Category

Social

Dec 09
0

OnBrand Talking Resilience In the Workplace

By | Blog, Social

2020 has proven to be one of the most challenging years for business. Here, at OnBrand we are proud of how we have worked with our clients during this time, supporting them with both strategic thinking and effective delivery of sales campaigns, virtual events, on-site collateral and reassuring content both during and after lockdown.

Not only this, but as a close team we have supported each other through the upheaval and changes into home working and adapted our ways of thinking and working quickly. We often talk about needing to be ‘resilient’ and wanted to explore this further to make a real commitment in 2021. From investing even more in staff wellbeing, taking on board our learning’s from this year and engraining wellbeing into the company ethos. By helping ourselves thrive, we will then be better placed to deliver successful business growth for our clients.

This week, we have a fantastic guest blog from Emma Hossack, the founder of Transforming Minds for Business. Looking at what we mean by resilience and how this impacts business success.

Have a read below:

I am passionate about the impact of wellbeing and resilience in the workplace. Having coached hundreds of clients over the years, I have seen what the mindset can offer in terms of great performance and personal outcomes.

The Oxford Dictionary defines Resilience as: ”The ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc. and the ability of a substance to return to its original shape after it has been bent, stretched or pressed.”

While this definition may describe the ability to ‘bounce back’, what we now know is that resilience is something that can be taught, can be grown and can evolve. The old saying ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is untrue. Neuroscience now teaches us that we can change, flex and adjust our brains to change our mindsets at any age; they call this ‘Neuroplasticity’.

So why is resilience in the workplace so important?

Resilience is the foundation of our wellbeing, and when good mental health is a priority within businesses the results are clear.

According to Deloitte’s 2020 Monitor Report, poor workplace mental health costs businesses around £45Bn a year, yet for every £1 spent, the return is £5. In 2012, Royal Mail invested £45m in wellbeing and resilience strategies and experienced a £225m return on investment. So you can see, there is a direct correlation between mental wellbeing and performance.

At Transforming Business Minds, we believe that resilience and wellbeing should start from the top.  Leaders that foster an open culture, share vulnerabilities and place real value in wellbeing are more likely to see high performance.

While many businesses develop a wellbeing strategy, few adopt a tailored approach to individual resilience and wellbeing. While blanket strategies may offer short term solutions, understanding where each individual is at in terms of mental health and resilience enables each individual, teams and companies to understand where they are and strategies to bridge gaps and build on existing strengths.

How can I enable my business to thrive not just survive?

There is a fine line between performance and crisis, and as we move into 2021, investment into people has never been so important. 80% of our performance is attributed to our mindset, while only 20% technical ability.

We know that businesses that really understand the needs of their people and are committed to implementing strategies around achieving good mental health reap rewards through low attrition and high profitability.

While wellbeing may well be on the agenda, the key is to really understand where you and your people are from a mental health perspective, and demonstrate investment through a wellbeing programme and coaching programme that is designed to bridge the gaps of each person, team and business. This will not only make your people feel listened to, it may also shine a light on how the people within your business that show high resilience and enable them to lead from the front.

So if building resilience isn’t on your agenda, what will be the consequences to your business as we pick ourselves back up from 2020?

Emma Hossack is a Coach, Resilience Practitioner and Founder of Transforming Minds for Business. They look at how good mental health, wellbeing and resilience is achieved through the whole person approach to coaching. Using the WRAW psychometric tool, it focuses on the 5 pillars of resilience: Energy, Future Focus, Flexible Thinking, Inner Drive, Relationships. Measuring individuals to a cohort of 400 worldwide employees, this robust tool marks the overall resilience levels and is also able to split the measure into resilient thoughts and actions. WRAW is an excellent tool that offers evidence, helps create and drive strategy and measure the success of wellbeing strategy and coaching.

You can also learn more about Transforming Minds by clicking here!

Oct 26
0

SUCCESS! How we increased organic REACH on our client’s instagram account by 2548% in just 3 months

By | Case Study, Social

Earlier this year, an Essex shopping centre came to us, as they had BIG plans for their Instagram, and challenged us to work up a strategy which would:

  1. Evolve the look & feel of the grid, creating premium & professional content that would resonate with their audience
  2. Increase reach and engagement by:
    • Engaging with their  community not only on their own page, but within the wider local Instagram community
    • Posting insta stories which highlight our retailers’ offerings, in a fun & engaging way.
  3. Grow their follower base, focusing on an audience within the local community

These challenges were RIGHT up our street and so we, of course got ‘to it’ straight away…

Our Approach

Challenge 1: Evolving grid content…

Whilst previous content had been informative, when it all sat alongside each other, together on the grid, it lacked an aesthetic ‘flow’ which prevented it from looking premium.  With our new approach we ensured we incorporated bright and bold imagery with colours and tones linking across each piece of content. Additionally, we added branding to each post to help raise the centre’s profile and give it a professional ‘sign off.’

