Social media has changed how we do marketing in many industries, and arguably none more so than retail. And while our online efforts can result in more followers, brand engagement and other benefits - is there a way you can bring the power of social media platforms into your brick and mortar store?

Well, yes.

Social media walls can be a great way to display user generated content, brand engagement and any efforts from your hashtag campaign.

If you're new to the idea of a social media wall, we'll go through how these great displays work and how you can use this powerful social proof to attract more retail foot traffic and start making more sales.

What is a social media wall?

Social media walls are digital displays featuring highlights from your social media feed, from your own posts and campaigns, to brand mentions, hashtag use and other forms of social media engagement.

Typically this is from a visual form of social media, for example Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. But you can also embed mentions from diverse social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Linkedin, Mastodon and Reddit.

You're also not limited to social media platforms, as you can also embed content from RSS feeds, meaning you can stream content from other websites and non-social media sites.

These digital screens, or digital signage displays, can be anything from a consumer grade TV set, to a huge video wall. It all depends on your goals for your content and whether you simply want to share some of your brand mentions, or you're looking to encourage engagement and participation.

Are social media walls effective?

Various studies suggest that digital displays can increase sales. In fact, one study shows that 80% of brands who start using digital signage see an increase of up to 33% . Pair this with social media, where 44% of shoppers admit to it influencing their purchasing decisions, and you have a much better chance to increase customer purchase rates. 

The benefits of a social media wall will most likely vary depending on the screen positioning, the content you're using, your brand and even your end goals.

While user generated content is a strong part of modern marketing, you might need to factor in how you're using the messaging. For example:

• Sharing your latest posts or unique content can help boost engagement with your socials
• Highlighting an online partnership with a brand or influencer could attract more attention on your own product
• Showing your involvement in an event on your social media channels could improve your brand perception
• Encouraging engagement via branded or specific hashtags can be a strong play to engage users
• Using strong visuals from your social posts can attract passing traffic and possibly new customers

Putting it simply, just having a social media wall isn't going to result in more sales - but a strategy around what you curate and share and how you share it, could have a big impact.

Benefits of a social media wall within retail

Engaging your current customers

More and more brands are pooling huge marketing budgets (and experiences) into getting their customers to talk about them on social media. But you could be engaging current customers within your store to do some of the work for you...

By using digital signage, and some great content ideas for digital signage in retail, you could harness an army of brand advocates.

Ask people to share their experiences with branded hashtags, or by tagging you, for an opportunity to appear on your TikTok or Instagram wall.

Cross-promotion of content

All of the time spent on your social content is all well and good. But if barely anyone sees it or engages, then it can feel like a missed opportunity. Social media walls in-store allow you to pull this all together into one visual display, making your content’s shelf life longer and reaching a wider audience. 

In addition to this, if you include your social icons and handles in store you’ll also increase exposure to your online channels. Drive your customers to specific social pages or profiles by including QR codes on your screens, or highlight your social media handles in the store window, on your receipts and promotional content.

Higher conversion rates

According to a Cisco IBSG study, over 40% of shoppers say that digital displays can change what they buy because relevant information is served close to the point of purchase.

If you're looking to increase retail sales in your store, retail digital signage might just be the way to do it. Position a screen showing brand influencers wearing your latest jacket right next to the jacket in store.

Or, stream user generated content about a specific product line right next to the product shelf to highlight use cases and show off the great quality.

Potential conversations

Customers who champion your brand online could be an untapped goldmine of free marketing. In traditional advertising, retailers speak solely to the customer. With social media, the customers speak back.

This creates opportunity for a two-way conversation where your replies are as good as any standalone advertising. Your replies could even end up being a campaign in themselves. Highlight some of these conversations in store to showcase your audience engagement.

Brand alignment

For brands that get involved with other events or initiatives, sharing your participation can be a strong play. For example, your company might partner with a local children's charity, you might sponsor a music festival, or perhaps your products are used by the local sports team.

Show snap shots of your brand involvement with these community or external events to engage users even more.

This way you get to maximize your involvement with these initiatives and connect more with your audience.

Real-time support

In-store social media walls are usually moderated through a mobile or desktop app, allowing you to control what gets seen and what doesn’t. While this helps filter the great tweets that you want your customers to read, it could also be a way to provide real-time support while the customer is still in the store.

