How much time does your store spend on social media? With so many other things to do, it is difficult to devote a lot of time to researching ways to improve your reach and analyzing the posting data available to you. That’s why we have collected three easy tips to help you boost your social media efforts without spending extra time or resources.
Before we get to the tips, it is important to note that like all industries, social media platforms and usage evolves with time. In general, younger demographics will flock toward the newer platforms and as the older generations trickle over in greater numbers, the 18–29-year-old demographic will move to the next. So, keeping on top of the latest platforms could help your store reach its target audience. Also keep in mind that people are likely to be on more than one platform. In fact, the average social media user in the U.S. has seven accounts.
According to the latest social media data, people in the 18-29 demographic use Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Be Real and X the most, and 78% of Gen Z is active on social media. Now, that doesn’t mean that your college store needs to be on each platform. Each platform is different and some will naturally not work as well with passive marketing efforts. Stick with the platforms that give you the most flexibility in reaching students and shoppers: Instagram, X and TikTok.
Instagram is easy to use, image/video based, and offers stores the ability to sell directly to customers. X, despite some turbulence in the last year, is still holding strong on daily active users. It averages more male users than female, but with the resurgence of text-based posts, it offers a potentially wide audience for a small amount of effort. TikTok’s popularity cannot be denied, especially with Gen Z. While pending legal cases could result in major changes for TikTok, the video-based platform is still a solid way to gain student attention.
You might have also noticed that Facebook isn’t in this group. Facebook might still be a great platform for your store, but you are less likely to get student engagement there. Consider the difference in audience when designing Facebook campaigns — you might be more likely to reach faculty, staff, parents, etc.
3 Easy Tips to Boost College Store Social Media
- Text-only posts
Text-only posts over the last few years have been growing in popularity and reach. In a sea of photographs and videos, now the text-only posts stand out and catch the eye of the casual scroller. So, instead of always having to find that perfect picture, add in some text-only posts to help break up your communication.
This method can obviously work well on platforms like Facebook or X, but what about with a more visual platform like Instagram? Simply screenshot and crop your text-only post on X or Facebook to share it as an image on Instagram. Not only could this help increase your reach, but it is also a great way to remind your followers that they can engage with your store on other platforms.
A couple things to keep in mind with text-only posts, keep them short (one or maybe two sentences) and keep the purpose clear (Now open, Flash sale starts now!, Sweatshirts 50% off, etc.). - Timing matters
How much does the time of day or day of the week factor into your store’s posts? According to Hootsuite research, timing can actually make a big difference in post engagement. In The Best Time to Post On Social Media in 2024 article, they share a variety of ideal times for each platform as well as the best single time for each:- Facebook, Tuesday 7 a.m.
- Instagram, Wednesday 11 a.m.
- X, Monday 7 a.m.
- TikTok, Thursday 7 p.m.
- Pinterest, Friday 12 p.m.
Check out the blog post for more timing suggestions. It is also important to keep in mind that the best average time for your audience might be different than the best overall time for all audiences. College stores primarily interact with younger demographics, so early morning posts might not do as well. Experiment some with the days and times your store posts.
- Share the same information multiple times
One of the easiest ways to increase engagement and reach is to post more. However, constantly creating a lot of new content can take time. However, why does the content always have to be new or unique? Don’t be afraid to post multiple times about the same things. It will help increase your reach and make it much easier to increase the amount your store posts on its social media.
Now, this isn’t to say you should post the exact same thing three times in a row, but let’s say you have a big store sale coming up. You post about the sale on Facebook, X, Instagram and do a short video on TikTok. All of that content can be used again across each platform, and you add in some simple follow up reminders.
Which social media platforms does your store use? Let us know in the comments.
