Retail social media expert Crystal Vilkaitis will present “One of a Kind: How to Stand Out on Social Media” and “Using Video to Boost Engagement” at SAF Palm Springs 2018.
Admit it: Before you buy a product or head to a store, you do your research online and through social media. Your customers do the same thing. The question is, how do you look to customers who find you online — and what are you doing to get them shopping and keep them engaged?
Those are questions retail social media expert Crystal Vilkaitis will tackle (and answer!) during “One of a Kind: How to Stand Out on Social Media” and “Using Video to Boost Engagement” at SAF Palm Springs 2018, the Society of American Florists’ 134th annual convention, Sept. 12-15, at the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.
“Now more than ever it’s easier to create videos to market your business because of the tools available,” said Vilkaitis, , founder of the Social Edge. “The cameras in our phones have great quality, and there’s several video editing tools that help easily make impactful videos.”
She’ll point out easy tools for filming and editing video and explain how to increase video views on social media. One tip that should be heartening to busy florists? Perfectly polished isn’t the goal.
“Don’t get hung up on creating a perfect video,” she said. “On social media, people like seeing people and real videos. There are tools to help make videos stand out, but even just firing up your camera and going live on Facebook is generating traffic and sales for florists.”
Since Vilkaitis is on the leading edge of trends in social, she’ll also share tips on what’s new, and worth trying out. One example? Instagram’s IGTV. Released at the end of June, IGTV is popping up at the top of personal and business pages on Instagram. It’s a way to watch “long-form” vertical video from accounts you follow on Instagram up to an hour in length.
“I think IGTV has the potential to be a strong competitor to YouTube or Apple TV,” she said. “Instagram is owned by Facebook, and consumers are now watching more minutes of video on Facebook than they are on YouTube. That’s just another reason florists need to integrate video into their overall social strategy.”
Along with “Using Video to Boost Engagement,” Vilkaitis will present “One of a Kind: How to Stand Out on Social Media.” She’ll show how to create a consistent online brand with graphics, ads and local listings. She’ll also cover what to include in Yelp and other review site listings, and how to monitor, respond to and optimize these listings; and how to use graphics, video, ads and local listings online to your competitive advantage.
Eager to learn more? These programs are among the 51 educational sessions and events taking place at SAF Palm Springs 2018. Learn more and register now at safnow.org/annual-convention. Early-bird registration ends Aug. 17 and saves you $205.
