store’s Instagram account to talk about one item you’re loving, that’s hot/trending this holiday season or, if running low on something, to create FOMO about. When posting, add your store location sticker (from Story’s Stickers section) and a hashtag sticker of your local area (for ex: #carlsbadca). Boom that’s it! Watch the daily exposure of the awesome gift items you have this holiday season.
  2. Create one video a week on Facebook. If you personally use Facebook, you know that Facebook loves video because they’re always showing video posts. Get into your customers’ feed this December by making a quick video each week. Just one! Similar to your IG Stories, you can share trending items, one-of-a-kinds, top product picks for the week, staff picks or maybe even your own weekly themed event like Wine Wednesday. These videos should be direct, connect with your perfect customer, and feature YOU! If you’re afraid to hit record or even stand in front of the camera, I want you to know you’re not alone! Many retailers feel this way. I encourage you to do it anyway. 😊 And once you do, will you share it with me?! My team and I would love to see your video (and be your biggest cheerleader)!
  3. Promote an Event or Sale with Ads. There’s a good chance you have an event and/or promotion happening this month. If so, I want you to create a Facebook Event Page with the details. Then, create 1-3 simple Instagram Stories with the event details, saving them to your phone. Next, advertise the Event Page and Instagram Stories using Ads Manager to these audiences:
    • Your Likes
    • Your Email List*
    • A Lookalike of your Likes*
    • A Lookalike of your Email List*

This tip might be confusing if you’ve never run ads before. Don’t let it overwhelm you. You can create a quick, engaging video to share the event or sale details and Boost the event on Facebook, and/or Promote on Instagram (depending on what platform you use; advertise on both if you use both). I’d use at least $25 to promote. Then put “Contact the Crystal Media team” on your calendar to either teach you Ads or completely take it off your plate in 2020! It should be a part of your daily strategy.

* You need to set this audience up first if you haven’t done so already.

Ok, now it’s your turn. Pick one item from the above and take action! My team and I are wishing you a very happy and successful December!