It was vital that we created content that not only looked great, but resonated with the client’s audience and was, of course, relevant to their offering.

Having run our client’s facebook and twitter social platforms for a while, we had insight into the content themes and topics which resonated with their audience.  We used this insight to help us plan each post, ensuring each piece of content also related back to shopping centre and its retailers.

A key take-out, for Instagram,  is that it’s vital to think ‘consumer’ first and ‘business’ second.  Why? If you think about it, consumers scroll through their feed at speed and you have less than a second to grab their attention.  If your content is too business-centric, it’s likely to pass the consumer by.  If, however, you use imagery and content themes that appeal the consumer’s needs, wants or passion-points, you’re more likely to grab their attention.  You can then add your comms message into the copy once they’re engaged.  Simple when you know how, hey?

Challenge 2: Increasing reach & engagement…

One of the main client objectives was increasing reach and awareness of the shopping centre within the local community.  This objective was tied closely with engagement, as in order to truly reach the locals, it was important to be engaging with them….after all, Instagram is a social platform!

Our main strategy to achieve this was to raise the shopping centre’s profile by following local businesses and people and doing daily outreach, where we would look for conversations where it seemed natural for the shopping centre to comment on outsideof their own grid.

We followed local hashtags and dedicated time each day to joining in the local conversation so that we would reach and engage with as many people as we could, particularly those not yet following us.

It wasn’t long before we noticed a huge increase in conversation and other local pages tagging the shopping centre….scroll on to see the incredible results!

We also started posting daily insta stories for our client in order to further reach the community and ensure the shopping centre was always top of mind, appearing at the top of users’ homepage on Instagram.

We created a series of branded and eye-catching templates which encouraged the client’s audience to interact with them….

Ultimately, the new story content formats:

    • Drove engagement with the local community – giving their audience fun, added value to interact with
    • Enable the centre to support their retailers in a more engaging way
    • Allow the centre to show how the strive to be a part of the wider local community

Challenge 3: Growing a local follower base…

Our final challenge was to grow a local follower base for the client.   Our strategy for this was really based on the success of the content we were producing and our success at engaging and reaching the local community.   Why?  Our logic is, if you are authentically engaging with your audience and creating relevant content that resonates, the follower numbers will look after themselves….and they certainly did in this case….scroll down for the results.

The bit you’ve all been waiting for: the results…

Well, it’s fair to say, the new Instagram strategy was a success.

We ran the new strategy for 3 months before looking at the results compared to the previous 3 months and this is what was achieved:

Pretty chuffed, doesn’t come close.

There are few things we love more than driving results that deliver for our clients.  If you’d like to discuss how we can do the same for you, get in touch to arrange a friendly chat with our Social Media team!

Oct 12
0

Preparing for a very different Peak Season: a summary of webinar insights by ShopperTrak UK

By | Blog, Digital, In-Store, Shopping Centres, Social

As a marketing agency working across numerous retail clients, from independent stores local to St Albans, to multi-store shopping centres across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at OnBrand we were keen to hear from retail footfall experts, ShopperTrak, on their Q4 predictions, given the rather unpredictable year we have been having so far.

The agenda covered Summer Traffic Trends, Current Propensity to Purchase, Consumer Sentiment and Q4 Predictions, delivered by a panel of experts: Andy Sumpter and Chris Fowler from ShopperTrak, plus Kyle Monk from the British Retail Consortium.

UK footfall in recovery

Starting with a snapshop of footfall trends across Europe, the UK’s position was explained as slow but steady recovery. Having gone later into lockdown than other countries, but alongside the others in coming back out, the overall impact on footfall was reduced compared to others such as France and Spain, still struggling to encourage consumer demand onto their high streets.