According to Brandwatch, customers who use social media as a form of customer support while in-store expect a response within a window of two or three minutes. Respond within this time, and you’ll be getting even more brownie points with your audience.

How To Set Up an In-Store Social Media Wall

To set up a social media wall in store you need four things:

1. A screen - this could be either a standard TV or a video wall (Check out our recommendations for Consumer TVs and Professional TVs)
2. A digital media player. We recommend the Chromecast with Google TV if you're on a budget or for better performance, our own Station P1 Pro.
3. Access to digital signage software. Sign up for a free trial of ScreenCloud here.
4. Great content to share!

You may also need a premium subscription to a social media aggregator such as Walls.io. However, there are free software options on the ScreenCloud app store which will allow you to display content from Facebook Instagram, YouTube and various review sites. You can also access our own social media wall app, Strea.ma with all plans.

Pro Tip: Your social wall screens can meet other customer needs, including retail wayfinding, and product recommendations.

Here’s how it works:

To set up your social media wall you’ll need a screen and a way to get your screen online. You can connect easily with Android TV, Samsung Tizen and LG smart TVs - but you might also wish to use a media player and install the ScreenCloud app.

All you need to do is navigate to the Google Play Store, search ‘ ScreenCloud’ and download our app which looks like the below.

If you don’t have a Smart TV, we recommend using a budget digital media player such as the Chromecast with Google TV (around $50).

Once you have the ScreenCloud app downloaded on your device of choice, simply take the pairing code (which looks like the below) and head to https://studio.screencloud.com/ to set up your ScreenCloud account.

Select ‘add screen’ and enter the pairing code and that’s it - Boom, Voilà, Salut! You’re installed, paired and ready to begin creating.

Social media wall apps

In the ScreenCloud App Store you’ll see that you have a wealth of options when it comes to creating social media walls, depending on how much or what channels you want to show. Here are a few of the apps already live in the ScreenCloud App Store:

Walls.io

Walls.io lets you collect and showcase the best posts, photos or videos from multiple social platforms using hashtags, keywords, and profiles. Adapt the look and feel of your social media wall with their easy-to-use style editor. No matter what size or resolution your device or embed is, the Walls.io widget always looks great

Gallery for Instagram

Create live scrolling social media walls of your latest Instagram posts through gallery for Instagram, filtered through a campaign hashtag or specific user account. The Gallery app offers a great opportunity to use your digital displays for retail to drive engagement. Choose from light or dark themes and set up beautiful, image-based displays.

Social feed for Facebook

If Facebook is where your customers are at, share their thoughts, feedback and your beautiful updates through social feed for Facebook. The beautiful interface clears away the noise, so that only the posts you want to see are shown to an in store audience. Ideal for running campaigns and building interest across channels. 

Strea.ma

The ScreenCloud Strea.ma app is designed to display your content from Facebook, Twitter/X or Instagram. Ideal for in-store use, live events, or digital signage displays where you want to share user generated content.

Read more: Top apps for retail businesses

Top tips for retail social media walls

Pace the channel updates

Social media walls are only as good as the content you feed on them. If you’re set up to showcase a hashtag make sure there are already tweets using that hashtag before you get started

Know your timings

By selecting content for specific times (morning, evening, holidays, weekends) you create a higher level of engagement as audiences are enthralled by content they actually want to see. 

Keep it relevant

Every social media channel has its own core demographic. Understanding who your audience is, why they use the channel and when they use it can help improve engagement and even customers' in-store retail experience.

Pick the right screen placements

Screen placement is critical if you want to maximize engagement and ensure people actually see the content you curate. Here are some ideas on the best positions for your screens

• Aisle endcaps: There's a reason why screens for visual merchandising are placed here
• Store windows: If you already have a digital signage window display, even better!
• Product sections: Ideal for drawing customer attention to specific areas and products.
• Checkout/waiting area: Customers can engage while they wait in line

Try ScreenCloud for your social walls

With so much time and money going into social media marketing, leveraging the power of digital signage to expand the reach is a wise investment. And with more people than ever using the internet to research products, giving them access to content from multiple platforms right there in the store can be a big difference.

ScreenCloud offers an easy to use and manage content platform, with remote operation, best in class security and a wide range of integrations for your social media channels.

Enjoy a14-day free trial with ScreenCloud today or request ademo.