Post, engage, sell: How social media can grow your eCommerce business
Social media is now so much more than a tool for social connection. Businesses have seen the opportunity to use social media to expand reach and increase brand awareness. Can you think of a brand that doesn’t have social media? Almost impossible, right? That’s because nowadays social media is a huge business advantage.
Social media provides eCommerce businesses with an opportunity to promote and sell their products. This is known as social commerce. With almost everyone having access to social media, businesses can quickly access consumers and generate income.
So … how can you grow your eCommerce business using paid social media? Let’s find out.
The better the images, the bigger the sales
Successful eCommerce businesses use high-quality images on social media to advertise their products. Good photos can be one of the main reasons shoppers go on to purchase a product. For example, 75% of eCommerce shoppers say product photos influence their buying decisions. This doesn’t just mean you need a good camera and lighting. Still, it is also vital you make sure the context of the product in the image is appropriate and clear.
For example, if you are selling a sofa, it is important to put the sofa in the context of a living room; making it relatable to the audience and showcasing the product in all its glory. Doing this also allows you to advertise other related products in the same series of images.
It is also useful to experiment with different image features. Facebook offers a ‘360 degree’ interactive image option, helping users understand your product and increasing engagement. Instagram and Facebook also offer another interactive feature, whereby multiple images can be shown in succession, known as a ‘carousel post’. Interactive content encourages engagement and increases reach.
Top tip: Tag products in your images!
Social media platforms, such as Instagram, allow brands to tag products in images/videos. These tags will then hopefully encourage the users to look into the products further and increase the likelihood of a purchase. If you use images that place your product in context (as mentioned above), this allows you to showcase and tag multiple products in one image! Make the most of this functionality and increase your eCommerce sales.
Create engaging content: Keywords, hashtags, and real-life experiences
Keywords and hashtags
Each social media platform has its search mechanism. When creating content and copy you must understand what keywords/phrases/hashtags users are searching for on that specific platform and then make sure you use them too!
Real-life experiences
Creating social media content that is authentic and relatable is important in boosting sales and engagement for your eCommerce business. After all, people trust people. Incorporating user-generated content such as customer reviews and case studies into your content is a powerful way to promote your product. Having an effective eCommerce content strategy is essential. It is also important to remember that social media is about interaction and community, so creating content that builds on this is the key to success.
Whilst we’re speaking about community, you must communicate efficiently and quickly with your audience via online messaging.
Using social media to communicate with customers
Business Insider reports 61% of consumers like personal messages from businesses and over 50% of people prefer businesses that offer messaging services rather than those that don’t. This tells us that people are calling out for communication with businesses!
You don’t want to lose a customer because they couldn’t get in touch with you.
Before we wrap up, it is important to note that although we have mentioned Instagram and Facebook a few times in this article they aren’t the only social media platforms that can help you grow your eCommerce business :
Pinterest highlight
There are many reasons your eCommerce business should be on Pinterest; it allows users to purchase your products directly on the platform, which is great at reducing customer journey, which in turn increases the likelihood of a sale.
One of the defining features of Pinterest is the visual search mechanism; users can select a picture and Pinterest will show them other images that look similar or include similar components. So with this platform, make sure you create images where products are in context but also individual product images!
X highlight
You might be thinking that X isn’t a platform that lends itself to eCommerce and in some respects you are right. However, the conversationality of the platform and the ability to get involved with conversations easily is X’s greatest strength. As a business, you can get talking with customers directly and eventually lead them to your eCommerce site.
TikTok highlight
TikTok is a fantastic platform for eCommerce. With over 80% of users engaging with shopping-related activities (browsing, following, watching live shopping events, and purchasing on the platform), TikTok is becoming the front-runner when it comes to eCommerce business.
Ready to start using social media to grow your eCommerce business?
Now you know how you can use social media to help grow your eCommerce business, let’s get to work. If you are intrigued and would like to learn more, our team of digital experts can help you with all your eCommerce needs. Get in touch today!
