Central Savannah River Area retailers spend a considerable amount of time and money marketing their small businesses on social media. Is this effort paying off?
Each month, an estimated 348,000 CSRA adults use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This equates to 78% of consumers. This reach is rather anemic compared to Augusta radio and TV, which attracts considerably more users in a single week than these social media platforms do over 30 days.
Among local millennials, the monthly reach of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is eclipsed by the weekly reach of Augusta radio.
The number of consumers reached by an advertising campaign, according to Nielsen, is the media consideration that has the most significant effect on increasing sales.
So, is there something intrinsically different about social media platforms that can compensate for their smaller reach among CSRA consumers?
A recent report from Rival IQ, a company specializing in the analysis of social media data, shows a retailer's investment of time and money in Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter marketing may not be producing the powerful results hoped for.
The report shows that engagement with social media posts by retail brands range from .031% to .67%, depending on the platform. Engagements measured include likes, comments, favorites, retweets, shares, replies, and reactions.
According to the Rival IQ report, social media engagement among retail brands was far below each platform's median rate across all business types.
Augusta area small business owners who use social media as part of their advertising and marketing plans should consider the following takeaways from the Rival IQ report:
- It's All About Giveaways: Contests and giveaways were popular hashtags across almost every industry, so brands should seek out opportunities to engage followers with contests.
- Carousels are key for Instagram: Carousels lead to high engagement across all industries, so brands should look for opportunities to combine photos into carousels. Why? Instagram carousels get re-served to users who don’t engage the first time, earning them more impressions.
More Advertising Advice For CSRA Small Business Owners
- Why CSRA Mortgage Lenders and Brokers Need To Advertise Now
- Small Business Advertising In Augusta: Target The Spenders
- CSRA Retail Boom: How Your Small Business Can Benefit
- Advertising On Augusta Television vs. Local Radio
- Augusta Small Business Advertising: Reach Millennial Parents
- Why CSRA Used Car Dealers Need To Advertise Now
- Advertising In Augusta: Reach Mother's Day Shopper
