It’s time for brand engagement to go back to school

We’ve come to the bittersweet part of the year: back-to-school season.

While social media used to be a big factor in back to school shopping (in terms of getting product recommendations from fellow parents and students), that’s no longer quite the case. First, it’s important to note that the back-to-school shopping season isn’t what it used to be. It isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, though, unless you consider its expansion to be movement. What I mean is that the shopping season is getting longer. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of respondents in Deloitte’s July 2015 study stated that they plan to finish their back to school shopping after the school year has begun.

But back to social media. How are brands engaging with shoppers this year? And what does this mean for the future of the season? Well, since the shopping season is longer than ever, brands have a lot of work to do. I remember when I was in K-12, I would dread the first back-to-school commercial I saw. I knew that if a retailer was trying to make me think about the fall’s latest trends, then my days of soaking up the sun by the pool were coming to an end faster than I was interested in admitting.

Social media has been a part of the back to school promotional mix for the last several years, as retailers can use it to easily connect with shoppers. However, when Deloitte asked “Do you plan to use social media sites to assist in your back to school shopping?,” only 10 percent of respondents said yes. Back in 2011 that figure was 35 percent, and even in 2014 it was 18 percent.

Back-to-college shopping paints a very different picture. Social media plays a much larger role in those purchase decisions. Deloitte cites that 43 percent of parents and their college-aged kids plan to use social media to plan their purchases this year. This nearly matches with the past two years; 42 percent in 2013 and 44 percent in 2014.

These figures vary widely between back-to-school and back to college shopping. Even though college shoppers are still heading to social sites for advice, it’s valid to ask: if shoppers aren’t consulting social media, what are they using it for?

Some shoppers might not be using social media in a peer-to-peer way like they did before, but the potential impact of B2C communication is key to influencing decision makers. Also consumers are increasingly turning to social media for customer service at all stages of the purchase process. Fifty-three percent of customers who ask a brand a question on Twitter expect to receive an answer within an hour, regardless of when they tweeted. And if they’re tweeting with negative feedback? That number jumps to 72 percent.

Social still matters, but the content in particular is emerging as a more effective way to sell. Sure, advertisements can be great when they have a catchy tagline that you just can’t get out of your head. But emotional or funny sponsored videos that go viral are better. Shareablee found that in Q1 of 2015 internet users engaged with brand content 52 percent more than that same time period in 2014. It’s a matter of getting the frequency and content right because consumers are paying attention.

Succeeding in the back-to-school shopping seasons—and all year long—requires grabbing attention with unique content. While it’s just one shopping season, it’s so close to the biggest one of all. Acquiring customers now with great content on social media and beyond is the first step toward having a bigger and better holiday season. Once a shopper has checked out, the retailer’s job to keep their customer engaged has just begun.