Social Media eCommerce Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide

Usually, the first thing we do on waking up is to check our phone. After checking emails or messages, our finger automatically goes to the social media buttons such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. For most people, the day begins with social media and ends with it too.

If you’re a business owner and are planning to sell your products or services online, why can’t you use social media for your marketing, where people spend most of their time when they’re online? Recent studies show that around 60% of online and offline purchases were influenced by social media platforms, meaning your competitors have already started using social media eCommerce marketing! Implementing proper social media eCommerce strategies results in short contact time, increase in leads, improved conversion rate, and shorter sales cycle.

Driving Traffic to Your Website from Social Media

Social media platforms are the most effective gateways for driving users to your website, considering the fact that almost everyone uses these platforms. Hence, strategizing a process by which you can channel this attention into your eCommerce website will do wonders for your sale.

Have an Active Social Media Presence:

Having just a Facebook or Instagram page isn’t enough. You need to provide good content that resonates with your target audience. You can use promotional content in such a way that it encourages your audience to go to your website. For example, if you have a special discount coupon exclusively for website purchases, you can share the offer on social media with a link in the description or bio. More people are likely to notice you if your handles are active on relevant platforms.

Build Your Following

Building a follower base does not elevate your sales directly, but it gives you an opportunity to build an authority in the circle as well as expand your network. A new user checks the number of followers you have and directly relates it to the quality of your products. Long time followers tend to visit your website more often than new users.

Use Paid Ads

Paid ads on social media guarantee better reach and possibly higher sales, if done right. Sure, it means spending extra money but given the reach and end result, it’s worth it in most cases. Boosting your post generates higher engagements, and consequently, conversions with proper call-to-action and conversion funnel.

Interaction with Customers

Always find time to interact with your customers through social media. This will help you refine your target audience, find out customer needs and manage positive and negative reviews. With regular interaction, users will find your pages more trustworthy.

Selling Through Social Media

Besides trying to drive your audience from social media platforms to your website, you can also sell your products directly on these platforms itself. With a proper social media eCommerce strategy, you can expand your market to those users who do not prefer to purchase via an eCommerce site.

Facebook Shops

With Facebook shops, you can list your products along with their product descriptions and prices. This will allow you to showcase your products like in an eCommerce platform.

Use Chatting Platforms

If you have a strong sales team, you can sell your products successfully using platforms like Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct and so on. You can generate leads through engaging posts and paid ads followed by initiating a proper sales tunnel by a salesperson. Users generally like human interaction while they are buying products, and chat sales builds trust and assurance among your customers.

Get Calls From Social Media

You can drive your leads to call you directly to get more sales. You can do this through chatting platforms or your posts. New features like WhatsApp chat and call now buttons make it easier for the users to contact you directly.

Promote Everything

Social media platforms are the best medium to promote any campaigns to boost your business. Be it offers, giveaways, coupons, free shipping, or seasonal offers. Apart from this, you can also create campaigns specifically targeting social media users. Hashtag campaigns and contests can be designed and promoted exclusively for social media users to gain their attention and generate more conversion.

How To Get The Most Value for Your eCommerce from Social Media

Choose the correct platform

All major social media platforms are good for bringing in sales, but there are only few ideal ones. Your ideal platform depends on the type of product you’re selling, your niche, and the demographics of your target audience. You can’t expect to sell an insurance policy on Instagram. On the other hand, Tik Tok videos might do wonders if you’re a fitness or dance academy. Finding your platform involves a bit of research and competitor analysis, but once you do, you can focus all your resources into it.

Focus on Video Content

Video content is gaining more popularity than ever and people tend to get more interested in your product if it is presented as an attractive video. You have the opportunity to explain more about your product if it’s a video. No one has any idea how long this trend is going to last but right now, going with the flow would be the best option.

Build A Relationship With the Customers

Compared to a normal eCommerce website, your social media page is an excellent medium to build closer relationships with your customers. You can personally listen and respond to their reviews, which increases your genuinity. Maintaining such a contact with the customers ensures recurring visitors and positive word of mouth reviews.

Follow Other Companies

Building a network doesn’t mean just increasing the number of users who follow you, but also involves you following a selected list of people and followers. This is an excellent method to do social media competitor analysis, by which you will be able to assess the latest trends, new ideas and analyse the success and failures of various campaigns hosted by your competitors. Following and reaching out to micro-influencers who are active in your target areas also help to promote your business and eCommerce website via social media in a cost-effective manner.

The use of social media is not going to drop anytime soon. If only it’s escalating with newer features and platforms emerging as we speak. All it takes is to have a keen eye on what’s happening in the world of social media and the determination to plan and implement the strategies. With a lot of research and a dedicated team of experts in social media eCommerce marketing at your disposal, you can increase your revenue as well as your brand value.