UK retail traffic numbers improved quickly post-lockdown, despite active cases of COVID-19 increasing. This suggests that retailers succeeded in acting quickly to create a safe shopping environment, and that the UK saw a surge of pent-up demand for shopping when stores re-opened, beyond topping up on essentials. As trips to the high street and shopping centres became part of normal life again, many felt the need to escape the lockdown bubble of a restricted home, work and family life, confined to the same four walls.

Cities suffered the most from decline in traffic

With commuters worldwide told to stay home, understandably, the major cities have suffered most from the sudden drop in footfall. We know a huge majority turned to shopping online, but interestingly, UK retail parks have bucked the footfall trend, outperforming all other shopping options, both throughout lockdown and with an ongoing trend in recent months.

Compared with traffic levels seen by high streets, shopping centres and outlets, retail parks have jumped ahead of their usual path since early March and are still welcoming the majority of visitors today. This could be down to shoppers feeling safer in a predominantly outdoor setting, with easy car parking, established click and collect services and a relatively speedy shopping experience.  It also fits with DIY and home improvements growing in popularity during lockdown, with many of us finding time to finish that ever-growing list of home projects.

Saturday shopping now spread over the week

One of the most interesting facts to come from the webinar was new evidence of a change in daily shopping patterns. Saturday shopping has changed since the pandemic: it is not the big family shopping day that it once was.

The average weekly traffic mix by day of the week is either slightly more or equal to the pre-lockdown %. But Saturday traffic dropped the most during lockdown, and has remained lower than before. Pre-pandemic, Saturday enjoyed 20% of the week’s traffic, dropping to 16% in lockdown, and only creeping back to 18% in recent months.

Perhaps, with offices closed across the country, instead of shoppers looking forward to weekend family retail and leisure time, they have become used to spreading their visits across the week?  We welcomed the news during lockdown that working from home had a positive effect on rediscovering the local high street.  Popping to the shops now doesn’t need to wait until the weekend, with reduced commuting time and more flexible working hours making #shoplocal mid-week trips more accessible.

 

Shoppers know exactly what they want

And now for the good news! Shoppers are more purposeful when they visit. They are planning fewer spontaneous purchases, so are more decisive and make a journey for a specific reason, which means conversion rate and average transaction value have both seen a jump since stores reopened. With a resulting 26.9% increase in Sales per Shopper, this is positive news as we approach peak shopping season. With footfall continuing to climb, every shopper walking in through the door has become more valuable.

 

What does this mean for retailers?

Now, more than ever, retailers need to work hard to get their customer experience right first time. Ensure the right staffing levels are in place across the whole week, not just at weekends. Train each and every team member on new safety measures, and how to manage a customer’s needs in the current climate.

The retail environment needs to be seen with new post-COVID eyes, where touching and testing products is restricted, shoppers are cautious to enter and spend shorter time just browsing. How can retailers reassure shoppers? By making sure their payment process is slick, ideally contactless. By working hard to make click and collect procedures satisfactory for both those shopping in store and those dropping by to collect. Anything to avoid delays, frustrations or unsightly, lengthy queues.

At OnBrand, we have helped clients through the pandemic by using their marketing channels to better communicate with shoppers who may not be currently visiting stores. What time of day is the best to visit? Which stores are open? Are there special offers available?

In the webinar, ShopperTrak suggested that footfall counters could help share this information with the shopping public, perhaps recommending lower volume shopping days by making the stats highly visible on a retailer homepage?  We implemented exactly this tool recently with Fairhill Shopping Centre in Ballymena, using a simple traffic light system indicating when the centre was at its busiest, and therefore best to avoid, or calmer and safe to visit.

We have also created social media plans that share friendly reminders of new safety measures put in place, ideally with day to day real customer satisfaction. In this time of uncertainly, all shopping information shared needs to be up to date, whether on in-store posters, Google My Business directories, local community websites or social media chat groups, especially when opening hours change regularly, or new government measures are put in place.

We have found that shoppers can handle change, such as a new one way system, separate entrances and exits, or the requirement to wear a facemask, but they do need to know in advance and it may take a few reminders before it becomes the norm.  Our OnBrand radio and messaging system, Centre Radio, has proven essential to many of our clients, giving them the ability to create and load their latest safety messaging and government procedures in record production times.

Will 2020 be an online Christmas?

When surveying consumer sentiment post-COVID, and shopping intentions for the rest of the year, ShopperTrak found a number of positives for the high street.

Customers have more choice than ever to buy online, and unsurprisingly, 64% of consumers expect to use websites with home delivery this Christmas. But, alongside this online commitment, the intention is still also there to shop instore, use click and collect or buy online and collect curb-side.

