(Image source: https://www.geograph.ie/photo/138331)
In this 21st century of social media, it has become the norm for businesses to connect with millions of users through such social media platforms.
That you own a sport retails shop doesn’t exclude you from this necessity. By harnessing the power of social media, sports retail shops can create awareness of their brands to some specific audience.
Although there is no contending that social media platforms are a veritable tool for online business marketing, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the particular platform a sports retail shop should adopt to firmly establish its social media presence.
Be narrow and streamlined when starting
And, of course, there is no rule stating that a business has to rely on one platform only. But then it always make sense not to spread yourself thin at the start.
Given a relatively limited marketing budget as a burgeoning sports retail shop owner, you want to concentrate on specific social media platforms. Consequently, you may diversify after you have built depth (solid reputation) on the platforms you start with.
The challenge, then, is finding which social media platform bests suits your business as a sports retail shop.
Before a discussion on how to find the most profitable social media platform is begun, it would be illuminating to underscore why it is that social media marketing is an absolute necessity for a business to thrive in this present time:
- Social media drives 31% of the total referral traffic on the internet
- Facebook is contributing a large chunk of the social media traffic
- 90% of small businesses are on Facebook, while 70% are on twitter
- Tiktok has superseded Instagram as the most favorite platform to target Gen Z
Judging from the above statistical facts, it is quite apparent that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok are the top choice when it comes to online marketing for sports retail shops.
Should you explore smaller social media platforms?
Most sports business owners wrongly assume that potential customers who use the less popular platforms also use the major ones. While that might seem reasonable, a revealing study by Buffer showed that it is not exactly true.
In their study of some 100000 major brands with a strong social media presence, it was found that as many as 59% of LinkedIn users did not visit twitter, while it was also revealed that 13% did not use Facebook. With this in mind, it is clear that having a worthwhile investment in social media marketing will mean channeling campaigns through the right social media platform.
So, it doesn’t hurt to aim for the less popular platforms. The right social platform therefore will be determined primarily by the nature of the businesses, the targeted audience, (for instance persons in a particular age group), as well as the overall objective of the business.
For example, if you own a basketball gear retail shop, you may aim for Instagram and Tiktok.
Next, if you sell golf gear, you may be targeting professionals like executives. This makes LinkedIn suitable.
Define the specific audience that needs to be reached
The first thing to be considered is the target audience. This is the specific group(s) of persons at which marketing effort is directed.
It could be that the persons in the target audience are chosen for their age, gender, interests, location, income bracket, or even values.
Whatever the chosen criteria, it is important that a sports retail brand considers which social media platform it is that attracts the chosen group of persons.
Take a shop selling basketball gear, for example. Your ideal audience are basketball lovers and even punters seeking the best basketball predictions.
One thing to note is that there are often situations where the target audience might be two or more different groups of individuals.
In situations where the target audience involves two groups that are dissimilar in certain aspects it is often best if a different marketing strategy is adopted for such groups.
For instance, if the target audience includes teenage girls who have an interest in basketball cheerleader gear and older men interested in golf, then it is best to adopt a different marketing persona for each group.
Consider this: to connect with and appeal to teenage girls who are somewhat fashion-savvy, the tone of content and the message itself will be in such a manner that will naturally excite and capture the interest of teenage girls.
But to appeal to men interested in golf, the marketing persona must be that of a seasoned golfing expert. Here, bubbly and exuberant content (that would resonate with teenagers) wouldn’t work.
You need calm, empathy, and gracefulness when promoting your sports business before this audience.
Being that a marketing persona is a mere representation of a vital segment of the targeted audience, it helps one to craft relevant content that is tailored to meet the particular needs of a potential customer.
