Social Media for Ecommerce – 5 Tips with Case Studies To Help You Get Started
July 1, 2018
Social media is central to online life. 81% of Americans use social media, and it’s likely that your eCommerce target audience is on multiple platforms. It presents considerable opportunities to expand sales, but many new eCommerce businesses struggle to get started.
Here’s an overview of how to get on track for success with social media marketing and advertising, including case studies from Marketing 360® eCommerce clients.
Step #1 – Choose Your Platform
You’ll probably start with Facebook. In fact, nearly 75% of social media sales come from Facebook! However, depending on your product and your customer demographic you may want to look at including other platforms in the mix, including Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Bonus tip: Make sure you take the extra time to verify your profiles and connect your analytics platform to them. Also, make sure you add the retargeting or audience code from each platform to your website – you’re going to need this later. If you’re struggling with this, get some help from a marketing consultant.
You need to make sure that your brand is consistent across all channels – your website and social channels should all complement each other and your brand. Make sure that your logo, cover photos, content, copy, voice, and ads all reflect across each platform. You don’t need to use the exact same images or content – but to build customer trust, your brand needs to be consistent.
Step #3 – Develop a Content Strategy and Calendar
Make a content posting calendar and stick with it! Customers love consistency, so when they become accustomed to seeing your posts and content, you’ll rent that top of mind awareness. Remember, you’re not going to get traffic and followers overnight. Much like an organic search strategy, it takes time and consistency to see growth.
Now is the time to start your retargeting campaigns and targeted social ads. Retargeting depends on site traffic to build your audience list. You can use Social Targeting Ads® to target audiences based on demographics and interests.
If you connected the audience code we talked about back in Step 1, you’re already ahead of the game. Create ads and perks directly focused on bringing consumers back to your site to make a purchase. Remember, on average, only 97% of visitors convert the first time they visit your site. Don’t miss out on additional sales because you let them go and they forget about you.
Remember, Facebook wasn’t built in a day and your social media empire won’t be either. It takes time, patience, strategy, and no small amount of skill to be successful in business. But if you want a piece of the pie you’ve got to grab a fork!