Social Media in Action: Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts
I’m trying something new here at Marketing Roadhouse that I hope you enjoy and find useful. I am interviewing companies that I have embraced social media as a part of their marketing and in my opinion have done a great job. Now, I am a little biased about this company, like many I will cover, but I want to share their stories with you so you can see what others have done and pick up an idea or two. In the spirit of full disclosure Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts located in Downtown Frederick is one of my family’s favorite stores and Tom and Marlene England are two of the nicest people I know. That being said, Marlene was generous enough to take the time to answer some questions that I sent her and here they are:
Tell me a little bit about Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts
Dancing Bear is an independent specialty toy store that’s completely battery-free! Our focus is on top-quality toys and games that are powered by imagination and fun. We love our location in Downtown Frederick and are excited that the Bear will turn 10 in 2010.
Why did you decide to start using social media?
We were inspired to get started after meeting with Bob Phibbs (aka The Retail Doctor). He came to Frederick in March as part of the Downtown Frederick Partnership’s Competitive Edge Retailing Series. Bob spoke pretty passionately about the importance of social media, of being where our customers are. That’s when we really started to realize the significance of social media and how we could use it to strengthen relationships with existing customers and to grow our customer base.
How did you start?
I’m embarrassed to admit there was no grand social media marketing plan. We really did just jump in. Thank goodness there were other local businesses that we could watch and learn from – including VillageWorks!
What tools/sites are you currently using?
Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, and – in the near future – YouTube. We also do regular email blasts to our customer database of approximately 1000 households.
What results have you seen?
We’re still exploring how best to measure results beyond retweets and comments and numbers of fans and followers. Our sales are up for the year and, while we’d like to give social media all the credit, we suspect it’s one of several factors, including the improved economy and increased interest in shopping downtown. We think – we hope – that because of social media more people are thinking of Dancing Bear first when it comes to shopping for toys and games and children’s books and music. We hope more people have a better understanding of our store and what we’re all about as business owners. We’ve certainly connected with quite a few wonderful people whom we might not otherwise have met. Through Twitter, for example, we found a talented window designer as well as two new games that will soon be on our shelves. Through Facebook, we’ve gotten some great feedback from customers, including suggestions for books they’d like to see in our store.
What has been your biggest challenge in using social media tools?
Striking the right balance both in terms of time devoted to social media and the content of what we say…figuring out what our customers want to hear from us, what’s most meaningful and helpful to them. We’re coming into our busiest season of the year so chances are it will be January before we can slow down and catch our breath. But early next year we do plan to devote a good bit of time to developing a marketing plan that will incorporate social media as well as (fingers crossed) a new website.
Next time you are in downtown Frederick, be sure to stop into Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts and say hi.
Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts
12 North Market Street
Frederick, MD 21701
301-631-9300
info@dbeartoys.com
Be sure to connect with them online:
Twitter
Facebook
Web site
Blog
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Comments
I’m definitely more inclined to buy from a shop that has owners I know and daily converse with. Dancing Bear is “our” toy shop!
It is not everyday (or every month!) that I run across a post and can say, hey, I’ve been there! I live in Frederick and I love the Dancing Bear. We moved here in March and my toddler, who is not 21 months, loves going there just to play with their awesome marble “slide.” It’s set up (along with many other toys) just so that kids can play and try things out!
Thanks for the review! I didn’t know they were on twitter!
Sarah
I have certainly become a stronger customer because of interacting with them on Twitter. I SEEK them out instead of hitting Walmart.