Festive planning has been brought forward this year, as something for everyone to look forward to. For over a quarter of shoppers, Christmas shopping will have already started by September, with only 16% intending to leave festive planning until December. With the lack of opportunity to spend this year across both travel and hospitality sectors, there is potentially an opportunity for the retail sector to increase its share of pocket towards the end of the year.

However, shoppers are still price-conscious, with 48% mentioning that price would be a key factor when shopping in-store this Christmas. And the aversity to weekend shopping looks here to stay, with 82% of shoppers choosing weekdays rather than waiting for the weekend.

Despite 18% of shoppers planning to shop exclusively online, the in-store customer experience is still high on the agenda. Gifting inspiration, try before you buy, general convenience and advice from sales staff were all quoted as top reasons to visit stores this year, even with social distancing measures in place.

 

Unfortunately for high street retailers, 63% of those surveyed stated that they would shop less in-store this year, compared to previous years. This follows the post-COVID behaviour pattern mentioned earlier, identifying current shoppers as more focused on fewer trips, but spending more money per visit. This year they are not intending to hang around to browse or enjoy shopping as a leisure activity.

Safety is the key concern, both around how fellow shoppers will adhere to the rules, and the risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as the impact of social distancing on the overall shopping experience. Again, retailers should bear this in mind when preparing stores for shoppers currently in a different state of mind from past peak shopping seasons.

ShopperTrak’s predictions for peak shopping days in 2020

The webinar presented the following as critical factors that needed to be taken into account when predicting peak shopping days this year:

  • Weekends will lose emphasis as weekday shopping has levelled out
  • Retailers have brought forward some sale opportunities, which may impact traditional Black Friday or Super Saturday pre-Christmas peaks
  • Shopper surveys indicate that most people intend to shop less this year
  • As well as shoppers planning to shop earlier this year
  • E-commerce will have significant impact on in-store retail sales this year

 

The following dates are predicted to be the peak in-store shopping days for 2020:

  1. Saturday November 28th – Day after Black Friday
  2. Monday December 28th – Bank Holiday
  3. Saturday December 19th – Super Saturday
  4. Saturday December 12th – Saturday before Super Saturday!
  5. Saturday December 26th – Boxing Day

We will certainly be using this insight in our own marketing plans, as well as advising clients on how best to use their remaining Q4 marketing budgets. If you would like a pre-Christmas marketing strategy audit, website customer journey review or social media content refresh, please get in touch on 03333 220022 or sayhello@onbrand.co.uk.

 

Jul 06
0

10 questions every business owner should be asking about their marketing RIGHT NOW

By | Audio, Blog, Branding, Digital, Events, In-Store, On The Phone, PR, Social

As businesses start to re-open their doors once more, it’s safe to say we’ve officially entered the realm of the ‘new normal.’ But what does this mean for your business and, crucially, your marketing plans?

It’s probably an understatement to say that the way you run your business has had to adapt in recent weeks.  With this in mind, it’s almost certain that your pre-lockdown marketing plans need to be re-shaped too, so that you can be confident your comms channels are working as hard as they possibly can.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed?  Don’t worry, we’ve put together 10 questions you should be asking yourself about your marketing right now.  And, of course, if your answers to these questions lead you to thinking you need a helping hand with anything, the OnBrand team are ready to take any marketing load off your mind!!

