Using social networks to promote products and serve consumers directly already has a name: Social Commerce.
We could consider it a subcategory of eCommerce that uses social media to improve the online shopping experience. It offers many advantages, as a way to improve conversion rates and traffic volume or to strengthen our brand identity.
Many companies have committed to building their social media presence to foster communication between business and consumer.
Does your company need to be on social media?
The answer is simple. Every company should be on social media, as these channels are becoming essential for building a marketing strategy and driving sales among your audience.
We know there are countless social networks and they can help you get closer to your audience. Above all, they enable direct interaction with consumers, so we can hear their questions, complaints or praise about our product.
Facebook or Twitter can be used to launch campaigns for promotions, discounts or sales on our products. These tools not only help us reach prospects but also help us build our brand.
Results we could achieve by promoting our company across social networks include:
– Generating traffic.
– Helping search engine rankings.
– Building our brand by promoting its content.
– Understanding the trends in your market.
Let’s now review how the different social networks we use can help us:
Facebook: Posting about one of our products, or news about our market, would help us find more customers. We can’t know for sure the best time or day to post, so we should publish at least once a day.
Twitter: Like Facebook, Twitter would serve as a way to connect with our customers. It would become a kind of customer service channel, where answering questions and creating feedback between company and user would be its main purpose.
Instagram: Our most relevant or eye-catching images are the ones we should post on Instagram. To enhance them, we can always use the app’s filters.
Google +: Useful for creating relevant content and sharing product images or related news. This can drive quite a lot of traffic to our store. Plus, Google+ is Google’s own social network, so sharing content there is very important, as it helps our store’s rankings.
Pinterest: Creating boards helps us showcase products in an original way, and it’s the users themselves who share them. Pinterest now lets you create a business profile where you can optimize your product images by adding each product’s price. Keep in mind that Pinterest is currently one of the queens of Social Commerce, standing out in fashion and home décor.
YouTube: Videos have become a new channel for showcasing not only products but also the team behind the store or company. Short interviews with employees or making-ofs of ad campaigns can also reach prospects and encourage them to trust our brand.
Social Commerce helps deliver a personalized, unique experience while giving the store a clearly social component. This creates a very valuable exchange of information for the company at the moment of purchase.
Social media helps online sales more every day. In 2013, around 20% of Spanish companies sold more thanks to social networks. In 2014, this positive effect will keep growing. That’s why you should pay increasing attention to everything Social Commerce can bring to your company.
