So you have a small family owned general convenience retail store that has been handed down from generation to generation in your family. Your dad was in charge of the affairs at the store earlier and the reins of charge were handed over to you, a post-millennial adult in inheritance. Now the question arises, in the contemporary world when e-commerce is on the boom and digital transactions are being encouraged not only for the ease and convenience of shopping but also for a better bargain, how do you make your age-old mom and pop store at the corner of the block a prominent landmark for consumer footfall and traction? The sole lifeline of this store’s once-booming business had been its affable and friendly staff and word of mouth marketing working in your favour, but nowadays people rarely go to stores to make a purchase and interact even rarely unless you are not contacted on their messenger list. The whole concept of communication and trade has taken a 360-degree turn since the conceptualization of the store. You do not have the expertise of a technology expert, neither do you have the capital inventory to revamp operations or spend on marketing and advertising. So what is the way out to restore the lost days of glory for the store once brimming with consumers and in doing so resurrect the dying business of retail for general stores?

Have you ever given it a thought, how Social Media is an open marketplace of end consumers? Everyone is a consumer if they can be convinced. Since you are very active on Social Media and spare no effort in making new friends on a regular basis, have you ever given it a thought how creating a Social Media presence for your shop might be a good way to expand your territory beyond the neighbourhood you exist in? Just the way when you wear a cool new pair of shades or a new tee, your friends can’t stop complimenting your choice and want you to recommend the store selling such wares, similarly you can use your position to become a Social Media influencer and convince your friends to shop from your store and spread the word further ahead to their friends and so on. Before you know it, your store, considerably non-descript sitting in a quiet corner of a laidback residential neighbourhood tucked away in one corner of the city will be attracting footfall from different corners of the city. With the advent of different Social Media platforms, you can use Facebook to share a post, while Twitter can be used to start a conversation and Instagram for creating imagery to connect with your fans or prospective consumers. The best part is you can always reach out directly to your consumer and know them on a personal basis, unlike other Brands who never know their consumers first hand. What bigger brands spend loads and tons of cash to buy through adverts and television commercials or celebrity endorsements, you earn naturally and at the same time registering on their mind on a personal level as well. Adverts and television commercials are repeated over and over again to forcibly implement the brand register in the consumer’s mind. So there you are, a Social Media Marketing genius already, even before you know it. What life teaches you is more valuable and priceless than any formal institutionalized education in theory.

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