Your 10 questions start here

  1. What’s changed in my market/economy?
    Change isn’t always a bad thing.  For example, it may be that your target audience’s shopping behaviour has changed; they may be shopping less, but spending more.  Could this be an opportunity to look at ways to upsell or increase basket size online?
  2. What are my competitors doing?
    Whilst assessing what new opportunities there may be for you out there, don’t forget to check out what your competitors are doing too.  Think about what makes your brand/business different and how you can achieve stand out amongst all the ‘New Normal’ noise.
  3. What are my comms priorities?
    Whilst it might feel like you should be putting spend across each and every touchpoint, it’s better to do a few things really well, than spread your budget too thinly across too many channels. Think about which channels are working best for you right now and ensure those you choose to put resource behind will help you reach your overall business objectives.
  4. What skills are missing in my team that I need to take control of?
    With businesses having to make tough staffing decisions over recent weeks, you may find there are skillsets you need to tap into right now that aren’t covered within your team.  At OnBrand, our team cover a range of different marketing disciplines, so whatever the gap, we have an expert on hand to help!
  5. How much do I need to change my original 2020 marketing plan?
    It’s unlikely your marketing plan from the beginning of 2020 is going to be exactly the same now.  Take time to really assess which parts are still going to deliver, and which areas need a tweak!
  6. What new needs do my customers have? 
    The world has changed for everyone. Not only are businesses needing to make changes, but consumers are having to approach every day tasks and responsibilities differently.  Do your customers have any new needs that you can help them with?
  7. Do we have the right level of comms activity running to reach our customers?
    If you’ve been one of the businesses that have had to shut-up-shop during lockdown, it may be that you’re needing to ramp up your comms activity more than you originally planned to at this time of year.  Take a look at your marketing spend for the year so far – perhaps there’s budget you ended up not using during lockdown that you should be thinking about re-apportioning to really create impact now that you’re back up and running again?
  8. Do we need to revise our business goals?
    Do your business goals still reflect the market you find yourself in?  If they’re now seeming unrealistic or you’re needing to change your approach, make sure you re-align your business goals so that you have something to measure success with by the end of the year.
  9. Is our website/e-commerce platform robust enough to respond to changes within the business model?
    There’s no denying that since lockdown, the world has become more digital than ever.  People are spending even more time scrolling on their phones.  How well do you engage with your audience across digital platforms?  Is your website optimised for e-commerce?
  10. What am I doing to keep my brand visible and top of mind? 
    Of course, reaching your customers is key, so it’s important to think through which channels are going to work hardest at doing this for you.  It’s also important to think x-channel.  How are you engaging on social media?  Do you have an email database you can segment with the right targeted messages? Are you running an affiliate program?  We can help you explore which channels are right for your business, and look at your overarching content strategy so that not only are you appearing across the best channels for your brand, but so that your messaging really cuts through and stays top of mind.

Lots to think about!  Want to chat through ways we might be able to help?  Email: sayhello@onbrand.co.uk or call 03333 22 00 22

Apr 14
0

A Positive Throwback: How we got Whitney Houston to drive engagement for Baytree Shopping Centre on Valentine’s Day…

By | Audio, Blog, Case Study, Events, In-Store, PR, Shopping Centres, Social

We thought we’d enjoy a little interlude from what’s going on in the mainstream news, to spread a little cheer and share  one of our favourite campaigns from earlier this year.

Question for you…What do you get when you mix a shopping centre, a dollop of love, a spoonful of Whitney Houston and some clever radio marketing alongside a sprinkle of social media magic?

An interesting recipe right?  Read on…

A bit of background

OnBrand’s history is deeply centred around radio, so much so that the whole company used to be called Centre Radio. And we’re proud to supply our most cost effective product, Centre Radio, to a wide range of different shopping malls up and down the country, with a variety of playlists and recorded messaging that can be updated and loaded quickly, especially in times when you need to react in a crisis.

We can make you feel good

We’re often reminding people that sounds can encourage a range of emotions. But did you know that positive feelings created by music can also help to increase both dwell time and sales in a shopping centre?  You can read more about the science behind it here.

However, today we’re not going to talk about science. Here’s an update on how we used Centre Radio creatively to have a bit of fun this Valentine’s Day at The Baytree Shopping Centre.

What went down

The Baytree Shopping Centre wanted to launch a simple Valentine’s Day competition, but with a twist. Something that would make shoppers want to ‘dance with somebody’ and engage them within the centre and on social media channels.

Centre Manager, Dan Foley didn’t really need to look very much further than OnBrand. We got right to the heart of the brief, which would mix all the elements together… (any Whitney fans getting our references yet?)

The chart-topping idea

A week-long competition that encouraged people to listen out for Whitney Houston’s, ‘I will always love you’ and then message the centre’s Facebook with the time that they heard it, in a bid to win a Valentine’s Gift Bundle.

Working closely with our audio team to ensure the track was played when the ‘Clock strike(d) upon the hour,’  our social media gurus then set to work promoting this awesome competition on the socials.

With a tightly planned schedule, we created banner advertising, posts and fun teasers, encouraging people to go into the centre and listen out for the tune, while giving them clear instructions on how to apply for a chance of winning.

The results

We generated plenty of seasonal engagement around this awesome competition, with customers emailing us to let us know they had specifically visited the centre just so they could hear the song… footfall – tick!

