In the internet age, almost everyone uses social media in some form, making it a powerful way for brands to reach new audiences and engage with their buyers. Here are some common ways to use social media in your furniture marketing strategy.
Since the furniture industry relies so heavily on visuals, Instagram is a platform your store should be utilizing. Encourage customers to tag you in their posts that include furniture purchases from your store, and repost photos that feature your products in different homes.
Facebook is the OG of social media, and it’s still a powerful tool. One of the biggest advantages Facebook offers for marketing is its targeted ad tools. For just a small investment in paid Facebook ads, you can closely control the demographics your ads reach, targeting people who are most likely to visit your website and buy your products.
Video is one of the fastest-growing segments of social media marketing, which means YouTube is a platform that’s worth investing in. There are tons of ways to use video in your marketing strategies (we’ll get to those below), so if you don’t have a YouTube account for your store yet, it’s time to create your own YouTube channel.
For home furnishings, Pinterest is still a powerful platform despite its age. You can use customer generated images of styled rooms that include your furniture pieces, then link them to product pages on your site.
Not too many retailers are currently utilizing Snapchat as a marketing tool, but they should be. More than 158 million people use Snapchat every day, and the app’s demographics tend to skew younger, so this is where retailers need to be if they want to capture millennial and Gen Z shoppers.
The advantage to using Snapchat for marketing now is the chance to build a following on the app before there’s a lot of competition. Snapchat is still growing, so it’s likely to be one of the top social media marketing platforms in the future.
One unique way to market your products on social media is by partnering with influencers, or people who have lots of followers and influence on different platforms. Many D2C brands have had success with this strategy, because consumers consider a recommendation from an influencer to be as trustworthy as a recommendation from a family member or friend.
While the organic qualities of social media can really help boost a brand, there’s still something to be said for paid social media ads. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram insert paid ads into users’ feeds, making them look like regular posts, and getting your products in front of potential customers’ eyes while they’re relaxed and scrolling could mean catching them when they’re ready to buy.
Video is one of the most popular emerging marketing strategies. Here’s how furniture retailers should be using video to get new customers and boost sales.
Platforms like YouTube and Instagram are now offering videos that have clickable pop-ups that take shoppers directly to websites or product pages. That means you can create videos (think, a home walkthrough) where shoppers can click directly on products they like to be taken to where they can buy them.
Educational videos on platforms like Masterclass and Skillshare are getting great traction, so think about the ways you can incorporate education into your furniture marketing strategy. Educational videos about how to style a room, how to choose the right upholstery, how to clean a couch—these are useful topics that could get a lot of organic views and also direct viewers to your site.
Shoppers like to see as much as they can about a product before they commit to buying it online. That’s why commissioning some video reviews can be a great marketing strategy for furniture retailers. This helps shoppers visualize the pieces they’re considering buying, plus a good review might help push them toward making a purchase.
In the same way that review videos help customers visualize furniture pieces, demonstration videos can, too. These are especially helpful for pieces of furniture that convert into multi-use pieces, or that serve a unique purpose. For example, a demonstration video showing how to change a desk from sitting to standing could be helpful for shoppers who don’t fully understand how they might use a convertible-height work surface.
The power of a testimonial or review truly cannot be overstated. Recent research shows that 92 percent of consumers read at least one review before making a purchase. Shoppers really do trust what others have to say about products online.
If you have a customer who is particularly happy with their purchase or the customer service they received, find out if they’re willing to record a testimonial video sharing their good experience with other shoppers.
Slowly but surely, online shopping is moving away from desktop devices and onto mobile ones. Here’s how furniture sellers should embrace mobile marketing to stay ahead of that change.
If your website isn’t mobile optimized, you’re missing out on more and more shoppers with every passing day. Your site needs to be dynamic so it displays and works just as well on desktops, tablets, smartphones, or whatever device shoppers are using to browse it.
A great way to capture tech-savvy shoppers is by offering the option to make mobile payments with tools like Apple Pay and Google Pay, rather than just traditional payments like Paypal, credit, and debit cards.
