SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTION
Social media and surf retail are a marriage made in heaven because they both lend themselves to story telling.
Vidlers has been stocking the leading surfwear, swimwear, skate and lifestyle brands in WA since 1982, and they have a reputation for top-notch service and expertise on things salty, sandy and sun-drenched.
Coffey & Tea was contracted for a six-month period to help the Cottesloe institution reinvigorate its social media presence, as well as to help guide the development of a new website.
Anyone who has ever been into a surf store will know surf retail sells a lifestyle, not just boards and bathers, and has an often stunning visual component (video and still image).
Fortunately for Vidlers, there is no shortage of content available within this retail niche with the biggest and best source of useful social media content found in their own backyard, or storefront – under the banners of the brands they stock!
Think well-known names like Billabong, Roxy, Rip Curl – to begin with, and the wealth of stunning imagery they have at their disposal. In simple terms, given the number of high-quality suppliers stocked, Vidlers has a virtual treasure trove of content right at their fingertips!
The first task on the agenda was to supercharge their Instagram account.
The approach here was to really maximise use of supplier content to showcase product and lifestyle and also effectively align the store with these high profile, global brands.
In addition, we used the hashtags set by the suppliers while also researching additional, relevant hashtags that would help Vidlers content access broader audiences within the surf lifestyle sub-culture in WA and beyond.
During the course of our engagement, we raised the number of followers from 542 to 1733 – over 300% growth. We also raised the average number of photo likes from 25 to 73, a phenomenal improvement.
Much the same approach was used to improve Vidlers’ Facebook presence, however, with the addition of a six-month run of low-budget advertising.
Again we piggybacked off supplier brands with content, interspersed with localised surf content, and amped up the use of tags and hashtags to increase visibility and align branding. The advertising was effective in attracting new followers and generating consistently high click-through rates to the website across the campaign period.
During the course of our six-month engagement, we raised the number of Likes from 157 to 1098, that’s nearly 600% growth. The Facebook page also had impressive growth in engagement and reach.
Parallel to revising the content plan for social platforms, we worked with a web designer to revamp the Vidlers website with an emphasis on making it more user-friendly and integrated with social.
All in all, the short campaign was highly effective in providing a needed boost to Vidlers’ existing social presence that is easily maintained by the client, into the future.
