Social media has become an increasingly important tool for eCommerce. Do you want to sell online? If the answer is yes, being on social media is no longer optional but practically a must.
The relationship between social media and eCommerce grows stronger every day. According to a recent study, 49% of Spanish online shoppers use social media to research before buying a product or 
service. Is there any clearer reason to strengthen your online store’s social media presence?
Below is a summary of the main ways social media can contribute to your eCommerce.
Drive traffic to your online store
This is the most basic goal of social media marketing. Gaining visibility, sharing useful content and sparking users’ interest are essential to drive visits to your store. Traffic you must then try to turn into sales for your business.
Build your brand image
Simply being present on social media can be good for your branding or brand image; customers like to know who they’re buying from. But you shouldn’t open profiles on every social network if you don’t update them often. An “abandoned” Facebook page or Twitter profile looks bad.
Set up communication channels with customers
Posting only information, offers or promotions about your company on social media isn’t a good strategy. Talk to your audience! Ask for their opinion, invite them to take part in contests and giveaways, answer their questions, and so on. That’s the only way to build relationships and loyalty among your followers so they speak well of you to their contacts.
Monitor your online reputation
Being on social media also lets you spot and react quickly if an unhappy customer starts criticizing your company. In that case, the best approach is to try to clarify what happened and offer solutions, without getting confrontational.
Make the buying process social
In another article we discussed Pinterest and what it brings to eCommerce. Use the resources social media offers so users can share opinions about your company, products or services, share offers and promotions, recommend your online store to others, and so on. You’ll increase sales and get users to promote you themselves. On social media, a satisfied customer is a valuable advocate.
Sell through social media
Given the close relationship between social media and eCommerce, it was inevitable that tools would emerge to sell directly from these sites with solutions such as F-commerce. That said, we advise you never to replace your online store with a social network’s eCommerce solution. These sales channels are very useful, but having your own online store gives your business independence.
Image source: http://www.social2b.com/
