The Best Social Media Strategy for Online Retailers
The importance of social media marketing is obvious to virtually every entrepreneur. Yet most businesses deploy the wrong social strategy for their business. If you’re selling digital goods, subscription services or advertisements, creating content on social media should be your end-game.
However, if you’re selling physical goods and looking for potential buyers on social networks, you need a completely different strategy. Here’s what you should do if you need to get your products moving faster online:
Not everyone is on the same social network. Facebook and Twitter may be the two most popular sites right now, but if you’re selling something niche, like jewish jewelry, you need to target niche sites like Pinterest or a specific Whatsapp group. LinkedIn, for example, is better for B2B sales and Reddit or 9Gag may be better for selling gadgets and tech gear. Take the time to figure out which network most appeals to your target audience.
Creating content is fine, but it shouldn’t be your prime focus. Instead, try to engage with the audience online. Send some influencers free samples of your products, get your customers to talk about how they use your products on your page, and show the world how your team creates the products. By driving engagement, you create trust and expand the pool of potential customers.
If you’ve managed to create an attractive social media presence, you don’t want your sales being held back by the platform’s user interface. Make it as easy as possible for potential customers to buy your goods. Optimize the customer journey so that they can effortlessly buy your product at the click of a button without leaving the social platform.
The world has gone from websites and desktops to smartphones and social profiles. Your site needs to look and feel responsive enough on all environments. Use online tools to check how fast and mobile-friendly your site really is.
Take advantage of all the relevant professional tools available to you in order to enhance your social sales strategy. Try Facebook’s Marketplace, Yotpo and Chirpify.
All your efforts on social media should be focused on getting visitors to act. Call to action buttons are common on social platforms. Facebook’s business page lets you select up to 11 different CTAs. Apply them correctly and you’ll drive more than just engagement – you’ll drive sales.
The difference between digital marketing and social media marketing is the effect of social validation. Seeing a positive review from a real person is a lot more powerful than reading a blog post from a thought leader. Encourage your customers to leave reviews and comments on your page and feature them prominently when they’re positive.