Don’t Have Foot Traffic Right Now? Why You Should Use Zoom for Your Store

VP of Business Development and Sales Guru Branden Elwell explains why you should think about using video conferencing to supplement your in-store traffic.

Many retailers that rely on foot traffic for sales are in a difficult position right now. Whether local regulations or other considerations have caused your business to lose valuable in-store customers, Branden breaks down alternative technology solutions like Zoom that are free and easy to implement to keep meeting your consumers face-to-face even if you can’t meet them in your store.

Today, in this video, I’m going to talk you through a couple of ways that you can really get the most out of technology that’s readily available to you, and leverage video to bridge a gap between the in-person conversations that we know are so important.

But right now, unfortunately, guys, we’re just not able to have them. You know, we can’t get into a house as we used to or into the home for a consultation. We can’t host our guests on our properties like we used to, and we wish we could. And what’s beautiful, at least out of this situation, is that if this had taken place before, when we didn’t have all this technology readily available to us like this, we would really be struggling to connect with customers.

But right now, we can leverage video, the video capabilities that we carry around with us, and we can use a couple of different pieces of technology to really connect with our consumer. So I want to touch on a couple of those.

First, is video conferencing or video chatting, right? I’m talking about the Zooms, the Facebook rooms, the Googles, etc, of the world where you can leverage the camera, the video capability, to have a conversation with a prospect and really make a connection.

You know, research shows that in a conversation, only 7% of what is perceived is the actual words that are being said, which means there’s 93% of the conversation that is left up to the tone of voice and of course, reading body language. Well, without video and without the ability to have this video connection, you wouldn’t be able to read the 93% piece. So, leverage video conferencing, Zooms, etc. and you turn your camera on when you’re talking to one of your customers and watch what happens they’ll turn theirs on as well.

The other thing is just video in and of itself. Don’t reside on just, or rely on just, stock images anymore, guys, for our products that we carry. Get your phone out and you don’t have to be Steven Spielberg, you don’t have to create Jurassic park here, go and shoot some videos, take some still images and splice them together. Use the technology you have in your hand to better connect with your consumer. Because keep in mind guys, they can’t walk in and learn about that piece of that product right now. So, bring it to them into their home.

I hope this was helpful. If you want to know how to really make this happen, check out the video that you’re going to see a link to right above me. Also, it’s always a pleasure to get in front of you. I hope these videos are helping. Please visit ThumbStopper.com as frequently as you can because we’re going to be putting out some great information like this on a very periodic basis and we hope we can be a help for you.

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Key Points:

 

  • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
  • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
  • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

 

 

Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

Social Media for All

The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

 

Making Content Accessible

Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

Text

  • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
  • Avoid text in all caps
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

Videos

  • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
  • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
  • Use captioning for live videos when possible

Graphics

Distribute Accessible Content

Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

 

 

accessibility
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