Interview with Tom Liddell, Planned Furniture Promotions, Inc.
Getting back to basics will be the secret to advertising success. Here are
ways to make your ad spend more effective.
The January/February edition of Furniture World included an enthusiastically
received interview with Tom Liddell, titled “Predictions & Insights: What’s
in Store For 2023.” Liddell is the senior vice president and director of
Planned Furniture Promotions. If you missed it, visit
www.furninfo.com/furniture-world-articles/4039. Here are some additional observations he made during that interview
regarding retail advertising.
Messaging
Liddell encouraged Furniture World readers to focus on creating loyal
customers with every single ad they place. “I believe it’s important for
most retailers to come up with effective advertising strategies that help
customers to become fans of their stores.
“Despite hearing over and over again that price-and-item doesn’t create
long-term loyal customers, most retailers still focus on it to this day,
some almost exclusively. The endless cycle of sales has left consumers
exhausted. They don’t know what to believe. Although fast-growing Bob’s
Discount Furniture does advertise price/item, it has never had a sale. They
sell value, function and fun.
“Other retailers come up with innovative ad campaigns but don’t stick with
them long enough to give them a chance to succeed.”
Media Choices
“Another problem is that very few stores properly distribute their ad spend.
They invest a little here and a little there. Ultimately, none of it is
effective. Better to focus on three or four places. We recommend choosing
one or two video media options such as pre-rolls on YouTube, commercials on
social media, and cable or streaming services.
“Cable and keywords are arguably the most effective way to bring people into
stores. And in most cases, it’s a smart idea to find a good Google partner
to help buy appropriate keywords and understand how to get the best return.
You don’t have to make a big ad spend to get results.
“Direct mail,” he continued, “is making a comeback and email marketing has
been effective for retailers that have taken care to develop good opt-in
mail lists. Never buy an email list or you will get tagged for spamming
which will hurt your longer-term ability to communicate with customers. Find
ways to get every single shopper to sign up in-store and online. It’s an
effective strategy for building your list, won’t run afoul of new privacy
regulations and is almost free.
“Furniture stores often lose sight of the value of in-store advertising and
display. I go into a lot of furniture stores. Some have excellent signage,
but most do not. Always consider your customer’s first impression. The space
needs to be neat, clean and well-signed with your best groups up front. The
impressions shoppers get first when they enter can also be an effective
advertising message.”
Social Media Ideas
“Retailers hear all this talk about how great social media is,” Liddell
observed. “So they snap a few photos and put up a few posts. Then, after six
or eight weeks, they don’t see the benefit and give up.
“A small furniture retailer in Tennessee recently used social media to
promote a contest giveaway. Nearly 100,000 likes were received after just
one boosted post.”
“Stores that manage to build a large number of loyal social media followers
reap huge rewards. They don’t do it by showing their products with prices,
commercials or ads. Instead, they feature initiatives such as their support
of local fundraising for charitable groups and they use humor and memes
about furniture. Tie posts in with your customers’ interests—anything they
might enjoy. Offer to let people use your store for association meetings and
clubs. That will bring folks in who aren’t necessarily looking for
furniture. When they need furniture, maybe they’ll think of you first.
“A small furniture retailer in Tennessee recently used social media to
promote a contest. The offer was a free recliner giveaway to one lucky
person who ‘liked’ their post. Nearly 100,000 likes were received after just
one boosted post. Website traffic exploded and the cost was minimal.”
Other No-Nos
Liddell noted that there are a number of practices that sabotage social
media efforts. “Support the police and fire department, honor local citizens
but avoid politics at all costs. You’d be shocked how many furniture stores
put political posts on their business Facebook pages. It’s true that it will
encourage some people to interact, comment and like your page, but it will
alienate others.
“All this can be done so posts don’t appear to be commercially written. They
should reflect your store’s personality. Don’t post more than once a day
because Facebook’s algorithms penalize you for doing that. Ideally, post
every two or three days. Remember that once you have an organic audience
built up, paying to boost posts is still necessary because Facebook doesn’t
care about helping you to promote your business unless you pay to play.”
Where to Find Great Ideas
“Many retailers don’t spend enough time mining ideas from other businesses’
social media,” he added. “Check out L.L. Bean’s Facebook page. It’s one of
the best I’ve ever seen. Their intro message is, ‘Welcome to the official
Facebook page for L.L. Bean. Follow along for inspiring outdoor stories and
photos, expert tips and advice, and a community devoted to helping make the
most of every moment outside. #being an outsider.’ It doesn’t say ‘A great
place to buy coats.’ It’s everything but a selling platform. It’s all about
branding and familiarity. Use a lot of hashtags to show up in searches more
frequently.”
Back to Basics
Liddell concluded his remarks by suggesting that retail furniture stores get
back to basics to bring in shoppers and build long-term customer loyalty.
“You’d be surprised how many retailers don’t follow that protocol,” he
pointed out. “Furniture World readers shouldn’t just take my word for it. I
recommend they visit websites and social media pages of every furniture
store they’ve read or heard about. That’s exactly what I did. I was shocked
by the lack of relevant, meaningful content retailers are putting out there
that shoppers would be interested in seeing.”
About Tom Liddell:
Tom Liddell is the senior vice president and director of Planned
Furniture Promotions a company that provides a variety of approaches to
successful home furnishings sales promotions. Direct questions or comments
can be directed to Liddell at
editor@furninfo.com.