Social Media Marketing and Local Business in Athens
Ja’Leia Johnson
It’s no secret that the rise in digital platforms has been tremendous over the last decade and this switch to digital has drastically changed the world of social media media marketing. What once could be done simply through word of mouth, flyers and billboards, can now be achieved all at once through social media.
That begs the question of how local business in Downtown Athens have maintained successful marketing strategies in this Digital Age. Many local businesses in Athens rely largely on word of mouth and loyalty to reach their customers. But is it more beneficial to maintain this method of advertising that has been the norm for this small town environment? Or is it a smart business move to make the digital transition?
Bizarro Wuxtry store manager Nate Mitchell thinks that social media marketing would be beneficial to their business, but feels they have other priorities to handle first.
“Bizarro is a business that has three generations of people that shop here. We are an institution in Athens at this point and that works for us. We didn’t really grow up in the social media age, and I think we may have been resisting change. So we definitely have some catching up to do. But social media is something that needs to be kept up with consistently, and we have other issues to handle first. Once we take care of repainting the ceiling and fixing lights, then we can tend to social media marketing.”
The other store manager Robert Brown agrees that there is work to be done towards creating a marketing presence socially.
“We don’t have an updated website, we don’t particularly advertise, and we don’t have a large social media presence.” When asked what their approach to the business is Brown responded “Show up. Deal with whatever is dealt me.”
Brown mentioned that the way Bizarro maintains it presence in Athens has less to do with their outreach through social media, and more to do with customer loyalty.
“We have a loyal customer base and subscribers who habitually come to the store and subscribe to our comics. We also sell and resell things. Often times when people have hobbies centered around media, they’ll get into it real big and almost have a manic passion for it for a window of time. Then after some odd years they divest themselves of some of it and trade it in. My only frustration is there’s real potential for growth that is not pursued,” said Brown.
A modern version of a store that sells media, definitely has a different online presence and engagement with consumers than Bizarro currently has. This could be solved in a multitude of ways, but owner Daniel Wall has not been willing to change the way the store has operated for almost half a century.
It’s arguable that Bizarro’s niche market and loyal consumers allow them to remain a business that doesn’t have to innovate to survive. But the question is, how long will that last?
Jackson Street Books and Blue Moon books are two bookstores that were ran out of the city because of their inability to innovate.
Avid Bookshop, on the other hand is a local bookshop in Athens that has a great handle on social media marketing. Their store has only gained traction since opening on Prince Avenue in 2011. They have even opened a new location in Five Points just shy of two years ago in 2016.
Avid Bookshop has an aesthetic that is very modern, and they actively hire interns, and college student/ graduates as a way to connect to the large student community in Athens.
“We definitely try to cultivate in each of our stores something that is unique and really tailors to the neighborhood. We also have shelf talkers. So if a bookseller is especially excited about a book, or something they’ve read, they’ll write a blurb about it and place it on the shelf under the book” Said Kristen Carter a bookseller at Avid.
Avid bookshop has a website, facebook and presence on twitter and instagram. The bookshop has accrued 12.3 thousand followers on Instagram since they have opened in 2011, compared to Bizarro’s 642 followers after 42 years of business.
Their communications director Rachel Watkins handles most of their social media posts which incude notices about new books, opportunites for customers to come to author events, motivational quotes from featured books, and various events that Avid Bookshop hosts within the community.
“A lot of our success has to do with the community. We have a lot of support from them, and we are able to connect to them, and what they want to see in the store largely through social media” said Matilda McNeely, an Avid bookseller.
When you correlate Avid Bookshops success to their social media growth, there is an obvious upward trend. The more they interact with the community, the more growth they see which is largely why they were able to open another store in 2016.
Bizarro Wuxtry on the other hand is not as dedicated to their media marketing, and in comparison, they do not notice as large of a growth in audience and reach.
“We mostly know who will come into the store and purchase because they do that all the time. More social media presence and advertising may allow us to reach more and newer customers” said Brown.
Normal Books is bookstore that opened last December, located on Prince Avenue in Athens. Their owners Mary and Chris Eaton rely soley on facebook for their advertising, and believe it really helps get the word out about their store — especially as they try to grow their customer base.
“Facebook has been a real good platform for us. We have spent a total of $200 in five months for paid advertising. We’re almost up to 450 followers right now and that’s been about 100 followers per month. Facebook is cost efficient for us” said Mr. Eaton.
Ms. Eaton makes it a point to ask customers how they have heard about the shop. Drive bys, word of mouth, and facebook are the main responses she recieves.
“I had never had a facebook account before we opened the store. I make sure and tell people as they’re leaving to follow us. Now we’re trying to figure out Instagram to grow our customers even more” said Ms. Eaton.
