It’s 2023 and we think it’s safe to say your social media strategy may need some dusting off. We’re past the point of debating whether social media is a viable marketing solution—trust us, it is. The trick now is to embrace social media marketing for what it’s worth and put it to work for you.
The good news is flooring dealers aren’t alone in their struggle to create worthwhile, engaging content on the regular. To help ease the burden, social media platforms—including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok—have launched new tools and technologies to help users step it up a notch. Many of these overall improvements have even been created to help content creators sell their wares online. Needless to say, it’s a content creator’s world—and every retail store owner should be one.
So, how do you successfully up the ante when it comes to social media marketing in 2023? FCNews tapped several flooring industry experts to gauge their best strategies for even greater success in the new year.
Take social seriously
“There are approximately 4.89 billion social media users in the world today. Because of how widely it’s used globally, social media marketing can’t be skipped. It also gives flooring dealers the power to send out ads and messaging to very targeted and specific audiences (and then track how many times those ads brought people to your website). Social media marketing also builds trust, communication and reputation between dealers and their customers. But you want to have a presence in the social media channel that makes the most sense for your customer base.”
—Aerin Ogden
Marketing director
QFloors
“Social media is where the people are. There are a lot of statistics available about the significant amount of time people spend on various social media channels. It’s worthwhile to have a robust strategy to get your brand in front of the people you want to reach.”
—Carole Cross
founder and CEO
Mobile Marketing
“Social media is an important component of digital marketing because it’s absolutely critical that the retailers can be found online. That’s where consumers are starting their journey. “
—Nicole Priem
senior director of brand experience
Mohawk
“A strong social strategy can help dealers reach a large and engaged audience, enhance their brand awareness and credibility, drive website traffic and sales, improve customer satisfaction and loyalty and target specific demographics and locations.”
—John Stephens
VP of consumer strategy
Shaw
“Social media is only going to continue growing as the primary source of data and information. Someone who has a strong social media presence is going to be in front of more consumers and gain more credibility than someone who is not on social media or has a page but is not active.”
—Gretchen Murray
social media analyst
Mobile Marketing
Utilize the latest tools
“Live video, Instagram Reels, Instagram Shop, Facebook Shops and interactive content are all new tools that flooring dealers should consider embracing when it comes to social marketing in 2023. And at the end of the day, dealers need to keep in mind that it’s important to have fun and be authentic. Consumers want to see real content and feel connected to your brand.”
—Stephens
Shaw
“Not everyone is a designer, so one of the greatest tools that was launched in the last few years is Canva. It has a lot of different templates that retailers can build from. The social platforms are actually making it really easy for folks [to be content creators.] They don’t have to sit there and think through ‘What’s the latest trend?’ or ‘How do I put together a video?’ They now have that at their fingertips.”
—Priem
Mohawk
“If you are a flooring dealer that uses e-commerce, you will want to ensure your social platforms funnel people to your website and lead people to making a purchase. Make sure your profiles include a ‘Buy Now’ button that links to your online products.”
—Ogden
QFloors
Put in the work
“Flooring dealers should have a good presence that authentically represents their brand. Their social channels should include links to their website, their hours and other pertinent information about the store. You also need to make sure someone is regularly engaging with your audience. Your social channels should have well-rounded content and different ways to engage your audience—like time-lapse videos of new installs. Utilize different types of advertising to generate awareness or generate leads. Another important step is to engage with influencers in your area.”
—Cross
Mobile Marketing
“Facebook is a pretty good place to start. After you get the hang of Facebook, you can experiment with other social media platforms and campaigns. One thing to keep in mind is that if you choose to build a social media profile/business page, you’d better use it. Think about the purpose of your social media posts and ads. You should thoughtfully define your goal and then purposefully generate the content accordingly.”
—Ogden
QFloors
Step it up
“A cool thing we should watch for is augmented reality. More and more AR technologies are coming out that are connecting the real world with computer-generated content. I don’t think we’re far off from the point where people will be able to have an ‘in store experience’ by accessing your showroom from online websites and social profiles.”
—Ogden
QFloors
“In 2023, retailers should start using more video. TikTok has become one of the most popular social media channels, so Facebook and Instagram are trying to follow suit. Incorporate more Reels and Stories into your social media planning. These are great ways to get information out there to consumers in an easy-to-digest fashion.”
—Murray
Mobile Marketing
“Lean heavily into Reels on Instagram. Those get great engagement, and when you employ a good hashtag strategy, you can get seen beyond just your followers. And definitely, definitely, definitely try your hand at TikTok. It’s a place where you can have fun, keep it lighthearted and try some new things.”