Furniture Promotional SaleOne of the most up-and-coming trends in digital marketing is augmented reality, which lends itself really well to the furniture industry. Tools like IKEA Place, which allows shoppers to use their phone's camera view to actually see furniture pieces in their rooms, are becoming more commonplace, and retailers need to be embracing this technology now to stay on the forefront.
Shipping is a big part of online shopping, but with package theft constantly on the rise, more shoppers are turning to click and collect, where they make their purchases online and then pick up their items at a store or other designated pickup location. Any ecommerce retailer should be offering free, fast shipping in 2020, but to really stay ahead, you should offer a click and collect option as well.
No good marketing plan will include just one of these strategies. To stay competitive in the growing world of furniture ecommerce, you need a comprehensive, integrated marketing plan. And to do that, you need We.
We will keep your product information centralized in one location where it’s always up-to-date and ready to be pushed to any channel. It’s the key to having a good omnichannel strategy, a must in today’s ecommerce landscape.
Building a successful furniture business demands more than just creating beautiful furniture. Most buyers see furniture as a long-term relationship, which means your products need to be in front of the right people at the right time and they need to make a positive, lasting impression. That doesn’t happen by accident. A furniture marketing strategy is your blueprint to making potential customers think of your brand when they’re ready to make the commitment.
Keep reading to learn the key elements of a furniture marketing strategy and the steps you can take to put your brand in the minds and hearts of your ideal customers.
The furniture market is evolving as demographics shift and consumers’ buying habits change. No furniture seller can afford to have a poor marketing strategy. Having great products and stellar service isn’t enough to compete. You need to be top of mind at the right time and provide a buying experience that compels shoppers to complete the sale.
The furniture market is evolving as demographics shift and consumers’ buying habits change. No furniture seller can afford to have a poor marketing strategy. Having great products and stellar service isn’t enough to compete. You need to be top of mind at the right time and provide a buying experience that compels shoppers to complete the sale.
Having a comprehensive strategy for your furniture business will help you determine who your ideal customers are, how to provide the experiences they crave where they crave them, how to cultivate relationships that lead to long-term customer engagement, and how to do all of the above while managing your business—not your databases. And here’s how to get it rolling.
Developing an effective furniture marketing strategy requires time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. This guide will show you step-by-step how to build a marketing strategy that will help you increase your furniture sales. Your business is worth it.
How you market to your customers depends on who your customers are. Even though you might happily sell to anyone, the fact is that some people will love your products more than others. You’ll sell more furniture if you can identify who those people are.
If you’re not sure how to describe your primary customers, ask them! Conduct in-store and online surveys to help create a picture of your ideal shopper, including their age, gender, occupation, average income, hobbies, and preferences. This information will help you determine which television and radio stations they tune into, which newspapers and magazines they read, which social platforms they use—which all inform where you spend your emotional and financial marketing energy.
Although online research is popular, traditional paid advertising methods like television, radio, and print advertising are still effective ways to advertise furniture. Take advantage of these outlets to put your brand in the minds of potential buyers as well as to reach shoppers who haven’t yet gone fully digital.
Think back to your ideal customers. Use these characteristics to identify regional or national outlets or tools for paid advertising opportunities. Create advertisements that speak to your audience and develop a connection between what they want and what you offer. Be selective—you’ll want to preserve most of your budget for digital opportunities, but it’s worthwhile to at least make a small investment in this space.
Using your research, determine which social platforms your target customers use. You want to reach your customers where they already spend time, not where you prefer to spend yours. If your target market includes millennials, Instagram is where you’ll find them. If your audience is older, you’re more likely to find them on Facebook. People who are passionate about decorating spend their time on Pinterest.
Post likeable images and shareable videos that are relevant to your brand. Social media marketing is all about building a relationship between your company and people who share your values. Your goal is to engage, not sell. Aim to cultivate a social media following of people who love furniture the way you do. When customers identify with your brand, your furniture is more likely to be top of mind when they’re ready to redecorate the living room—turning those followers into customers.
Nothing beats an old-fashioned letter, except a modern one. Building on your social media presence and your customer retention strategy, create an email list to share information with people who are interested in your brand. Invite people to sign up for a monthly newsletter and share regular product news with them. Use the power of the pen—or keyboard—to remind people what you have to offer.