Happy summer to all. It’s that time of year when we all tend to slow down to catch our breath before a busy fall and year-end holiday season hits us. But don’t be fooled – as summertime temperatures rise, it’s the perfect cue to heat up your registry as well. There are millions of consumers celebrating events or planning for one in coming months. And that’s before the year-end holidays sweep everyone up in a gifting frenzy. Consider the fact that the most popular wedding months are now through November. Not to mention that new babies are arriving all the time. And right now there’s a spotlight on those newly minted graduates or couples and families on the move this summer.

But don’t sweat it – just turn to social media. Today there are a myriad of platforms you can use to turn the spotlight on gifting activity. They can be rather quick and easy to use, expanding your brand reach and reinforcing you as a ‘go-to’ for the perfect gift. Even better, they can be relatively inexpensive and give you the flexibility to refresh your marketing messages often.

We’re big fans. In particular, we love that customers of all ages are using these platforms, so you can reach both young and old (Don’t be fooled thinking social media is only for younger generations. Data shows that more than 40% of those 65+ are on some social media platforms regularly). The most popular social platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Pinterest isn’t far behind along with LinkedIn and more. So, focus on the platforms you are most comfortable using and be assured you can engage almost everyone from 18 to 80.

Think of social media as modern versions of traditional print vehicles with a few huge benefits – they can be created and launched literally in real time and even include options for adding audio and video. Bottom line, social media gives you a chance to showcase your products in gifting moments. You can create visually exciting messages that can be delivered in quick sound bites and then just as quickly updated or refreshed based on customer reactions. And, don’t forget that we provide some tools (accessible in your dashboard - check out Marketing Tools) that will help you track efforts to promote registry creation on social media and then track it as well.

With social media you can enjoy:

• Tremendous Brand Exposure at Minimal Cost. All of these social media platforms make it easy to share useful registry tips and enticing imagery that can go viral with ease. Reach a large audience and even consider tweaking the message across different platforms.
• An Opportunity to Engage Customers in a Multi-Sensory Way. Registry use is all about gifting exchange – a dynamic and interactive experience. Social media makes it easy to mirror that experience with a combination of multi-sensory communications. Depending upon the message you want to deliver and the products you may want to feature, take advantage of adding audio and video, music and more to pull the customer into your gifting experience. 
• A Chance to Promote more Loyalty. Invite customers to participate, add their own stories and share posts about happy gifting exchanges. You will gain immediate feedback even as those customers also become marketing advocates that promote your messages in an authentic way.
• A Chance to Listen and Learn. Invite questions and comments to engage customers. The exchange in whatever format it comes will be authentic and that’s valued by customers. You may also gain some useful new insights and ideas through the exchange that you can then weave into future gifting posts. You can also use the ‘conversation’ to demonstrate your expert knowledge and build your reputation.
• Access to More and New Customers: You’ve heard that the more active you are across social media, the more searchable your business becomes. Well, the same idea applies to gift registry use; invite customers to share gift favorites and it will reinforce your positioning as a great gift go-to resource.
• Fresh, Timely Messages: Frequently updating your posts will motivate customers to come back to stay current on what’s new with your business - whether it’s new products or special offers to check out. Social media is the perfect opportunity to keep your customers updated on the goings on of your business.

Bottom line, keeping an open dialogue with your customers through your social media posts helps you build a relationship with your business’s biggest advocates and educate them about all the benefits of your gift registry at the same time.So, go be social!.

If you have any questions in particular or want to learn more about managing your registry data, we can always be reached at marketingguru@myregistry.com