You know the importance of having a social media strategy in place. But did you know that it can be a valuable tool in your eCommerce strategy? Along with traditional online shopping, consumers also turn to social media to research and make purchase decisions. You need to be able to meet these customers where they’re at.

Here are 7 tips on pairing social media & eCommerce:

1. Establish Goals

Before you begin to use any marketing strategy, the first step is to define specific goals. To determine the success of your social media eCommerce strategy, consider basing these goals on the amount of traffic generated to your website or social media profile, the number of followers you have on social media platforms, engagement rates on these profiles, and conversions. 

Regardless of what you choose to measure, these goals should be realistic, attainable, and measurable. You can use this information to adjust your strategy and goals, as the data suggests. It is perfectly acceptable to change your goals and direction based on past performance and sales. 

2. Create Valuable Content

While posting links to your website’s product pages on your social media profiles drives traffic there, it should not be the only content you create and share. Social media users want value from the pages they follow. This includes your current and potential customers. To do this, figure out what your followers’ interests are and create related content relevant to your brand. 

One of the best ways to do this is to create long-form content, like a blog. Blog posts can inform, inspire, educate, entertain, and convert followers into customers through social media. This platform allows you to share your expertise and answer questions readers may have about your products, services, or business as a whole. 

Along with sharing blog posts on your social media profiles, visual content is highly valued. Photographs are what come to mind when most think of visuals. However, videos are growing in popularity and allow you to showcase products in use. Creating and sharing great videos that engage, inspire, and sell is the key to a successful eCommerce and social media strategy. 

3. Consider Keywords

Like with your website, keywords should be considered in your eCommerce social media strategy as well. Optimizing social media posts for specific keywords can potentially earn you more exposure to new audiences. These users may be searching for information on the topic at hand and discover your posts. 

This is why hashtags have become a staple on most social media platforms. They can be used on any kind of social media post, even photos or videos. That being said, you should learn how to use them in social media posts to expand your reach and possibly even increase your sales. 

4. Provide Social Proof

Social proof is vital for earning sales online. What is social proof, you ask? It is user-generated content featuring the products or services of a business on social media. 

It can be a product review, photo, or video of the product in use. This type of content is one that consumers relate to most as real people make it for their fellow online shoppers. 

5. Be Social

Along with sharing user-generated content, you should also interact with users on social media to benefit from increased traffic and sales. If your followers have positive interactions with you, either online or in-person, they are more likely to recommend your products or services to friends and family.  For example, if your followers chime in on one of your social posts, responding with a comment can make them feel like you care about them. 

6. Be Consistent

Social media users have short attention spans. If you don’t post to social media regularly, you may lose followers as they may forget about you. Your posts may get lost in their news feeds.

On the other hand, by posting regularly, you can obtain the reach and engagement necessary to generate traffic and sales from social media. Creating a social media calendar can help you achieve this goal if it is one you are pursuing. 

7. Consider Paid Advertising

The beauty of social media is that it is a fairly inexpensive marketing strategy. Even if you use paid advertising, most social media platforms have affordable options for every budget. Paid options also allow you to target a pre-defined audience.

You can target your ads based on your potential customers’ age, gender, location, interests, and more. This targeting shows your ad to a set audience who is more likely to convert than a more general one. 

Ready to Start Pairing Your eCommerce & Social Media?

With most consumers active on social media, you need to be ready to meet them where they’re at. The tactics above can help you to meet your eCommerce social media marketing strategy goals. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Contact Links Web Design for a free consultation today! 

Links Web Design is a Content Marketing Agency in Bangor, ME, and Fruitland Park, FL.