Does social media eCommerce matter to your brand? Well, if your brand sells something (a product, an experience, a service) then of course it does! Put simply, your presence on social media plays a significant role in consumer purchasing behavior.
If you’re wondering how some brands manage to turn their followers into customers, this article has the answers. Between the digital “word-of-mouth” element and the robust selling tools, social media eCommerce can definitely become your top digital revenue stream.
Let’s dig into three fool-proof tactics you can utilize to succeed with your social selling.
1. Selling on Social Media: Make Buying a Breeze
Depending on your platform(s) there are a number of sales-driven tools you can employ to see your social media eCommerce shoot up.
My favorite organic (free) tools are on Facebook. Make use of the Shop and Offer sections available within your business page settings.
- Shop: Yes, you can actually create an e-store right within Facebook, ensuring folks never have to leave the site to make a purchase. Driving followers to your website is one way to see sales but in-app purchases are on the rise. In fact, online stores that have a social presence have 32% more sales on average than stores that don’t.
- Offers: This is a simple and effective way to share short-term specials with your community. The best success we see with Facebook Offers happens when we pair them with a modest promotional budget and support them with re-targeting ads. More on re-targeting another time!
Instagram allows you to sell directly from your feed. You’ve seen those little shopping bag icons – that’s social media eCommerce at work! There are many eCommerce solutions that integrate seamlessly into social media. Once your website’s store is up and running, spend the extra time to link it to your social platforms and watch the sales spike.
Main Takeaway: The trick is to remove steps from the buying process. If someone can see your product in their app, click on it and be able to add it to their cart right then, you’ll see a measurable uptick in conversions.
2. eCommerce and Social: Simple Content Rules
Why are you still reading this? It’s because we get right to the point. You already know visually appealing content is king. What you may not know is simple copy is the queen.
When writing post copy, say only what needs to be said and nothing more. If your 50% off ticket pre-sale ends in two weeks… please start (and end) with that information! Here are a few examples of posts that work, and posts that don’t:
Wrong: Calling all Eagles Fans! Want a piece of history? Get your Superbowl Champion gear now during our pre-season sale on all official merchandise! We have something for everyone: nflshop.com
Right: Eagles Fans: Save BIG on Superbowl Merch during our pre-season sale! #FlyEaglesFly: nflshop.com
Wrong: Tax season is here and Lighthouse CPA is your trusted local resource for all things taxes. Not sure how to file? Confused about your refund? We have the answers and we want to help! Contact us today to learn more about our tax preparation services. www.lighthousetaxsample.com
Right: Maximize your tax refund check with Lighthouse CPA! We do the work, you get the check: www.lighthousetaxsample.com
Remember that social media is not your personal billboard. There is a place for sales-driven messaging, but aim for the 80/20 rule: 4 of every 5 posts should be community-driven.
That doesn’t mean you can’t include a Call-To-Action (CTA) in every post. Here are a few examples of community-driven posts that aren’t too sales-y:
- Fashionistas, our most popular #boots are made for walkin’ – right into your closet this season. bootsexample.com
- Open bar, sun and sand plus fresh seafood – is there anything better? See you at #SobeSeafood Fest this October: festivalexample.com
- Help us congratulate Dr. Gower on her “Best Dentist 2018” award! We love our patients. drgowerexample.com
None of these posts directly ask people to buy something; they help your community see why an item, an experience or a service is of value to their life. But guess what! All of these posts include CTAs thanks to the link that takes them to the boots, the festival tickets, or the new patient info respectively.
Main Takeaway: People are scrolling at the speed of light. If you can catch their eye with visually appealing content, don’t lose them with wordy copy.
3. Engage With Everyone: Selling on Social Media
Every platform ranks its content using an algorithm:
- The more engagement your content gets, the more relevant it is to the algorithm.
- The more relevant it is, the more the algorithm shows it to users.
- It’s a simple cycle, and you can make it work doubly in your favor by replying to all comments.
Selling on social media always comes back to your community. 71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others.
Create a great experience for your community by making sure they know how important they are to you:
- Reply to every comment ALWAYS!
- Promptly thank those who take time to leave you a positive review.
- Turn a negative review around with a timely offer to make it right.
- Be generous in your contests and offer consolation to those who don’t win in the form of a coupon code, for example.
- Reward those who engage regularly with a freebie if possible. Some of my clients give away perks when we see the same person commenting all the time.
Main Takeaway: The opportunity to convert followers into customers is highest when you can build relationships with your community. Do this by engaging consistently. You can be creative and have fun on social media – it’s meant to be social!
Conclusion
In my opinion, the three pillars of successful social media eCommerce are:
- Make buying easy.
- Be clear and concise.
- Engage, engage, engage.
I challenge you to implement these three tips daily for three whole months. With consistent strategic effort, I’m certain you will generate measurable social media ROI.
Do you have any other tips for maximizing eCommerce success on social media? I’d love to hear them.
Find me @bellestrategies around the web, or comment below.
Belle Strategies is a Marketing Agency where our team mixes innovative strategy with attention to detail for an online presence that produces tangible results. For assistance growing your brand online, contact us!
With nearly two decades in the industry, Belle Strategies’ owner, Rachel Creveling, is a seasoned business consultant who crafts comprehensive frameworks that integrate operations, marketing, sales and HR to position her clients for optimal success. She excels at incorporating trending tech ethically and studied Strategies for Accountable AI at Wharton.