When those 100-degree days with scorching sun arrive, the odds are good it’s not just the sultry weather that has you sweating. Many of your best customers are already hibernating under air conditioning, avoiding their favorite matches, minimizing range sessions and coming through your doors less frequently.
You may not experience the same slowdown many tactical retailers suffer during the dog days of summer, but for many there’s a palpable reduction. Creating a strategy to harness some of social media’s horsepower can help minimize the pain, and a little effort now can help you survive, even thrive, through this and any unforeseen economic challenges on the horizon.
Why Bother?
Results of a Pew Research Center study released in late 2016 found 15 percent of respondents made a purchase after seeing a social media link. On the surface it sounds like a decided advantage for online retailers, but the same poll determined, “64 percent of Americans indicate that, all things being equal, they prefer buying from physical stores to buying online.”
Price was the biggest factor, although “More than seven-in-10 think it is important to be able to try the product out in person (78 percent).” Nearly half of the people who responded to the survey indicated they used their cell phones while in the store to check online prices and reviews.
In 2018 the Center conducted another study. It found 68 percent of Americans were on Facebook and 3/4 of them accessed it daily. Thirty one percent said social media plays a significant role in their purchasing decisions. YouTube ranked second among favored information sources and the other channels used, such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat varied sharply by age. The results, available on pewinternet.org, can help you dial more precisely into your customer demographic.
No Brainer
The statistics signal an all new front in the marketing campaign. It’s not quite “social,” but a good place to begin is by taking charge of your Google My Business listing. There’s even a free smartphone app available by the same name.
Odds are good you’re one of the many local retailers already provided when someone asks Google for tactical shops or gun stores nearby. By taking control of that listing (free, by the way) your ranking improves when hours of operation are included, services and even photos of the store. You can upload videos, announce promotions and much more. It’s also important to monitor the site, because customers often provide satisfaction ratings, although complainers are most frequent. More details and information on taking control of your listing can be found at google.com/business.
It’s not a lot of work, but the dividends are there. Someone heading to a nearby match might suddenly discover the minimum number of rounds is higher than they thought and if you’re the closest firearm store when they search Google.
“It’s not a perfect fit for all businesses,” a Forbes article summarized last May, “… but it has the potential to help you reach new customers who otherwise might not have heard of you — and make sure they’re getting the right information.”
Time And Resources
Time is a rare asset. Every second spent providing quality customer service is a potential referral and an investment in long-term success. Even conversational minutes over the counter and pleasant email exchanges yield positive results.
That makes mercenary efficiency key when it comes to social media efforts, and that begins with an honest inventory of assets that set you apart from the competition — staff, inventory, location, hours, expertise and more. Start by writing a few down, but it’s OK to overlook some because they’ll become obvious as your social media offensive gels.
Any military and tactical experience should be on the list, but don’t neglect competitive shooting knowledge, passion for long-distance, optics expertise, nostalgic gear or even eagerness for everything survival. Are seminars or special sales already part of your marketing efforts? Can customers sign up for a newsletter? Rebates, displays, educational kiosks and events all qualify for inclusion.
Calendars Save Time
Precious time is surrendered every day if you need to think about what is going into your social media feed. The weekly or daily moves should be scheduled and almost robotic in nature. You should still take advantage of trends and be creative, usually weeks ahead, but the operation of your business comes first.
Minimize headaches by starting with a calendar that includes state and national holidays. Add your annual promotion days (or weeks), anniversaries and scheduled special events.
Summer begins with Memorial Day and July 4 is a big one, but many of those sultry dog days and weeks before the pennant race heats up are vacant. One way to keep the momentum going is to craft a schedule that includes events at nearby shooting ranges or other area fundraisers, festivals or shows — Friends of NRA Banquet, antique firearms extravaganza, etc. Give some thought to National Night Out Day in August, June’s D-Day commemoration and others that don’t garner quite as much press.
Major occasions allow you to piggyback your news onto trending hashtags. Local events do the same, but to a more confined geographic area. Both are good, efficient and effectively amplify your message.
Schedule In Reverse
On the calendar, put a reminder on the day of each event to post something about it on your store’s social media outlets.
