Social media has transformed from a place where people can catch up with family and friends to a marketing powerhouse.
Whether you’re launching a new product line or looking to strengthen customer relationships, understanding how to leverage social media platforms effectively is crucial.
In this article, we’ll explore how your ecommerce brand can benefit from a social media strategy and discuss tactics that can amplify your brand’s presence and drive sales through social media.
Let’s dive in.
Why is it important to have a social media strategy?
As of 2024, 5.04 billion people across the globe use social media, which is over half the world’s population.
The most popular social media platforms include Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Social media is a popular place for consumers, which is one reason ecommerce brands should have a presence.
Moreover, research indicates that 39.6% of consumers use social media as their preferred communication channel with an ecommerce brand.
Here are some additional benefits for ecommerce websites using social media:
- It provides real-time updates for fast, straightforward communication.
- It extends business reach and increases brand awareness.
- It builds and strengthens relationships with current and potential customers.
- It offers an opportunity to position your business as an expert.
- It can increase traffic to your ecommerce site, which boosts SEO rankings.
- It lends itself to real-time customer feedback. It allows you to keep an eye on the competition.
With so many benefits, it’s no wonder ecommerce businesses are jumping aboard.
Let’s explore some best practices for getting started the right way.
Getting started with using social media platforms
Technically, anyone can sign up and create a profile on a social media platform.
But if you want to reach specific business goals due to what you do on the forum, you will have to approach it with an effective social media strategy.
1. Look at your target audience’s social media usage
You can have the best social media strategy, but if your audience isn’t on social media or a specific platform, it’s not going to matter.
Take a look at where your target audience spends time online.
If it’s on social media, find out which social media platform they use the most.
If they’re not on social media, are they reading email newsletters? Or, are they visiting top online marketplaces?
2. Research what your competitors are doing
Taking a look at your business competition can be an excellent way to see what works and what doesn’t. Are your competitors using social media marketing?
If so, which platforms?
How often are they posting, and what types of content are they posting? Images or video content? Maybe behind-the-scenes videos, user-generated content, digital courses and tutorials, or podcast episodes?
Are followers interacting with their content? Use this information to your advantage when you create your social media strategy.
3. Evaluate your business capacity
Doing social media the right way — with a strategy — takes time to plan, implement, and measure. Depending on your goals for using social media, it can be a full-time job.
Evaluate your resources.
Will you be creating content and posting on social media, or do you have a team? How much time can you — or your team — dedicate to social media marketing?
The strategies you choose should be dependent on your capabilities with time and budget.
5 effective social media strategies fit for your store
There are many different social media marketing strategies you can use that will help you be effective.
Whether you decide to team up with a reliable social media marketing agency or go in-house, the approach you take should align with your business and your social media marketing goals.
1. Batching and automating
One reason social media is so time-consuming is that it takes regular posting and interaction. No matter your publishing schedule, you can use external tools to schedule and publish posts for yourself.
This way, you can plan what you’re going to post and when you’re going to post it. You can set aside time to work on a chunk of your content instead of going at it one day at a time.
While you can’t automate the interaction portion of social media, you can save yourself time and headaches by designating an amount of time each day or week to engage with followers. It’s the difference between checking your email multiple times per day versus once or twice.
2. Creating a monthly content calendar
Instead of planning a day’s- or a week’s-worth of content, plan for the entire month. Use the planning and scheduling tools to create a work schedule.
This way, you can see what’s coming up, and you won’t have to spend an afternoon reacting to something you forgot.
Also, try to find out the best time to post to get more exposure among your target audience.
Having a content calendar also ensures consistency in your social media presence.
You always want to make sure you’re posting regularly, not only in terms of how often you post but also what type of content you’re posting.
3. Work with a niche influencer
People are more likely to trust and take recommendations from people they trust.
Word-of-mouth recommendations are successful in many industries, including restaurants, electronics, and apparel.
Using relevant influencers to showcase your ecommerce website is similar to these personal recommendations. It gives your marketing efforts social proof that is more persuasive than any other method used to make people take action.
Many consumers trust influencers, and they buy products they see influencers using and recommending. If you want to reach a new audience, try to leverage influencer marketing.
Check out this example for influencer marketing from LARQ — creator of the world’s first self-cleaning water bottle. They collaborated with NBA Champion Draymond Green in 2020.
This partnership introduced LARQ’s products to athletes, which complements LARQ’s core audience of outdoor adventurists. Green is from Michigan, where residents have been affected by a clean water crisis since 2014.
4. Sell within the social platforms
You can sell directly on Facebook and Instagram in several ways. Learning how to sell on Instagram or Facebook efficiently can help you grow your ecommerce store.
Allowing users to shop in-app (using the Facebook shop, for example) reduces friction and provides a positive user experience.
Spearmint Love — newborn and baby apparel and accessories — links items pictures in its Facebook posts. With just two clicks, a user can purchase the item(s) in the post without leaving Facebook.
5. Share user-generated content
Interacting with the content your customers share can have a positive impact on your social media presence and your ecommerce business.
You can like and comment on a user’s post, but you can also share user-generated content, primarily if it features one of your products.
Solo Stove — a manufacturer of efficient backpacking stoves — posts user-generated content to showcase the many ways its customers use their camp stoves.
Review your social media platform success
Once you have launched a social media marketing strategy, you will need to track its success.
Pay attention to the data that matters to you. Tracking the number of followers you have is a way to measure brand reach, but having a more engaged audience can help to increase sales.
If your current social media strategy isn’t bringing in the numbers you expected, you should pivot to the next plan or make adjustments.
FAQ
How do you use social media for ecommerce?
Using social media for ecommerce involves creating a strong presence on various platforms, engaging with your target audience through compelling content, and leveraging features like shoppable posts and ads to drive traffic and sales to your online store.
Which social media channel is best for ecommerce?
The best social media platforms for ecommerce depend on your target audience, product type, and marketing goals. However, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are popular choices due to their visual nature and robust ecommerce features. LinkedIn is also valuable for B2B ecommerce, while platforms like TikTok and Snapchat can be effective for reaching younger demographics.
What is social commerce strategy?
A social commerce strategy involves leveraging social media platforms to facilitate the buying and selling of products directly within the social media environment. This can include features like shoppable posts, in-app checkout options, and social media storefronts. A successful social commerce strategy integrates seamlessly with your overall ecommerce marketing strategy, focusing on driving conversions, improving the shopping experience, and maximizing sales opportunities through social media channels.
Wrapping up
Statista surveyed global marketers that revealed the benefits of using social media for marketing.
The top benefits were increased exposure (86%), more website traffic (76%), and lead generation (64%).
This proves that having a social media ecommerce strategy is essential. But to see the maximum benefits, you’ll have to take a strategic approach that aligns with your ecommerce business.
Embrace the power of social media marketing, craft a thoughtful social media strategy, and watch as your ecommerce venture flourishes amidst the interconnected world of social commerce.
Written by
Leigh-Anne Truitt
Leigh-Anne Truitt is an SEO Manager at BigCommerce where she researches and discovers strategies to increase organic traffic. Prior to joining the ecommerce industry, Leigh-Anne perfected her marketing skills at The University of Texas at Austin and CanIRank.
