5 Innovative ways Shopping Malls can tap on Social Media
Having worked with shopping malls for years, we know that social media can be a tricky beast. After all, you’re technically in the B2B arena but your content will be catered towards B2C (ie. your mall shoppers).
While most malls have their own branding, it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate the mall from other malls, especially in cities with high mall densities. This is especially so for malls that frequently promote their tenant’s offerings – each tenant comes with their own branding requirements.
The online and offline efforts of a shopping mall has to work closely in tandem in order to achieve top-of-mind presence, and attract shoppers to visit its location.
Here are some ways malls can differentiate themselves from the rest.
1) Chatbots
In modern times, people expect customer service to be INSTANT, but there’s no way for the customer service office or social media manager to be on standby 24/7. Thankfully chatbots can. With chatbots, malls can answer customer queries (eg. Directions, store locations, current promotions), push promotions/events by connecting with the shopper directly and even hold campaigns to engage and delight.
2) Partnerships – Events and Giveaways
For shopping malls, foot traffic is vital. You’ll want to work with partners related to your target audience to create events of interest. Examples could be children’s show partners for family malls; fitness centers for malls targeting PMETS and influencers for lifestyle/fashion malls. Social media plays a big role in magnifying the awareness of your partnership events. From teasers to behind-the-scenes to live coverage, social media plays an important role in hyping up any event.
3) Unique hashtags
Own the hashtag! Hashtags are a vital part of the culture for some social media platforms. Innovative use of hashtags allows audiences to find content directly related to the mall, and makes it easy for them to share their content too. It’s always good to have 1-2 key hashtags for the shopping mall, and ad-hoc campaign specific ones when the occasion arises.
4) Facebook Groups
If your shopping mall is niche enough, a Facebook group can work wonders in getting information out, and foot traffic in. Facebook Groups allow shoppers to converse easily with one another, creating an active ecosystem based on your mall’s niche and mix of tenants. You can even get feedback, test ideas and build strong loyalty within your FB Group. A well-moderated Facebook Group can be much more effective than a page when it comes to engaging your shoppers online.
5) Mall Ambassadors
Mall ambassadors are people who love your mall, and advocate what it stands for. Your mall ambassadors could come from influencers, your FB group or even active members of your shopping mall. Ambassadors get first-hand news of the latest promotions and events, and will help you spread the word out to the rest. Taking care of your ambassadors means taking care of your mall’s image.