One of the things that you’re going to have to do if you want your store to succeed is use social media to promote your business and communicate with your customers. These days, a business without a social media connection is as dead-in-the-water as a company in the 1970s or 1980s would have been without a telephone.
Social media is just one of the earmarks of a professional company and it is one of the best ways to advertise, offer customer support and let customers know that there are real people behind your organization.
The Basics of Social Media
You know that social media can be a great way to get traffic to your ecommerce website but that doesn’t mean that getting that traffic is going to be easy. It especially is going to take work if you want to have sustained success throughout your store’s lifetime. That means that you aren’t just looking for short-term social media tactics, you actually need a strategy. That begins with goal-setting.
Setting goals is important no matter what you are trying to achieve, because unless you know where you are going you have very little chance of getting there. You want to set goals like: traffic increases from social media, number of followers/fans/other vernacular of your social media platform, your conversion rate, post engagement numbers and growth goals.
You also need to know what your customers need. This was discussed a little bit in the chapter on niche marketing. You definitely want to know what kind of content they desire before you start posting and then monitor and stay in the loop using social media, comments and other methods to track reactions.
The analytics that come with your website also can provide you with a great deal of information on what your customers are looking for and what kind of posts would bring in the most traffic. The keywords that people use when they reach your site are particularly telling and can be an unlimited source of topics to write about.
Finally, one of the most basic things about social media that anyone just coming in should understand is that social media isn’t for selling. While you can make sales using social media, and it can be a great selling tool, your primary purpose should be sharing with your followers or fans. If you try to make your social media platform a podium from which to hawk your products, you are going to lose your followers very quickly.
However, if you can keep followers interested in your feed – whatever platform you are using – you will find that new followers will always come and your regular followers will not be offended by the occasional product recommendation from your store, particularly if it is something that solves a problem that someone was introducing on social media. Just remember to keep track of your progress and that your social media efforts are showing improvement.
Ten Social Media Strategies for Ecommerce
Here are some social media strategies that have been shown to be particularly effective in ecommerce. These are definitely things that you should strive for, but if you aren’t performing up to 100% on everything (or anything for that matter) don’t worry – because as long as you are improving – your income from social media will be improving as well.
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Use the right words – Think carefully about your post language. It stays online forever, so accuracy is key. Use keyword research to help your posts appear in searches and attract more followers.
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Share images – Images stop scrollers. Include eye-catching visuals to pull people into your content.
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Share your reviews – Positive reviews build trust and drive sales. When someone gives great feedback, share it.
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Make sharing easy – Use strategically placed sharing buttons to increase content distribution.
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Be human – Interact with your followers. Comment, respond, and build relationships like you would on a personal account.
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Join niche groups – Participate in groups relevant to your ecommerce niche and post high-value content to grow credibility.
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Engage with influencers – Build relationships with niche influencers to boost your visibility and reach.
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Post consistently – Regular posting leads to more engagement, followers, and a stronger brand image. Use automation tools if needed.
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Use hashtags wisely – Use relevant hashtags without overdoing it. One or two well-chosen tags work better than a flood of fluff.
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Be brief and engaging – Keep posts short and impactful to maximize engagement while still delivering value.
