Social media is an essential tool for businesses in the digital age, and this is especially true for e-commerce sites. It has become an integral part of our daily lives, and it has also changed the way businesses operate. For e-commerce sites, social media offers a cost-effective way to reach potential customers, build brand awareness, and engage with their audience.
Today’s e-commerce businesses must incorporate a strong social media presence into their omnichannel strategy. According to GWI, 30% of social media users utilize platforms exclusively for product research and discovery.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top social media strategies for e-commerce sites to help you effectively promote your business, reach your target audience, and increase your online sales.
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Create engaging content.
The key to success on social media is creating engaging content that resonates with your audience.
It’s essential to create visually appealing content relevant to your target audience that aligns with your brand’s image. This can include product photos, videos, user-generated content, and behind-the-scenes content.
Photos should be high-quality, aesthetically pleasing images that showcase your products in the best possible light. Additionally, the rise of short-form video provides a unique opportunity to showcase your products through storytelling.
See: Brand Storytelling Is A Proven Strategy To Build A Stronger Social Media Presence with Consumers and How to Build a High-Impact Video Marketing Funnel
Map out the customer journey and make a good first impression.
Putting yourself in the shoes of your customers is a great strategy for understanding the purchase journey. With any social media strategy, it’s crucial to have a clear goal in mind, whether it’s to increase website traffic, promote a specific product, or drive conversions.
Routinely interacting with your call-to-action buttons can help you see your brand from the buyer’s perspective and make necessary adjustments.
If you are running social media ads, make sure that your call-to-action destination visually and tonally matches the ad that brought them there. Compile assets and design choices into a brand kit for a cohesive customer experience.
This also goes for your company’s profile. According to Instagram, 90% of users follow at least one business account, meaning many customers will interact with your profile outside of their feed.
Grid-style platforms like Instagram allow you to organize your profile page. Consider using visually focused social media planner applications, such as Plann to build an aesthetically pleasing, cohesive grid strategy for a lasting first impression.
Use paid social media ads.
Sometimes organic traffic just doesn’t cut it, with the top 43% of eCommerce sites spending more than $5K per month on social advertising.
Promoting your products on social media platforms with paid ads is a great way to grow your customer base and create brand awareness.
Platforms make it easy for e-commerce businesses to get started with initiatives such as TikTok Shop, Instagram/Facebook Shop, Pinterest Product Pins, and X/Twitter Shop, which offer businesses the option to run targeted ads to reach their desired audience.
E-commerce sites can use this feature to promote their products to a specific demographic, location, or interest group.
Collaborate with other brands.
Collaborating with other businesses on social media can be a win-win situation for both parties. E-commerce sites can partner with complementary businesses to cross-promote each other’s products or services.
This combines your customer bases, helping both brands reach a new audience and increase brand awareness.
Popular collaboration ideas include:
- Giveaways with entry requirements such as signing up for newsletters or following accounts.
- Product collaborations (with other businesses, artists, or influencers).
- Commenting on or sharing posts that align with your brand.
Offer exclusive promotions.
Nothing drives buzz like a limited-time opportunity, and one of the best ways to attract customers to your e-commerce site is by offering exclusive promotions on social media.
This can include discounts, free shipping, or limited time offers. By creating a sense of urgency, you can encourage potential customers to make a purchase and drive sales.
Promotions are also a great way to increase your online following by establishing your social platforms as the source for exclusive promotional codes and opportunities.
Partner with influencers.
Influencer marketing has become a popular tactic for e-commerce businesses to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. By partnering with influencers, businesses can tap into their followers’ trust and credibility to drive sales.
When choosing influencers to partner with, it’s essential to consider their niche, audience demographics, and engagement rates. It’s also crucial to ensure that the influencer’s values align with your brand to maintain authenticity and credibility.
See: How to Choose the Right Influencer for Your Marketing Campaign and What to Know About Influencer Marketing in 2024
Engage with your audience.
Social media is a two-way street that allows your business to directly interact with your customer base. Build relationships and foster brand loyalty by responding to comments, messages, and mentions to show your audience that you value their feedback and are listening to their concerns.
You can also engage with your audience by asking for their opinions, running polls, and hosting Q&A sessions. This not only helps you connect with your audience but also provides valuable insights that can inform your marketing strategy and even future product rollouts.
Happy customers = more sales.
Customer service should also be a mainstay of your social media strategy. Make sure you have adequate systems in place to respond to customers with questions or problems related to their purchase.
How you handle these situations matters, with research showing that 52% of customers stop purchasing from a brand after a bad customer service interaction. When you publicly engage with dissatisfied customers, it amplifies the scrutiny on your business’s response and resolution methods.
Social media’s direct line of communication between customers and businesses has long attracted these types of interactions. A 2013 study J.D. Power found 67% of consumers report using social media to contact a company for support.
Harness the power of hashtags.
The first thing any strategist will ask you when you begin building your brand’s social media presence is, “Do you have a branded hashtag?”.
A branded hashtag is a customized hashtag exclusive to your brand or business. They can be a phrase, slogan, or your company title. Branded hashtags are a great way to connect with customers by encouraging them to use the branded tag—more on that later.
Non-branded hashtags are also great ways to organically drive traffic by associating your content with similar themes or topics. Using popular hashtags in your niche can increase visibility and engagement from an audience whose interests align with your brand.
TL;DR the right hashtag can give you insight into your current customer base or place your content onto the feeds of potential customers.
Leverage user-generated content.
User-generated content, or UGC, is the next big thing in e-commerce social strategy. It is any content created by your customers that showcases your products or brand, including reviews, photos, videos, and social media posts.
UGC is a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses as it provides social proof and builds trust with potential customers.
With the rise of technologies like AI, filters, and dishonest influencers, consumers don’t always trust branded content. UGC allows businesses to showcase their products in real-life settings being used by real customers.
You can encourage UGC by running social media contests, featuring customer reviews on your website, and reposting customer photos on your social media accounts. Branded hashtags are an excellent way to collect any UGC posted on social media.
Social media is an essential tool for e-commerce sites to reach potential customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales.
With social media, businesses can create engaging content for a cohesive customer experience that feels authentic and personal.
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