In the fourth quarter of 2023, e-commerce accounted for $324.8 billion in total retail sales. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this figure represents a 7% increase from the same period in 2022, signaling a shift in consumer behavior toward online purchases. In this digital age, marketing your business online is more important than ever. Capturing the attention of potential customers through social media posts and online advertising should be part of any business's overall marketing strategy.
Lumber King, which has four stores in southern Kentucky and one in Tennessee, is using both digital and in-store marketing to drive sales in the paint category. As part of her role, Sidney Hupp, Lumber King's marketing director, also manages social media and plans events for the stores. Lumber King hosted its first-ever Home DIY Night in mid-April at its stores, extended hours to accommodate customers' schedules and offered 20% off canvas bags for customers to fill with their items.
“For DIYers, it can be hard to get to the store, especially when you have work and family responsibilities,” says Hupp. “For DIYers Night,
We want to support our customers in the best way we can, and building in extra hours was the most effective way to do that.”
In a Facebook post promoting the event, Hupp said she purposely filmed the video at a paint counter and featured brushes, rollers and gallons of premium paint to promote the painting aspect of the DIY night.
“When you think about a home improvement project, color is often the first thing that comes to mind,” she says. “It's a natural step in the DIY process. If it's an interior project, it'll probably require some form of painting.”
In preparation for DIYer Night, Hupp said employees spruced up every section of each store.
For this event, Hupp wanted to work with each store manager to plan and host the event.
“I leaned heavily on the store managers because at the end of the day, it's their store and it's in their community,” she says. “Together,
The atmosphere in each store became more attractive and the event was a success.”
At a Lumber King store in Oneida, Tennessee, managers rearranged paint displays and counters to improve visibility and attract customers' attention, Hupp said.
“This special effect brought more people to the counter and captured people's attention,” Hupp said. “All of our managers went above and beyond to help us keep our focus on sales.”
In addition to organic Facebook posts, Happ ran targeted meta ads leading up to the event to complement in-store promotions.
Customer traffic, both online and offline.
“Any time we do an in-store promotion, we partner it with Facebook Ads,” says Hupp. “The two work really well together and it definitely helps drive traffic to our site and to our stores.”
Social Media Starting Line
If you're looking for an easier way to manage your social media and don't have a huge social media budget, Hupp recommends starting with Meta Business Suite, a free, easy-to-use program available to anyone with a business page on Facebook or Instagram. Hupp also says YouTube is a great resource for retailers who want to learn more about how to market their business.
“If you're new to Facebook ads or want to learn anything about social media, YouTube is the place to be,” she says. “You don't need to take a course or get a degree to be successful with social media. If you know your customer well and you understand your product well, you'll be able to figure out relatively quickly how to use social media to get the most benefit from it for your business.”
Expand your digital vocabulary
Whether you’re a seasoned social media user or just starting out, understanding these terms will help you use social media to promote your business.
- hashtag
Formerly known as the pound sign, this symbol is now used to categorize content and help users interested in a particular topic find it. - DM
Direct messages (DMs) are private conversations sent to your inbox on social media platforms. When you link your business accounts with Meta Business Suite, you can manage your DMs from both platforms with one login. You can automate messages, so when your customers send you a DM, you'll get a message back right away. - Tagging
You can associate a person or page with your post by tagging the page on social media. Tagging can be done using the @ symbol. - algorithm
It's a set of calculations that social media platforms use to push out what appears in your feed, and posting frequently is an easy way to get into their follower algorithms. - engagement
Your followers’ reactions to your posts. Engagement is the ultimate goal of social media and it comes in the form of likes, comments, shares and reposts.
Marketing Know-How
In addition to special events, Hupp said to promote their paint department, each store has a board at the paint counter listing the most popular colors that have sold in recent months.
“Trend color boards will naturally vary from store to store,” says Hupp. “Our managers review the most popular colors each month and update the board. It's interesting to track from a psychographic standpoint and how customers' color preferences change throughout the year.”
Hupp says the color boards show customers what others have used on their projects, giving them color ideas they can incorporate into their own renovations.
From a marketing perspective, Hupp said it can be difficult to remind established customers that Lumber King is not just a supplier of building supplies but also sells paint and general merchandise.
“We actually offer a full-service home improvement business and want customers to know when they come in that we're happy to help with anything they need,” she says. “Mainly, customers associate us with wood because it's in our name, but prioritizing other aspects of our business allows us to take advantage of our paint offering.”
Another way Hupp learns about digital marketing topics is by getting involved with the local Chamber of Commerce in the county where Lumber King is based.
“The Chamber of Commerce offers free workshops for business owners to learn about social media, SEO optimization, digital advertising and how to market their business online,” she says. “If I were a business owner and I didn't know anything about these topics, I would definitely take advantage of these workshops.”
3 ways to connect with the next generation of consumers
To run a successful business, you need to think ahead and connect with the next generation of customers. Social media is the perfect place to do that. Hardware Retailing has put together three tips to make your store more appealing to the younger generation.
Show off your personality.
Social media should be fun. Don't be afraid to post with your team members, customers, and even pets. Find a unique aspect of your store and try to showcase it.
Keep it local.
Collaborate with social media influencers who share your interests to get insight into your home project. Consider handing out gift cards or discount codes to local businesses to drive business.
Join the community.
Loyal customers are your best influencers. Partner with your best customers to support events, nonprofits, and organizations that are important to them. Consider sponsoring a local sports team or advertising with local restaurants. Getting your name in front of as many people as possible, whether virtually or in person, is a great way to expand your brand.
