Impressions - August 2019 - 25

gravitating toward videos, people expect social posts to have some
kind of visual-first component. According to HubSpot, an inbound
marketing and sales software developer, people recall 65% of the visual content they see almost three days later.
If your content doesn't look appealing as people are scrolling, they
won't pause to engage with your posts. To keep your followers engaged,
you must hop on the photo and video train - whether it's product
shots, demonstrating how a product works, showing how to screen
print a shirt, documenting your trip to an industry trade show, etc.
"Social's a highly effective way to promote our services and to
showcase examples of our work, which reflect current product trends,"
says Scott Slade, president of Hicksville, New York-based supplier
Chocolate Inn/Lanco, which posts photos and videos to Instagram,
Facebook and LinkedIn twice weekly. "We know the key product
uses by time of year and categories, so we build an annual marketing
calendar that we assess monthly and execute against."
Lanco's social calendar gets broken down by platform and occasion,
so that the marketing promotes the right products at the right times.
"It's imperative that you understand which seasons your products
are most in demand," Wright says. "Plan your content around your
seasons and be authentic with this."
4. Talk about the results that your decorated apparel scores for
clients. When it comes to promoting your business on social media, the golden rule is pretty simple, Clement says: "Twenty percent
of what you say can be geared toward actually selling your product
and services," he says. "The remaining 80% should be either helpful,
entertaining or inspirational, with no direct sales intent."
Coudray coaches his clients to focus social content on the results
they get for their customers. "People say, 'We just gave them branded
shirts,'" he says. "I tell them, 'Dig deeper. What role did your decorated apparel play in that campaign or contest, or how did it unite
the community?'"
He's a big proponent of finding your niche by really understanding
your audience's behaviors and expectations. "The more you work in
an area, the more you understand its needs and the opportunities,"
Coudray says. "Pro athletes don't play a different sport each season.
They become extraordinary on their particular playing field."
Then, he advises, aim to make every shirt design something that
may become a wearer's favorite. Expand your view into lateral areas:
promotional products, signage and more, so you become the go-to
marketing agency for your niche.
Customer testimonials and user-generated content also can act as
major influencers for your business, promoting your products and
services in the best possible light. When prospects get that social
proof of your customers' positive experiences and results, they feel
they're making a more informed decision.
Bartolini also recommends creating story highlights on your
Instagram account and sorting your stories that way. If you create a
"Happy Clients" story highlight, you can add the stories and turn it
into a small portfolio.
You also can feature the results your decorated apparel and goods
can score for your clients in a case study. "This can be as simple as a

"There's a reason why everyone's doing contests
and giveaways - because they work."
- Danica Norton,
DCNA

post or series of posts on social media, or as involved as a dedicated
landing page," Clement says. "Another approach can consist of creating a white paper about a customer story and making it downloadable from your website upon submission of a simple contact form.
5. Use Instagram and hashtags to connect with a broader swath
of buyers. When the team at Lynchburg, Virginia-based supplier
Emperor Promos started showing cannabis accessories it carries on
Instagram, there was a big uptick in interest.
"We've seen a huge rise in direct messages from distributors asking
about pricing," says Steve Peters, COO, Emperor Promos. "Plus, we've
received orders from these new clients. Our strategy? We limit our
content to showing off products that aren't available in the industry
or new variations of our specialty products."
Instagram has more than 1 billion active monthly users who spend
an average of 53 minutes on the app, according to Oberlo. "Instagram
is a visual platform that's great for brands and products," Wright says.
"I tell my clients to think of Instagram as their brand's personal art
gallery or magazine. Look at your analytics, trends and what your
competition is posting, and use this information to inform what
you're putting out there."
Each major social-media channel uses hashtags, which help prospects and customers find your brand, products and services quickly.
App tools like Ritetag, Hashtag and Best-Hashtag make it easy for
you to research which hashtags will resonate most with your target
audience.
You also can look at the hashtags your competitors and influential people in your industry use. Keep them short and memorable,
and capitalize each word. Initially, use hashtags that are linked to
between 20,000 and 200,000 posts so you'll get found more easily.
By using Instagram's search function, you can type a keyword
that's relevant to your brand and then select the "Tags" tab. You'll
see a list of all the hashtags associated with that keyword, along with
posts tagged with these hashtags. Some hashtags will have lots of
posts; others will have less. Also consider related hashtags: On any

Sparkle Plenty Designs
posts lots of examples of
blinged-out apparel and
accessories on social media
to show off the branding
power of a sparkly logo.

AUGUST 2019

P.25

Impressions - August 2019

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