If you can pull it off, a social media strategy used in conjunction with a solid e- commerce operation can be both powerful and lucrative in the extreme. Unfortunately, research suggests that the overwhelming majority of smaller businesses have absolutely no idea how to bring the two together. Not only this, but it’s also become apparent that only the smallest fraction of small businesses pay any kind of focus to social media whatsoever.
All of which is a shame, as it’s not exactly a secret that social media has the kind of reach and power nothing else in the world comes close to. So in the interests of those who would like the opportunity to tap into this power and potential, what follows is a quick introduction to just a few tips on driving e- commerce traffic with social media:
Post Optimisation
First and foremost, ensure that anything you post on social media has been effectively optimised, in order to boost its exposure. Research high-conversion keywords, use them strategically throughout your posts and ensure all content is unique, as a means by which to increase post visibility in search.
Share Wisely
When it comes to the kind of content you should be sharing by way of social media, the clue really is in the title. This is absolutely not the time or the place to bombard your target audience members with sales pitches, advertisements, promotions and so on – all of which are massive turn-offs. Instead, it’s all about sharing the kind of content they actually want to read and are a likely to both have an interest in and share with others. Research your industry, share interesting news and feel free to get on your soapbox if necessary. Just make sure it’s always worth reading and NOT directly promotional.
Reviews
One highly powerful promotional tool that you most certainly can use by way of social media is the trusty customer review. Customers love writing reviews, perspective customers love reading reviews and the use of reviews in such a manner is by its right a social strategy. Close to 90% of consumers read just as much into web-based reviews as they do recommendations from their own friends and family. And given the fact that they’re free, it’d be a tragedy not to use them.
Visual
On-going research has shown that customers are exponentially more likely to engage with posts and share them with others if they feature visual content. This is therefore something that should be brought into social media strategies across the board, as the power and impact of simple block text really isn’t in the same league as visual content. Video is known to be the most powerful of all, but it must be entirely relevant, engaging and of true value.
Interaction
Last but not least, there’s really nothing worse in the eyes of the average consumer than a brand or business that sits silently behind the scenes and cannot be bothered to engage with its customers. The whole point of social media is that it is supposed to be a two-way channel – your customers reach out to you and you in turn interact with them. This can be extraordinarily effective in creating a real sense of trust, loyalty and authority – the keys to developing large and reliable customer bases. If you do not have the time or the inclination to interact, you really have no business being on social media in the first place!
