Does Social Media Sell Furniture? Informing Furniture Store Owners.
Some furniture store owners view social media marketing as a bonus rather than an integral part of their business strategy. It is very easy to lose sight of social media's potential as a powerful tool. When social media marketing is used as intended, it is effective at creating awareness, retargeting, and driving traffic to physical stores. Here's how:
Building brand exposure is the only thing social media marketing does.
A common belief is that social media marketing is suitable only for building brand exposure and vanity metrics, and that it will not have a positive impact on foot traffic or sales. In the furniture industry, almost 90% of marketers reported increased business exposure, and 75% reported increased website traffic. Social media marketing is working as a top-of-funnel channel.
Some people think that social media marketing is useless for the furniture industry, and 92% of furniture buyers conduct online research at the start of their furniture purchasing. Social media marketing is a valuable way to capture potential consumers at the very beginning.
There's another myth: social media cannot drive foot traffic to a store. However, data from furniture marketers shows that combining social ads with strong local calls to action and retargeting visitors to your site helps funnel those who engage with social ads toward intent to visit a store.
How Social Drives Three Key Business Outcomes:
Awareness
Social media helps get your name, showroom, and offerings in front of new audience segments in your markets. In your showroom, furniture stores need to highlight their best-selling sofas, delivery options, and financing options. Eye-catching posts and short videos on Instagram and Facebook spark the interest of unaware prospects.
Retargeting
For anyone who has been to your website, browsed a category, started a comparison, or engaged with your social post, you can retarget. Use a custom audience of previous site visitors or engagement events to target messages such as "See this piece in store today" and "Visit our showroom for a free design consultation." In a furniture ad case study, a retailer moved from zero to a 29.5× ROAS on Facebook in 3 months by implementing an effective "See-Think-Do" social funnel Inflow.
In-Store Visits
Social media can help you turn awareness and consideration into showroom foot traffic. Distance or geo-targeting lets you reach people near your store or in your catchment area with mobile-optimized ads ("Tap to get directions", "Visit today") and store-specific offers.
A digital/social plus display campaign for a local furniture retailer garnered 175% more new visitors and achieved a video completion rate of 95%.
Real-World Examples & Stats Worth Noting For Furniture Store Owners
From industry research:
- For furniture/manufacturing social media advertising, Furniture Today reports, "Nearly 90% of marketers say their social efforts increased exposure; 75% say new website visits were increased."
- When researching the different retailers available, 92% of consumers within the furniture industry consider their options online, and 70% perform online research before purchase.
- An example of Inflow's more strategic advertising on Facebook for a furniture e-commerce business to over 29.5 from 0 ROAS in three months instead of 0.
Social media's impact on the furniture purchase cycle is significant; these numbers dispel the old notion that it's just a passing trend.
What Furniture Store Owners Should Do Now
Initially, social media goals must be determined. Your goals include enhancing awareness, increasing website visits, booking customers, and increasing showroom foot traffic. It's impossible to do "everything" at once.
Then, design your audience parameters. For a physical showroom, consider listeners within your defined area, up to 50 miles, who have interests in home décor/furniture, as well as similar audiences from previous customers.
Reasons Some Furniture Stores Fail With Social, And How To Fix Them
We've got some furniture stores failing with social because they do poor targeting with weak ads and creatives. And because they run irrelevant generic ads, they get vanity metrics — i.e., ad likes — with no foot traffic. Fix this by using localized pictures and offers that focus on the showroom.
Lack of an advertising funnel is another reason. You can't just run awareness ads and expect no retargeting or advertisements that lead to a showroom visit. Fix this by having a sequence of ads that go from awareness to retargeting to awareness, retargeting, and a store visit.
These are the most common reasons, but not tracking your goals is another common mistake. You can't measure value by tracking likes; get folds, in-store visits, direction requests, and link clicks.
Lastly, the biggest killer of trust and future sales is the disconnect between the social promise and the in-store experience. Make sure your ad and creative, offer, and store execution are in sync.
Indeed, social media sells furniture. It may not sell furniture immediately, but it builds brand awareness, stokes interest, and brings qualified leads to the showroom. Social media is more than a place to "post pretty pictures"—it can be powerful. When you integrate social with a well-structured funnel, local targeting, and tangible objectives, you will observe the positive impact.
Interested in See How Social Media Can Benefit Your Showroom?
At Furniture Marketing Pros, we assist furniture store owners in designing their social media for tangible, ROI-driven results, unlike other social media platforms that measure ROI in likes and empty engagement. We articulate your funnel, set up strategic social ad campaigns, design the sales-optimized creatives, and measure showroom traffic and sales conversions.
Book your strategy call now with a free Initial report —call (973) 832-0923 or email ahmet@furnituremarketingpros.com.
