Barely on social media? You can still work with creators
There are shops that have been doing fine for years and whose entire online presence is an account opened a long time ago, with four posts and a profile picture that no longer matches the shopfront. Or nothing at all. When the idea of working with a creator from their area comes up, the reaction is usually the same: that's not for us, we haven't even got a profile.
It is for you. And in some cases it works out better than for the shop that posts every single day.
The content doesn't live at your place
The post goes up on the creator's profile, gets seen by their people and works there. You don't have to publish anything, reply to comments or keep up a rhythm. Your part happens in the shop: open up, serve, let them film, and be there when the people who come afterwards turn up.
That's a fair enough split. Each side does what it knows how to do.
Why it sometimes pays off more
A shop that posts daily has already told its people almost everything it has. When someone from outside shows it, a good chunk of the audience already knew.
If you tell nobody anything, everything shown is new. Nobody has seen the back room, or how the thing you sell gets made, or the face of whoever stands behind the counter. That material isn't competing with anything of yours, because there's nothing of yours to compete with.
There's a less obvious advantage too: there's no earlier image to correct. The first visible version of your business gets built by someone who knows how to frame and tell a story, not by a blurry photo from years ago.
The minimum worth having in place
You don't need a profile. You need whoever gets interested to be able to reach you.
- Be findable. Correct address, phone and opening hours on whichever map people in your area use. If the hours are wrong, everything you gain gets lost at the door.
- A phone someone actually answers, or a bell that works. If the only channel is an inbox checked on Fridays, it's no good.
- Your team knowing that someone is coming to film and that people may show up asking about it. Nothing worse than a counter with no idea what they're being asked.
- The place tidy. Not refurbished: tidy, which is a different thing and costs nothing.
- Someone who can decide on the spot. Whether the back room can be filmed, whether prices can be shown, whether something can be tasted or tried. If every question means calling the owner, the visit drags.
What to expect and what not to
Expect people coming in saying they saw you somewhere, even if they can't quite say where. The phone ringing with odd questions. Someone saving your address for later. Your name turning up in conversations you had no way of reaching.
Don't expect things that don't depend on this: you won't gain followers, because you have nowhere to gain them, and there won't be a queue at the door the next morning. People who find you this way tend to take their time, and sometimes turn up a month later with someone else in tow.
How to know it did anything without analytics
By asking. A sheet of paper by the till for a few weeks and the same question to anyone new: how did you hear about us. It isn't elegant, but it gives you a real answer, which is more than plenty of businesses full of dashboards have.
And if you ever do want a profile
There's no rush, and it certainly isn't a requirement to start. But if you do go for it one day, you'll have built up something almost nobody has when they open an account: decent photos and videos of your own business, made by people who know how. Starting from that is nothing like starting from scratch.
One thing to start with
Before you talk to anyone, look yourself up on your phone the way a stranger would: your business name and your neighbourhood. See what comes up, with which hours and which phone number. Fix whatever is wrong. It's half an hour of work, and it's the only thing you genuinely need ready before new people start showing up.