Another customer was also so chuffed at the ‘creativity’ they mentioned it in their entry comment.

And let’s not forget how happy the winner is…

At Onbrand, we talk a lot about memorable experiences, happy customers and success stories… it just  makes us ‘so emotional baby’!

Looking for a unique competition idea? Get in touch on sayhello@onbrand.co.uk.

We’re ‘saving all our (creative) love for you…..’

 

 

 

Apr 09
0
Going quiet on social media is a BIG mistake

Marketing during a Pandemic: Going quiet on Social Media is a BIG MISTAKE

By | Blog, Digital, Social

Trying to figure out how to make your marketing budget work hardest for you during such an uncertain time, may feel like quite the conundrum.

What’s absolutely certain though is, that whatever you do, make sure you’re investing in engaging with your audience.   Let’s face it, you’ve worked long and hard (and quite likely spent a few £s!) in developing your audience so far.  Now is not the time to stop talking to them…in fact, it’s the perfect opportunity to turn those good relationships you have with them, into great ones!

How do you do this?

You should be thinking about how you shift any planned marketing expenditure on things such as future trade shows, advertising or conferences etc. to channels which will help you stay open for business.   Think SEO, PPC and of course, Social Media.   The brilliant thing about apportioning additional budget to these channels is that, within days, they can be up and running, quite often with immediate payback…a bit of a no-brainer no?

Let’s Talk a bit more about Social Media…

It may feel daunting as to how you get social media right during a pandemic.  Yes, it’s vital to show sensitivity and empathy towards the status quo, however, what’s really important is to remember that your audience are sat at home scrolling through their phones for content that resonates.  Now is the time to connect with them and add value to their lives whilst in lockdown.

Going quiet on social media is a BIG MISTAKE

Whilst we all get used to this new world we’re all living in, it may be tempting to stop posting across your social channels whilst you work out how to keep your business afloat.  Quite understandable, but it’s not going to help you in the long-term.  In actual fact, consistent posting to show your customers you’re still there for them is vital in order to retain them.  In recent days, social media usage has been up by 50% – your customers aren’t switching off, so neither should you!

You may be a business that previously relied on having a shop front.  What we all need to acknowledge, however, is that the world has become more digital than ever before.  Content is King and it’s your job to ensure your brand/business evolves to inspire, build your community and drive value online.

We’re proud to have a team of digital and social media experts, with years of industry experience behind us.  If you need a helping hand to create engaging and authentic content or need strategic guidance on how to evolve your social media channels, get in touch with our friendly team of marketing superstars:

Email us: sayhello@onbrand.co.uk

Give us a call on: 03333 220022

We’re all in this together.

 

 

 

Aug 21
0
people holding social media icons

OnBrand grows The Brewery’s social media presence by over 500%

By | Case Study, Social

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. Social media isn’t all # and emojis. It’s a game of strategy, planning and some #surprises. Yep, there’s some experimental stuff in there too that allows us to test the water…

While we previously gave you some insight into how to build a successful shopping centre social media strategy, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

That’s why we wanted to blow our trumpets, because, well, we’re pretty proud of this one… hold on to the edge of your seats guys, here’s how we grew The Brewery’s social media reach from an average of 9k reach to 46k a month. That’s an increase of over 500%!

How? Because we’re #experts, that’s how. Here’s a few steps on how we nailed it.

Step one: The beginnings

We were delighted to start working with The Brewery in October last year. At the time, it had a lot to offer. However, it seemed the way they were doing it, fell on deaf ears. The Facebook audience just didn’t respond. Tough crowd eh?

Step 2: Warming up the crowd

One of the keys to a great social strategy is creating something that will initially act as a hook to bring in the audience. Once there’s a pool, you can communicate with them and keep them on-board. Yep, it’s a bit cheeky, but like a pack of Pringles, once you’re committed, you can’t stop. And that’s how we decided to play it. We know everyone likes a freebie and a little competition. So, we got out and about in the centre and got not one, but two great competitions within the first couple of weeks of working with the scheme. And then we set about with the bait – getting them live on Facebook. Of course, we didn’t get hundreds of thousands of entries right away – unfortunately, it’s not how social works. However, the likes, shares and comments, pushed up the engagement and began altering the Facebook algorithm. Ok, so this is a bit complicated, so to put it simply, this meant our posts began appearing more on feeds, attracting more users and boosting our likes.

