If you aren’t learning which social networking channels your
customers spend their time at, you’re probably missing out on
increasing your customer base through online word of mouth.
Here 4 social media marketing tips which will lead to more
sales.
1. Go Where You’ll Find Your Customers
Digital and social media marketing offer endless options. From
Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter to YouTube, there are an endless
number social networking channels available that your business
can leverage. The key to winning social media ecommerce
marketing is to choose the right channels so you reach
customers. You can learn where your customers gather by:
- Asking them. While it sounds simple, it’s often overlooked.
Just send out a formal survey to customers or do an informal
polling on your website, which can provide a wealth of
knowledge.
- Monitoring social sites. There are a number of free
tools such as Trackur to learn how and where customers are
talking about your competitors, your brand, or your target
keywords. For There are also paid programs that are more robust.
- Leveraging the stats. When it comes to stats some sites like
Facebook are transparent or you can leverage third-party
research.
- Review job postings, backlinks, keyword rankings of
competitors, and news announcements regularly to get a quick
look into your online marketing health.
2. Use Social Media to Promote Exclusive Offers
In order for your ecommerce business to build followers on the
social channel you choose, you must entice customers with
something they aren’t able to get anywhere else. Offer an
exclusive item to social media followers or fans, such as a
weekly coupon. You might also offer “breaking news” that they
can’t find somewhere else.
3. Monitor What Your Competitors Are Doing
Whether your ecommerce business is new to social media
marketing, or you just want to take it up a notch, competitive
intelligence can be very helpful. Conduct a competitive audit of
your top five competitors on the social web and then answer the
following questions.
What social sites are they active on? What type of content do
they publish? How many followers/views/fans do they have on
their site? How do they promote their products, events, or
programs using social media?
4. Don’t Just Promote Products or Services
The main focus of your ecommerce site is to sell products, but
your social media marketing strategy should include a wide range
of strategies that go beyond promotional offerings. Here are a
few ideas to try incorporation into your social media marketing.
- Share news stories or messages from external sources
- Create a blog on your site then feed your blog content to your
social media accounts
- Ask questions, poll your customers, or participate in
discussions via social media
- Post pictures from company events or videos especially when
the CEO speaks
When used right social media is a powerful tool that can benefit
any online marketer. If you want to get more exposure, leads and
sales and attract high paying clients, then it's never too late
to start applying these valuable tips in your business.
