Standing out on social media is a challenge. For many business owners, social media presents an opportunity to promote your brand and increase your reach. But, did you know that social media selling can also be utilised as an effective e-commerce platform, too?
From unboxing videos to influencer collaborations, social media has become a hotbed for people recommending products, and brands and businesses are looking to cash in. So, how can you use social media selling to increase your revenue? We tell you all.
Which social platforms should I use?
Before you get started, it’s helpful for businesses to fully understand their customers. Where are they finding your site from? Which platform drives them towards you the most? From this information, it should be relatively simple to evaluate which social media platforms are directing the most relevant traffic towards your site.
While each social media platform has their own unique set of features, a common denominator is the huge amount of people logging in daily to chat with their friends, interact with brands and scope out the next big thing. While different platforms will work better for different industries, using social media as a stage through which businesses can engage with their audience will go a long way towards driving more e-commerce sales.
So, how do I do it?
Encourage reviews
It’s no secret that people rely heavily on the opinions of others when making purchasing decisions, especially online. In fact, 94% of customers say that an online review has convinced them to avoid a business, while 80% of consumers say the star ratings they trust the most are 4.0, 4.5, and 5 stars. (Findings courtesy of reviewtrackers.com)
It’s simple, really – user reviews increase conversions. With more and more people turning to social profiles to investigate brands before they part with their hard-earned money, it’s crucial to have good reviews. But why?
- It helps to build trust between your business and your customers
- It provides consumers with an unbiased opinion of your services or products
- It eliminates any doubt your customers may have about your brand or business
- Good reviews will encourage more sales
Retarget your customers
Any marketer worth their salt knows that the best leads are those who have already had a positive experience with your brand. So, when it comes to social media selling, retargeting your already satisfied customers, is a great way to boost those sales. Similarly, you can also retarget customers who have already interacted with your brand – such as those who visited your website but left without making a purchase.
It’s rare that a customer will visit your site for the first time and instantly secure a sale. Businesses should use social channels to highlight products that are similar to what they were browsing, or even to offer discounts for those items that they left in their basket. This type of advertising is available on every platform, including Facebook and Instagram, and appears within their social feeds themselves, making them much more visible to your audience.
Hashtag giveaways and competitions
Not only does social media help businesses to bond with their audience, it can also help your customers to bond with you. For example, hashtag giveaways and competitions are an extremely powerful form of marketing, yet is super simple, both to run and to keep track of. All business need to do is create a branded hashtag, and encourage their customers to share photos to win a prize.
While some companies will be put off by the idea of ‘something for nothing’ that isn’t, technically, the case. Not only will a great competition encourage people to like, share and comment on your posts, but is also an excellent form of lead generation. If your customers feel like they’re getting rewarded for no reason, they’re more likely to sign up to email lists, and to share the experience with friends or family.
At a base level, by creating a compelling hashtag, businesses are able to create a buzz around their brand, which can help to showcase your brand and products to a whole new audience.
Here’s our pick of the top social media selling features to help you on your way:
Pinterest’s Buyable Pins
A relatively new Pinterest feature, Pinners can see Buyable Pins in their home and category feeds, along with on your profile and in search results. They show a product or lifestyle image, along with a price, and allows your customers to go straight to a landing page on your site to purchase from you.
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories provides brands with a great opportunity to reach a higher number of people and to improve and encourage sales. With the ability to tag and directly link, along with a ‘swipe up to buy’ feature, it’s easier than ever to direct your customers to your site.
Facebook Live
A perfect example of how behind the scenes content can help to drive sales, brands seeing success from using Facebook Live tend to use to answer questions, showcase their products, offer demos or how-to’s and to show their office culture.
Expert social media selling services
How do you use your social media for your business? Do you think you’re making the most of the opportunities it can offer you? If you’re unsure where to begin, our social media team have years of knowledge in helping brands to optimise their profiles to maximise business and help you to increase your profits. Why not chat with our professional team today on 01226 720 755. Alternatively, send an email to us at enquiries@bigfootdigital.co.uk – we’re always up for a natter! We’re also experts in everything internet marketing from ecommerce website design and SEO to video production and content marketing, so whatever your needs are, we’ve got you covered.