It’s practically stating the obvious to stress the need of maintaining an active social media presence for your eCommerce company in today’s competitive market. You may think of creating a presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram as one of the preliminary steps involved in introducing your business’s digital assets to the world. Like writing your first blog post, making a CTA to encourage readers to join up for your email, or placing a burning gif next to your company’s logo (haha, just joking, we don’t do that anymore).
However many companies make the mistake of seeing these activities as necessary evils to be endured and then let them be in the vain hope that they may eventually provide sales benefits.
Many businesses are missing out on a major opportunity to broaden and perfect their sales channels. Some online merchants see social media at most as a way to boost their brands’ visibility or attract new customers.
This piece is for you if you take a hands-off approach to using social media in your business’s sales process or if you’re not using it at all.
What Role Do Social Media Platforms Have for eCommerce Businesses?
Check out the data below, provided by VisitSure and Global Web Index, for a quick and easy answer:
Almost 2.4 billion people use Facebook every day.
Roughly two-thirds of US millennials are active on Instagram.
Just around one-fifth of all American adults (22%) are regular Twitter users.
Over 322 million people use Pinterest.
A whopping 30% of people’s “online time” is devoted to social networking sites.
Take into account these staggering numbers and the fact that every single one of these social media sites may be used to directly and indirectly increase site traffic, lead generation, and conversions. Indeed, two of the most popular social media platforms—Facebook and Instagram—include shopping features inside their core functionality.
Could you, or any business that relies on internet sales, afford to ignore this opportunity?
You can bet that your rivals are using social media as part of their business strategy and operations, which is another compelling argument for getting on board with this trend yourself.
The time for small talk is over; let’s get down to the meat of the matter and show you why you should care about this article. These are some tried and true methods of using social media to improve your online store’s sales.
Choose the Appropriate Mediums, and Put Them to Good Use
Think about your target demographic before devoting your life to a social media plan that includes everything from Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and YouTube. It’s crucial that you avoid spending resources on channels that aren’t a suitable fit for your product.
Most online merchants now understand the value of buyer personas, or at least have a firm grasp of who they want to attract. Is your market comprised of high-powered businesspeople trying to increase their efficiency, or does it consist of anyone who owns a cat? By the way, there are many of situations in which this information is useful that have nothing to do with social media.
Spending time and money on social media platforms is useless unless they are well received by your target demographic. Depending on your target audience, one or more of these sites may be better suited to your marketing needs than the others.
The region’s demographics are also a major factor. It’s crucial to identify your target demographic and compare platform usage data with that information.
Develop Content That Serves the Platform’s Purpose
How you plan to reach your audience is heavily influenced by the channels you choose to use. Instagram and Pinterest, which focus on visual material, are great places to promote products whose features are best represented aesthetically (or which customers purchase primarily for aesthetic reasons). Services and goods that encourage conversation and feedback among users will do well on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Make Material That Is Appealing to the Eye
Attractive visual material receives 2.3 times as much attention as text-only articles, as we discussed in a recent piece about mastering graphics without prior design knowledge.
Getting people to interact with your posts is essential for your social media profile’s success. The post’s visibility is increased, and you learn to know your target audience better.
Content that receives a high volume of interaction, such as likes, shares, and comments, is prioritised by both Facebook and Instagram’s feed generating algorithms. Your chances of being seen on social media will increase dramatically if you focus on making posts that are liked or start conversations. Both websites receive financial rewards for providing useful information to their users. They see a direct correlation between the amount of time a user spends staring at their computer screen or mobile device and the amount of money they bring in.
How can an online store take advantage of this strategy? Very elementary, in fact: Consider the use of visual aids. Lovely ones. Inspiring images that your fans will share. Before uploading any photos, give some thought to the overall aesthetic vibe you want to convey about your product.
Advertise Your Peer Review Ratings
The importance of social proof to the success of an online store cannot be overstated. One of the most influential factors in the purchasing decisions of internet buyers is evidence that previous customers have had a positive experience with the product.
Obviously, strangers’ opinions are taken extremely seriously in the eCommerce world (something I’m sure we’d all be pleased to see spill over into the realm of political conversation, but let’s not go there now).
Many eCommerce business owners already know the value of social proof and don’t need it explained to them. Well, I know that you understand. Consumers who are satisfied tend to buy more from a business.