Social media is an ever-changing medium. What is considered “in” one year may be obsolete by the next. Today, let's take a look at some of the 2024 top social media trends and how college stores can utilize them to better reach students.
Social media is an ever-changing medium. What is considered “in” one year may be obsolete by the next. Today, let's take a look at some of the 2024 top social media trends and how college stores can utilize them to better reach students.
Social media is a very simple, cost-effective way to engage students with the bookstore. In a perfect world, you would post on your store’s social media account and all of your followers would see and remember the content you post. Better yet, they would heart the post and leave a comment, and maybe even share the information with their friends who don’t follow you. However, as we all know, that is not the reality. So, how can stores get customers to follow and interact with them on social media?
Increasing in-store traffic and web traffic are essential to expanding the store’s market share and reintroducing students to the benefits of shopping locally. So, how can your store effectively expand its reach now and in the future?
What advantages set the campus store apart from its competitors? Campus stores have direct access to students, exclusive channels of communication, the largest variety of payment methods, more innate trust and a mission that extends beyond retail. Let’s take a look at the five specific ways your store can build student engagement.
Simplify your college store marketing this year with a marketing calendar that reminds you of important dates and helps plan store events. We have prepared a customizable marketing template to help you get started. Remember to add the dates that are specific to your store and campus.
College stores can benefit from using social media to market to students. However, finding the time each day, week and month to fully maintain your social media pages can be a challenge. One way college store managers can maintain a robust social media presence without taking on a lot of extra work is to recruit student help.
One thing college store managers could use is more time. With limited resources, diminished staff and a busy schedule, finding time to do all of the tasks that need to be completed can be daunting. It is easy for non-essential jobs to slip through the cracks like keeping up with your store’s marketing efforts. However, by streamlining duties you can ensure that your store has a strong marketing plan for the entire year that can be delegated and easily implemented. With the help of a retail marketing calendar, you can plan your store’s efforts on a month-to-month or year-to-year basis.
Students who are prepared for their classes have a better chance of mastering the subject, especially with the rise of online learning. Why are so many students choosing not to purchase course materials? The usual reasons are the cost is too high, the professor doesn’t use the book or the student has heard from friends that the book isn’t necessary for the course. With many schools relying on online learning, course materials are more important than ever to student success. So, how can the bookstore help students understand the importance of course materials?
Social media can help drive store traffic (both in-store and online), and it can even be an additional revenue stream for your college store. That’s why it is worth devoting time to strengthen your social media presence and maximize student engagement. We recently sat down with Salisbury University Bookstore’s Merchandiser Bryan Hailey and Merchandiser Emily Davis to discuss their store’s approach to social media marketing.
Did you know that on sites like Instagram and Facebook students can make online purchases from your store? Setting up these additional sales channels is relatively simple and could result in more sales for the store.
Contact our editorial team to set up an interview or to contribute a guest post.
Customer Service
800-325-0530
cserv@mbsbooks.com
Order Processing
800-325-0577
As MBS’ signature publication, Foreword Online is dedicated to offering daily industry insight and cutting-edge news that keep college retailers ahead of the curve. Follow us on social media. Contact us with ideas and feedback. Subscribe for regular updates.
© MBS. All rights reserved.