Social Media Marketing Tips For E-Commerce

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According to research, the amount of global social media users has reached around 3.5 billion in 2019. The world of social media consists of a massive global market with huge potential when it comes to your E-Commerce strategy. According to a recent study conducted on the role of Instagram when it comes to marketing, 72% of respondents admitted to making a style or fashion related purchase after seeing an advertisement on Instagram.

These stats are convincing, but the question we need to ask is, how can you best utilize social media platforms to promote your services and products? Here are the top social media marketing strategies and tips to help you grow your customer reach.

Content Is King

Social media marketing is about telling an engaging story. The quality and effectiveness of your content are what make for a great story. Content posts need to form a link that helps to tell a story over time. Good content helps to build brand identity, as well as brand loyalty among your customers. Your content should be determined on a few important factors.

• Choose Content For Your Target Demographics

  Different groupings of people consume and use content in different ways. This is also true of different generations. Millennials (born 1981-1996) for instance consume content in a different way than generation Xers (Born 1965-1980).

  Content will also appear differently on different social media platforms as they each have specific audiences. Content that suitable for Instagram will be different from what is suitable for Facebook. You will need to decide which social media platforms will work best for your business.

• Stimulate Social Sharing

  Make it easy for your customers to spread your business message. Encouraging customers to share their purchases on social media will help to promote your online store and increase your brand visibility. Make sure you include ways for customers to engage in your social media platforms.

• Use A Content Calendar

  Planning your content gives you the upper edge when it comes to marketing on special holidays and big consumer-driven events. Scheduling posts will help you to keep your brand and social footprint updated. Planning a few posts can be instrumental for success when it comes to product launches.

Leverage Live Video

According to the market researcher, Neil Patel, 82% of consumers prefer watching a video over any other type of social media. Videos allow for a key product or service to be communicated clearly and quickly without the consumer having to make a concerted effort to engage with the post. Instagram has been particularly successful at this by making it easy to attach a video onto a post or even more recently onto Instagram stories. Video content can include customer testimonials, product demos, or even instructional ‘how-to’ videos. It’s important not to solely rely on video’s but to make a point of incorporating a content mix that includes videos.

Engage With Customers

Social media is an effective way to establish trust with your customers. Social media is very much “word-of-mouth” style in terms of people leaving reviews and recommendations. Focus on engaging with your customers by encouraging them to leave their feedback on social media platforms.

One study found that customer support increased by 25% when a company replied to a complaint via social media. Furthermore, it was found that customers tend to spend around 20% more on brands that engage with them on social media. Social media allows your company to provide a personal element to the consumer.

This leads us to our next tip…

Keep It Informal

Customers are more and more interested in the people behind the product or service. Creating an informal tone in your social media marketing strategy may include things such as:

• Posting about events that your company to planning
• Posting photos that communicate your company culture
• Posting about less product-specific content which helps to reflect on your company’s personality

Social media polls are also a good way to enable customers to share what they want more of as well as what their frustrations with the company might be.

Social media is on the rise and your company can’t afford to be absent from these platforms. Establishing yourself in the world of e-commerce can be daunting, but a clear social media strategy will help you tap into the billions of social media users across the globe.