Social Media Tips for eCommerce
Social media is so embedded into your customers' daily lives, that it's nearly impossible to imagine eCommerce marketing without it. According to The Business Insider, the average person spends an average of 37 minutes on social networks per day. It may not sound like much time, but take into consideration that it only takes a few seconds to see a social media post, click through, and convert. The ability for your customers to share information about your brand easier and more rapidly than ever should also concern you as an eCommerce business, and word-of-mouth marketing via social media should be capitalized on.
Take a look at a possible scenario:
A new customer purchased a product from your online store and decided they didn't like the product so much. They decide to post a picture of your product online, and rant on about how much they regret their purchase. If your company is lucky, an unsatisfied customer may have a small social media presence. Worst case scenario, they may have thousands to millions of followers. Regardless of the amount of followers, the negative comments towards your company will be expressed online.
On a brighter note, a customer that loves a product they purchased from your company can express how happy they are. They can even go an extra step and share your page or product on their social networks. When a happy customer shares their great experience with your company, it’s like receiving free publicity- who doesn’t want that?
The power of social media is immense, so it’s critical for eCommerce merchants to take control of their online reputation and build a strong brand presence. Social media is a brand awareness vehicle, so you must be ready to hop on and steer the ride.
Here are 7 social media tips that are essential for an eCommerce business.
1. Claim your company
The first step all companies should take is to claim their brand on all social networking sites. The social media sites should include a picture of the company logo, a brief description of the company, and a link that directly takes people to the company’s website. It's also important to share the same voice to maintain uniformity throughout the different networks. The sites you use should be based on your unique buyer personas. Where do your customers spend their time online? What networks do they use and how often? Determining this is the first step to determining which social networks are appropriate for your brand.
2. Include social plugins
Social plugins make it easy for a webpage to be shared by others. Some eCommerce businesses prefer to only include share buttons on the home page of their website. However, others have social plugins by specific products or during the checkout process. They are great for increasing a business’s social proof. Social proof is the trust that is created when people that are unfamiliar with a brand see that others have already trusted the company. Therefore, a person is more likely to go further on in the buying process. Also, make sure to only use social plugins that are relevant to your eCommerce business.
3. Engage with followers
Engaging with followers is one of the most effective social media weapons. As a eCommerce customer service best practice, your company must ALWAYS make sure to reply to customers that reach out to you with comments or concerns. Customers appreciate being acknowledged, so answering and providing great customer service through social networks will nurture relationships. Companies must keep in mind that it's less costly to keep a loyal customers happy than than to acquire new ones.
4. Offer Exclusive Perks
It's important to first observe which of the company's social media sites have more followers or fans. They may offer exclusive promotions or contest on the social network that has the most followers . This will encourage more people to like or follow the page, since they’ll also want to be informed of current promotions. The offers must be unique to spark more attention on the web. Other options include showing exclusive sneak-peeks of new product launches to create a buzz. Some companies even share upcoming promotions to their social media followers before publishing them on their website.
5. Blog, Blog and Blog!
Blogs are necessary for building a content base, thus leading to a higher search engine ranking. Original and educational content will strengthen the bond between the eCommerce business and the customers. It is recommended to post at least 2 blogs per week to keep visitors engaged. It may sound difficult to publish so much original content per week, but there are informational sources all around. Your customer service representatives and sales team are constantly interacting with your customers, so gather target consumer insights from them. Also, not all content has to be new. It's a great idea to cite and recycle other blogs or websites that have great information. Most importantly, blogs should NOT BE PRODUCT BASED. Nobody enjoys having a product constantly shoved at them.
6. Publish Micro-Content
When businesses think of social media, they often focus on Facebook or LinkedIn. It’s understandable, because they are two of the most popular social networking sites. However, some users like to be connected and updated constantly throughout the day via Twitter. It’s important to keep these customers connected, so posting at least 3 tweets per day is recommended. It doesn't have to be thorough content; it can simply be a retweet or a reply.
7. Monitor and Analyze
Keep track of all social media marketing efforts on a social media monitoring platform. The HubSpot Inbound Marketing Platform include social media publishing, social media monitoring, and a Social Inbox tool for easy social media automation. It’s easy to keep track of where traffic is coming from, and to see which marketing tactics worked most effectively. It’s also beneficial to include shortened URL’s on social media posts. The HubSpot link shortener and Google link shortener keep track of the URL’s that were shortened, and display the number of clicks per link. The gathered results for link performance can help with future marketing efforts.
An eCommerce business must have a large online presence, considering the great amount of competition. Using social media effectively can increase traffic, resulting in increased sales. Social media cannot be ignored when it has such an impact, so eCommerce businesses must make sure they create a strategy using the essential components.
