Using social media marketing, you can engage your audience where they already spend their time. Additionally, it can generate multiple sources of traffic that bring in customers and promote your business to more than 58% of the world’s population.
Social media marketing can also be a time-consuming endeavor that spreads you thin, leading to an inconvenient presence your customers never see or care about. Rather than an asset, it could become a drain on time and money.
To avoid that happening, you need a plan that keeps your actions focused and a process that lets you execute without detracting from daily business tasks.
We’ve sat down with experts from some of the best social media marketing companies in the world and come up with a list of tips to help you effectively market your ecommerce store on social media.
3 E-Commerce Social Media Marketing Ideas to Boost Sales
Creating a social media presence from scratch can be daunting, especially with so many channels to choose from and the time commitment that comes with it. So, we’ve written this guide to help you build a solid social media strategy, along with tools and tips to make it happen. Let’s get started!
- Promote Your Brand Through Influencers
An effective way to boost your online business is through influencer marketing. Creators can help you build brand awareness, reach new audiences, and generate sales. They will spread the word about your products to their audience, serving as brand ambassadors.
Depending on the level of reach you’re after, you might not even have to spend a single dime — some internet celebrities will be happy to promote your business for discounts or free products.
Once considered a nice-to-have, influencer marketing is fast becoming an essential component of any brand’s marketing plan, with 93% of marketers using it. Instagram is still the preferred channel, utilized by 79% of brands in 2021.
The following channels are also used for marketing:
- Twitch
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- YouTube
This marketing approach is an excellent way to find relevant customers. Have you ever seen an Instagram post from an influencer and wanted to purchase the outfit they were wearing?
Influencer marketing also helps shorten the sales cycle. Now that Instagram and TikTok offer social commerce features, shoppers can buy directly from the platforms.
- Hop on the TikTok Bandwagon
Every business should use TikTok as part of its e-commerce marketing strategy. In the last quarter of 2021, the platform had over 1 billion daily active users and 173 million first-time installs across app stores.
With this up-and-coming social-media giant, businesses can publish genuine content and thrive. Authentic, raw videos typically get more engagement and exposure than highly edited content, such as that on Instagram.
The unique format means you can strengthen your relationship with your audience. Other features that make TikTok different include the following:
- No matter how many followers you have, TikTok’s discovery engine will help your videos go viral.
- The app’s breakthrough UI keeps users watching for longer. This design was later copied by every major social media platform (Reels, Shorts, etc.)
- With TikTok’s algorithm, you are more likely to see content from creators you’ve never encountered before.
Users tend to buy from creators on TikTok. A recent Adweek study found that 51% of TikTokers made purchases from brands they saw on the app.
Plus, in the TikTok world, there is something for everyone, from fitness to goth, from gaming to LGBTQ+.
Finally, TikTok helps promote your products through Livestream shopping and ads.
- Implement PPC Campaigns
Both large and small businesses advertise online with pay-per-click (PPC). The data-driven system is easy to scale and provides a good return on investment. Aside from social media platforms, these ads are most often displayed on search engines and websites.
Brands can increase sales by running PPC campaigns since they target ready-to-buy consumers and, if executed correctly, are more cost-effective than organic marketing.
There are two platforms most commonly used for PPC advertising: Facebook and Google. A lot of e-commerce brands run Google Shopping ads. You’ve probably seen them before. Whatever you search for, you’ll see ads showing information about all kinds of products relevant to your search phrase.
On the other hand, Facebook ads run on Facebook and Instagram. Various ad formats can be used to promote your products and target specific buyer personas.
A significant advantage of PPC ads is how targeted they can be. You can choose precisely whom you want to advertise to and the type of ad that appears. If someone has viewed a specific landing page or previous ad on your site, you can serve them retargeting ads to encourage them to buy from you again.
For example, if you run a home décor store, you could create ads for the decorative wall panels you have just received. Perhaps they are paintable and waterproof.
Ads can be made that target keywords like “best waterproof wall panels.” This ensures that your ads appear in front of people who would be interested in what you have to sell.
Suggested reading: Sourcing Agent 101: How to Find Best Sourcing Agent?
Conclusion
The social media experience differs greatly depending on whether you are a business owner/marketer or a casual user. As the former, your goal is to maximize the return on your effort, money, and time. This will require deliberate action.
Taking advantage of social media must be a crucial part of your overall marketing strategy. But you need to keep your finger on the pulse of this ever-changing space, as algorithms for news feeds constantly change, and audiences are always looking for something new.
A sound social media marketing strategy helps you reach more potential customers, increase the average order value, and boost sales. No matter how well things are going at the moment, those are all things you should strive to improve.
Following the e-commerce social media marketing tips listed above can help you create a robust online community and push for a positive customer experience, making your business both financially rewarding and fulfilling to run.