Step 3: Building on the foundations

Once we had drawn in the audience, the trick was to keep the momentum going. And this is where we had to really start to think about our content plan. We know discounts, competitions and events always do well. However, it’s not a sustainable strategy, especially if these mechanisms aren’t always available. So, we’re not afraid to admit, we created content around a trial and error approach – some posts might work better than others, but that’s what informs us and helps us to work out what comes next!

Step 4: I’m a celebrity, get me in here…

First up on our list? Celebrity get the looks. But did it work? To a point, we got some comments, but it wasn’t enough for us to be happy about (we’re tough on ourselves you see).

So, we decided to take it a step further, mixing topical awareness days and posting the centre’s and other celebrity takes on this. Based on feedback from shoppers, we decided to target areas such as  mental health and body image. The result? Jackpot! One such post featuring Stacey Solomon talking about post-natal depression, hit the 3k engagement mark – way over the average of a normal post. Other posts following the same format also performed well. As a result, we decided to use this as one of the strands. Content strategy 1 – done!

Step 5: Keep it local

Everyone likes to know what’s going on in their community, and, as a community scheme, it was a no brainer that we should use the scheme’s social media to build on this. We started the trial by sharing articles from local papers, with issues that we knew would be of interest to the people visiting the centre. This included bus routes that were being diverted and, news of locals who had won awards or were doing something for charity. And we couldn’t have been happier with the results. These posts did amazingly well in terms of comments, shares and likes, not only building the following, but also cementing The Brewery’s standing as a community led centre.

Step 6: Love your retailers and local heroes

So, what do you say about your retailers apart from advertising their offers? Well, quite a bit actually. Yep, we took it one step further. A new store launch took on a whole new strategy, with teasers featuring pictures of the empty shell, to works in progress and the final opening. And once again, this did very well. But we didn’t stop there. On visits we ensured we took pictures of those who actually worked in these stores and gave them a presence on social media. This again gave a real-life feel to the scheme and added a personal touch, which made the centre stand out amongst its local competitors.

Tom Stobbart, Centre Manager said:

‘We’re so pleased with the social media growth and couldn’t have asked for more. OnBrand really took the time and initiative to think up a local community led strategy and it exceeded our expectations. We can’t wait to see our followers and engagement grow further in the future.’

*Blush.

Fancy finding out how to grow your social media, or letting us take it out of your hands? Get in touch, we’re a sociable (get it?) bunch!

Jul 17
0
Someone using social media

How to build a successful shopping centre social media strategy

By | Case Study, Social

Social media. It’s easy right? You just take some pics, slap on a hashtag and wait for the likes to pour in. If you’re a celebrity or influencer, then this method may work. But, there’s a lot more that goes into a social media strategy. It takes #sweat, #tears and lots of #research – ok we may have lied a bit about the first two. But we’re definitely being honest when it comes to the last – because knowing your tenants, their customers and their interests are key to growing engagement through successful social media.

So where do you start when creating your social media campaign? Get ready to be inspired – it’s not what you may think…

Don’t take things at face value

We work with a wide range of shopping centres, and at first glance, you’d think mostly posting about fashion would be a given in boosting that engagement and reach. Right? Wrong. Because there’s more to creating popular content than meets the eye.

Shopping centres come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Some offer a broad range of high profile retailers, while others are more community based, often working with independent retailers or promoting events around empty retail units. And when it comes to finding the right message, it’s definitely not a one size fits all strategy.

So, in our view, the real way to get your social followers talking, and your engagement reach up, is to think out of the box and write a range of content that helps make you stand out from your competitors.

For each and every one of our clients, we put together a strategy where we explore a diverse selection of topics.  For some that might include celebrity, fashion and food and for others it’s all about community content.  That way we can see what resonates best with their local followers.

Let’s break it down a bit more for you with some examples.

Ring in the retailers

Of course, it’s important to shout about new stores and promote what’s going on in each one. But that isn’t always enough. Let’s take the example of The Brewery in Romford. A centre with a range of stores such as TKMAXX, Next and Gap outlets and a range of restaurants, its previous strategy had been mainly to promote what was on offer at each place. However, this wasn’t working brilliantly for engagement.

We looked at the demographic and researched what The Brewery meant to them.  Instead of posting just about store openings, we decided to take a different approach and add a personal touch. We went to meet all the retailers, taking time at the centre to turn a normal post into something more personal.

