Do you want to grow your store’s customer base? The best tool you can use to gain new customers and sell more products may be in the palm of your hand.
Tobacconists are using video to show their store, showcase products and engage with both current and brand-new customers. At Queensbury Cigar & Pipe in New York, tobacconist Kathleen Kelly gets her entire staff involved in making videos and urges them to become creative and not to try to be perfect. The goal is to show the human side of the business and to build relationships and build awareness for the store and what it has to offer.
At Industrial Cigar Company, Brandon Frakes and his family also use live video and social media to build a community within their Texas-based store and lounge. “You cannot be confined to your four walls,” he says. “You have to create these opportunities for people to be a part of it.”
Set out to create video content that educates your customer. Teach them about the products that you carry, show off your personality, and encourage them to engage with you. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram both offer easy live video capabilities that can work from your mobile device with an account. TikTok is another untapped social media platform built around short-form video that can help you showcase your knowledge and show off your own personality as well as that of your retail store. The key to success when it comes to video is not perfection; it’s consistently publishing new content on a regular basis to build a community and following around your business and brand.
This story first appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