For example, shouting about a new store manager with a picture that we’d taken.  Taking product photography inside stores with catchy calls to action, as well as liaising with their head offices to find out about any latest promotions, staff changes and store refurbs.  This ‘insider’ strategy worked well, with follower and engagement figures rising significantly.

And while we can’t always measure the direct impact of social media on store footfall, our experience is that by creating brand relationships, coupled with the latest store information (delivered via our dynamic  ‘Offers’ feed which pulls through store discounts onto web and social media platforms) we can deliver a joined-up strategy that works.

Community, community, community

community event

Whilst some of our clients already have a range of content or scheduled events that help us build their social media strategy, others need far more research and a plan in place that differs from just promoting their retailers’ offerings.

In our research, a key focus is often the community, and how a shopping centre or business can support their local environment.  We used this strategy to enhance their social media: photos of charity collectors in the building, mentioning centre staff and store managers who had gone above and beyond, and, of course, promoting external events around the area, have all gained high engagement.

We’ve also found talking about local human stories have done well. Of course, it may not result in immediate footfall, but this type of strategy is a long-term push. It means more followers who see the centre as the source of good quality informative local content. The more association to them means a better advocacy and loyalty, thus converting to shopper visits and higher visibility of all content.

Furthermore, the more of a community reputation there is, the better it stands out from a competitor in a small radius with the same offerings, thus increasing the footfall moving forward. One great example of this type of move is The Baytree Shopping Centre. Small, with empty retail units, this scheme needed a boost in social. We took all its activities, such as growing vegetables in their staff garden, and tied this in with awareness days to bring a community spirit to life. And their engagement grew too!

Boosting basics

Some social media strategies are built on a steady amount of boosting in a bid to raise awareness and numbers. And that’s all fine and dandy when you’re working with clients who have a great budget.

However, we believe that this method doesn’t always work and would rather build an organic audience with a robust and engaging strategy. That’s why we choose only to put money behind a one-off event or important piece of information. This ensures that the right content is in front of the right people, and if we’re boosting an event, encourages footfall. Of course, the boost reach means that organic traffic grows too.

And we could go on, from talking more about competitions to sustainability strategies, but we don’t want to give all our secrets away! Like what you’ve read and want to know how we can improve your social strategy? Drop us a line. We love social and building success stories from it.

Aug 29
0

Creating a community

By | Audio, Case Study, Digital, Events, Shopping Centres, Social

The Baytree Shopping Centre has been a crucial part of the town centre for Brentwood shoppers for a number of years, with its wide range of stores surrounding a central café hub and thriving fitness centre on the second floor.

The centre management recognised the importance of captivating the local community and wanted their shopper to have a better shopping experience, both on and offline.

Focusing on smarter marketing

In order to grow its reputation as the heart of shopping in Brentwood, the centre management team identified that, in order to achieve this, they would need to seek out a marketing agency.

OnBrand were thrilled to be appointed in January 2018 as the outsourced marketing agency for the Baytree Centre.  Specialising in smart marketing using customer knowledge, OnBrand creates and delivers the Baytree Centre marketing strategy across all channels: digital, social, audio and events.

Working very closely with Dan Foley, the Baytree Centre Manager, OnBrand delivers a ‘joined-up’ approach to marketing.

Our experience-led marketing programme covers all touchpoints on the shopper journey:  from poster advertising space to email marketing, PR and social media engagement, to excite customers with competitions and events.

‘We’ve seen a significant increase in our online presence, developed encouraging relationships with a number of our retailers who help support our marketing activities and held a number of successful events which received positive customer feedback’  – Dan Foley, Centre Manager

Delivering successful campaigns

Since working with the Baytree Shopping Centre, OnBrand has delivered a number of thriving community engaging campaigns with success stories across all marketing channels:

  1. Valentine’s Day social media saw a rise of 56% engagement during February thanks to our event, online competition and retailer offer activity
  2. Pre-promotion of our Mothers’ Day and Easter Activities drove April Facebook followers up by 300%, as well as increasing our reach by 150% talking to over 5,000 local shoppers
  3. Dedicated April Twitter activity saw page impressions grow by nearly 4,000, reaching over 17,000 in one month, an all-time high for this channel

Building the future customer experience

With exciting developments coming soon to the centre, we are delighted to be collaborating on the 2019/20 marketing strategy for the Baytree Shopping Centre.  Our approach is to provide a continued balance of customer retention & customer acquisition activities, developing a whole host of new ideas to be delivered across digital, social, audio and events.